United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 Title II: Museum and Library Services Act Title III: Arts and Artifacts Indemnity Act Arts, Humanities, and Museums Amendments of 1995 - Title I: National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 - Amends the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act of 1965 (NFAHA) to revise and reauthorize provisions for the Foundation's Endowments, separating them into a title II for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and a title III for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). (Sec. 101) Extends the authorization of appropriations for the NEA and the NEH. Reserves specified portions of NEA grant programs funding for partnership grants, national significance grants, and direct grants. Reserves specified portions of NEH grant programs funding for partnership grants, national grants, and research and scholarship grants. Bases certain additional appropriations for NEA and NEH on donated amounts. Limits administrative expenditures by NEA and NEH to not more than 12 percent of their total funding amounts. Revises provisions for the NEA. Provides for a program of NEA partnership grants to States and local and regional groups to establish local arts activities, with emphasis on arts education and projects that reach rural and urban underserved communities. Directs the NEA Chairperson to use 70 percent of partnership grant reserved funds and an appropriate portion of additional funds to allot basic State grants to assist States in supporting specified activities (with a 50 percent Federal match, and certain discretionary increases of such match). Authorizes the NEA Chairperson to use the remaining 30 percent of partnership grant reserved funds and an appropriate portion of additional funds to make grants to States, arts agencies, or other local or regional groups to promote access to the arts through support of specified activities for education and for expansion and advancement of the arts (with a 50 percent Federal match, and certain discretionary increases of such match). Provides for a program of NEA national significance grants to groups, including regional groups, of demonstrated and substantial artistic and cultural importance, for projects, productions, and workshops to increase the access of all the people to the best of U.S. arts and culture (with a 25 percent Federal match, or 16.63 percent in the case of groups with certain larger annual budgets, and with certain discretionary increases of such match). Sets forth required and permissible elements for such projects, productions, and workshops. Gives priority to those that increase public access, including by touring, by regional or national dissemination, or by geographic dispersion. Provides for a program of NEA direct grants to groups and individuals that are broadly representative of the U.S. cultural heritage and broadly geographically representative, for projects, productions, and workshops of high artistic excellence and merit (with a 50 percent Federal match, and certain discretionary increases of such match). Gives priority to those that will be disseminated widely after completion. Revises provisions relating to advisory panels. Reduces the number of members of the National Council on the Arts. Sets forth limitations on NEA grants. Prohibits subgrants, except by State or regional groups, to any other organization or individual to conduct activities independent of the direct grant recipient. Revises NEA administrative provisions and those for reports, sanctions, and payments. Requires recipients of funding to repay certain amounts if they have derived program income from the funded activities exceeding a specified amount. Provides for an Award for Distinguished Lifetime Service for the Arts. Continues provision for the National Medal of Arts. Revises provisions for NEH. Provides for NEH partnership grants to support programs of humanities councils at the State and local levels (with a 50 percent Federal match, and certain discretionary increase of such match). Provides for NEH national grants to groups, individuals, and State agencies or entities for specified activities relating to education and the public humanities that have a national audience and significance (with a 50 percent Federal match, or 25 percent in the case of development of new sources of long-term support). Provides for NEH research and scholarship grants to groups, individuals, and State agencies and entities (with a 50 percent Federal match). Provides for review panels. Reduces the number of members of the National Council on the humanities. Revises limitations on NEH grants. Revises NEH administrative provisions and those for reports, sanctions, and payments. Requires recipients of funding to repay certain amounts if they have derived program income from the funded activities exceeding a specified amount. Continues provision for the Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities Award and the Charles Frankel Prize. (Sec. 102) Makes conforming amendments to the Inspector General Act of 1978. Title II: Museum and Library Services Act - Museum and Library Services Act - Amends the Museum Services Act to revise and rename it as the Museum and Library Services Act (MLSA). (Sec. 201) Establishes within NFAHA an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), consisting of an Office of Museum Services (OMS) and an Office of Library Services (OLS), with a National Museum Services Board in OMS. Provides for an IMLS Director and Deputy Directors for OMS and OLS. Library Services and Technology Act - Provides for Library Services and Technology under MLSA, with an emphasis on library services and technology, access, and literacy programs for underserved communities. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Education for grants to States for information access through technology and information empowerment through special services. Directs the Secretary to transfer such funds to the Director to carry out such library services and technology programs. Sets forth basic program requirements for reservations and allotments, payments, 50 percent Federal share, maintenance of effort, and State plans. Sets forth requirements and authorized activities for such library programs of grants to States for: (1) information access through technology; and (2) information empowerment through special services (including special services for children in poverty who are served by libraries). Sets forth administrative provisions for such library grants programs, including State evaluation of assisted activities, State advisory councils, Federal grants for library services for Indian tribes, and a program of national leadership and evaluation activities. Sets forth MLSA provisions for Museum Services. Continues to authorize: (1) grants to museums to increase and improve museum services through specified types of activities; and (2) contracts and cooperative agreements with appropriate entities for projects to strengthen museum services. Continues to limit the Federal share to 50 percent, allowing the Director to use up to 20 percent of funds to make such grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements where the Federal share may be 100 percent. Requires the Director to undertake an assessment of the collaborative possibilities museums can engage in to serve the public more broadly and effectively. Authorizes the Director to make an annual National Award for Museum Service to outstanding museums that have made significant contributions in service to their communities. Includes the Director as a member of the National Museum Services Board (which gives policy advice to the Director with respect to grants, contracts, and other matters). Authorizes appropriations to the Director to carry out Museum services activities under MLSA. (Sec. 202) Amends the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science Act to make such Commission responsible for advising the IMLS Director on general policies with respect to IMLS duties and powers relating to library services. Directs the Commission to meet jointly with the National Museum Services Board at least once a year to advise on general policy with respect to financial assistance for joint projects of OLS and OMS. Replaces the Librarian of Congress with the IMLS Director as a member of such Commission. Increase the number of such members who must be professional librarians or information specialists. Requires that at least one of the other members be knowledgeable about the library and information service and science needs of the elderly. (Sec. 203) Transfers functions from the Institute of Museum Services (IMS) to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). (Sec. 204) Provides that the current IMS Director shall serve as the first IMLS Director. (Sec. 205) Requires the IMLS Director, in appointing OLS employees, to give strong consideration to individuals with experience in administering State-based library programs. (Sec. 206) Repeals the Library Services and Construction Act and title II (Academic Libraries and Information Services) of the Higher Education Act of 1965. Title III: Arts and Artifacts Indemnity Act - Amends the Arts and Artifacts Indemnity Act to transfer authority to enter into indemnity agreements for exhibitions of arts and artifacts from the Federal Council on the Arts and Humanities to the NEA Chairperson. (Sec. 301) Requires that the exhibition of such items be certified as being in the national interest by the Secretary of State, such Secretary's designee, or the IMLS Director. (Current law requires that the Director of the U.S. Information Agency provide such certification). Includes as eligible items parts of an exhibition that originates either in the United States or outside the United States and that is touring the United States (thus extending coverage to domestic as well as foreign exhibitions). Provides for coordination activities.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1995
Recognizes Father Joseph Damien de Veuster for his service to humanity. Honors the people of Kalaupapa, Hawaii, as a living American legacy of human spirit and dignity.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1995
Child Care and Development Block Grant Amendments Act of 1995 - Amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to consolidate Federal child care programs. Extends the authorization of appropriations under the Act. Revises provisions for the lead agency to allow such agency to administer the financial assistance received by the State under the act either directly or through other governmental or nongovernmental agencies. Requires sufficient time and statewide distribution for the notice of the public hearing on child care services provision under the State plan. Revises provisions for the State application and plan. Eliminates a requirement that providers that are not required to be licensed or regulated under State or local law be required to register with the State before payment is made under the Act. Requires the State to implement mechanisms to ensure that appropriate payment mechanisms exist so that proper payments under this subchapter will be made to providers. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop minimum child care standards, appropriately reflective of tribal needs and available resources, applicable to Indian tribes and tribal organization receiving assistance under the Act. Reduces the set-aside from 25 to 15 percent of annual assistance to a State; but applies such set-aside only to child care quality improvement activities and no longer to early childhood development and before- and after-school care services. Adds a limitation on administrative costs. Requires the sliding fee scale to ensure a representative distribution of funding among the working poor and recipients of Federal welfare assistance. Expands eligibility criteria to include families earning up to 100 percent (currently 75 percent) of the State median family income. Revises requirements relating to quality improvement activities to include: (1) under resource and referral programs, consumer education, referrals honoring parental choice, and activities to improve quality and availability of child care; and (2) under other activities, increasing availability of care before- and after-school, for infants, and during nontraditional work hours. Repeals a requirement that States expend a specified minimum amount of reserved funds for early childhood development and before- and after-school services. Revises requirements for enforcement and for reports. Authorizes the Secretary to permit an Indian tribe or rganization to use certain assistance to construct or renovate facilities that will be used to carry out child care programs. Provides for reallocation of assistance to other Indian tribes or organizations under certain conditions. Allows use of child care certificates as deposits. Includes among eligible child care providers those who care for an eligible great grandchild or sibling (if in the latter case the provider lives in a separate residence). Eliminates certain registration requirements for providers who are relatives. Requires a State that uses funding for child care services under any Federal program to: (1) ensure that activities carried out using such funds meet the requirements, standards, criteria of, and the regulations promulgated under, the Act; (2) administer such funds to the lead agency and integrate them into the State program under the Act. Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Federal Government has a responsibility to provide funding and leadership with respect to child care. Repeals: (1) the State Dependent Care Development Grants Act; and (2) the Child development Associate Scholarship Assistance Act of 1985. Directs the Secretary to submit to the Congress a legislative proposal in the form of an implementing bill containing technical and conforming amendments to reflect the amendments and repeals made by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 1995
