United States · United States Congress · 11 June 1992
DES Education and Research Amendments of 1992 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish a program for the conduct and support of research and training, the dissemination of health information, and other measures with respect to the diagnosis and treatment of conditions associated with exposure to the drug diethylstilbestrol (DES). Mandates: (1) programs to educate health professionals and the public; and (2) longitudinal studies. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 1992
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the United States should take immediate steps through a multilateral effort, including military force, if necessary, to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilian populations in and around Sarajevo.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1992
John F. Kennedy Center Act Amendments of 1992 - Amends the John F. Kennedy Center Act (the Act) to extend the authorization of appropriations for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (the Center). Revises provisions for the Center's Board of Trustees (the Board). Provides for the appointment (as ex officio members of the Board) of: (1) the Secretary of State (to replace the Secretary of Health and Human Services); and (2) the Superintendent of Schools of the District of Columbia (to replace the Chairman of the District of Columbia Recreation Board). Shortens the length of terms of general trustees (who are appointed by the President) from ten to six years. Revises Board duties to include: (1) a leadership role in national performing arts policies and programs; (2) a comprehensive and broad program for national and community outreach; (3) joint initiatives with the affiliated Very Special Arts for model programs in the arts for disabled individuals; (4) ensuring excellence and cultural diversity in the Center's education and outreach programs and policies; and (5) annual comprehensive Center building needs planning. Authorizes the Board to enter into contracts and other arrangements and make payments to public agencies or private organizations or persons to carry out its functions under the Act. Authorizes the Board to negotiate any contract for any capital improvement to the Center with selected contractors, and to award the contract on the basis of contractor qualifications as well as price. Revises Board powers to provide for appointment of a Center chairperson (rather than a director and assistant director). Directs the Secretary of the Interior (the Secretary) and the Board to enter into a cooperative agreement regarding major capital projects for the Center. Requires that the Board or its designated representative plan, design, and construct all such projects, with the approval of the Secretary (or designee) before commencement of such activities. Requires the Secretary to transfer funds for such activities to the Board. Requires the Board to submit quarterly progress reports to the Secretary (or designee) on such activities. Requires the Board, with the concurrence of the Secretary of the Interior, to designate the maintenance, repair, alteration, and other services to be performed for the Center, in order to ensure that such services will meet Board's requirements for high quality operations. Prohibits the Board from requiring the expenditure of funds in excess of those appropriated for such purposes. Extends the authorization of appropriations for the Center for: (1) capital projects and for maintenance, repair, and security services (these funds go to the Secretary of the Interior to cover the Board's expenses and their use is prohibited for performing arts related production expenses); and (2) education and outreach programs (these funds go to the Secretary of Education, to be granted to the Board to carry out these activities).
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1992
International Refugee Protection Act of 1992 - Reaffirms that the obligations of the United States under the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (Convention) apply to actions of the United States with respect to individuals outside U.S. territorial boundaries. Prohibits: (1) the United States from returning a national or habitual resident of a country who is outside the territorial boundaries of the United States or within the territorial waters of his or her country of residence or nationality to the territorial boundaries of such country; and (2) the expenditure of funds with respect to any such return unless the U.S. Government has determined that such an individual is not, due to a well-founded fear of persecution about returning to his or her country, a refugee under the Convention. Makes this Act inapplicable to an individual if: (1) such individual participated in the persecution of any person on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion; (2) there are serious reasons for considering that the individual has committed a serious nonpolitical crime; or (3) there are reasonable grounds for regarding the individual as a danger to U.S. security. Provides that this Act does not apply to nationals and habitual residents of a country at U.S. diplomatic and consular missions in that country.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 1992
United States - China Act of 1992 - Prohibits the President from recommending for a 12-month period in 1993 continuation of a waiver of human rights and emigration requirements for nondiscriminatory treatment (most-favored-nation treatment) for China under the Trade Act of 1974 unless a specified report is submitted to the Congress stating that China has: (1) taken steps to adhere to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in China and Tibet and allowed the unrestricted emigration of Chinese citizens who desire to leave for reasons of political or religious persecution; (2) accounted for and released prisoners who dissented in Tiananmen Square on June 3, 1989; and (3) prevented the export to the United States of products manufactured by convict or forced labor. Requires such report to state whether China has made significant progress in: (1) ceasing religious persecution in China and Tibet and releasing religious leaders incarcerated as a result of the expression of their religious beliefs; (2) ceasing unfair trade practices against U.S. businesses, and providing them access to Chinese markets, including lowering tariffs, removing nontariff barriers, and increasing the purchase of U.S. goods and services; and (3) adhering to the Missile Control Technology Regime, the Nuclear Suppliers Group controls and the Australian Group on Chemical and Biological Arms controls. Requires the President, if he recommends such extension, to include in a specified document submitted to the Congress a report on China's compliance with the above-mentioned objectives. Grants nondiscriminatory treatment to products produced by nonstate-owned enterprises in China. Requires the President, if he decides not to seek such extension, to ensure that members of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade take similar action with respect to China.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 1992
Medicare Enrollment Improvement and Protection Act of 1992 - Title I: Improving Enrollment - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services' annual notice to Medicare beneficiaries to inform certain low-income Medicare beneficiaries of the requirements to qualify for Medicaid (title XIX of the Social Security Act) payment of their premiums, deductibles, and copayments under Medicare and how to apply for such benefit. Requires the notice described above to be prepared in a manner suitable for posting and distributed to physicians, hospital offices, other medical facilities, and entities receiving grants from the Secretary for programs designed to provide services to individuals age 65 or older. Requires the Secretary to establish a toll-free telephone number for information about such benefit. Amends the Medicaid program to require the Secretary to develop a simplified form for applying for such benefit for processing at social security offices. Amends the Medicare program to mandate direct enrollment of part A (Hospital Insurance) eligibles by the Secretary. Directs the Secretary to make grants to State agencies and organizations for the provision of outreach assistance to older individuals who may be eligible for such benefit. Authorizes appropriations to fund such grant program. Title II: Application of Other Medicaid Eligibility Rules - Amends the Medicaid program to permit retroactive payments of medical costs incurred by certain low-income Medicare beneficiaries in or after the third month before the month in which such an individual applied to have Medicaid cover such costs. Title III: Report - Directs the Secretary to submit reports to the Congress on Department activities to ensure enrollment and full implementation of the program under the Social Security Act for Medicaid payment of Medicare costs and the effectiveness of each such activity, along with any recommendations for appropriate legislation.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 1992
