United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1991
Amends the National School Lunch Act to remove the requirement that schools participating in the school lunch program offer students specified types of fluid milk (while retaining the requirement that they offer fluid milk).
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1991
Disabilities Prevention Act of 1991 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control, to make grants for the prevention of disabilities and secondary conditions resulting from disabilities. Authorizes the Secretary to make such grants for: (1) coordinating prevention activities; (2) conducting demonstrations and interventions; (3) conducting surveillances and studies; (4) educating the public; and (5) subject to a limit of ten percent of amounts appropriated under this Act, educating and training health professionals and improving their clinical skills. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1991
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Act of 1991 - Directs the Secretary of Education to provide financial assistance to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (a private nonprofit organization) for research and development relating to teacher assessment and certification procedures. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1991 through 1994. Requires the Board to: (1) establish a Research and Development Advisory Committee; and (2) consult with the Secretary and other specified entities in appointing the ten Committee members (with the Secretary selecting two of those). Requires funds under this Act to be used only for research and development of teacher assessment and certification procedures for elementary and secondary school teachers. Requires that priority be given to such activities relating to teaching: (1) the subject areas of mathematics, the sciences, foreign languages, and literacy (including reading, writing, and analytical ability); and (2) special educational populations, including limited English proficient children, gifted and talented children, children with disabilities, and economically and educationally disadvantaged children. Sets the Federal share of the cost of such Board activities at 50 percent. Requires the Board to report annually to the appropriate committees of the Congress. Requires the Secretary of Education, the Director of the National Science Foundation, and the National Research Council to review and comment on the Board's report and to report to such congressional committees on the Board's compliance with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1991
Commends the Peace Corps on its 30th anniversary and those who have served as Peace Corps volunteers. Reaffirms U.S. commitment, through the Peace Corps, to help peoples in other countries to meet their needs.
United States · United States Congress · 20 February 1991
Consumer Protection Against Price-Fixing Act of 1991 - Amends the Sherman Act to set forth evidentiary standards for price-fixing actions. Requires the court to allow the issue of concerted action to fix prices to be decided by the trier of fact if there is sufficient evidence from which a trier of fact could reasonably conclude that: (1) the supplier of a good or service received from a competitor of a reseller an express or implied suggestion, request, or demand that the supplier take steps to curtail or eliminate price competition; and (2) such communication was the major reason that the supplier terminated sales or supplies to the reseller. Prohibits the court from allowing the trier of fact to consider whether an individual and a competitor engaged in concerted action to set prices in violation of this Act if the court determines that the trier of fact could only find concerted action by making implausible inferences. Provides that the fact that a supplier and a reseller entered into an agreement to establish the resale price of a good or service shall be sufficient to constitute a price fixing violation, except when the agreement is to establish the maximum resale price of a good or service. Specifies that an agreement between the seller and the purchaser of a good or service to terminate another purchaser as a dealer or to refuse to supply such other purchaser because of that purchaser's pricing policies violates this Act, regardless of whether or not a specific price or price level is agreed upon.
United States · United States Congress · 20 February 1991
OSHA Criminal Penalty Reform Act - Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA) to increase criminal penalties (fines and prison sentences) for specified violations. Makes criminal offenses, with specified penalties under OSHA, willful violations of OSHA standards, rules, or regulations if they result in serious bodily injury to an employee. Prohibits penalties or fines imposed on directors, officers, or agents of employers from being paid out of the assets of the employer on behalf of such individuals. Provides that nothing in OSHA shall preclude State and local law enforcement agencies from conducting criminal prosecutions under State or local laws.
United States · United States Congress · 20 February 1991
Insurance Competitive Pricing Act of 1991 - Amends the McCarran-Ferguson Act to eliminate the antitrust exemption applicable to the business of insurance where the conduct of an individual engaged in such business involves: (1) price fixing; (2) allocating with a competitor a geographical area in which, or persons to whom, insurance will be offered for sale; (3) unlawfully tying the sale or purchase of one type of insurance to that of another type, or of any other service or product; or (4) monopolizing, or attempting to monopolize, any part of such business. Retains such exemption for conduct involving the making of a contract, or engaging in a combination or conspiracy, to: (1) collect or disseminate historical loss data; (2) determine a loss development factor applicable to such data; or (3) perform actuarial services if such contract, combination, or conspiracy does not involve restraint of trade.
United States · United States Congress · 19 February 1991
Amends Federal law to provide that no adjournment of either House of Congress, other than an adjournment sine die to end a Congress, prevents the return of a bill by the President. Authorizes the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate to receive bills returned by the President any time their respective Houses are not in session.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1991
Liberian Relief, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Act of 1991 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to provide assistance for civil strife relief, rehabilitation, and general recovery in Liberia. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes appropriations to the Department of State for migration and refugee assistance for emergency relief, repatriation, and rehabilitation efforts for Liberian refugees who have fled civil strife and for support for relief programs assisting local populations in the bordering countries of Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Cote d'Ivoire. Authorizes the President to provide supplemental emergency food assistance for civilian victims in Liberia. Authorizes appropriations. Makes amounts appropriated under this Act available until September 30, 1992. Expresses the sense of the Congress that a specified amount of local currencies available under title II of the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 should be made available for disaster assistance for Liberia. Permits assistance authorized for Liberia under this Act to be provided without regard to provisions of law concerning foreign assistance repayments.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1991
Lead Exposure Reduction Act of 1991 - Amends the Toxic Substances Control Act to prohibit the importing, manufacturing, processing, or distribution in commerce of certain products containing more than a specified percentage of lead. Authorizes the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to modify the allowable lead percentage for such products under certain conditions. Permits the Administrator to extend dates for compliance with such requirements for one year and to establish a performance standard for lead leaching from plumbing fittings and fixtures in lieu of the applicable restriction if such standard is at least as protective of human health and the environment as such restriction. Requires the Administrator to waive such requirements with respect to certain toys and recreational game pieces that are collectible items and scale models intended for adult acquisition. Directs the Administrator to publish regulations banning the sale of lead solder to plumbers and plumbing supply wholesalers and retailers. Prohibits the sale or promotion of: (1) any packaging which may be used for food for human consumption (or any food in such packaging) that includes any additive to which lead has been intentionally introduced, beginning 24 months after this Act's enactment; and (2) any packaging or product in packaging that includes such an additive, beginning 48 months after this Act's enactment. Sets allowable concentration levels for the incidental presence of lead in such packaging. Prohibits the sale or promotion of packaging exceeding such levels. Authorizes the Administrator to exempt from such requirements: (1) packaging manufactured prior to this Act's enactment date; and (2) packaging to which lead has been added to comply with Federal, State, or local health or safety requirements. Requires certificates of compliance with lead requirements to be retained by packaging manufacturers or distributors and made available to purchasers. Prohibits the manufacture, import, or distribution in commerce of food cans containing more than .2 percent lead by dry weight. Prohibits the importing, manufacturing, processing, or distributing in commerce of foils for wine bottles containing more than .1 percent lead by dry weight. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to delay the application of such requirements under certain conditions. Prohibits the sale of leaded gasoline at a price lower than that of unleaded gasoline sold at the same establishment. Prohibits, within six months of this Act's enactment, the sale of leaded gasoline for use in motor vehicles (other than farm vehicles) in a metropolitan statistical area or consolidated metropolitan statistical area with a 1980 population of 250,000 persons or more. Requires, effective January 1, 1996, manufacturers or importers of fuels containing lead or lead additives to submit quarterly reports to the Administrator on the lead content and volume of such fuels. Exempts from lead content requirements: (1) paint used by artists; (2) products used for medical purposes; (3) products used in connection with national security; (4) products used in the nuclear industry; and (5) products used in the mining industry to determine the presence of noble metals in geological materials. Directs persons manufacturing, processing, or importing any product containing more than .1 percent lead by dry weight to submit specified information to the Administrator. Exempts owners or operators of recycling facilities and manufacturers, processors, or importers of lead-acid batteries from such requirement. Requires the Administrator to update, and publish a compilation of, such information. Directs the Administrator to report to the Congress on such information and on recommendations for minimizing the release of lead into the environment and preventing human exposure to lead. Permits persons submitting inventory information to claim such information as confidential. Sets forth provisions concerning confidentiality applications. Requires the Administrator to promulgate regulations that provide for the labeling of products (other than lead-acid batteries) that pose a risk of human exposure to lead. Requires the labeling of toys and recreational game pieces that are collectible items and scale models to disclose that such items contain lead and are not suitable for children. Prohibits: (1) the placement into landfills and incineration of lead-acid batteries; and (2) the disposal of such batteries other than by recycling in accordance with this Act. Prohibits the disposal of batteries except by delivery to: (1) battery retailers or wholesalers; (2) regulated lead smelters or collection or recycling facilities; or (3) automotive dismantlers. Sets forth specified delivery and disposal requirements for battery retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers. Directs battery retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers to accept from customers used batteries of the same type, and in an approximately equal quantity to, the batteries sold. Requires battery retailers to post notices in public areas of retail establishments that: (1) state that it is illegal to throw away motor vehicle or lead-acid batteries; (2) state that Federal law requires battery retailers to accept used batteries for recycling and allows a person to give used batteries to battery collectors, recyclers, or processors or to automotive dismantlers; and (3) encourage recycling of used batteries. Prescribes civil penalties for violations of such notice requirements. Makes it unlawful to sell a lead-acid battery that does not bear a permanent label stating that: (1) the battery contains lead; and (2) Federal law requires recycling and the seller must accept the return. Permits the Administrator to issue warnings and citations for noncompliance with battery labeling and notice requirements. Permits the export of lead-acid batteries for purposes of recycling. Directs the Administrator to undertake a program to promote monitoring, detection, and abatement of lead-based paint and other lead exposure hazards. Requires the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, to establish: (1) standards for laboratory analysis of lead in paint films, soil, and dust; and (2) certification programs to assure the quality and consistency of such analyses, unless voluntary accreditation programs are operating nationwide. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control, to establish parallel standards and certification programs for laboratory analysis of lead in blood. Requires the Secretary of Labor to develop minimum core curricula for technical training courses for lead-based paint abatement workers, supervisors, designers, inspectors, and building owners. Provides that such courses shall address factors associated with lead testing and abatement in various types of housing units. Authorizes the Secretary to evaluate such programs and to encourage State certification programs or the development of national proficiency tests. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to evaluate and develop standards and testing protocols for emerging products and techniques for detecting lead in paint films and dust. Directs the Administrator to report to the Congress on the efficacy and effectiveness of various abatement and management techniques in reducing lead dust levels. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to establish a program and develop standards for the evaluation of products and procedures for encapsulating or removing lead-based paint. Directs the Administrator to publish a list of products and procedures that meet performance standards. Requires the Administrator to issue guidelines for the management of lead-based paint debris. Prohibits the funding of travel of EPA employees outside the United States unless such guidelines are issued. Requires the Administrator to undertake a research project on lead exposure in children who have elevated blood lead levels or other indicators of elevated lead body burden. Directs the Secretary of Labor and the Administrator to conduct a long-term research study on the sources of lead exposure in construction workers. Requires the Administrator to sponsor public education and outreach activities to increase awareness of the scope and severity of lead poisoning from household sources, potential exposure to lead in schools and day care centers, and the need for abatement and management action. Directs the Administrator to issue guidelines concerning the action levels for lead in soil. Directs the Administrator to appoint a Coordinator for Lead Activities. Requires the Administrator to award grants to institutions of higher education for purposes of establishing Centers for the Prevention of Lead Poisoning. Limits the Federal share of Center operation costs. Limits grants to two-year periods. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control, to: (1) encourage State public health officials to report blood-lead measurements to the Director; and (2) report to the Congress on the status of such reporting and the feasibility and desirability of instituting a national requirement for mandatory pre-school blood-lead screening. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary, acting through the Director, to establish a blood-lead laboratory reference project to assist State and local governments in establishing and improving the quality of laboratory measurements performed for childhood lead poisoning prevention programs. Requires the Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry to update a report submitted pursuant to the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 to include information on childhood and adult lead poisoning and estimates of adverse health outcomes associated with lead exposure. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to deem a food to be adulterated if: (1) it is packaged in a container containing solder or another ingredient with a lead content greater than .2 percent by dry weight; or (2) it is ceramic ware and the ability of such ceramic ware to leach lead does not conform with standards for ceramic ware established by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Requires the Secretary to establish standards and testing procedures with respect to lead in ceramic ware. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1991
Expresses the sense of the Senate that it should be U.S. policy to specify reductions in the national emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by a date certain and to assume a leadership position in negotiating an international climate protection treaty that contains specific commitments to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, including: (1) achieving agreements by industrialized nations to reduce current carbon dioxide emissions, by developing nations to limit their growth in emissions from fossil fuel combustion, and by all countries to limit the release of carbon dioxide due to deforestation and to take steps to cut emissions of other greenhouse gases; (2) establishing an international fund to help developing countries achieve such objectives, a mechanism for continuing international cooperation for development of efficient policies for future emissions reductions, and institutional mechanisms to facilitate cooperation in research, observation, and analysis, information exchange and reporting, technology development and transfer, and technical training and public education. Urges the United States to support, at the February 1991 negotiating session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for a Framework Convention on Climate Change, the establishment of a process that will allow negotiations of substantive provisions to accomplish each of these elements for inclusion in the convention that is to be concluded in June 1992.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Nontraditional Employment for Women Act - Amends the Job Training Partnership Act (the Act) to define "nontraditional employment," as applied to women, to refer to occupations or fields of work where women comprise less than 25 percent of the individuals employed. Requires service delivery area (SDA) job training plans to include: (1) goals for the training of women in nontraditional employment and the training-related placement of women in nontraditional employment and apprenticeship; (2) a description of efforts to be undertaken to accomplish such goals, including efforts to increase awareness of such training and placement opportunities; and (3) procedures for annual reporting of the extent to which the SDA has met such goals and of a statistical breakdown of women trained and placed in nontraditional occupations, including specified types of information. Requires the State Governor's coordination and special services plan also to include such goals and descriptions of efforts for the training and placement of women in nontraditional employment under the Act and the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act. Directs the State job training coordinating council to: (1) review, summarize, and annually disseminate the results of SDAs' and Governor's efforts to train and place women in nontraditional employment; and (2) obtain from the sex equity coordinator under the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act a summary of activities and an analysis of results under that Act and disseminate such summary annually. Requires State education coordination grant recipients to provide statewide coordinated approaches, including model programs, to train, place, and retain women in nontraditional employment. Allows the use of funds under title II (Training Services for the Disadvantaged) of the Act for outreach activities relating to education, training, work experience, and retention of women in nontraditional employment. Directs the Secretary of Labor to use a specified portion of funds for national activities under the Act for FY 1992 through 1995 to make grants to States to develop demonstration and exemplary programs to train and place women in nontraditional employment. Limits such grants to no more than six per fiscal year. Allows States receiving such assistance to award grants to service providers and SDAs under specified conditions. Directs the Secretary of Labor to report, with recommendations, to the Congress within five years on the extent of success of States and SDAs, and the effectiveness of such demonstration programs, in training, placing, and retaining women in nontraditional employment. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to mean that the Congress is taking a position on the issue of comparable worth. Provides that failure to meet the goals in this Act shall not itself constitute a violation of title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or any other Federal law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, handicap, or age.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