James Madison Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue commemorative one-dollar silver coins emblematic of the 250th anniversary of the birth of James Madison and the life and achievements of the fourth President of the United States. Requires the Secretary to turn over proceeds from surcharges to the National Trust for Historic Preservation to be used to: (1) establish an endowment as a permanent source for Montpelier (home of James Madison and a museum); and (2) fund capital restoration projects at Montpelier.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Amendment to the Adult Education Act Amendment Title II: Effective Date; Transition Title III: Repeals of Other Acts Adult Education and Family Literacy Reform Act of 1995 - Title I: Amendment to the Adult Education Act Amendment - Adult Education and Family Literacy Act - Amends the Adult Education Act (AEA) to revise and rename it the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act. Provides for a performance partnership with States and localities for provision of adult education and family literacy services. Consolidates the following current programs under a single funding mechanism of State grants for adult education and family literacy: (1) Library Literacy Program; (2) Workplace Literacy Partnerships; (3) Literacy Training for Homeless Adults; (4) Literacy Program for Prisoners; (5) Even Start; (6) State grants for adult education; (7) Gateway grants for adult education in public housing; (8) State literacy resource centers; (9) Literacy for Institutionalized Adults; (10) an education coordination program serving adults with basic education needs under the Job Training Partnership Act; (11) the National Institute for Literacy; and (12) aid for research, evaluation, and technical assistance. Authorizes appropriations for State grants for adult education and family literacy. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to reserve limited amounts for: (1) awards for national excellence; (2) national leadership activities and the National Institute for Literacy; and (3) Even Start family literacy programs for migratory families and Indian families. Establishes a new title I, Adult Education and Family Literacy, with provisions for: (1) program authority and priorities; (2) State grants for adult education and family literacy; (3) Even Start literacy programs and grants; (4) State administration requirements; (5) State plans; (6) applications from eligible applicants; (6) State-established performance goals and indicators and technical assistance for their establishment; (7) evaluation, improvement, and accountability; (8) allotments to States and reallotment; and (9) a study of statistics on the number of immigrants and limited English proficient individuals in each State, and a report on the feasibility and advisability of including such populations in the State allotment formula. Establishes a new title II, National Leadership, with provisions for: (1) national leadership activities; (2) awards for national excellence; and (3) the National Institute for Literacy. Revises the Institute's current duties, including establishment of a national electronic database and cooperation with the National Education Goals Panel. Sets forth provisions for the Institute's Advisory Board, adult education and literacy career fellowships, and biennial reports to the Congress and the Interagency Group (the Secretaries of Education, Labor, and Health and Human Services). Establishes a new title III, General Provisions, with provisions for State requests for and Federal granting of waivers of statutory or regulatory provisions under specified education and job training laws. Title II: Effective Date; Transition - Sets forth effective date and transition provisions. Title III: Repeals of Other Acts - Repeals: (1) provisions for the Even Start program under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; (2) the National Literacy Act; and (3) provisions for grants to States for workplace and community transition training for incarcerated youth offenders under the Higher Education Act of 1965.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1995
Children's SSI Eligibility Reform Act - Amends title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act to revise SSI benefit eligibility criteria for disabled children, with revisions also provided for under Federal regulations on child psychological evaluations and individualized functional assessments, as well as under additional specified SSI provisions, including those for combatting fraud and paying benefits through representative payees, in order to help achieve the stated purposes of this Act that SSI benefits provide basic necessities for appropriate cost-effective care, cover additional child-related costs, and enhance development opportunities, among other things, by: (1) providing for graduated benefits for certain additional eligible children; (2) requiring disability reviews for disabled children turning 18; (3) allowing for dedicated savings accounts for child education, job training, or other special needs; and (4) mandating a social security system providing information and referral services for eligible children.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Border Enforcement Title II: Control of Unlawful Employment and Verification Title III: Illegal Alien Removal Title IV: Alien Smuggling Control Title V: Inspections and Admissions Title VI: Miscellaneous and Technical Amendments Immigration Enforcement Improvements Act of 1995 - Title I: Border Enforcement - Authorizes appropriations for Department of Justice illegal immigration prevention efforts. (Sec. 102) Provides for Border Patrol and land border inspector increases. (Sec. 104) Directs the United States Sentencing Commission to increase penalties for failure to depart, illegal reentry, and passport and visa fraud. (Sec. 105) Authorizes the Attorney General to establish an interior repatriation pilot program for excludable or deportable aliens. (Sec. 106) Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (Act) to authorize the Attorney General, under extraordinary migration situations, to order without referral to an immigration judge the exclusion or deportation of an alien who appears to an examining immigration officer to be excludable. (Sec. 107) Permits Federal agency reimbursement from the immigration emergency fund. Provides, in situations of mass alien influx, for: (1) vessel controls; and (2) local delegation of immigration enforcement authority. (Sec. 108) Expands commuter lane pilot border programs. Title II: Control of Unlawful Employment and Verification - Amends the Act to authorize the Attorney General to require an individual to provide his or social security number for employment verification papers. (Sec. 202) Directs the Attorney General and the Commissioner of Social Security to conduct employment verification pilot projects (which shall provide for confidentiality of personal information). (Sec. 204) Amends the Act to authorize the Attorney General to require an alien to provide his or her social security number. (Sec. 205) Increases civil and criminal penalties for specified employer-related violations. (Sec. 212) Authorizes a telephone verification system fee. (Sec. 213) Authorizes appropriations for activities under this title. Title III: Illegal Alien Removal - Amends the Act to subject aliens to civil penalties for failure to depart after an order of exclusion or deportation. (Sec. 302) Expands the scope of judicial deportation. (Sec. 303) Permits deportation proceedings by telephone or video electronic media. (Sec. 304) Authorizes an immigration judge to issue subpoenas in exclusion or deportation proceedings. (Sec. 305) Provides for stipulated orders of exclusion or deportation. (Sec. 306) Revises exclusion and deportation appeal provisions. (Sec. 307) Authorizes visa discontinuance sanctions against a country that refuses to accept deportation of its nationals. (Sec. 308) Authorizes the release of an alien convicted of an aggravated felony from an exclusion or deportation proceeding under specified circumstances. (Sec. 309) Sets forth specified limitations on relief from exclusion and deportation. (Sec. 311) Authorizes appropriations for a pro bono representation pilot program (or programs) to increase the efficiency of exclusion and deportation proceedings. Title IV: Alien Smuggling Control - Amends Federal criminal law to: (1) authorize wiretaps for alien smuggling and document fraud investigations; and (2) bring alien smuggling operations under the purview of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) provisions. (Sec. 403) Amends the Act to: (1) expand Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) forfeiture authority for smuggling or harboring illegal aliens; and (2) increase criminal penalties for alien smuggling. (Sec. 405) Authorizes INS to use appropriated funds for specified undercover activities. (Sec. 406) Amends the Act to revise the definition of aggravated felony. Title V: Inspections and Admissions - Amends the Act to make it unlawful to bring an illegal alien into the United States from a foreign contiguous territory. Increases civil penalties for bringing an illegal alien into the United States. (Sec. 502) Defines "stowaway" for purposes of the Act. Subjects such an alien to exclusion and deportation. Establishes carrier liability for related detention costs. (Sec. 503) Revises carrier provisions regarding: (1) passenger lists; (2) cruise ship passenger immigration fees; and (3) U.S. indemnification of costs for aliens without visas. (Sec. 507) Establishes a border services user fee for every land border entry, including ferry arrivals. Authorizes States to establish Border Service Councils at ports of entry. Title VI: Miscellaneous and Technical Amendments - Amends Federal criminal law with regard to alien prostitution. (Sec. 602) Authorizes appropriations for State medical assistance to undocumented immigrants. (Sec. 605) Authorizes the INS to use volunteers for specified activities.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1995