Medical Device Amendments of 1992 - Amends the Safe Medical Devices Act of 1990 to extend the deadline for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue final regulations under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDC Act) with respect to medical device tracking until November 28 (currently, May 28), 1992. Specifies that if the Secretary does not promulgate such final regulations by that date, the proposed regulations shall become the final regulations and the FDA shall promptly publish in the Federal Register notice of the new status. Makes: (1) failure to comply with a requirement imposed by provisions of the FFDC Act concerning postmarket surveillance a prohibited act subject to criminal and civil penalties; and (2) any device product misbranded if there was a failure or refusal to comply with postmarket surveillance requirements. Directs each manufacturer required to conduct a surveillance of a device to submit, for the approval of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, a protocol for the required surveillance. Authorizes the FDA to order a manufacturer, importer, or distributor to repair or replace a device, or refund the purchase price to the customer, where the device was improperly designed or manufacturered. Revises reporting requirements, including adding requirements for: (1) a device manufacturer or importer to report to the Secretary whenever the manufacturer or importer receives or otherwise becomes aware of information that reasonably suggests that one of its marketed devices may have caused or contributed to a death or serious injury (defined as an injury that is life threatening, results in permanent impairment of a body function or permanent damage to a body structure, or necessitates medical or surgical intervention to preclude such permanent impairment or damage), or has malfunctioned and that such device or a similar device marketed by the manufacturer or importer would be likely to cause or contribute to a death or serious injury if the malfunction were to recur; and (2) reporting of other significant adverse device experiences as determined by the Secretary to be necessary to be reported.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 1992
Designates August 1, 1992, the 17th anniversary of the signing of the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (the Helsinki accords), as Helsinki Human Rights Day. Calls upon the President to: (1) issue a proclamation reasserting the U.S. commitment to full implementation of the Act, urging all signatory states to abide by their obligations under the Helsinki accords; (2) continue his efforts to achieve full implementation of the human rights and humanitarian provisions of the Helsinki accords by raising the issue of noncompliance on the part of any signatory State which may be in violation; (3) convey to all signatories that respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms continues to be a vital element of further progress in the ongoing Helsinki process; and (4) in view of the considerable progress made to date, develop new proposals to advance the human rights objectives of the Helsinki process, and in so doing address the major problems that remain.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1992
Declares that the Congress adopts specified principles on rights and obligations with respect to the environment, to be known as the Earth Charter, and urges the nations participating in the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in June 1992 to adopt the same rights and obligations as a separate Earth Charter. Includes within such principles: (1) the integration of environmental and development objectives with economic and trade policies; (2) the promotion of sustainable development; (3) respect for human rights; (4) the adoption of precautionary measures to prevent causes of environmental degradation; (5) a commitment to peace and security; (6) the elimination of unsustainable patterns of production and consumption; (7) the availability of information relevant to environment and development; (8) open and free market objectives; (9) the bearing of pollution costs by polluters; (10) the establishment of democratic institutions; (11) the elimination of poverty; and (12) assistance to developing countries.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1992
Condemns the violence in South Africa. Urges the Government of South Africa to take steps to end the violence and protect all South Africans. Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President should prepare and transmit to the Senate a report on the nature of the violence in South Africa, the role that the various particpants are playing, and the impact of such violence on South Africa's transition to democracy.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 1992
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the Government of Thailand should promptly restore respect for human rights and democratic rule by taking specified steps, including: an immediate cessation of the use of lethal force against unarmed pro-democracy demonstrators; lifting the State of Emergency; releasing all those detained for the peaceful expression of their views; allowing those detained since May 18, 1992 immediate access to attorneys, medical personnel, and international humanitarian organizations; declaring amnesty for all those facing criminal charges since the February 1991 military coup for peacefully expressing their views; and fulfilling its stated commitment to peaceful negotiations and elected rule; (2) the U.S. Government should suspend joint military exercises with Thailand; and (3) the Secretary of State should convey these recommendations to the Thai authorities at the highest level and confirm that no U.S. economic or military assistance will be provided until a duly elected government is fully installed and human rights are respected.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1992
Emergency Short Term Assistance for American Youth Act of 1992 - Designates the amounts described in this Act as emergency requirements for all purposes of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act). Makes emergency supplemental appropriations to provide short-term assistance for the following programs for children and youth: (1) Head Start Act services, during the summer months (including services through family literacy projects); (2) compensatory education for disadvantaged students, during the summer months, under chapter 1 of title I of the elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (including projects related to arts and drama, academic subjects, literacy, recreation, conflict management, and dropout prevention); (3) summer youth employment and training programs, under part B of title II of the Job Training Partnership Act; and (4) the Operation Weed and Seed demonstration program carried out by the Department of Justice and other Federal entities. Sets forth requirements and formulas for the allocation of such funds.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 1992
Vietnam Veterans Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue a specified number of one-dollar silver coins to commemorate the heroic service of veterans who served during the Vietnam War and the 10th anniversary of the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Sets forth certain features of such coins and provides for their design, issuance, and sale. Requires that all sales include a surcharge of $7 per coin. Requires that all surcharges be paid to the Vietnam Veterans Assistance Fund for specified veteran programs and services.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 1992
Constitutional Amendment - Provides for the direct election of the President and Vice President and eliminates the electoral college. Declares that the times, places, and manner of holding presidential elections and entitlement to inclusion on the ballot shall be prescribed by State law, but that the Congress may by law make or alter such regulations. States that the days for such elections shall be determined by the Congress and shall be uniform throughout the United States. Requires the Congress to prescribe the times, places, and manner in which the results of such elections shall be ascertained and declared. Requires such elections, other than runoff elections, to be held not later than the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November and the results declared no later than 30 days after the date of the election. Authorizes the Congress to provide for the case of death, inability, or withdrawal of any candidate for President or Vice President before an election and for the case of the death of either the President-elect or Vice President-elect.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1992