National and Community Service Technical Amendments Act of 1991 - Amends the National and Community Service Act to make various technical amendments, including revisions of definitions and of programs for students and out-of-school students, Serve-America, American Conservation and Youth Service Corps, participant eligibility and post-service benefits, innovative and demonstration programs and projects, Youthbuild, administration, and the Commission on National and Community Service. Directs the Commission on National and Community Service to issue final rules or regulations to implement title I of such Act within 180 days after its enactment. Requires, to the maximum extent practicable, that an effort be made to appoint members of the Board of Directors of such Commission who: (1) have extensive experience in volunteer and service opportunity programs; (2) represent a broad range of viewpoints; and (3) will give the Board diversity of race, ethnicity, age, gender, and political party membership.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1991
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam should continue to release the remaining political prisoners held as a result of their previous association with the Government of South Vietnam prior to 1975, and should permit their expeditious departure from Vietnam; and (2) the President and the Secretary of State should continue to give highest priority to efforts to speed and facilitate the reunion of former prisoners with their families in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1991
Pension Restoration Act of 1991 - Establishes a Federal annuity program administered by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, to compensate participants in certain terminated private pension plans for nonforfeitable pension benefits lost by reason of the termination. Sets forth provisions for such annuity program relating to: (1) entitlement; (2) computation; (3) applications; (4) administrative appeals; (5) judicial review; (6) payment; (7) interagency coordination and cooperation; and (8) regulations. Provides for the use of certain funds under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to pay such annuities and the administrative costs of such program.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1991
Military Family Assistance Act of 1991 - Directs the Secretary of Defense to provide assistance for eligible military families of members serving on active duty during the Persian Gulf conflict in order to ensure that such families obtain needed child care services. Outlines with respect to such assistance provisions defining: (1) eligible military families; (2) eligible child care providers; (3) the amount of assistance to be provided; and (4) fees to be charged to parents for such child care assistance. Provides eligibility for such child care assistance for 60 days after release from active duty for families of reserve personnel called to active duty in connection with the Persian Gulf conflict. Directs the Secretary to ensure that: (1) each family eligible to receive financial assistance for child care services receives appropriate information concerning local child care and referral programs; and (2) the child care services provided in military child development centers and providers of family home day care are coordinated with child care resources and referral programs in the locality in which such services are provided. Authorizes the Secretary to use up to ten percent of the amount available for such assistance for grants for the repair of minor deficiencies in family day care homes. Outlines conditions under which the Secretary may make grants to a child care provider for such corrections. Gives a priority in the awarding of such repair grants to child care providers who are members of families of members of the armed forces. Prohibits grant funds to be used for the purchase or improvement of land or for the purchase or major renovation of any building or facility. Authorizes appropriations. Requires such funds to be used to supplement, not supplant, other public funds authorized or expended for such purpose. Prohibits financial assistance awarded under this Act from being used for: (1) sectarian worship or religious instruction; and (2) services provided during the regular school day for which students receive academic credit or which supplant or duplicate the academic program of any public or private school. Applies certain nondiscrimination provisions of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to provisions of this Act. States that reserve personnel ordered to active duty in connection with the Persian Gulf conflict shall be considered as involuntarily separated from the armed forces upon completion of such duty for purposes of eligibility for certain transitional health care provided through the armed forces if the member: (1) serves on active duty for not less than 90 days; and (2) is an officer who is discharged under conditions other than adverse, or, if enlisted, is denied reenlistment or is discharged under conditions other than adverse. Provides that eligibility for such transitional health care benefits shall continue for up to 60 days after such involuntary separation, unless or until the member becomes covered by an employer-provided health plan. Delays until one year after the termination of the Persian Gulf conflict the effective date of a required reduction in the provision of certain mental health services to former military personnel under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1991. Delays until the same date a requirement in such Act which increases the annual deductible required of medical beneficiaries of military personnel. States that all direct or discretionary spending contained in this Act is to be considered emergency expenditures related to Operation Desert Shield for purposes of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act).
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1991
Title X Pregnancy Counseling Act of 1991 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, notwithstanding any other provision of law, to ensure that projects receiving assistance under title X of the Public Health Service Act offer pregnant women information and counseling on all legal and medical options. Requires that women requesting information regarding an unintended pregnancy be provided with nondirective counseling and referral on prenatal care, delivery, infant care, foster care, adoption services, and pregnancy termination.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1991
Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991 - Imposes civil liability on anyone who, under actual or apparent authority or under color of law of any foreign nation, subjects any individual to torture or extrajudicial killing. Directs a court to decline to hear a claim under this Act if the defendant establishes by clear and convincing evidence that the plaintiff has not exhausted adequate and available remedies in the place where the conduct giving rise to the claim occurred. Specifies that no statute of limitations shall apply to a claim under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1991
Gulf War Higher Education and Health Care Shortage Assistance Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to grant a six-month deferment on obligations to repay guaranteed student loans, under the Robert T. Stafford Student Loan Program, to borrowers who are Armed Services members serving in connection with Operation Desert Storm (members). Requires institutions of higher education or vocational schools (as defined under HEA student assistance program provisions) to provide substantial tuition refunds or credits to such members. Directs the Secretary of Education to: (1) facilitate use of such benefits under this Act; (2) minimize the administrative burden placed on institutions of higher education, lenders, and guarantee agencies; and (3) allow family members or other appropriate parties to certify the status of individuals applying for such benefits. Amends the Public Health Service Act to set forth provisions to address health care provider shortages resulting from military hostilities. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to declare such a shortage in a medically underserved population or a health professional shortage area, or in other areas under specified conditions. Directs the Secretary of HHS to make grants on an expedited basis to eligible entities serving such populations or areas to: (1) temporarily replace health care providers ordered to active duty; and (2) secure additional necessary professional liability coverage for such replacement providers. Gives preference to entities: (1) serving a predominantly indigent patient population; or (2) in areas with the greatest shortage. Authorizes the Secretary of HHS to take appropriate action to respond to such shortages, including: (1) detailing Public Health Service Employees to regions with such shortages; (2) coordinating and facilitating voluntary placement in such regions of private providers and faculty in the health professions; and (3) providing to the Secretary of Defense information about the scope and nature of such shortages in each region in order to assist in minimizing such disruptions. Authorizes appropriations. Provides that all direct or discretionary spending in this Act comprises emergency expenditures related to Operation Desert Storm, for purposes of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act).