Reaffirms that: (1) the status quo on Cyprus is unacceptable; and (2) all foreign troops should be withdrawn. Welcomes the appointment of a Special Presidential Emissary for Cyprus. Expresses continued support for efforts by the United Nations (UN) Secretary General and the U.S. Government to resolve the Cyprus problem. Insists that all parties to the dispute agree to seek a solution based upon relevant UN resolutions. Supports demilitarization of Cyprus. Encourages the UN Security Council and the U.S. Government to consider alternative approaches to promote a resolution of the dispute based upon relevant Security Council resolutions.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 1995
Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Research, Assistance, and Education Act of 1995 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to mandate a program for the conduct and support of research and training, the dissemination of health information, and other programs regarding Parkinson's disease. Establishes the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Parkinson's Disease. Requires Core Center Grants to encourage the development of innovative multidisciplinary research and provide training concerning Parkinson's, designating each grant recipient as a Morris K. Udall Center for Research on Parkinson's Disease. Authorizes establishment of the National Parkinson's Disease Data System to collect, store, analyze, retrieve, and disseminate data. Establishes: (1) the National Parkinson's Disease Information Clearinghouse; (2) a grant program to support scientists who have distinguished themselves in Parkinson's research; and (3) a national education program to foster a national focus on Parkinson's and the care of those with Parkinson's. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 1995
Child Labor Deterrence Act of 1995 - Urges the President to seek an agreement with governments that trade with the United States to secure an international ban on trade in products of child labor (commercial exploitation of children under 15). Requires the Secretary of Labor (Secretary) to identify foreign countries that: (1) do not comply with national laws that prohibit child labor in the workplace; (2) utilize child labor in the export of products; and (3) have on a continuing basis exported such products to the United States. Authorizes any person to file a petition with the Secretary requesting that a particular foreign industry and its host country be identified. Requires the Secretary, before making such identification, to: (1) consult with the U.S. Trade Representative, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Secretary of the Treasury; (2) hold at least one public hearing for public comment; and (3) publish notice in the Federal Register, inviting public comment, that such identification is being considered. Prohibits the importation of products which have been produced by child labor. Sets forth civil and criminal penalties. Authorizes appropriations for a U.S. contribution to: (1) the International Labor Organization for the activities of the International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor; and (2) the United Nations Commission on Human Rights for those activities relating to bonded child labor that are carried out by the Subcommittee and Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Amendments to the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act Title II: Effective Date; Transition Title III: Amendments to Other Acts Career Preparation Education Reform Act of 1995 - Title I: Amendments to the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act - Amends the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act to revise and rename it the Carl D. Perkins Career Preparation Education Act. (Sec. 101) Sets forth title I part A provisions for Improving State and Local Programs. Requires that title I funds be used to support development, implementation, and improvement of school-to-work opportunities systems in secondary and postsecondary schools (as set forth in the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994). Requires State and local recipients to give priority to specified types of services and activities. Sets forth requirements for State leadership activities and local activities. Allows State and local recipients of assistance under the Act, in supporting school-to-work opportunities systems, to combine funds from programs under the Act, School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994, Goals 2000: Educate America Act, Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), and Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) (the specified Acts). Sets forth requirements for State plans, State administration, local applications, performance goals and indicators, and evaluation, improvement, and accountability. Sets forth title I part B provisions for Allocating State and Local Resources. Revises provisions for allotments, within-State allocation, and distribution of funds at secondary and postsecondary levels. Allows States to distribute funds: (1) using alternative formulas, if they demonstrate to the Secretary of Education that such formulas better meet the purposes of the Act; and (2) to secondary- postsecondary consortia. Establishes a new title II, National Support for State and Local Reforms. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) make one or more performance awards for excellence to one or more States for specified achievements; (2) carry out research, development, dissemination, evaluation, capacity-building, and technical assistance with regard to services and activities under the Act, and coordinate these with related activities under the other specified Acts; (3) support professional development activities for educators to help ensure that all students receive an education that enables them to enter high-skill, high-wage careers, giving priority to new models and innovative forms of instruction, and coordinating these with other related professional development activities; (4) establish one or more national centers in the areas of research, development, and dissemination; and (5) make five-year grants to tribally controlled postsecondary vocational institutions for basic support for educating Indian students. Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a national assessment of services and activities assisted under the Act, appoint an independent advisory panel, and submit an interim and a final report to the Congress; (2) maintain a data system to collect information and report on school-to-work opportunities systems and State and local activities under the Act (with specified roles for the Secretary of Labor and the Commissioner of Education Statistics with respect to such data system); and (3) make grants or cooperative agreements for career preparation services and activities for Indians and Native Hawaiians. Sets forth a new title III, General Provisions. Allows any State to request for itself or a local recipient a waiver by the Secretary, or the Secretary of Labor for JTPA, of one or more of certain statutory or regulatory provisions under the Act and other specified Acts, in order to more effectively reform education and develop school-to-work opportunities systems. Excludes the portion of any student financial assistance received under the Act that is made available for certain attendance costs from consideration in determining eligibility for any welfare program funded in whole or in part with Federal funds. Prohibits States from considering payments under the Act in determining for any educational agency or institution its eligibility for or amount of State aid for public education. Provides for identification of State imposed requirements. Prohibits use of funds under the Act for directly providing incentives or inducements for employer relocations from other States. Title II: Effective Date; Transition - Sets forth effective date and transition provisions. Title III: Amendments to Other Acts - Amends the Smith-Hughes Act to terminate at the end of FY 1995 the annual appropriations for payments to States to assist in preparing and paying salaries of educators involved in the teaching of agricultural, trade, home economics, and industrial subjects. Sets forth technical and conforming amendments to the JTPA, Adult Education Act, School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994, ESEA, Goals 2000: Educate America Act, Higher Education Act of 1965, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Displaced Homemakers Self-Sufficiency Assistance Act, Wagner-Peyser Act, Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of Act of 1994, Nontraditional Employment for Women Act, Training Technology Transfer Act of 1988, and certain Federal law added by the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 1995
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Congress should act as quickly as possible to amend the Internal Revenue Code to end the tax avoidance by U.S. citizens who relinquish their citizenship.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 1995
National African American Museum Act - Establishes within the Smithsonian Institution the National African American Museum to be operated as a center for scholarship and a location for museum training, public education, exhibits, and collection and study of items and materials relating to the life, art, history, and culture of African Americans. Authorizes the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution to plan, design, reconstruct, and renovate the Arts and Industries Building to house the Museum. Establishes a Board of Trustees of the Museum in the Smithsonian Institution. Directs the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution to appoint a Director to manage the Museum.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 1995
Ryan White CARE Reauthorization Act of 1995 - Amends title XXVI (HIV Health Care Services Program) of the Public Health Service Act regarding emergency relief for areas with a substantial need for services. Changes requirements for grants to metropolitan areas having large numbers of cases of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Modifies the composition, chairperson requirements, and duties of local human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) health services planning councils. Revises requirements for supplemental grants. Alters the method for determining the amount of each grant, the mandated uses of the grants, and application requirements. Allows a single application for initial and supplemental grants and authorizes both to be made as a single grant. Mandates (currently, allows) technical assistance. Authorizes planning grants. Amends provisions relating to the care grant program to change the uses of HIV care consortia grants and consortium application requirements. Mandates establishment of a recommended minimum formulary of pharmaceutical drug therapies approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Revises: (1) State duties in using grant funds to provide treatments; (2) State application requirements; and (3) planning, evaluation, and administration requirements. Mandates (currently, allows) technical assistance. Mandates grievance procedures to address allegations of egregious violations of title XXVI. Requires coordination of the planning and implementation of Federal HIV programs by the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Amends early intervention services provisions to: (1) require grant recipients to provide a continuum of primary care; and (2) modify other requirements regarding uses of grant funds. Authorizes planning grants to entities that are not direct primary care providers to enable them to provide HIV primary care services. Authorizes appropriations for early intervention grants. Replaces provisions mandating demonstration grants for research and services for pediatric AIDS patients with provisions mandating grants for primary care for out-patient care and support services to children, youth, women with HIV disease, and the families of those individuals and for facilitating the participation of such individuals in research. Requires procedures for the protection of human subjects. Prohibits conditioning services on research participation. Authorizes appropriations. Reserves a specified portion of the amounts appropriated under other parts of title XXVI to administer a special projects of national significance program to award direct grants for special programs for the care and treatment of individuals with HIV disease. Repeals current provisions relating to special projects of national significance. Replaces provisions of the Public Health Service Act authorizing grants and contracts to train the faculty of specified types of health professions schools regarding providing for the health care needs of individuals with HIV disease with provisions authorizing grants and contracts to train health personnel, including community providers, in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of HIV infection and disease. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 4) Amends title XXVI provisions relating to emergency relief for areas with a substantial need for services to modify the formula for determining the amount of grants. (Sec. 5) Amends provisions relating to the care grant program to change the formula regarding minimum grant allotments. (Sec. 6) Authorizes appropriations to make grants under title XXVI provisions relating to: (1) emergency relief for areas with a substantial need for services; and (2) the care grant program. Mandates development and implementation of a methodology for adjusting the percentages allocated to those parts. Repeals existing authorizations of appropriations for those parts.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1995