Civil War Battlefield Commemorative Coin Act of 1992 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue a specified number of five-dollar gold coins, one-dollar silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Civil War battlefield preservation. Sets forth certain features of such coins and provides for their design, issuance, and sale. Requires that all sales include a surcharge of $35 per coin for the five-dollar coins, $7 per coin for the one-dollar coins, and $1 per coin for the half-dollar coins. Requires that all surcharges be paid to the Civil War Battlefield Foundation for the preservation of historically significant Civil War battlefields.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1992
Global Climate Protection Act - Directs the President to promulgate final regulations that will achieve stabilization of carbon dioxide emissions by January 1, 2000. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to evaluate and report biennially to the Congress on the progress made pursuant to such regulations. Directs the President to promulgate additional regulations to achieve stabilization if the Administrator finds that the regulations will not achieve stabilization. Permits citizen suits against officers of the United States for failures to perform duties in accordance with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 1992
Authorizes the President, on behalf of the Congress, to present a gold medal to a representative of the American Philosophical Society in commemoration of the 250th anniversaries of the founding of the Society and the birth of Thomas Jefferson. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and deliver bronze duplicates of such medal to the Society, upon receipt of full payment for them.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 1992
Congratulates the residents of Jerusalem and the people of Israel on the 25th anniversary of the reunification of that city. Urges that: (1) Jerusalem remain an undivided city in which the rights of every ethnic and religious group are protected; and (2) the President and Secretary of State issue an unequivocal statement in support of such principle.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1992
Title I: Interagency Council on the Homeless - Amends the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act to extend the authorization of appropriations for the Interagency Council on the Homeless, and the Council's authority, through October 1, 1994. Title II: Federal Emergency Management Food and Shelter Program - Amends the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act to extend the authorization of appropriations for the Federal emergency management food and shelter program.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 1992
National and Community Service Technical Amendment Act of 1992 - Amends the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (the Act) to make various technical amendments, including revisions of definitions. Provides for summer program eligibility to begin at age 14 (rather than 15). Revises eligibility requirements and selection procedures for educational benefits for Peace Corps and ACTION Agency volunteers. Revises provisions for ACTION Agency volunteer assistance for Head Start programs. Revises provisions relating to the authority of the Commission on National and Community Service (the Commission), and general authority to make grants for full-time, part-time, year-round, or summer youth corps programs. Revises provisions for program evaluation and confidentiality to authorize the Commission to disclose of information: (1) regarding individual participants, with their prior written consent; and (2) about the aggregate characteristics of participants. Makes the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy an ex-officio member of the Board of Directors of the Commission. Revises provisions for appointment and compensation of the Executive Director of the Board. Provides for Commission authority with respect to: (1) additional staff; (2) consultants; (3) details of personnel; (4) donations of services and property; (5) contracts; (6) use of mails; (7) information from Federal agencies; and (8) participation in the Sources of Supply Program of the General Services Administration. Revises the authorization of appropriations for FY 1993 for the National and Community Service State Grant Program to reserve an increased portion of such funds for the Commission. Revises earmark provisions to provide that any remaining funds be expended for any activity authorized under such program.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 1992
Amends the Public Health Service Act to include schools of osteopathic medicine in the definition of "health provisions school" for provisions mandating grants for programs of excellence in health professions education for minority individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 1992
Long-Term Care Family Security Act of 1992 - Title I: Community Care and Nursing Facility Care - Amends the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new title XXI, Community Care and Nursing Facility Care. Entitles U.S. citizens and resident aliens (eligible individuals) who are moderately or severely disabled to community and nursing facility care. Specifies the scope of community and nursing facility care coverage. Sets limits on the hours of community care on the basis of the level of impairment. Provides that additional hours of community care may be made available to individuals with greater needs from pooled benefit hours. Provides for adjustment in computation of hours of community care to account for variation in intensity of types of care. Sets limits on short-term nursing facility care. Provides for assessment agency: (1) determination of the level of impairment of eligible individuals and financial eligibility for community and nursing facility care benefits; and (2) review of the quality of care provided under new title XXI. Requires care managers to: (1) establish and periodically review and revise plans of care for community care; (2) arrange for and monitor the provision and quality of community care and authorize payment for care; and (3) allocate additional hours of community care among different individuals who have been certified moderately or severely disabled and whose plans of care are being monitored. Provides for payment for community and nursing facility care. Requires that payment rates for home- and community-based services be based on a fee schedule or other prospective payment methodology established and annually adjusted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Subjects such services to specified coinsurance requirements. Requires that payment rates for nursing facilities be based on a specified prospective payment system. Provides that payment for care under new title XXI may be made only to providers and facilities that meet specified conditions. Requires the Director of the Office of Technology Assessment to provide for appointment of a Long-Term Care Payment Assessment Commission to: (1) make annual recommendations to the Secretary and the Congress on appropriate payment rates for community and nursing facility care; and (2) provide for specified studies and reports to the Congress about them. Authorizes appropriations. Provides for assistance to low-income individuals for coinsurance for community and short-term nursing facility care and charges for assessments. Provides protected resource levels with respect to long-term nursing facility care. Provides for determination of the amount of the resident-specific deductible for nursing facility care. Creates in the Treasury the Federal Long-Term Care Trust Fund for financing the community and nursing facility care program established above. Authorizes appropriations. Makes miscellaneous and technical amendments to Medicare and Medicaid (SSA titles XVIII and XIX) provisions, with changes including: (1) limits on Federal financial participation under Medicaid for services covered under new title XXI; (2) prohibitions on duplication of Medicaid benefits with benefits under such title; and (3) limits on skilled nursing facility care under Medicare. Title II: Financing Provisions - Provides that the public program of long-term care insurance under new title XXI shall be funded through one or more funding means in a manner that is: (1) progressive in the aggregate; (2) sufficient, each year, over time, and in the aggregate, to cover the net costs of the