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1991
National Teacher Act of 1991 - Title I: Recruitment - Part A: Loan Forgiveness for Teachers Demonstration Program - Directs the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) to assume the obligation to repay specified portions of a Stafford loan (a student loan made, insured, or guaranteed under specified provisions of the Higher Education Act of 1965) for any borrower employed as a full-time teacher: (1) in a school which qualifies for loan cancellation for Perkins loan recipients who teach in such schools; and (2) of mathematics, science, foreign languages, special education, bilingual education, or any other field of expertise where the State educational agency (SEA) determines there is a shortage of qualified teachers. Provides for cancellation of increasing portions of such student loans for a one- to five-year period of such teaching service. Provides also for forgiveness of portions of student loans for borrowers who return to higher education after graduation to obtain a teaching certificate. Provides for repayment of such specified portions of principal and interest by the Secretary to the eligible lender or holder. Part B: Paul Douglas Teacher Scholarships - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to extend through FY 1995 the authorization of appropriations for the Paul Douglas Teacher Scholarships program. Part C: Teacher Corps - Authorizes a new Teacher Corps program. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) make grants to SEAs to conduct teacher corps activities; and (2) award scholarships to teacher corps members. Bases the amounts of such grants to SEAs on school-age population. Directs the Secretary to: (1) disseminate information about availability of teacher corps scholarships; and (2) foster communication among teacher corps members. Specifies authorized uses of grant money by SEAs. Allows local educational agencies (LEAs) to use grant funds to: (1) carry out induction programs for new teacher corps members (and other new teachers); and (2) ensure that teacher corps members participate in one for at least one year, including work with a designated mentor teacher. Requires the SEA, in cooperation with the State higher education agency, to select teacher corps members according to its own criteria. Requires special consideration for those who intend to teach students with disabilities, limited English proficient students, or preschool age children. Requires priority consideration for those from disadvantaged backgrounds, including racial and ethnic minorities and individuals with disabilities, who are underrepresented in the teaching profession or in the curricular areas in which they are preparing to teach. Sets forth individual application requirements. Sets forth SEA and LEA grant application requirements. Requires descriptions of teacher shortages, corps members' employment placement, and induction programs for corps members and other new teachers. Makes individuals eligible to receive such scholarships for up to three years during enrollment in any of the following programs of study: (1) a baccalaureate or associate degree; (2) one or two post-baccalaureate years of a masters or specialist degree or teaching certificate; or (3) two years of an associate's degree in early childhood education or development, or one year of a child development associate credential program. Makes individuals pursuing the aforementioned kinds of post-baccalaureate study eligible to receive such a scholarship during any of the first three years they are employed as a teacher, in order to defray the costs of such study. Makes individuals with a bachelor's degree who wish to enter teaching from another profession eligible for such a scholarship for the instruction necessary to enter the teaching profession in the State where they wish to teach. Allows such instruction to be provided while the individual is employed as a provisional teacher, at the discretion of the SEA and LEA. Limits the amount of such a scholarship to an individual to the lesser of $5,000 per year or the cost of attendance for a maximum of three years. States that such scholarship shall be considered in determining eligibility for student assistance under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. Requires scholarship agreements to include assurances of: (1) satisfactory academic progress and participation in teaching-related activities during a course of study which meets State requirements for teacher preparation; and (2) teaching for five years in a school which qualifies for Perkins loan cancellation for its teachers. Allows members to transfer to another such school in an LEA within the State or to another State with a program, upon approval of the sending or receiving LEA or State. Prescribes additional assurances such agreements must include. Provides for repayment of scholarships and for cancellation of such obligation under specified conditions. Provides for publication of, and recruitment for, the teacher corps scholarship program, particularly for minority students. Authorizes appropriations for such new Teacher Corps program for FY 1992 through 1996, but conditions such funding upon the attainment of a specified minimum funding level for the Paul Douglas Teacher Scholarships program. Limits the portion of Teacher Corps program funds which may be used for LEA induction and mentor programs for new corps members and other new teachers. Part D: Foreign Language Competence for the Future - Foreign Language Competence for the Future Act of 1990 - Amends the Star Schools Program Assistance Act (title IX of the Education for Economic Security Act) to authorize appropriations in necessary amounts for FY 1993 to carry out Star Schools program assistance. Requires applications for such assistance for instructional programming to provide assurances that such programming will be designed in consultation with teachers of the applicable subject matter and grade level. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible consortia to: (1) operate critical languages and area studies programs; (2) develop and acquire educational equipment and materials; and (3) develop teacher training programs, texts, curricula, and other activities designed to improve and expand the instruction of foreign languages at elementary and secondary schools. Limits the maximum amount of such a demonstration grant to an eligible consortium in any single fiscal year. Requires that a consortium eligible for such demonstration grants consist of a cooperative effort between entities in one or more States that must include at least: (1) one institution of higher education; (2) one secondary school with experience in teaching critical foreign languages; and (3) one secondary school in which at least 25 percent of the students are eligible to be counted under certain provisions for education of disadvantaged students (under Chapter 1 of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965). Allows such consortia to include a not-for-profit organization to provide services not otherwise available from the other entities. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 through 1996. Part E: Miscellaneous Provision - Amends HEA provisions for Perkins loan cancellation to allow: (1) the Secretary to use the previous year's list of eligible schools if a new list is not available before May 1 of any year; and (2) any teacher to continue to receive loan forgiveness in subsequent years of service at a school that loses such eligibility. Title II: Teacher Enhancement - Part A: National Teacher Academies - Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to institutions of higher education, private nonprofit education organizations, or combinations of such entities to establish and operate national teacher academies. Requires one such academy in each of the following subject areas commonly taught in elementary and secondary schools: (1) mathematics; (2) National Writing Project; (3) civics and government; (4) basic skills and literacy instruction; (5) the arts, including art, music, and the performing arts; (6) history, geography, and sociology; (7) economics; (8) life sciences; (9) physical sciences; and (10) foreign languages. Requires academy staff to be selected from the most accomplished and prominent scholars in the relevant fields and methodologies. Provides that such grants shall be for five years, and awarded under a competitive bidding process. Requires special consideration for eligible recipients that have demonstrated effectiveness in establishing and administrating a national network of individuals who assist in teacher training programs at State and local levels. Limits such awards to eligible applicants who have demonstrated expertise in both the subject area and in-service teacher training. Requires grant funds to be used for: (1) in-service training for teachers and administrators; (2) summer institutes; (3) leadership team training for professional development schools; and (4) support services for professional development schools, including national networks of individuals, counseling assistance, and information services. Requires that school administrators and teachers from each congressional district, including the leadership team, participate in summer institutes. Sets forth grant application requirements, with a special rule for the National Academy on Basic Skills and Literacy Instruction. Authorizes the Secretary to award a grant to the National Writing Project to establish and operate one such teaching academy. Sets forth requirements for such grant, the Federal share, teacher training programs, and classroom teacher grants. Requires the National Writing Project to establish and operate a National Advisory Board. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 through 1996. Part B: Professional Development Schools - Directs the Secretary to allot to each State educational agency an equal amount for each congressional district in the State to establish and operate professional development schools. Requires that one such school be established in each congressional district. Allows the State educational agency to combine several of the authorized schools into a single school in States where several congressional districts are served by a local educational agency, or in States receiving small allotments. Provides that such grants shall be for five years, and renewable, and awarded under a competitive bidding process. Provides that professional development schools for specified U.S. territories and possessions in the Pacific are to be combined into a single school and administered by the Center for the Advancement of Pacific Education, in Honolulu, Hawaii, or its successor. Requires that such grant funds shall be used to: (1) provide professional development programs for teachers; and (2) pay costs of release time, stipends, college or university credit, curricular materials, and other expenses. Requires such professional development programs under this part to include individuals who have participated in the parallel program under part A. Requires each professional development school funded under this part whose teachers are served by a national academy funded under part A to conduct an in-service training program each year in each of the course content areas for which teachers receive training at the national academy. Requires each eligible grant recipient under this part to establish a ten-member steering committee. Requires each such committee to establish a three-person leadership team for each national teacher academy assisted under part A. Requires that Christa McAuliffe Career Teacher Corps participants be encouraged, upon return from their award period, to assist in the development and operation of the appropriate professional development school. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 through 1996. Part C: Christa McAuliffe Career Teacher Corps - Amends HEA to rename and revise the Christa McAuliffe Fellowship Program as the Christa McAuliffe Career Teacher Corps (Career Corps), which is to be a national fellowship program for experienced teachers and a complement to the Teacher Corps program for new teachers established under title I. Provides for: (1) grants to SEAs to conduct Career Corps activities and award fellowships to Career Corps members, with grant amounts based on school-age population of the State; (2) fellowship award distribution, amounts, and authorized uses; (3) selection of Career Corps members; (4) application evaluation by a statewide panel; (5) special consideration for individuals intending to use awards to improve or acquire skills in science or mathematics or to teach or provide related services to students with disabilities, limited English proficient students, or preschool age students; (6) fellowship agreements and repayments for noncompliance; (7) State applications; and (8) State use of program funds. Requires fellowship recipients to agree to spend up to a one-year period during which the Career Corps member is released from teaching responsibilities to participate in: (1) sabbaticals for study, research, or academic improvements; (2) consultation with or assistance to other school districts or private school systems, or development of special innovative programs for in-service teacher training or student achievement; or (3) expansion or replication of model programs of staff development. Requires that the Career Corps member be encouraged, during the two years following the award period through professional development school, if one exists, to: (1) participate in an induction program for new teachers by acting as a mentor to new Teacher Corps members or other new teachers, in their same substantive field of expertise where practicable, or make some other contribution to Teacher Corps programs; and (2) assist in developing in-service training programs through the professional development school, if it exists. Requires that Career Corps members be given the opportunity to participate in activities developed by the Secretary and SEA to foster communication among Career Corps members. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 through 1996. Title III: Demonstrations - Amends the Fund for the Improvement and Reform of Schools and Teaching Act to provide for the following demonstration programs: (1) class size research; (2) new careers for teachers; (3) minority teacher recruitment; and (4) restructuring of schools and school-based management. Directs the Secretary to make demonstration grants to LEAs having elementary and secondary schools with large classes in order to demonstrate the advantages of reducing the size of classes. Provides for the Federal share of such program payments. Gives priority to projects involving young students and at-risk students. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible recipients to pay the Federal share of costs of establishing and operating programs to attract minority candidates to teaching careers. Makes eligible for such grants consortia of institutions of higher education and LEAs working with the State educational agency and the appropriate State or local teacher credentialing body. Provides that such grants shall be for two years, with up to three years of renewals, and awarded under a competitive bidding process. Allows grant funds to be used to pay tuition, release time, and child care stipends for program participants. Gives priority to programs focusing on recruitment of minorities, and special consideration to programs recruiting speakers of non-English languages who have been trained as teachers in their home countries or individuals already employed in an LEA. Authorizes the Secretary to pay the Federal share of making grants to carry out programs and activities to: (1) improve recruitment and training opportunities for minority, including language minority, individuals in education; and (2) increase the number of minority, including language minority, teachers in elementary and secondary schools. Sets forth application requirements and authorized uses of such funds by LEAs, higher education institutions, SEAs, State higher education agencies, and community-based organizations. Establishes a program of grants for planning and implementing the restructuring of school organization, school management, or instructional programs in elementary and secondary schools. Authorizes the Secretary to make such grants, on a competitive basis and for a three-year period, to such schools, LEAs, and consortia of such schools or LEAs (with or without nonprofit organizations with relevant experience). Requires grant applications to include a plan for widespread consultation with parents, community members, school system employees, and the private sector in planning and implementing such school restructuring. Requires a school restructuring implementation plan prior to the second grant year. Requires broad geographic distribution in grant awards with special consideration for restructing plans which benefit: (1) students or a school with below-average academic performance; and (2) eligible entities serving a large number of minority or disadvantaged students. Sets the Federal share at 50 percent, and requires that at least 50 percent of the non-Federal share come from nongovernmental sources. Authorizes appropriations in increased amounts for FY 1992 through 1996 to carry out the Fund for the Improvement and Reform of Schools and Teaching Act. Sets a maximum limit on the reservation of a portion of such funds to carry out family-school partnership programs. Title IV: Studies and Evaluations - Part A: Teacher Job Bank Study and Demonstration - Directs the Secretary, through the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI), to study the feasibility of establishing: (1) a clearinghouse to operate a national teacher job bank; and (2) regional clearinghouses composed of several SEAs to test the teacher job bank concept. Directs the Secretary, through OERI, to contract with one or more State entities, nonprofit organizations, or institutions of higher education to pay the Federal share of the costs of establishing a Teacher Job Bank Clearinghouse as a national demonstration on a regional basis. Part B: Study of Pension Portability - Directs the Secretary, through OERI, to conduct a pension portability study of the feasibility of permitting teachers and administrators to transport pension benefits among States and LEAs. Part C: Study of Alternative Ways to Increase Minority Participation in the Teaching Profession - Directs the Secretary to study, and report on, alternative ways to increase minority participation in the teaching profession, focusing on: (1) barriers to entry into the profession for qualified minority group members; (2) options for addressing such barriers; (3) alternative assessment mechanisms; and (4) possibilities for increasing the supply of minority teachers. Part D: Miscellaneous Provisions - Requires evaluations of and reports on the following programs: (1) the student loan forgiveness for teachers demonstration; (2) Teacher Corps; (3) national teacher academies; (4) professional development schools; (5) the class size research and demonstration project; (6) the new careers for teachers demonstration; (7) the minority teacher recruitment demonstration; and (8) the restructuring of schools and school-based management demonstration. Part E: Authorization of Appropriations - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 through 1996 to carry out this title.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1991
Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to extend to temporary employees (currently, full-time only) the right to reemployment at the same position after being called to active duty in the armed forces and completing the required period of service. Requires an employer to make reasonable efforts to requalify a servicemember returning to his or her employment position. States that a person shall be considered qualified if such person, with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform the essential functions of such position. States that "reasonable accommodation" shall include the same requirements of employers as stated under the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990. States that all direct or discretionary spending contained in this Act is to be considered emergency expenditures for purposes of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act).