Establishes the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park in New Bedford, Massachusetts, to be administered as a unit of the national park system. Requires expenditures to consist of: (1) one dollar of Federal funds for each four dollars of non-Federal funds for cooperative agreements entered into under this Act; and (2) non-Federal funds matching Federal funds for visitor and interpretive facilities (other than operation and maintenance costs). Requires the Secretary of the Interior to submit to specified congressional committees and to implement a general management plan for the Park. Authorizes appropriations. Limits the amount that may be appropriated for visitor and interpretive facilities and directional and visitor orientation signage. Prohibits the use of appropriations authorized under this Act for operation or maintenance of the Schooner Ernestina and limits the amount of Federal funds that may be used annually for interpretive and educational programs for the Schooner Ernestina pursuant to cooperative grants under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1995
Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Amendments Act of 1995 - Modifies the boundaries of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor. Requires the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission to revise the Cultural Heritage and Land Management Plan to address the boundary change and include a natural resource inventory of areas or features that should be protected, restored, managed, or acquired because of their contribution to the understanding of national cultural landscape values. Prohibits changes other than minor revisions in the approved plan as amended without the approval of the Secretary of the Interior. Extends the date of termination of the Commission until ten years after this Act's enactment, subject to specified conditions. Directs the Secretary to approve an additional extension if the Secretary finds that: (1) the Governors of Massachusetts and Rhode Island provide adequate assurances of continued tangible contribution and effective policy support toward achieving the purposes of the Corridor; and (2) the Commission is effectively assisting Federal, State, and local authorities to retain, enhance, and interpret the distinctive character and nationally significant resources of the Corridor. Authorizes the Secretary to undertake a limited program of financial assistance for the purpose of providing funds for the preservation and restoration of structures on or eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places within the Corridor which exhibit national significance or provide a wide spectrum of historic, recreational, or environmental education opportunities to the general public. Specifies that nothing in the Act establishing the Corridor shall be construed to affect or authorize the Commission to interfere with: (1) the rights of any person with respect to private property; or (2) any local zoning ordinance or land use plan of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or a political subdivision of such Commonwealth. Increases and extends the authorization of appropriations under the Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1995
Authorizes the awarding of the Purple Heart to persons serving with the armed forces who were wounded while being taken prisoner or held captive before April 25, 1962. Prohibits such award to a person convicted by a competent court of rendering assistance to any U.S. enemy.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Health Professions Education and Financial Assistance Programs Subtitle A: Health Professions Education Programs Subtitle B: Nursing Education Subtitle C: Financial Assistance Title II: Office of Minority Health Title III: Selected Initiatives Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions Health Professions Education Consolidation and Reauthorization Act of 1995 - Title I: Health Professions Education and Financial Assistance Programs - Subtitle A: Health Professions Education Programs - Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to replace provisions relating to students from disadvantaged backgrounds with provisions mandating grants or contracts to increase the number and quality of disadvantaged health professionals. Authorizes appropriations. Repeals provisions relating to the terms of obligated service under various PHSA health professional education provisions. (Sec. 102) Repeals provisions relating to: (1) area health education center programs; (2) training in general internal medicine, general pediatrics, general dentistry, physician assistants, and podiatric medicine; and (3) related general provisions. Modifies provisions relating to training in family medicine by adding: (1) references to internal medicine and pediatrics; and (2) provisions regarding the training of physician assistants and training in preventive medicine. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 103) Replaces provisions relating to training in certain health professions with provisions relating to area health education centers. Authorizes grants and contracts for projects meeting specified criteria. Authorizes grants and contracts for the establishment of geriatric education centers. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 104) Removes provisions relating to geriatrics and relating to rural areas. Authorizes grants and contracts to strengthen capacity for health professions education and practice. Authorizes appropriations. Requires (currently, authorizes) expansion of a uniform health professions data reporting system. Extends the termination date of the Council on Graduate Medical Education. Allows use of amounts otherwise appropriated under title VII (Health Professions Education) of the PHSA to be used for the Council's medical education activities. (Sec. 105) Repeals provisions relating to miscellaneous programs, statistics, a biennial report, and certain general provisions. Sets forth general provisions for such title VII. (Sec. 106) Grants funding preference to programs that have graduated less than three classes and meet specified criteria. (Sec. 107) Adds State or local health departments with a severe shortage of public health personnel to the definition of "medically underserved community" for purposes of such title VII. Subtitle B: Nursing Education - Nursing Education Consolidation and Reauthorization Act of 1995 - Replaces title VIII (Nurse Education) of the PHSA (except for provisions relating to student loans (but does remove the authorization of appropriations for student loan funds), the loan repayment program, discrimination on the basis of sex, and certain generally applicable provisions) with provisions relating to application requirements, uses of funds (including maintenance of effort), matching requirements, preference, and generally applicable provisions (including peer review). Establishes the National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice. Allows amounts appropriated under title VIII to be used to support activities of the Council and to provide technical assistance. Provides for recovery for construction assistance if the facility is used or ceases to be used according to requirements. Authorizes grants and contracts for: (1) supporting advanced practice nursing education and practice and traineeships for advanced practice nursing; (2) special projects to increase nursing education opportunities for individuals from disadvantaged racial and ethnic backgrounds underrepresented among registered nurses; and (3) projects to strengthen capacity for basic nurse education and practice. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 125) Grants funding preference to programs that have graduated less than three classes and meet specified criteria. Subtitle C: Financial Assistance - Adds references to training in, schools of, and activities related to public health, disease prevention, and health promotion numerous places in provisions authorizing and regulating the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program. Adds references to degrees or graduate training programs in public health to provisions relating to the period of obligated service under the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program and the Loan Program. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the Scholarship Program and the Loan Program. Allows: (1) grants to States for loan repayment programs to be used for public health disease prevention and health promotion in health professional shortage areas; and (2) a State, in carrying out a State loan repayment program, to accept service in a private clinical practice in a health professional shortage area. Removes provisions authorizing appropriations for grants to States for demonstration programs to increase the availability of primary health care in health professional shortage areas. (Sec. 132) Removes nursing loan repayment program provisions relating to breach of agreements for obligated service and authorizations of appropriations. (Sec. 133) Adds to the definition of "health professional shortage area" State or local health departments with a severe shortage of public health personnel. (Sec. 135) Requires that schools participating in a student loan fund under specified provisions have certain percentages of their graduates over the preceding four (currently, three) years in primary care residency or practice. Requires student loan recipients to practice in primary care for five years after their residency is completed (currently, to practice in primary care until the loan is repaid). (Sec. 136) Authorizes appropriations for Federal capital contributions to student loan funds for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. Repeals the authorization provisions on a specified date. (Sec. 137) Allows nursing student loan recipients who failed to make consecutive payments but who have made consecutive payments for the last year to have the repayment period extended a specified period. Provides for breach of agreement to provide services in consideration of receiving Federal funds for nursing education. Modifies requirements regarding the distribution of assets from nursing student loan funds. (Sec. 141) Defers repayment of graduate insured health education assistance loans while the borrower is providing health care services to Indians through an Indian health program. Modifies loan limits. (Sec. 151) Authorizes grants and contracts for scholarships for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Office of Minority Health - Revises the duties of the Office of Minority Health and establishes the Advisory Committee on Minority Health. Modifies provisions regulating grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts to carry out the Office's duties. Authorizes appropriations. Title III: Selected Initiatives - Mandates programs on birth defects, including operating regional centers for conducting epidemiological birth defect prevention research. Requires establishment of a National Information Clearinghouse on Birth Defects. Authorizes grants and contracts. (Sec. 302) Authorizes the program for trauma research under specified provisions to make grants or contracts for basic and applied research on traumatic brain injury. Authorizes grants to States for demonstration projects to improve the availability of services regarding traumatic brain injury. Requires matching funds. Authorizes appropriations. Mandates a study on traumatic brain injury and a national consensus conference on managing traumatic brain injury and related rehabilitation concerns. (Sec. 303) Removes a requirement that State contributions of nonfederal matching funds (for the operation of State rural health offices) be in cash. Authorizes appropriations. Increases the aggregate grant amount after which no more grants may be made and repeals, on a specified date, the provisions authorizing the grants. (Sec. 304) Modifies the permitted uses of grants and contracts for serving the health needs of Pacific Islanders. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 305) Removes the limits on the number of grants that must be made to States for demonstration projects on Alzheimer's disease or related disorders. Revises project requirements. Removes grant time limits. Authorizes appropriations. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - Authorizes appropriations for carrying out (currently, for making grants under) provisions mandating, directly or through grants, specified activities regarding tuberculosis. (Sec. 402) Authorizes establishment of technical and scientific peer review groups and scientific advisory committees as needed for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mandates establishment of fellowship and training programs in disease detection and prevention methods. (Sec. 403) Amends the National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act of 1993 to remove provisions prohibiting an entity from spending funds under the Act unless the entity agrees to comply with the Buy American Act. (Sec. 404) Includes in the definition (for purposes of title VII (Health Professions Education) of the PHSA) of "medically underserved community" ambulatory practice sites designated by State Governors and practices or facilities in which not less than 50 percent of the patients are eligible to receive aid under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act or are uninsured. Provides for recovery of funds paid in connection with construction of a facility if the facility ceases, during a prescribed period, to be owned or used as required. (Sec. 405) Adds counseling to the list of disciplines in provisions relating to obligatory service in return for traineeships. (Sec. 406) Reduces the amount required to be reserved for grants and contracts for regional centers for research on primates.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1995
Trade Adjustment Assistance Program Improvement Act of 1995 - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to increase from 14 to 45 the number of days an adversely affected worker may have a scheduled break in a training program and still be treated as participating in the program for purposes of trade assistance adjustment eligibility.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1995
Victims of Abuse Access to Health Insurance Act - Prohibits health insurers from discriminating against an individual or group because the individual is or may be a victim of domestic violence. Prohibits considering a condition or injury resulting from domestic violence as a pre-existing condition. Mandates civil and criminal penalties and provides for injunctive relief and compensatory and punitive damages. Declares that, for the purposes of the McCarran-Ferguson Act, this Act specifically relates to the business of insurance.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1995
Interstate Compact - Grants congressional consent to the Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact entered into among the States of Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts to assure the viability of dairy farming in the northeast and to assure consumers of an adequate, local milk supply. Limits Compact regulatory authority to Class I milk. Authorizes Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia to join under specified conditions. Requires the Compact Commission to remove overproduction incentives. Sets forth Compact provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1995
Child Care Consolidation and Investment Act of 1995 - Amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to appropriate funds for FY 1996 through 2000 for child care services for eligible children through the awarding of grants to States. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, if the amounts appropriated are insufficient to provide services to each child whose parent is required to undertake education, job training or search, or employment as a condition of eligibility under part A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) (AFDC) of title IV of the Social Security Act, to pay sums necessary to ensure the implementation of State plans for child care and development for each child. Requires (currently, authorizes) child care and development block grants for States. Decreases from 25 to 20 percent the amount of funds to be reserved by States per fiscal year for activities to improve the quality of child care and to provide before- and after-school and early childhood development services. Directs States to reserve at least 50 percent of grant amounts for child care activities to support low-income working families. Requires State plans to assure that the availability of child care will be coordinated with AFDC requirements and to ensure that the parent of a dependent child is not required to undertake an education, job training or search, or employment requirement unless child care assistance is available. Sets forth a matching requirement for States with respect to amounts that exceed amounts received in FY 1995. Increases to 50 (currently, 20) percent the minimum percentage of reserved amounts States must use to carry out specified activities to improve the quality of child care. Directs the Secretary to establish a child care quality improvement incentive initiative to make funds available to States that demonstrate progress in the implementation of: (1) innovative teacher training programs; or (2) enhanced child care quality standards and licensing and monitoring procedures. Decreases from 75 to 50 percent the minimum percentage of reserved amounts States must use to carry out early child development and before- and after-school services. Requires amounts allotted to States under this Act to include the base amount such States received under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 and under AFDC provisions repealed under this Act. Repeals specified AFDC provisions and the Child Development Assistance Associate Scholarship Assistance Act of 1985.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 1995
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to redefine legitimate or illegitimate children as children born in or out of wedlock, respectively, for purposes of such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Improvements to the Child Support Collection System Title II: Effect of Enactment Interstate Child Support Responsibility Act of 1995 - Title I: Improvements to the Child Support Collection System - Subtitle A: Eligibility and Other Matters Concerning Title IV-D Program Clients - Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require States to have statutorily prescribed procedures to: (1) record child support orders in a central case registry; and (2) collect child support payments through a centralized collections unit. (Sec. 101) Revises the guidelines for: (1) State plans for child and spousal support; and (2) payments distribution. (Sec. 103) Requires State plans to establish procedural guidelines for: (1) notification of all proceedings and orders affecting child support obligations; and (2) privacy safeguards regarding paternity and child support actions. Subtitle B: Program Administration and Funding - Revises the formula for: (1) Federal matching payments to the States; and (2) incentive adjustments to the Federal matching rate. (Sec. 113) Requires a State plan for child and spousal support to include prescribed procedures for State reviews and audits. Revises the guidelines for Federal evaluation and audit of State programs governing paternity, child and spousal support, and parent location. (Sec. 115) Revises the automated data processing requirements for State plans to mandate a single statewide automated data processing and information retrieval system which can perform specified tasks. (Sec. 116) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) to conduct staffing studies of each State child support enforcement program and to report the results to the Congress. (Sec. 117) Makes funds available to the Secretary for: (1) training of Federal and State staff, research and demonstration programs, and special projects of regional and national significance; and (2) operation of the Federal Parent Locator Service. Subtitle C: Locate and Case Tracking - Mandates that the single statewide automated data system function as a single central case registry of State-provided services and support orders. Delineates contents of case records and data matching activities, including data exchange with sister States. (Sec. 122) Requires State plans to include a centralized, automated unit for the collection and disbursement of support payments. (Sec. 123) Requires the States to have statutorily prescribed procedures: (1) for mandatory income withholding for support payments subject to enforcement; and (2) under which child support orders issued before October 1, 1996, shall become subject to withholding from wages if arrearages occur, without the need for a judicial or administrative hearing. Revises the procedural guidelines for income withholding for child support enforcement. (Sec. 125) Revises the Federal Parent Locator Service to add kinds of information which may be transmitted to locate individuals and assets for purposes of establishing parentage and executing child support obligations. Requires the Secretary to establish in the Service a Data Bank of Child Support Orders and an automated directory of New Hires. (Sec. 126) Requires State plans to include procedures for recording social security numbers on certain family legal documents and records, including all applications for motor vehicle licenses and professional licenses. Subtitle D: Streamlining and Uniformity of Procedures - Requires each State to have the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act in effect as of January 1, 1997. (Sec. 132) Amends the Federal judicial code to revise the procedures for a court to apply when determining which State order to recognize for purposes of continuing, exclusive jurisdiction and enforcement for child support orders. (Sec. 133) Amends SSA title IV part D to revise State plan guidelines for mandatory expedited administrative and judicial procedures to include: (1) authorized genetic testing to establish paternity; and (2) the securing of assets and increasing of monthly payments to satisfy a support arrearage. Subtitle E: Paternity Establishment - Revises the guidelines for statutorily prescribed procedures governing genetic testing and outreach for voluntary paternity acknowledgment. Subtitle F: Establishment and Modification of Support Orders - Establishes the National Child Support Guidelines Commission to determine: (1) whether it is appropriate to develop a national child support guideline; or (2) based on a study of various guideline models, the benefits and deficiencies of such models and any needed improvements. (Sec. 152) Revises the requirements for State plan procedures for the review and adjustment of support orders. Subtitle G: Enforcement of Support Orders - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise the priority of refund distribution with respect to past-due support owed to individuals. (Sec. 163) Amends SSA title IV part D to revise procedural guidelines for: (1) consent by the United States to income withholding, garnishment, and similar proceedings for enforcement of child support and alimony obligations of current and retired Federal employees; and (2) enforcement of child support obligations of current and retired members of the armed forces. (Sec. 165) Requires States to have statutorily prescribed procedures for: (1) placing liens for child support arrearages on motor vehicle titles of the debtor; (2) voiding fraudulent transfers by a child support debtor; (3) suspending any driver's, business, or occupational license issued to any person who owes past-due child support; (4) reporting to credit bureaus the name of the parent in arrears for child support; (5) extending the statute of limitations for collection on child support arrearages; and (6) calculating interest or penalties on such arrearage. (Sec. 171) Prescribes procedural guidelines for passport denial (including revocation) upon certification of nonpayment of child support. (Sec. 172) Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should ratify the United Nations Convention of 1956. Requires State plans to provide that the State must treat international child support cases as interstate cases. Subtitle H: Medical Support - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to include within the definition of medical child support order an order issued through a State administrative process. Subtitle I: Access and Visitation Programs - Authorizes State grants to States to establish and administer programs to facilitate absent parents' access and visitation programs. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Effect of Enactment - Sets forth effective dates for this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 1995