program; and (3) not derived from any one age group of society. Requires States to maintain current levels of financial commitment under Medicaid for population groups and long-term care services covered under the public program. Title III: Treatment of Long-Term Care Insurance - Subtitle A: Establishment of Standards for Long-Term Care Insurance Policies - Amends new title XXI to require the National Association of Insurance Commissioners or, in its absence, the Secretary, to promulgate standards for State programs to regulate long-term care insurance policies that incorporate specified requirements with respect to issuers and policy content and sales. Requires standards relating to issuers to provide for: (1) examination of policy and full refund; (2) explanation of claims denials; and (3) limitations on agent compensation. Requires standards relating to policy content to provide for: (1) use of standard definitions and terminology and uniform format; (2) minimum benefits; (3) limitations on use of preexisting condition limits; (4) protection against inflation; (5) limits on premium increases; (6) guarantees of renewability, continuation, and conversion; and (7) upgrade rights. Requires standards relating to policy sales to provide for: (1) agent certification; and (2) prohibitions against sales of duplicate policies and sales to Medicaid beneficiaries and certain unfair sales practices. Sets forth enforcement provisions. Amends the Public Health Service Act to set forth provisions similar to those above providing for the establishment of standards for long-term care insurance policies. Requires the Secretary, after the enactment of this Act, to report to the Congress on standards for insurer solvency protection. Subtitle B: Clarification of Tax Treatment of Long-Term Care Services and Long-Term Care Insurance Policies - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to accord: (1) the community and nursing facility care provided under new SSA title XXI the same tax treatment (including expense deductions) as medical care; and (2) insurance policies for such community and nursing facility care the same tax treatment as accident and health insurance policies. Provides for the tax treatment of certain pre-death benefits and benefit riders. Amends SSA title XI to prohibit applicants or recipients under specified public assistance programs from being required to make an election respecting certain pre-death benefits under life insurance policies. Title IV: Additional Grants and Demonstration Projects - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary to make grants to community care agencies to assist them in providing community care to low-income individuals. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Secretary to make grants to public and private entities to develop programs to train individuals to provide home health, homemaker, and personal assistance services for which payment may be made under SSA new title XXI. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to authorize additional appropriations for long-term care ombudsman programs. Includes within the jurisdiction of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman the investigation of complaints by recipients of community care under new SSA title XXI. Amends the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act to authorize additional appropriations for information and referral services for the community and nursing facility care program under new SSA title XXI. Amends the Protection and Advocacy for Mentally Ill Individuals Act of 1986 to expand information and counseling services to include information and referral to such community and nursing facility care program. Title V: Review of Pharmaceutical Benefits - Requires the Director of the Office of Technology Assessment to provide for the appointment of a Pharmaceutical Payment Assessment and Policy Review Commission. Requires the Commission to report annually to the Congress on prescription drug costs and on issues with respect to coverage of prescription drugs under Federal health care programs. Makes appropriations for the Commission. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) demonstration projects to assess the impact on cost, quality of care, and access to prescription drugs and pharmaceutical services of developing a prescription drug benefit for individuals that are receiving benefits for long-term care under new SSA title XXI; and (2) a Long-Term Care Prescription Drug Use Review Committee to advise about such demonstration projects. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 1992
Consumer Seafood Safety Act of 1992 - Deems unsafe for human consumption fish products: (1) containing a contaminant exceeding a tolerance; (2) derived from fish harvested from a closed area; (3) processed, handled, stored, or transported in violation of standards; or (4) which are shellfish and are grown or harvested in a State without an approved program or in an uncertified foreign nation, harvested from an unclassified and unmonitored area, or transported or held for transport by a person not on a specified list. Title I: National Seafood Safety Program - Mandates: (1) a national program for seafood safety; and (2) a handbook of Federal regulations and guidelines on seafood safety. Mandates a national shellfish safety program to protect against hazards to human health from the consumption of shellfish, including certain standards, procedures, and requirements regarding growing, harvesting, handling, processing, and shipping shellfish, actual and potential growing and harvesting area water quality, closure of such areas, and tracing of shellfish in commerce. Provides for State shellfish safety programs, approved by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in shellfish-producing States. Authorizes grants to States with approved programs for a portion of operating costs. Mandates publication of a list of shellfish shippers certified by a State or a foreign nation. Requires establishment of tolerances for contaminants that may render fish products injurious to health. Allows the tolerances to include indicators and requires taking into account other sources of exposure to a contaminant. Prohibits considering a product adulterated, under specified provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA), if the product meets the tolerance established under this Act. Amends the FDCA to define "added substance." Mandates, for waters under Federal jurisdiction seaward of the inner boundary of the Exclusive Economic Zone, identification, classification, and monitoring of fish and shellfish growing and harvesting areas regarding hazards likely to render fish products unsafe. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to: (1) prohibit or impose restrictions on the harvesting of fish from an area likely to exceed tolerances under this Act or to be adulterated under the FDCA; and (2) develop guidelines to assist States in establishing procedures for closing waters under State jurisdiction. Provides for closure of a State area by the Secretary of Commerce. Mandates standards for facilities which process fish products other than shellfish, including regarding transportation. Prohibits requiring freezing or cooking of products intended for raw consumption unless that is the only practical procedure to adequately prevent the products from being unsafe under this Act or adulterated under the FDCA. Requires, if necessary, standards for fishing vessels or fish tender vessels. Requires a comprehensive inspection system for fish products sold in interstate commerce, including unannounced inspections. Provides for product detention and condemnation. Applies rights and duties, under existing inspection provisions of the FDCA, to enforcement of this Act. Provides for the collection of samples of fish products under the inspection systems of this Act. Mandates registration of processors and importers. Authorizes aid to States, including technical and laboratory assistance, training, and financial aid, for planning and implementing a seafood safety program. Allows a State to have its own inspection program, mandating Federal approval if at least equal to the Federal program, with portions of the State program enforced in lieu of portions of the Federal program. Authorizes grants to States with approved programs for a portion of operating costs. Mandates a comprehensive imported seafood safety system, including routine inspections at processing facilities in exporting nations and at U.S. ports of entry. Requires that imports meeting specified requirements be deemed to be and treated as domestic fish products, except that labeling must identify the country of origin. Subjects fish products from a nation that is: (1) certified under this Act to random inspections and sampling; and (2) not certified under