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1991
Armed Forces Immigration Adjustment Act of 1991 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide special immigrant status for certain aliens (and their dependents) who have served, or are serving, on active duty for a 12-year period in the U.S. armed forces. Places specified limits (with exceptions) on the number of individuals in any fiscal year who may be granted such special immigrant status.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1991
Recognizes the 200th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and Portugal. Asserts the continued friendship and cooperation between the peoples of such countries. Authorizes and requests the President to issue a proclamation recognizing the bicentennial of United States and Portuguese diplomatic relations.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 1991
Motor Vehicle Fuel Efficiency Act - Amends the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act to establish average fuel economy standards for passenger automobiles and automobiles other than passenger automobiles (light trucks) (for model years 1996 and thereafter). Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (Secretary), to modify such standards for model year 1996 and thereafter. Directs the Secretary, in response to petitions filed at least 12 months in advance of the model year, to conduct a rulemaking proceeding to determine whether to increase or decrease such standard to a level that is the maximum feasible average fuel economy for that model year, except that such standard shall not be reduced below a level equal to the average fuel economy achieved by the manufacturer of such vehicle for model year 1988, as multiplied by a specified percentage. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to report annually to specified congressional committees on a study which: (1) examines the accuracy of fuel economy testing of passenger automobiles and light trucks; and (2) assesses the extent to which fuel economy deteriorates during the lifetime of such vehicles. Directs the Secretary of Energy to distribute at least 100 explanatory booklets each year to every dealer and additional numbers if requested. Requires the Secretary to provide for a review and report to the Congress by the National Academy of Sciences on the current state of research and development in light truck fuel economy and passenger automobile fuel economy and an assessment of the potential for improving the fuel efficiency and reducing the energy consumption of passenger automobiles and light trucks. Requires the Secretary of Energy to study and report to the Congress on the future options for regulating the fuel efficiency of such vehicles beyond 2001. Provides for the judicial review of average fuel economy standards (including modifications thereof) established under this Act. Doubles the civil penalty for repeated violations of the fuel economy standard. Requires such penalty to be adjusted for inflation.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 1991
Directs the Secretary of Defense to make grants to eligible local educational agencies in order to provide: (1) individual and group counseling for children and other family members of military personnel who have been deployed in connection with, or are casualties of, an armed conflict; (2) training and technical assistance for teachers and other school employees to prepare them to address questions and concerns of children of such military personnel; and (3) other appropriate programs, services, and information to address the special needs of such children and other family members of such military personnel resulting from their deployment, return, or resultant medical or rehabilitation needs. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to make grants to appropriate nonprofit organizations (such as the YMCA and Red Cross) that enter into an agreement with the Secretary to furnish family support services to families of military personnel: (1) living in an area outside of a U.S. military installation in which there is a significant concentration of families of members of the reserve serving on active duty in connection with the Persian Gulf; or (2) living at or in the vicinity of an installation or facility of the Department of Defense where there is a demonstrated need to increase case-managed family support services for families of military personnel deployed in connection with a current armed conflict or to consolidate the furnishing of such services through a family support center at such facility. Outlines other grant uses and conditions. Requires funds made available to a military family support center to be used to increase the availability of case-managed family support services at such facility or installation. Provides a $50,000 minimum for each grant. Limits to 15 percent of the grant the amount which may be used to provide actual notice to appropriate military families of the availability of family support services from the grant recipients. Authorizes appropriations. Allows a reserve member called to active duty in connection with the Persian Gulf conflict and covered at the time of such call under an employer-provided group health insurance plan for the member and his or her family to elect to continue coverage under the employer-provided plan in lieu of being provided interim coverage while on active duty under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS). Requires the Secretary of Defense, in the case of such an election, to reimburse the private employer for the cost of continued coverage during the member's period of active duty. Requires the employer to provide continued coverage under the private plan for the beneficiaries of such reserve personnel, unless the plan for all employees of the employer is discontinued. Requires the Secretary to apply requirements and limitations similar to those applicable to the continuation coverage of group health plans under the Internal Revenue Code. States that all direct or discretionary spending contained in this Act is to be considered emergency expenditures related to Operation Desert Shield for purposes of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act).
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1991
High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 - Declares that this Act does not apply to computer systems that process classified information or are used in connection with certain defense purposes. Allows Federal agencies and departments to procure prototype or early production models of new high-performance computer systems and subsystems to stimulate hardware and software development. Amends the National Science and Technology Policy, Organization, and Priorities Act of 1976 to direct the President, through the Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology (Council), to develop and implement a National High-Performance Computing Plan, to be submitted to the Congress within one year of this Act's enactment and revised at least biennially. Requires the plan to recommend a five-year proposal of goals and priorities for a Federal high-performance computing program. Describes required plan contents, including funding requirements, roles for various Federal agencies, and establishment of a national multi-gigabits-per-second computer network (to be known as the National Research and Education Network (Network). Requires the Plan to take into consideration the activities of the Library of Congress. Designates the Council as the lead entity responsible for development and implementation of the plan, directing it to coordinate related activities among Federal agencies and departments and review budget estimates. Directs the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to establish a High-Performance Computing Advisory Panel to provide the Council with an assessment of the plan. Directs each Federal entity involved in high-performance computing to submit, as part of its annual budget request, a report on the role of its activities with regard to the plan and relevant budget requests. Instructs the Chairman of the Council to submit to the President and to the Congress, by March 1 annually, a report on plan achievements and progress. Requires the National Science Foundation (NSF) to provide for the establishment of the Network by 1996 to link government, industry, and the education community. Designates the Department of Defense, through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, as the lead agency for research and development of advanced fiber optics technology, switches, and protocols needed to develop the Network. Gives to the NSF, within the Federal Government, the primary responsibility for connecting colleges, universities, and libraries to the Network. Directs the Council to carry out certain functions, including: (1) developing goals and strategies; (2) identifying the roles of Federal agencies and departments; and (3) overseeing the Network's operation and evolution. Requires the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to adopt standards and guidelines to provide interoperability, common user interfaces, and enhanced security for the Network. Authorizes the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Department of Defense, the Department of Commerce, the Department of the Interior, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Environmental Protection Agency to allow Federal research grant recipients to use grant funds to pay for computer networking. Requires the Director of the OSTP to report to the Congress on specified matters, including: (1) funding mechanisms for the Network, including user fees, industry support, and continued Federal investment; (2) a plan for the eventual commercialization of the Network; (3) charging commercial information service providers for Network access; (4) charging Network users for commercial services; (5) the technological feasibility of allowing commercial services to use the Network and other federally-funded networks; (6) copyright protection; and (7) resource security and user privacy. Requires the NSF to provide funding to enable researchers to access supercomputers. Sets forth other responsibilities of the NSF, including promoting development of information services that could be provided over the Network. Authorizes appropriations to the NSF for the purposes of this Act. Requires the NASA to continue to conduct basic and applied research in high-performance computing, with specified emphases. Authorizes appropriations to NASA for the purposes of this Act. Requires the NIST to: (1) adopt standards and guidelines, and develop measurement techniques and test methods, for the interoperability of high-performance computers in networks and for common user interfaces to systems; and (2) develop benchmark tests and standards for high performance computers and software. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to conduct a study regarding the impact of Federal procurement regulations which require that contractors providing software to the Federal Government share the rights to proprietary software development tools that the contractors used to develop the software.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1991