1997 Franklin Delano Roosevelt Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue commemorative half-dollar silver coins whose obverse side shall bear a likeness of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and whose reverse side shall be emblematic of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C. Mandates that the design for the coins shall be: (1) selected by the Secretary after consultation with the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts; and (2) reviewed by the Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory Committee. Declares that: (1) the coins shall be struck at the U.S. Bullion Depository at West Point; and (2) may be issued only from January 1, 1997, to December 31, 1997. Requires the Secretary to distribute proceeds from surcharges in equal allocations to: (1) the National Park Foundation Restricted Account for the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial; and (2) the National Park Service Restricted Construction Account for the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 1995
Working Wage Increase Act of 1995 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the minimum wage per hour to: (1) $4.70 during the year beginning July 4, 1995; and (2) $5.15 after July 3, 1996.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 1995
Major League Baseball Restoration Act - Establishes a National Baseball Dispute Resolution Panel to resolve the current labor dispute involving Major League Baseball. Directs the President to select the three Panel members from among impartial persons with expertise as neutrals in the resolution of labor-management disputes. Makes the agreement prescribed by the Panel final and binding on the parties. Precludes judicial review of any decision of the Panel. Directs the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to provide administrative support, resources, and services necessary to carry out this Act and to utilize its appropriated funds to pay the salaries and expenses of Panel members. Terminates the Panel upon its rendering of a decision.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 1995
National Park Service Concession Policy Reform Act of 1995 - Repeals the Concessions Policy Act of 1965. (Sec. 5) Directs the Secretary of the Interior to authorize, under specified conditions, private persons, corporations, or other entities to provide and operate such facilities and services as the Secretary deems necessary and appropriate in the National Park System (NPS). (Sec. 6) Authorizes the Secretary, upon request and under specified criteria, to allow such entities to provide services to park visitors other than by award of a concession contract or permit. Requires the provision of such services to have minimal impact on park resources and values and to be consistent with park purposes. Provides a two-year term limit for the provision of such services. (Sec. 7) Requires a concession contract to be awarded to the person submitting the best proposal through a competitive selection process to be established by the Secretary. Allows waiver of such procedures and award of a temporary contract to avoid interruption of services. Requires the Secretary to publish a notice of availability for a prospectus soliciting proposals for contracts for concessions at a Park specifying minimum contract requirements and contract terms and conditions. Requires congressional notification of any proposed contract with anticipated gross receipts exceeding $5 million or of a duration of ten or more years. Prohibits the Secretary from granting a preferential right to a concessioner to: (1) renew concession contracts under this Act, with exceptions; or (2) provide new or additional services at a park. Allows such preferential rights to be granted for certain outfitting and guide contracts and certain contracts with annual gross receipts of under $500,000. (Sec. 8) Sets forth criteria for determining franchise fees, including fees for multiple franchise contracts within a park. (Sec. 9) Requires all fees to be: (1) covered into a special Treasury account established for reallocation to NPS units for resource management and protection, maintenance activities, interpretation, and research; or (2) deposited into a Park Improvement Fund established by the concessioner (as directed by the Secretary) from which expenditures shall be made for park activities and projects. Requires: (1) an annual statement from the concessioner to the Secretary reflecting total activity in the Fund for the preceding fiscal year; and (2) an annual report from the Secretary to specified congressional committees concerning Fund expenditures. (Sec. 10) Establishes a maximum: (1) ten-year duration for a concessions contract, provided that the Secretary may award a contract for up to 20 years if determined necessary; and (2) two-year duration for a temporary contract. (Sec. 11) Requires the approval of the Secretary and congressional notification before a concession contract can be transferred, assigned, sold, or conveyed and sets forth conditions that preclude such conveyance. (Sec. 12) Grants possessory interest to: (1) concessioners who have commenced acquisition or construction of any structure on Federal land within a park before the enactment of this Act; and (2) concessioners who construct or acquire an improvement on U.S. land within a Park after enactment of this Act. (Sec. 13) Places limitations on a concessioner's rates and charges to the public. (Sec. 14) Directs the Secretary to: (1) periodically evaluate the performance of each concessioner under contract; (2) terminate a contract if a concessioner fails, within the prescribed time, to meet minimum requirements identified in a notice of unsatisfactory performance; and (3) notify specified congressional committees of each unsatisfactory rating and each contract terminated. (Sec. 15) Provides that the Comptroller General of the United States shall, until the expiration of five calendar years after the close of the business year for each concessioner, have access to and the right to examine any pertinent books, documents, papers, and records of the concessioner related to the contracts. (Sec. 16) Exempts contracts awarded by the Secretary under this Act from certain provisions of Federal law with respect to the leasing of U.S. buildings and properties. (Sec. 18) Requires the Inspector General of the Department of the Interior to submit biannual reports to specified congressional committees on the implementation of this Act and its effect on facilities operated pursuant to concession contracts and on visitor services. (Sec. 19) Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1995
Equal Remedies Act of 1995 - Amends Federal law relating to damages in cases of intentional employment discrimination to remove the limits on the dollar amount of damages awardable for pecuniary and nonpecuniary losses and punitive damages.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 1995
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 · 20 January 1995
Missing Service Personnel Act of 1995 - Requires the military commander of the unit, facility, or area to which the following persons are assigned to conduct an investigation as to their whereabouts after receiving factual information that their status is uncertain: (1) military personnel who disappear during a period of war, national emergency, or hostilities; and (2) any civilian Federal employee (including an employee of a Federal contractor) who serves with or accompanies an armed force in the field during such a period. Requires such persons to be placed in a missing status and requires notification of such status to either the officer having general court-martial authority over the person (for military personnel) or the Secretary of the military department employing such person (for civilian and contractor employees). Requires such officials to be kept informed (specifies deadlines) as to all information and inquiries concerning efforts to locate such missing personnel. Requires such officials to appoint a board to conduct an inquiry into the whereabouts and status of such persons. Provides for: (1) board composition, activities, and access to information; (2) inquiry proceedings (requiring the appointment of counsel, with specified duties, to represent the missing person); (3) a board recommendation as to the official status of a person following such an inquiry; (4) board reports to the officials involved as to board conclusions (prohibiting public availability of such reports for a one-year period); (5) report review by the official; (6) a report from such official to interested persons; and (7) an additional investigation and inquiry by an additional board upon receipt of new information within one year after the date of the first official notice of a person's disappearance. Allows interested persons (family members, dependents, next of kin) to participate at the proceedings of the board during such additional inquiry. Provides for the availability of appropriate information to board personnel conducting investigations and inquiries. Provides similar procedures for the second board with respect to meetings (open to the public, with exceptions), recommendations, reports, review by the Secretary of the military department concerned, and reports to interested persons. Requires a board to be reconvened when information becomes available that would directly lead to a determination of a person's status. Requires the Secretary concerned to appoint a board to conduct an inquiry as to the status of a missing person: (1) on or about three years after the first official notice of the disappearance of such person; and (2) not later than every three years thereafter until a total of 12 years after the first official notice. Provides for: (1) the release to a board by the Secretary concerned of all personnel file information concerning missing persons; (2) the treatment of classified information; (3) penalties for the wrongful withholding of information; (4) limited circumstances under which a board may recommend that a missing person be declared officially dead; (5) the submission by the board of appropriate information if such recommendation occurs; and (6) judicial review for interested persons of a board decision to declare a person officially dead. Provides for the appointment of a board to review the status of a person previously declared dead, with board procedures similar to those described above. Requires a person previously declared dead or in a missing status who is subsequently found alive to be paid for the full time of their absence. Directs the Secretary concerned, upon the enlistment or commission of a person in an armed force, to require such person to specify in writing his or her dependents, immediate family, primary next of kin, and any other individual that the person shall designate for purposes of this Act. Allows for revision of such designation at any time.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 1995