this Act to intensified inspections and sampling. Prohibits imports of shellfish from an uncertified nation. Provides for product detention and condemnation. Authorizes an agreement with a nation exporting to the United States with a seafood safety program at least equal in effectiveness to the program under this Act. Includes in the agreement reciprocity regarding seafood imports and exports between the nations. Requires certification of the types of fish products for which such a nation maintains such a program. Authorizes appropriations to carry out this Act, earmarking funds for assistance to States and for the research program authorized under title II of this Act. Title II: Research and Education - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to work, through the Centers for Disease Control, to include seafood in an active surveillance system and to assess more accurately the human disease in the United States associated with the consumption of seafood. Requires guidelines for a system to analyze for contaminants samples of fish products from sources other than facilities inspected under this Act. Mandates a national public education program on seafood including regarding: (1) both consumers and health professionals; and (2) recreational and subsistence fisheries. Provides for national, regional, State, and local advisories concerning seafood safety. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Commerce to conduct research to assist the implementation of this Act, including regarding sanitation, monitoring techniques, contaminant detection and source determination, and consumption data. Establishes a five-year research program to improve systems for monitoring and classifying fish growing areas and fishing grounds. Authorizes contracts for the program. Title III: Seafood Safety Enforcement - Provides for: (1) the protection of employee whistleblowers; (2) the recall of any fish product if there is a reasonable probability that the product is unsafe under this Act or adulterated or misbranded under the FDCA; and (3) voluntary recalls. Prohibits certain acts regarding fish products, including: (1) selling, transporting, or disposing of any unsafe product; (2) committing any act during transport or while holding for sale which makes a product unsafe; (3) processing or importing products without being registered; (4) refusing inspection; (5) maintaining false records or destroying records; (6) failure to comply with a recall; and (7) other acts in violation of this Act. Prescribes civil and criminal penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 1992
Democracy in Peru Act of 1992 - Calls upon the Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori and the Peruvian armed forces to: (1) restore the Peruvian Congress and judiciary to power; (2) respect the Peruvian Constitution; (3) restore and respect individual and human rights; and (4) renounce violence as a means of achieving political goals. Calls upon: (1) Peru's armed forces to submit to civilian control; and (2) the Organization of American States and the international community to consider measures to ensure that constitutional order is restored in Peru. Suspends all U.S. assistance (except humanitarian assistance) to Peru until the President certifies to the Congress that the conditions of this Act have been met.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 1992
Native American Veterans' Home Loan Equity Act of 1992 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish and implement a pilot program under which the Secretary may make direct housing loans to aid Native American (Indian, Alaska or Hawaii native, or Pacific Islander) veterans in purchasing, constructing, or improving dwellings on trust land. Requires such loans to be made in a variety of geographic areas and in areas experiencing a variety of economic circumstances. Prohibits any such loans from being made after the end of FY 1997. Authorizes the Secretary to make such a direct housing loan to a Native American if: (1) the Secretary has entered into a memorandum of understanding with respect to such loans with the tribal organization having jurisdiction over such veteran; and (2) the memorandum is in effect when the loan is made. Outlines provisions to be included in each such memorandum. Prohibits entering into any such memorandum unless the Secretary determines that it provides standards and procedures necessary for the reasonable protection of the financial interests of the United States. Limits to $80,000 the principal amount of any such loan. Sets forth provisions governing loan interest rates. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish minimum requirements for planning, construction or improvement, and general acceptability relating to any direct loan; and (2) establish credit underwriting standards to be used in evaluating such loans. Requires loans to be repaid in monthly installments. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) make advances to provide for repairs, alterations, and improvements and to meet incidental expenses of the loan transaction; and (2) take any other actions and make any necessary determinations with respect to expenses, rules and regulations, and the use of persons, organizations, or departments or agencies to carry out his functions. Establishes in the Treasury a revolving fund to be known as the Native American Veterans Housing Loan Fund to carry out financial activities relating to the making of loans under this Act. Directs the Secretary, in carrying out the pilot program, to consider the views and recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Native-American Veterans established under the Veterans' Health-Care Amendments of 1986. Directs the Secretary to report annually in 1994 through 1998 to the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees on the pilot program and recommendations for legislation regarding the program. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 1992
Democracy in Haiti Act of 1992 - Expresses support for the restoration of the democratically elected government in Haiti. Outlines specific actions in furtherance of such goal, including to: (1) call upon all governments to abide the Organization of American States (OAS)-supported embargo of Haiti; (2) support the Protocol between President Aristide and the Parliamentary Negotiating Committee to Find a Permanent Solution to the Haitian Crisis; (3) call upon the Haitian armed forces, parliament, and de facto government to restore individual rights; (4) call upon the armed forces to submit to civilian control and all parties to renounce violence as a means of achieving political goals; (5) support a civilian OAS-DEMOC mission (a mission to restore democracy and human rights); and (6) call upon the OAS to consider additional measures if progress toward restoration of the democratically elected government is not promptly achieved. Authorizes the Secretary of State to make contributions to the OAS-DEMOC mission in Haiti. Declares that the President should use a specified amount of economic support assistance for a contribution to the mission. Authorizes appropriations. Imposes the following sanctions against Haitian nationals who provided support for the coup d'etat overthrowing President Aristide or for terrorist acts against the Haitian people after the coup: (1) ineligibility to receive visas and exclusion from admission into the United States; and (2) blocking of assets. Continues such sanctions until the President certifies to the Congress that democratically elected government has been restored in Haiti consistent with the Haitian Constitution.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 1992