Authorizes the Secretary of Education to enter into a contract with the National Writing Project (a nonprofit educational organization) to support costs of programs of teacher training and classroom research to improve the teaching of writing and the quality of student writing and learning. Directs the Project to establish a National Advisory Board. Directs the Secretary, through the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, to make grants to individuals and higher education institutions for research on the teaching of writing. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1991 through 1995.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 1991
Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act - Makes it unlawful for any licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer to sell, deliver, or transfer a handgun to an unlicensed individual unless: (1) after the most recent proposal of such transfer by the individual, the transferor has received a statement of eligibility from the individual, has notified the chief law enforcement officer for such individual's place of residence about the proposed transfer, and either has received a response indicating that such transfer is not prohibited by law or has not received a response indicating otherwise within seven days; (2) the individual has presented to the transferor a statement from the officer, issued in the past ten days, that the individual requires a handgun because of a threat to him or his family; (3) the individual has presented to the transferor a permit to possess a handgun that has been issued in the past five years by the State in which the transfer is to take place under a State law which requires law enforcement verification of the individual's legal qualification to possess a handgun; (4) State law either requires a waiting period of at least seven days or requires that an authorized government official verifies that the information available to such official does not indicate that possession of a handgun by the purchaser would be unlawful; or (5) the transferor has received a report from any system of felon identification established by the Attorney General under the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 that the individual's possession or receipt of the handgun would not violate Federal, State, or local law. Requires the statement of eligibility to include a statement that the individual: (1) is not under indictment for and has not been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year; (2) is not a fugitive; (3) is not an unlawful user of, or addicted to, a controlled substance; (4) has not been adjudicated as a mental defective or committed to a mental institution; (5) is not an alien who is illegally in the United States; (6) has not been dishonorably discharged from the armed forces; and (7) is not a person who has renounced U.S. citizenship. Requires any transferor who, after a transfer, receives a report from such officer that receipt or possession of the handgun by the individual violates the law, to: (1) furnish information about the transfer and the individual to the chief law enforcement officer of the transferor's place of business and the individual's place of residence; and (2) keep confidential any information received which is not otherwise available to the public, with exceptions. Requires a transferor to retain a copy of the individual's statement. Requires the law enforcement officer to destroy any copy of the individual's sworn statement and any record containing information derived from such statement within 30 days, unless such officer determines that the transaction would violate Federal, State, or local law.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1991
Authorizes the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity to establish a memorial to Martin Luther King, Jr., in the District of Columbia and its environs. Prohibits the United States from paying any expense of establishing the memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1991
Airline Bankruptcy Passenger Protection Act of 1991 - Amends the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 to direct the Secretary of Transportation to issue an order authorizing a covered air carrier to develop an air transportation plan which protects airline ticket holders in the event it becomes a debtor in bankruptcy proceedings after the ticket purchase date. Provides that if satisfactory plans have not been submitted by a specified deadline, the Secretary must promulgate regulations requiring all covered air carriers to provide air transportation for such ticket holders.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 1991
Agent Orange Act of 1991 - Presumes the following diseases to be service-connected and resulting from exposure to dioxins and other herbicide agents during service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era unless there is affirmative evidence to the contrary: (1) non-Hodgkins lymphoma, each soft-tissue sarcoma (with certain exceptions), and chloracne or other consistent acneform diseases becoming manifest to a degree of disability of ten percent or more; and (2) those additional diseases that the Secretary determines warrant such a presumption by reason of having a positive association with a herbicide agent, if they become manifest within the appropriate period. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to prescribe regulations providing that a presumption of service connection is warranted whenever it is determined by the Secretary that a positive association exists between the exposure of humans to a herbicide agent and the occurrence of a disease in humans. Requires the Secretary to take into account reports received from the National Academy of Sciences, as well as other sound medical and scientific information. Outlines procedures to be followed by the Secretary in weighing evidence, reporting information, and making conclusions for or against the positive association and, therefore, the service-connection presumption. Provides for the issuance of final regulations listing the diseases for which positive associations have been found or removing the presumption for a disease. Directs the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) under which NAS shall review and summarize the scientific evidence (and its strength) concerning the association between exposure to a herbicide agent during service in Vietnam and each disease suspected to be associated with such exposure. Provides for NAS: (1) scientific determinations concerning diseases; (2) recommendations for additional studies to resolve areas of uncertainty relating to herbicide exposure; (3) subsequent reviews; and (4) reports, at least biennially, to the Secretary and the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees (the veterans' committees). Terminates the agreement ten years after the fiscal year of the first report from NAS. Directs the Secretary to enter into an agreement with another body if the Secretary cannot reach an agreement with NAS within two months after enactment of this Act. Amends the Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 1988 to direct the Secretary to annually furnish updated information on health risks associated with exposure to herbicide agents during service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era. Extends through 1993 the eligibility for hospital, nursing home, or domiciliary care and medical treatment of individuals who served in Vietnam and who have been determined to have been exposed to dioxin or a toxic substance in a herbicide as the result of such service and of veterans exposed to ionizing radiation while serving between September 11, 1945 and July 1, 1946. Directs the Secretary to compile and analyze, on a continuing basis, all clinical data obtained by the Department of Veterans Affairs in connection with examinations and treatment furnished to veterans by the Department after November 3, 1981, for exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam and which is likely to be useful in determining the exposure to such agents and the disabilities suffered. Requires an annual report on such compilations and provides funding. Directs the Secretary, for facilitating research on the effects of exposure to herbicides used in Vietnam, to establish and maintain a system for the collection and storage of voluntarily contributed blood and tissue samples of veterans who served there. Provides for: (1) specimen security; (2) authorized uses; (3) limitations on acceptance of samples; and (4) authority based on specific funding. Directs the Secretary to establish a scientific research feasibility studies program for conducting research on health hazards resulting from: (1) exposure to dioxin; (2) exposure to other toxic agents in herbicides used in Vietnam; and (3) active military service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era. Outlines program and report requirements. Directs the Secretary to consult with NAS. Directs the Secretary, upon the request of a Vietnam veteran who has applied for Department medical care and filed a claim for, or is in receipt of, disability compensation, to obtain a blood sample to conduct a test for the presence of a specified dioxin. Provides for notification to the veteran of test results and significance and requires such blood sample to be maintained as part of the collection of blood and tissue samples required under this Act. Makes conforming amendments and provides for alternative effective dates.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 1991
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should fundamentally reassess the necessity of underground nuclear explosions and instruct his representatives to support a comprehensive test ban at the Limited Test Ban Treaty Amendment Conference, the Conference on Disarmament, and the bilateral nuclear testing negotiations.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1991