Extends veterans benefits to an individual who served as a member of the U.S. merchant marine between August 16, 1945, and December 31, 1946, who, during that period, was licensed or otherwise documented by an officer or employee of the United States authorized to license or document such an individual as a crewmember of a vessel that at the time of service was: (1) operated by the War Shipping Administration or the Office of Defense Transportation, or an agent thereof; (2) operated in waters other than inland waters, the Great Lakes, other lakes, bays, and harbors of the United States; (3) under contract, charter to, or property of, the U.S. Government; and (4) serving the armed forces. Establishes application procedures. Requires the issuance of a certificate of honorable discharge, subject to the same standards relating to the nature and duration of service that apply to the honorable discharges issued under the GI Bill Improvement Act of 1977, to an individual who performed qualified service. Deems qualified service of an individual who receives an honorable discharge under this Act and who is not eligible under any other provision of law for benefits administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to be active duty in the armed forces during a period of war for purposes of eligibility for benefits. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) reimbursement of the Secretary for the value of benefits that the Department of Veterans Affairs provides to an individual by reason of eligibility under this Act; and (2) an application processing fee.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 1995
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the U.S. Attorney General should fully enforce the law and protect persons seeking to provide or obtain, or assist in providing or obtaining, reproductive health services from violent attack. Specifies that nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit any expressive conduct (including peaceful picketing or other peaceful demonstration) protected from legal prohibition by the First Amendment to the Constitution.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1995
Higher Education Tax Relief Act of 1995 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax deduction for the sum of qualified higher education expenses and interest on qualified higher education loans. Provides limitations on both amounts. Allows such deduction in computing adjusted gross income.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 1995
Constitutional Amendment - Grants authority to the Congress, States, and local governments to set reasonable expenditure limits for their respective elections.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 1995
Humanitarian Aid Corridor Act - Prohibits funds for foreign assistance from being made available for any country whose government prohibits or restricts the transport or delivery of U.S. humanitarian assistance. Waives such prohibition if the President notifies the Congress that providing such assistance is in the national security interest. Provides for a resumption of assistance when the President certifies to the Speaker of the House and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that such country is no longer prohibiting or restricting such transports or deliveries.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 1995
American Family Fair Minimum Wage Act of 1995 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the Federal minimum wage from $4.25 per hour to: (1) $4.75 beginning on September 1, 1995; (2) $5.25 beginning on September 1, 1996; and (3) $5.75 during the year beginning on September 1, 1997. Establishes the Commission on the Minimum Wage to study and report to the appropriate congressional committees on the indexation of the Federal minimum wage.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 1995
Cop Killer Ammunition Ban Act of 1995 - Amends the Federal criminal code to expand the definition of "armor piercing ammunition" to include a projectile that may be used in a handgun and that the Secretary of the Treasury determines to be capable of penetrating body armor. Directs the Secretary to promulgate standards for the uniform testing of projectiles against body armor that meets minimum standards for protection of law enforcement officers (which standards have been developed in cooperation with the U.S. Attorney General and which take into account variations in performance related to the length of the barrel of the handgun and the amount and kind of powder used).
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Streamlining and Consolidation Title II: Market Building Activities Subtitle A: Federal Level Activities Subtitle B: State Level Activities Subtitle C: Local Level Activities Title III: Enhancing Individual Choice Through Training Accounts Title IV: Private-Public Linkages Title V: Integrated Labor Market Information System Workforce Development Act - Consolidates and revises Federal job training programs to create a workforce development system. (Sec. 3) Authorizes appropriations. Title I: Streamlining and Consolidation - Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) any budget savings realized through elimination or consolidation of programs under this title should be reinvested in the national job training (or workforce development) system; and (2) elimination or merging of programs should be done without reducing the Federal commitment or level of effort to improve education, employment, and earnings of all workers, particularly hard-to-serve individuals. (Sec. 102) Repeals the provisons of various Federal laws for certain employment training programs, including specified ones under the Food Stamp Act of 1977, Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965, Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, Federal Transit Act, Displaced Homemaker Self-Sufficiency Assistance Act, Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act, Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA), and Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act. (Sec. 103) Repeals provisions for certain adult job training and employment programs under the JTPA, Wagner-Peyser Act, Trade Act of 1974, Refugee Education Assistance Act of 1980, and Older Americans Act of 1965. Requires any State receiving an implementation grant (to develop an integrated workforce development system) to include the components of these repealed programs and activities in such system. Allows any such State to include additional programs in such system, under certain conditions. (Sec. 104) Directs the National Workforce Development Board (established under title II) to advise on consolidation of workforce development programs through: (1) recommendations to the President and the Congress for the elimination of Federal workforce development programs, or programs whose functions should be subsumed under other Federal programs; (2) a report and recommendations for proposed reforms to specified congressional committees based on its analysis of the experience of leading edge States and the progress toward establishing an integrated workforce development system; and (3) a draft of a joint resolution to the Congress with provisions to develop a streamlined, integrated, federally supported workforce development system, from listed programs and any other appropriate Federal program (including recommendations for standard program measures and a description of how the new system will maintain services to hard-to-serve populations). (Sec. 105) Directs the President to establish an expedited process to consider and act on requests by States for waivers of laws and regulations for specified programs for: (1) two years to facilitate provision of assistance for workforce development, for States not receiving implementation grants; or (2) the duration of the implementation grant, for States receiving such grants. Title II: Market Building Activities - Subtitle A: Federal Level Activities - Establishes the National Workforce Development Board (the Board). (Sec. 202) Requires the Board to prepare annually the Nation's Workforce Development Report Card (National Report Card), which shall assess the U.S. workforce development system performance and evaluate all workforce development programs that receive Federal funding. Directs the Board to review development, implementation, and matching incentive grant proposals. Terminates the Board after it submits to the President and the Congress the joint resolution to develop a streamlined, integrated, federally supported workforce development system required by title I. Amends the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) to repeal the establishment of the National Commission for Employment Policy. Replaces references to such Commission with references to the Board. (Sec. 203) Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to make grants to applicant States to: (1) develop strategic plans for development of comprehensive statewide integrated workforce development systems; and (2) if they are leading edge States, implement such systems. Directs the Secretary to use specified information clearinghouses and other entities to: (1) collect and disseminate information to help States and localities to streamline and reform their job training systems; and (2) facilitate exchange of information and ideas among States and localities carrying out job training reform initiatives. Requires the Board to determine whether any proposed Federal job training legislation complies with data reporting, common definitions, and common funding cycles provisions under this Act. Makes it out of order for the Senate or House of Representatives to consider any bill or resolution concerning workforce development that would not comply with the national workforce development system, as determined by the Board. Requires a three-fifths affirmative vote to waive or suspend such requirement in the Senate or House. (Sec. 204) Establishes a quality assurance system. Directs the Secretaries of Labor, of Education, and of Health and Human Services to jointly develop common terms and definitions and a placement accountability system and adjust existing program performance standards. Directs the Board to recommend a system of performance standards in its joint resolution to the Congress that includes standard outcome measures relating to employment, job retention, earnings, and nonemployment outcome measures (such as learning and competency gains). Requires each workforce development program that receives Federal funds to collect, and report to the Governor and State Council, specified information relating to each participant's: (1) quarterly employment status and earnings for one year after no longer receiving program assistance; (2) economic and demographic characteristics; (3) services received and spending for them; (4) program outcomes; and (5) other data that may be added as the Board develops other standard definitions. Requires that program monitoring under these provisions supplant existing monitoring and reporting requirements for program participants. Directs each Federal department and agency with responsibility for a workforce development program to report to the Board on its progress in adopting common terms and definitions for program participants, service activities, and outcomes by program operators and grant recipients. Directs the Board to make recommendations to: (1) the Secretaries and heads of other agencies operating workforce development programs, on common definitions for other terms; and (2) the Congress, on legislative action if any of the proposed common definitions require amendment to existing laws. Establishes a placement accountability