National Triad Program Act - Requires the Director of the National Institute of Justice to conduct a national assessment of: (1) the nature and extent of crimes against the elderly; (2) the needs of law enforcement, health, and social service organizations in working to prevent, identify, investigate, and provide assistance to victims of such crimes; and (3) promising strategies to respond effectively to those challenges. Specifies that such assessment shall address: (1) the analysis and synthesis of data from a range of sources; (2) the problems of elderly who are living alone or in high crime areas and who are abused and neglected, and the fear of victimization; (3) the identification of strategies and techniques that have been shown to be effective or which show promise; (4) the analysis of the factors that enhance or inhibit development of a coordinated response by law enforcement, health care, and social service providers; and (5) the research agenda needed to develop a comprehensive understanding of the problems of crimes against the elderly. Requires the Director to disseminate the results of such assessment. Authorizes the Director to make awards to coalitions of local law enforcement agencies, victim service providers, and organizations representing the elderly for pilot programs and field tests of promising strategies and models for forging partnerships for crime prevention and service provision. Specifies that pilot programs funded under this Act may include existing general service coalitions of law enforcement, victim service, and elder advocate organizations that wish to use additional funds to work at a particular problem in their community or to target a particular geographic area in need of intensive services. Authorizes the Director to make awards to: (1) coalitions of national law enforcement, victim service, and elder advocate organizations for training and technical assistance in implementing pilot programs; (2) research organizations to investigate the types of elder victimization shown by the assessment to present particularly critical problems or emerging crimes about which little is known, to evaluate the effectiveness of selected pilot programs, and to conduct research and development identified as being critical; and (3) public service advertising coalitions to increase public awareness of, and promote ideas or programs to prevent, crimes against the elderly. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1992
Indian Health Care Amendments Act of 1992 - Amends the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to state that it is the intent of the Congress that the Nation meet specified health status objectives with respect to Indians and urban Indians by the year 2000. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary) to report to the President, for transmission to the Congress, on the progress made in each area of the Indian Health Service (Service) toward meeting each stated objective. Title I: Indian Health Manpower - Directs the Secretary to make preparatory scholarship grants for: (1) up to two years on a full-time basis (or the part-time equivalent) to Indians who have demonstrated the capability to successfully complete courses of study in the health professions; and (2) up to four years (or the part-time equivalent) for pregraduate education of any grantee leading to a baccalaureate degree in an approved course of study preparatory to such health professions. Prohibits the Secretary from denying scholarship assistance to an eligible applicant solely by reason of such applicant's eligibility for assistance or benefits under any other Federal program. Authorizes the Secretary to grant health professions scholarships to Indians who are enrolled full or part-time in appropriately accredited schools and pursuing courses of study in the health professions, with an emphasis on certain ones. Makes an individual eligible for such scholarship in any year in which he or she is enrolled full or part-time in such course of study. Provides that the period for a part-time scholarship shall not exceed the part-time equivalent of four years. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Service, to establish a Placement Office to develop a national policy for the placement, to available vacancies within the Service, of health professionals required to meet the active duty obligation prescribed under the Public Health Service Act without regard to any competitive personnel system, agency personnel limitation, or Indian preference policy. Makes an individual liable to the United States for the amount paid to or on the individual's behalf under a written Indian health professions contract if it is breached in specified ways. Entitles the United States to recover an amount determined by a specified formula pursuant to the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, as amended, from any individual who breaches such contract by failing to begin or complete such service obligations. Authorizes the Secretary, acting through the Service, to provide: (1) continuing education allowances to nurses employed by the Service; and (2) grants to establish and develop clinics operated by nurses, nurse midwives, or nurse practitioners to provide primary health care services to Indians. Allocates funds for the training of nurse practitioners. Requires that at least 25 percent of retention bonuses awarded each year by the Secretary beginning in FY 1992 be awarded to nurses. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Service, to establish a program to enable licensed practical nurses, licensed vocational nurses, and registered nurses working in an Indian health program for at least one year to pursue advanced training in a residency program. Revises the Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program with respect to: (1) eligibility requirements; (2) priority vacancy positions; (3) an individual's becoming a participant in the program; (4) extension of obligated service; (5) undergraduate loans; (6) repayment of loans; (7) tax liability reimbursements; and (8) the Secretary's annual report to the Congress. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Service, to assign one individual in each area office to be responsible on a full-time basis for recruitment activities. Requires the Secretary to provide a grant to a college or university to establish and maintain a program parallel to the Indians into Medicine Program (INMED) for the nursing and mental health professions. Directs the Secretary to provide matching grants to Indian tribes and tribal organizations to assist in educating Indians to serve as health professionals in Indian communities by providing them with scholarships, under specified conditions. Prohibits any scholarship recipient from discriminating against an individual seeking health care on the basis of ability to pay or that payment for such care will be provided by Medicare or Medicaid Programs under the Social Security Act. Directs the Secretary, under authority of the Snyder Act, to: (1) maintain a Community Health Aide Program in Alaska; and (2) provide, in a specified manner, a high standard of training to community health aides to ensure that they provide quality health care, health promotion, and disease prevention services to the villages served by the Program. Requires the Secretary, by contract or otherwise, to provide training for individuals in the administration and planning of tribal health programs. Authorizes appropriations for such training and for the Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship program. Directs the Secretary to consider an individual's ties to any Indian tribe when placing him or her in scholarship and loan repayment programs. Title II: Health Services - Authorizes the Secretary to expend appropriated funds under this Act to eliminate the deficiencies in health status and resources of all Indian tribes. Changes the threshold cost established by the Secretary: (1) for FY 1992 to a minimum of $20,000 (currently, a minimum of $10,000 to a maximum of $20,000) before a service unit can be eligible for reimbursement from the Catastrophic Health Emergency Fund for the cost of treatment of an individual; and (2) for each succeeding year to the cost of the previous year increased by the percentage increase in the medical care expenditure category of the consumer price index for all urban consumers. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Service, to provide health promotion and disease prevention services to Indians to achieve the health objectives set forth in this Act. Repeals the requirements that the Secretary establish from one to four demonstration projects to discover the most effective and cost-efficient means of providing health promotion and disease prevention services to Indians. Directs the Secretary to continue to maintain specified model diabetes projects in existence through FY 2000. Authorizes the Secretary to establish new model diabetes projects. Prohibits the establishment of a greater number of them in one service area than in another until there is an equal number established with respect to all service areas. Adds to the duties of the diabetes control officer employed in each area office of the Service the task of evaluating the effectiveness of services provided through model diabetes projects established under this Act. Requires the Service to report annually to the President for transmission to the Congress, on the mental health status of Indians. Requires any person employed as a psychologist or as a social worker to provide mental health care services to Indians in a clinical setting, under this Act or through a contract under the Indian Self-Determination Act, to be, within one year from the date of employment, licensed as such or working under the direct supervision of a licensed clinical psychologist or social worker. Directs the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on the: (1) feasibility and desirability of furnishing hospice care