Amends the Federal criminal code to allow the court, in determining the sentence to be imposed in the case of a violation of probation or supervised release, to consider guidelines or policy statements issued by the U.S. Sentencing Commission. Authorizes the court to resentence a defendant who violates a condition of probation at any time prior to the expiration or termination of the term of probation. Directs the court to revoke supervised release and require the defendant to serve a term of imprisonment up to the maximum authorized if the defendant is found by the court to be in unlawful possession of a controlled substance. Authorizes the court to include a requirement that the defendant be placed on supervised release after imprisonment when a term of supervised release is revoked and the defendant is required to serve a term of imprisonment less than the maximum authorized. Specifies that the length of such a term of supervised release shall not exceed that authorized by statute for the offense of which the defendant was convicted, minus any term of imprisonment that was imposed upon revocation of supervised release.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permanently extend the period during which qualified mortgage bonds and mortgage credit certificates may be issued.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1991
Strengthening Education for American Families Act - Title I: National Goals - Sets forth national goals for education, to be achieved by the year 2000, in the following categories: (1) family literacy and lifelong learning; (2) disadvantaged children's readiness for school; (3) school completion; (4) student achievement; (5) mathematics and science; (6) safe, disciplined, and drug-free schools; (7) teacher recruitment and retention; and (8) equal opportunity for postsecondary education. Title II: National Council on Educational Goals - National Academic Report Card Act of 1991 - Establishes a National Council on Educational Goals (the Council). Directs the Council, after the conclusion of its first meeting, to submit: (1) an interim report within one year; and (2) a National Report Card, within two years and annually thereafter for the duration of its existence. Requires the interim report to: (1) establish a timetable for reporting progress toward achieving the national educational goals by the year 2000; and (2) include a series of reasonable steps for measuring implementation and success of each recommendation of the Council. Requires the National Report Card to set forth an analysis of U.S. progress toward achieving the national education goals, presented in a form understandable to parents and the general public. Provides that the National Report Card may, if the Council deems necessary, also: (1) describe modifications to existing goals; (2) identify continuing gaps in existing educational data; and (3) make recommendations to improve methods and procedures of assessing educational attainment and to strengthen the national educational assessment and information system. Directs the Secretary of Education to make matching grants to the States to: (1) conduct State summits on education; (2) evaluate progress toward implementing national goals; and (3) evaluate the implementation process. Requires States receiving such grants to report on State goals and plans. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 through 2001 for: (1) the Council and its National Report Card; and (2) State summits on education. Title III: Literacy - National Literacy Act of 1991 - Provides for comprehensive activities to ensure that all Americans can become literate by the year 2000. Part A: Literacy: Strategic Planning, Research, and Coordination -Establishes an Interagency Task Force on Literacy. Amends the Department of Education Organization Act to direct the Assistant Secretary for Vocational and Adult Education to coordinate literacy-related programs. Establishes the National Institute for Literacy and the National Institute Board. Authorizes the Institute to award Literacy Leader Fellowships. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the Adult Education Act (AEA) to authorize the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) to make grants to establish a network of State or regional adult literacy resource centers. Authorizes appropriations. Part B: Workforce Literacy - Establishes in the Department of Labor a National Workforce Literacy Assistance Collaborative. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the Adult Education Act (AEA) to revise provisions for national workforce literacy strategies grants business, industry, labor, and education partnerships for workplace literacy. Requires the Secretary of Education (the Secretary), in awarding grants for exemplary demonstration partnerships for workplace literacy, to: (1) give priority to partnerships which include small businesses; and (2) limit such grant awards to not more than three years. Directs the Secretary to reserve a specified amount, whenever appropriations for workforce literacy partnership grants exceed a certain level, to establish a program of grants for large-scale national workforce literacy strategies. Authorizes appropriations for AEA workforce literacy programs. Part C: Investment in Literacy - Extends through FY 1995 the authorization of appropriations for programs under the Adult Education Act (AEA). Revises the use of funds under the AEA basic State grants program. Requires that basic grants to States also be used for competitive two-year Gateway Grants to public housing authorities for literacy programs and related activities. Requires biennial evaluations and reports on such Gateway Grants. Revises AEA to give State advisory councils, plans, and evaluations literacy-related responsibilities. Requires States to report biennially to the Interagency Task Force on meeting literacy goals, coordinating workplace literacy services, and building a high quality delivery system for adult literacy programs. Provides for training educators to recognize and serve illiterate individuals more effectively. Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to revise targeted assistance programs under ESEA to include training programs to enhance the ability of teachers and school counselors to identify, particularly in the early grades, students with reading and related problems which place them at risk for adult illiteracy. Renames the Even Start program under ESEA the Even Start Family Literacy Program. Revises the program to expand eligibility to include community-based organizations or other nonprofit organizations of demonstrated quality applying in collaboration with a local educational agency (LEA) (as well as LEAs and LEA consortia). Sets minimum grant amounts. Makes individual children eligible from birth through age seven (currently from age one through age seven). Provides for continuation of eligibility for certain participants until the parents become ineligible due to educational achievement, or until all children in the family attain age eight. Gives priority to applicants demonstrating that the area to be served has a high percentage or a large number of children and adults in need of program services. Authorizes appropriations for the Even Start Family Literacy Program. Establishes a Family Literacy Public Broadcasting Program. Authorizes the Secretary of Education, subject to availability of appropriations, to contract with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) for production and dissemination of family literacy programming and accompanying materials to assist parents in improving family literacy skills and languages development. Requires CPB to: (1) cooperate with local public broadcasting stations; (2) arrange for distribution of audio and video instructional media materials for use, and distribution on loan, to families at sites chosen from among State and local libraries with literacy programs and nonprofit entities serving hard-to-serve populations; and (3) report to the Congress. Authorizes appropriations for the Family Literacy Public Broadcasting Program. Part D: Business Leadership for Employment Skills - Amends the Adult Education Act (AEA) to provide for education programs for commercial drivers. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make competitive matching grants for adult education programs which increase the literacy skills of eligible commercial drivers so that they may successfully complete the knowledge test requirements under the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986. Requires grantees to refer individuals identified as having literacy skill problems to appropriate adult education programs. Authorizes appropriations. Part E: Books for Families - Revises the ESEA inexpensive book distribution program to require that priority be given in selection of additional local programs to those which serve children and students with special needs. Requires the program contractor (Reading is Fundamental) to report to the Secretary of Education annually on such additional programs. Amends the Library Services and Construction Act to direct the Secretary of Education, in awarding grants for library literacy programs and services, to give priority to those that: (1) will be delivered in areas of greatest need with highest concentrations of adults without secondary education or its equivalent, and which either have few community or financial resources or have low per capita income, unemployment, or underemployment; and (2) coordinate with literacy organizations and community-based organizations providing literacy services. Part F: Volunteers for Literacy - Amends the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 to establish a Literacy Challenge Grants program. Authorizes the Director of the ACTION Agency to award such grants to eligible public and private entities to pay the Federal share of costs of establishing, operating, or expanding community or employee literacy programs that include the use of full- or part-time volunteers. Authorizes appropriations for Literacy Challenge Grants, but only if there are specified levels of funding for the VISTA Program and the VISTA Literacy Corps. Part G: Literacy for Incarcerated Individuals - Amends the Adult Education Act (AEA) to establish requirements for mandatory functional literacy programs for incarcerated adults in State correctional systems and local jails or detention centers. Requires such a program to be in effect in at least one major correctional facility, for each State correctional system and each local jail or detention center with an inmate population, within two years after enactment of this Act. Requires, if adequate funds are available, each State correctional system and each local jail or detention center with over 150 inmates to have such a program in effect within five years after enactment of this Act. Sets forth required components of such programs, including inmate mandatory participation (except for any individual who is serving a life sentence without parole, or terminally ill, or under a sentence of death). Requires annual reports. Encourages: (1) parole agencies to make educational recommendations for those being released who do not have a marketable job skill or a high school diploma; and (2) jails with less than 150 inmates to develop such mandatory functional literacy programs.
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