system for all federally funded workforce development programs. Requires each such program to: (1) monitor its own performance by measuring quarterly employment status and earnings of each participant for one year after he or she no longer receives program assistance; and (2) provide required information on participants, to be matched by information from the State agency for labor market information which shall be reimbursed by the requesting program with Federal funds. Directs the State agency to submit the results of the matching to the State Council. Requires the Governor to ensure submission of matched data to the State Council, the Board, the Secretary (of Labor), and other Federal entities. Requires that such program quality assurance information be made available to the State Council, local workforce development boards in the State, and consumers of labor market information. Requires all federally funded workforce development programs to be funded on a consistent funding cycle basis. Directs the Board to make recommendations to the Congress on the appropriate funding cycle. Subtitle B: State Level Activities - Requires each State desiring to participate in development of an integrated and accountable workforce development system to: (1) establish a State Workforce Development Council (State Council); or (2) have an existing entity similar to a State Council that includes representatives of employers and workers. Directs each State Council to: (1) serve as principal advisory board to the Governor for all programs in the State's integrated workforce development system; and (2) assume the functions and responsibilities of councils and commissions required under Federal law that are part of such system. (Sec. 214) Directs the State Council to assist the Governor in: (1) preparing a biennial State Workforce Development Policy Blueprint and an annual State Workforce Development Report Card; and (2) certifying each local workforce development board, as well as recommending criteria to judge such local boards' effectiveness. (Sec. 215) Requires the State Council to develop a quality assurance systems to complement and expand upon the one established under subtitle A, in order to provide customers of job training services with consumer reprts on the supply, demand, price, and quality of job training services in each unified service delivery area in the State. Directs each State to select tools and measures appropriate to its needs, including: (1) collecting and organizing service provider performance data; and (2) conducting surveys to ascertain customer satisfaction. Directs the State Council, with the local workforce development boards, to establish mechanisms for collecting and disseminating the quality assurance information to individuals seeking employment, employers, Federal, State, and local policymakers, and training and education providers. Requires each public and private education, training, and career development service provider receiving Federal funds under a program in a State integrated system to collect and provide the quality assurance information. (Sec. 216) Sets forth State Council authorities, including funding and operating special projects for research or improvement of system performance. (Sec. 217) Directs State Councils to make recommendations to Governors for establishment of unified service delivery areas (SDAs). Requires States receiving implementation grants to establish unified SDAs to provide community-wide workforce development assistance in one-stop career centers. Requires consideration of existing labor market areas, local governments, and SDAs under JTPA, as well as distance traveled by individuals to receive services. Allows merger of existing SDAs. Prohibits approval of a total number of such unified SDAs greater than that of the existing SDAs in the State. (Sec. 218) Requires each State to use a portion of its development grant to design a unified financial and management information system. Directs each State receiving an implementation grant to require all programs in the integrated system to use such unified financial and management information system. Sets forth requirements for such systems. (Sec. 219) Requires each State, from its development or implementation grant, to develop a strategy to enhance capacity of institutions, organizations, and staff involved in State and local workforce development activities by providing certain types of services. (Sec. 220) Provides that the Governor of each State implementing an integrated workforce development system: (1) may adjust existing performance standards for programs in such system, using specified criteria; and (2) shall, within parameters established by the Board, prescribe adjustments to such performance criteria for unified SDAs based on certain factors. Requires such developed performance criteria to be used in lieu of similar criteria for programs receiving Federal funding included in the State's integrated system, to the extent determined by the State Council subject to Board approval. Subtitle C: Local Level Activities - Requires the local elected officials of each unified SDA, in each State receiving an implementation grant (except any with a single unified SDA with contiguous borders), to establish a workforce development board (local board) to administer the workforce development assistance provided by all programs in the integrated workforce development system in such area. (Sec. 232) Requires each local board to report to the State Council a biennial workforce development board policy blueprint. (Sec. 233) Requires each local board to submit to the State Council an annual unified SDA report card. (Sec. 234) Requires each local board receiving funds under an implementation grant to develop and implement a network of one-stop career centers in its unified SDA to provide jobseekers, workers, and businesses universal access to a comprehensive array of quality employment, education, and training services. Requires selection of a method for such establishment consistent with specified criteria. Makes eligible for selection as a one-stop career center each entity within the unified SDA that performs specified brokerage services for individuals and employers. Prohibits any entity that performs one-stop career center functions from making an education and training referral to itself; but allows waivers of this prohibition under certain conditions. Allows each one-stop career center to charge fees for certain brokerage services to employers, subject to local board approval. Requires each such center to: (1) adopt core data elements and common definitions; and (2) enter into an operating agreement with the local board. (Sec. 235) Requires each local board to identify capacity building actions to be taken for the workforce development system in its unified SDA. Directs the State Council to make funds available to each local board for capacity building activities from implementation grant funds and other funds within the State's integrated workforce development budget. Lists types of capacity building activities. Title III: Enhancing Individual Choice through Training Accounts - Requires each State receiving an implementation grant under title II to establish a training account system to provide education and training. (Sec. 303) Requires such States to use at least 60 percent of the funds made available under JTPA title III provisions for dislocated workers and certain funds under this Act to provide education and training under the JTPA dislocated worker program only through the training account system. Allows a State, at least one year after it begins administering such system, to provide education and training through it to adults eligible to participate in other workforce development programs, under certain conditions including Board approval. (Sec. 304) Allows an eligible individual to apply to establish a training account only at a one-stop career center. Requires such centers to provide certain assistance and information. Allows an individual to be provided a training account for a maximum of two years within any five-year period. Sets the total amount to be deposited in such an account for any fiscal year at the greater of the maximum amount of a Pell grant for such year established under the Higher Education Act of 1965 or by an appropriations Act. Allows account funds to be used by the individual for education and training services from eligible service providers. Sets forth requirements for administrative procedures. Requires the State blueprint to describe how it will administer such system. (Sec. 305) Makes providers of education and training services eligible to receive funds from such training accounts if they use certain common definitions and performance-based information and are either: (1) eligible to participate in student assistance programs under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965; or (2) determined eligible under alternative eligibility procedures established by State Governors. (Sec. 306) Directs the Board to evaluate the administration and effectiveness of the training account system, and include such evaluation in its National Report Card and draft joint resolution. (Sec. 307) Directs the Secretary of Labor to report, with recommendations, to the Congress on the need for income support to enable dislocated workers and economically disadvantaged adults to participate in long-term job training, and on options for ways of providing such support. Title IV: Private-Public Linkages - Directs the Board to make recommendations on measures (including tax code changes) to: (1) encourage employers and workers to invest in training and skills upgrading; (2) encourage employers to hire and train hard-to-serve individuals; and (3) provide income support to enable job-seekers and workers to participate in long-term training programs. (Sec. 403) Directs the Board to issue an annual report on private-public training programs. (Sec. 404) Establishes a program of incentive grants for incumbent worker training, consisting of competitive matching grants to local boards to respond to the training needs of front-line workers in their communities. Sets forth provisions for applications, selection of grantees by the Secretary according to certain criteria, authorized uses of funds, and Federal and local matching shares of funding. Title V: Integrated Labor Market Information System - Directs the Secretary to oversee and ensure development, maintenance, and continued improvement of: (1) a nationwide integrated system of labor market information that will serve specified functions, include certain information, use common standards, and make certain data and information available to the Board and to consumers in automated delivery systems; and (2) certain mechanisms and programs for dissemination, technical assistance, and research. (Sec. 502) Directs the Board to plan, review, and evaluate the national integrated labor market information system. (Sec. 503) Requires the Secretary to: (1) manage the investment in an integrated labor market information on system in a specified manner; and (2) submit an annual plan for improving such system to the Board for review and recommendations, and to the President and the Congress. (Sec. 504) Directs each Governor and State Council to designate one State agency to be responsible for: (1) managing and overseeing a statewide integrated labor market information system; and (2) developing an annual State unified labor market information budget. Conditions Federal financial assistance under this title on the Governor or State Council's carrying out other specified functions with respect to labor market information. Provides that the State agency is not limited by this Act from conducting additional data collection, analysis, and dissemination activities with funds derived from sources other than this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 1995
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Attorney General should fully enforce the law and take any necessary measures to protect from violent attack persons seeking to provide or obtain reproductive health services.
![Official portrait of Sen. Kennedy, Edward M. [D-MA]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/k000105_200.jpg)