to terminally ill Indians; (2) the determination of the most efficient and effective means of furnishing such care; and (3) the feasibility of allowing an Indian tribe to purchase, directly or through the Service, managed care coverage under certain circumstances. Requires the Secretary to provide grants to eligible recipients to establish area epidemiology centers for specified activities. Directs the Secretary to provide at least one grant to an eligible recipient located in each Indian Health Service area. Requires such grant to be at least $250,000 a year for each area epidemiology center. Requires the Indian Health Service to assign one epidemiologist from each of its area offices to each area epidemiology center to provide technical assistance to it. Directs the Secretary to report to the Congress on the actions taken to carry out this Act and to report biannually thereafter, on the extent to which the area epidemiology centers have helped assess progress made towards meeting the health objectives under this Act. Authorizes appropriations. Title III: Health Facilities - Requires the Secretary, when evaluating for the Congress the likely impact of the closure of an Indian Health Service hospital or one of its outpatient health care facilities, to specify: (1) the level of use of such hospital or facility by all eligible Indians; and (2) the distance between such hospital or facility and the nearest operating Service hospital. Requires the Secretary, subject to the availability of appropriations, to enter into contracts or award grants for health care delivery demonstration projects taking into consideration applications received from all service areas. Prohibits the award of a greater number of such contracts or grants in one service area than in another until there is an equal number of them with respect to all service areas for which the Secretary receives applications under certain conditions. Requires the Secretary to submit to the President (currently, the Congress) for inclusion in the budget submittal for: (1) FY 1997, an interim report on such established demonstration projects; and (2) FY 1999, a final report. Authorizes the Secretary to accept any major renovation or modernization by any Indian tribe of any Service facility, or of any other Indian health facility operated pursuant to a contract entered into under the Indian Self-Determination Act under specified conditions. Entitles an Indian Tribe to recover an amount from the United States, based upon a specified formula, if any Service facility renovated or modernized by an Indian tribe ceases to be used as such during the 20-year period beginning on the completion date of such renovation or modernization. Authorizes appropriations. Title IV: Access to Health Services - Amends the Social Security Act to prohibit any payments received by any facility of the Service, whether operated by such Service or by an Indian tribe or tribal organization, for services provided to Indians eligible for Medicare benefits from being considered in determining appropriations for health care and services to Indians. Declares that the Secretary has no authority to provide services to an Indian beneficiary with coverage under Medicare in preference to an Indian beneficiary without such coverage. Makes a facility of the Indian Health Service or of an Indian tribe or tribal organization carrying out a contract, grant, or cooperative agreement under the Indian Self-Determination Act eligible for Medicare payments if it meets all of the conditions and requirements for such payments. Requires payments to any Service facility made under the Medicaid program to be placed in a special fund to be held by the Secretary and used, in a specified manner, exclusively for making any improvements in the facilities of such Service to achieve compliance with the applicable conditions and requirements of the Social Security Act. Terminates this requirement when the Secretary determines and certifies that substantially all Service health facilities are in compliance with such conditions and requirements. Prohibits payments received by such facility for services provided to Indians eligible for benefits under Medicaid from being considered in determining appropriations for the provision of health care and services to Indians. Requires the Secretary to submit to the President (currently, the Congress) for submission with the budget, an accounting of the amount and use of funds reimbursed through Medicare and Medicaid made available to Indian Health Services. Authorizes appropriations. Title V: Health Services for Urban Indians - Authorizes appropriations to make health services more accessible to the urban Indian population. Title VI: Organizational Improvements - Requires the Secretary to carry out, through the Director of the Service, all scholarship and loan functions under this Act. Authorizes appropriations. Title VII: Substance Abuse Programs - Redesignates Title VII of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act as Title VIII. Expands the responsibilities of the Indian Health Service with respect to the Memorandum of Agreement entered into under the Indian Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 1986. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Service, to provide a program of comprehensive alcohol and substance abuse prevention and treatment to members of Indian tribes. Authorizes the Secretary, acting through the Service, to enter into contracts with public or private providers of alcohol and substance abuse treatment services to assist the Service in carrying out such programs. Directs the Secretary to: (1) provide assistance to Indian tribes in developing criteria for the certification and accreditation of service facilities which meet certain minimum standards; (2) develop and implement a program for acute detoxification and treatment for Indian youth who are alcohol and substance abusers; and (3) construct or renovate, and appropriately staff and operate, a youth regional treatment center in each area under the jurisdiction of an area office. Considers the area offices of the Service in Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona, as one area office. Authorizes the Secretary to make funds available to the Tanana Chiefs Conference, Incorporated, to lease, construct, renovate, operate and maintain a residential youth treatment facility in Fairbanks, Alaska. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Service, to: (1) identify and use, where appropriate, federally-owned structures suitable as local residential or regional alcohol and substance abuse treatment centers for Indian youth; and (2) establish guidelines to determine their suitability for such purpose. Directs the Secretary, in cooperation with the Secretary of the Interior, to develop and implement, within each Health Service unit, community-based rehabilitation and follow-up services designed to integrate long-term treatment and to monitor and support Indian youth who are alcohol or substance abusers after their return home. Requires the Secretary to provide for the inclusion of family members of a youth in such treatment programs or other appropriate services. Earmarks at least ten percent of funds appropriated to carry out such programs to be used for outpatient care of adult family members related to the treatment of an Indian youth. Directs the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on: (1) the incidence and prevalence of the abuse of multiple forms of drugs, including alcohol, among Indian youth residing on Indian reservations and in urban areas; and (2) the interrelationship of such abuse with the incidence of mental illness among such youth. Requires the Secretary, in cooperation with the Secretary of the Interior, to develop and implement, within each service unit, a program to provide training and community education in the areas of alcohol and substance abuse. Directs the Secretary, with respect to such programs, to take into consideration and make available, the results of the demonstration project for children of alcoholics funded by the Office of Minority Health of the Department of Health and Human Services. Requires the Secretary to make grants to the Navajo Nation to provide residential treatment for alcohol and substance abuse for the Tribe's adult and adolescent members and neighboring tribes. Directs the Navajo Nation to enter into a contract with a Gallup, New Mexico, area institution accredited by the Joint Commission of the Accreditation of Health Care Organizations to provide such comprehensive alcohol and drug treatment. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to: (1) those urban Indian organizations with which the Secretary has entered into a contract under this Act for the provision of health-related services in prevention, treatment, or rehabilitation of, or school and community-based education in alcohol and substance abuse in urban centers; and (2) Indian tribes to establish fetal alcohol syndrome programs to meet the health status objective specified in this Act. Directs the Secretary to provide assistance to Indian tribes in the development, printing, and dissemination of education and prevention materials on fetal alcohol syndrome. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Service, to continue making grants through FY 1995 to the Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council, San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico, to provide substance abuse treatment services to Indians in need of them. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Service, to establish: (1) the Regional Youth Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Center in Sacaton, Arizona, on the Gila River Indian Reservation; and (2) a youth alcohol and substance abuse prevention and treatment facility in Schurz, Nevada, as a unit of such regional center. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Service, to make grants to the Alaska Native Health Board for a two-part community-based demonstration project to reduce drug and alcohol abuse in Alaska Native villages and to rehabilitate families afflicted by such abuse. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Service, to evaluate and report to appropriate committees of the Congress on the evaluation of such project by January 1, 1993. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Service, to make a grant to the Thunderchild Treatment Center at Sheridan, Wyoming, to match funds already received by it through private contributions for the completion of construction of a multiple approach substance abuse treatment center which specializes in the treatment of alcohol and drug abuse of American Indians. Authorizes appropriations for the Center. Prohibits the use of such funds for: (1) staffing or operation of this facility; or (2) administrative purposes. Authorizes appropriations. Title VIII: Miscellaneous - Directs the President to include with submission of the budget: (1) certain reports and statements on meeting the objectives of this Act; and (2) a report on whether, and to what extent, new health care programs, benefits, initiatives, or financing systems have had an impact on it, and any steps taken by the Secretary to consult with Indian tribes to address such impact. Extends to FY 2000 the time during which Arizona is designated as a contract health service delivery area. Continues through FY 1995 the demonstration programs involving treatment for child sexual abuse that were conducted in FY 1991 through the Hopi Tribe and the Asiniboine and Sioux Tribes of Fort Peck Reservation. Authorizes the Secretary and the Secretary of the Interior to establish such programs in any service area, except that the establishment of a greater number of them in one service area than in another is prohibited until there is an equal number established with respect to all service areas. Authorizes appropriations for Indian health care programs through FY 2000. Title IX: Technical Corrections - Makes technical corrections to the Indian Health Care Improvement Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1992
Appropriations Category Reform Act of 1992 - States that the Congress declares that it is essential that the Nation achieve savings in national defense beyond those agreed to in the budget summit agreement of 1990, reduce the deficit, and invest in areas of pressing domestic need that have been neglected since the 1980s. Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to revise the discretionary spending limit for FY 1993 by merging the defense and domestic categories into a national category. Makes conforming changes to the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act).
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1992
Supports the peace process for Liberia initiated by the accord signed in Yamoussoukro, Cote d'Ivoire, on October 30, 1991. Urges all parties to abide by the terms of such accord. Commends and congratulates the government of the Economic Community of West African States for their leadership in seeking peace in Liberia. Praises the presidents of Nigeria, Cote d'Ivoire, and Senegal for their efforts. Authorizes the President to provide assistance to support democratic institutions in Liberia, for the resettlement of refugees, for the demobilization and retraining of troops, and for the provision of other assistance to implement such accord, if the President certifies that Liberia has made significant progress toward democratization and that such assistance will aid that country in making further progress and is otherwise in the U.S. national interest. Requires a separate certification for each fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1992
National Beverage Container Reuse and Recycling Act of 1992 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to prohibit the sale of beer, mineral water, soda water, wine coolers, or carbonated soft drinks in beverage containers by retailers and distributors unless such containers carry a refund value of ten cents. Requires distributors to collect from retailers the refund value for each beverage sold to such retailers. Directs retailers to collect from consumers the refund value for each beverage sold to such consumers. Requires retailers and distributors to pay the refund on returned containers of brands (in the same kind and size of container) sold by such retailers or distributors. Directs distributors to pay annually to a State unclaimed refund amounts (the amount by which the total refund value of all containers sold by such distributors exceeds the amount paid by distributors to persons in that State). Makes unclaimed refunds available to a State for carrying out pollution prevention and recycling programs. Prohibits distributors and retailers from: (1) selling beverages in metal beverage containers with detachable openings; and (2) disposing of containers subject to this Act or any metal, glass, or plastic from such containers (other than the top or seal) in landfills or solid waste disposal facilities. Makes this Act inapplicable to States that have adopted requirements identical to those under this Act or that have demonstrated achievement of a recycling or reuse rate for beverage containers of at least 70 percent. Makes States that fail to maintain such rate for a consecutive 12-month period subject to this Act's requirements. Prohibits States or political subdivisions that impose taxes on the sale of beverage containers from imposing any tax on the amount attributable to the refund value of such containers. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to promulgate regulations to provide for the adjustment for inflation of the ten-cent refund amount at ten-year intervals. Prescribes civil penalties for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1992
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the U.S. Government should: (1) support resolutions like the European Community-led resolution on the situation in Tibet submitted to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights; (2) condemn Beijing's human rights abuses in Tibet in all appropriate international fora; and (3) raise human rights abuses in Tibet with senior Chinese officials.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1992
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the authorities on Taiwan should permit the return to Taiwan of all current and former citizens who are committed to peaceful change.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1992
Stop Arming Felons (SAFE) Act - Amends the Federal criminal code to: (1) prohibit the possession of, or transactions in, firearms by any person convicted of a violent felony, regardless of any expungement of the conviction, pardon, or restoration of other civil rights; (2) deny convicted natural persons the opportunity to seek administrative relief from prohibitions against possessing, shipping, transporting, or receiving firearms or ammunition; (3) eliminate provisions permitting persons to appeal for judicial review of denials of relief; (4) eliminate the authority of Federal courts to admit additional evidence in reviewing denials of such relief; and (5) require publication of additional information about administrative relief granted to any person.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1992
Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to make grants to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority for constructing wastewater treatment works for areas served by the Authority. Limits the Federal share of such grants to 75 percent of construction costs. Authorizes appropriations.
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