United States · United States Congress · 22 February 1989
Declares that it is the sense of the Senate that neither the President nor the Congress should impose fees on imported crude oil and refined petroleum products.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 1989
Assault Weapon Control Act of 1989 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit the transfer, importation, transportation, shipping, receipt, or possession of: (1) any assault weapon; and (2) a large-capacity detachable magazine or ammunition belt which can be employed by a semiautomatic firearm. Provides exceptions for transfers to, and possession by, a Federal, State, or local government entity and lawful possessions before specified dates. Defines "assault weapon" to mean: (1) all firearms so designated under this Act (including Kalashnikov, Uzi, and AR-15 semiautomatic firearms); and (2) all other semiautomatic firearms which are determined by the Secretary of the Treasury to be assault weapons. Defines a large capacity magazine or belt as one which holds over ten rounds. Requires the Secretary: (1) within 30 days after enactment, to determine which firearms sold, or potentially sold, in the United States, in addition to those specifically designated in this Act, shall be designated as assault weapons; and (2) to publish and modify periodically a list of such firearms. Authorizes the Secretary to issue an emergency order, for up to 90 days, barring importation and sale of any firearms that may be designated as assault weapons. Precludes the designation of a firearm as an assault weapon if it meets specified criteria. Authorizes the Secretary to recommend to the Congress any appropriate modification of this Act, including the addition or deletion of firearms to be designated as assault weapons. Requires the Secretary to submit an initial report within three months of the enactment of this Act. Sets forth penalties for the use or possession of an assault weapon during and in relation to the commission of a crime of violence or a drug trafficking crime. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to apply the prohibition against the transfer or manufacture of firearms to assault weapons. Includes assault weapons in provisions regarding the maintenance of a central registry of all firearms in the United States which are not under U.S. possession or control. Requires registration of assault weapons within 30 days from the latter of the date the Secretary provides public notice that the type of firearm is designated as an assault weapon or the date the Secretary promulgates regulations for registration.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 1989
Television Broadcasting to Cuba Act - Directs the United States Information Agency (USIA) to provide television broadcasting to Cuba. Requires that any such television broadcasting be in accordance with all Voice of America standards. Requires the Director of the USIA to establish a Television Marti Service to be responsible for all television broadcasts to Cuba. Requires that all broadcasting by such Service avoid interference with any domestic television broadcasting. Amends the Radio Broadcasting to Cuba Act to rename the Advisory Board for Radio Broadcasting to Cuba as the Advisory Board for Broadcasting to Cuba. Specifies that such Board shall be responsible for both Radio Marti and Television Marti. Authorizes assistance to the USIA from other Government agencies to carry out the requirements of this Act. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 and 1991.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 1989
Medicaid Home and Community Quality Services Act of 1989 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require States to provide Medicaid coverage of community and family support services for severely disabled individuals who became disabled before age 22 and are living in a family home, foster family home, or community living facility. Requires that such services be provided in accordance with a written habilitation plan developed by an interdisciplinary team on the basis of a comprehensive assessment of the individual's strengths and the services and support necessary to: (1) enable such individual to attain or retain capabilities for independence or self-care; (2) promote interaction between disabled and nondisabled individuals within the community; and (3) enable disabled individuals who are over age 18 to engage in paid employment. Increases the age at which newly disabled individuals will be eligible for this Act's coverage so that eventually individuals who become disabled between age 22 and 50 will be covered. Lists the services which may comprise community and family support services, requiring that such services include at a minimum: (1) case management services; (2) individual and family support services; (3) specialized vocational services; and (4) protective intervention services. Excludes from such services: (1) room and board, other than room and board provided for less than six consecutive weeks and less than 12 weeks per year; (2) cash payments as a service; (3) aversive behavior intervention, management, or therapies; (4) services provided to a disabled individual living in a hospital, or skilled nursing or intermediate care facility; (5) educational services which the State makes generally available to its residents without cost and without regard to their income; and (6) services for which payment is made under title XVIII (Medicare), or part A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) or B (Child Welfare Services) of title IV of the Act. Requires each State to make certain assurances regarding their provision of community and family support services and submit an implementation strategy to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Requires that such implementation strategies: (1) describe the extent and scope of community and family support services provided to the severely disabled and the extent and scope of services provided to the severely disabled who are institutionalized; (2) set forth the objectives and a five-year strategy for expanding community and family support services for the severely disabled; (3) include certain procedures for transferring severely disabled, institutionalized individuals to family homes, foster family homes, or community living facilities; (4) set forth standards for the provision of community and family support services and a program for licensing and certifying all facilities and programs providing such services; (5) provide for assessments of the provision and affect of community and family support services and the correction of service deficiencies; (6) provide the public with an adequate opportunity to comment on the strategies; (7) set forth methods ensuring that the personnel providing community and family support services receive adequate training and are competent to provide such services; (8) provide that the State has in effect a management information system capable of collecting, storing, and retrieving data on the severely disabled who receive community and family support services; (9) provide an opportunity for an appeal and hearing before a hearing officer to individuals who believe themselves to be inappropriately served or denied an appropriate service, or who are being scheduled for an involuntary transfer from one living arrangement to another; (10) describe the methods to be used in administering community and family support services; and (11) set forth procedures to protect the interests of public employees who will be affected by the transfer of the severely disabled from public institutions. Allows States to provide any new community and family support service for up to three years without meeting the Medicaid requirements that it provide a service on a statewide basis and that the service be comparable in all parts of the State. Requires that intermediate care facility services for the mentally retarded include the ascertainment of the individual needs of each newly admitted individual by an interdisciplinary team within 30 days and the development of a written habilitation plan for each individual. Limits Medicaid payments to States for skilled nursing and intermediate care facility services furnished to individuals under age 65 who became disabled before age 22 to the amount payable for such services in the fiscal year ending after the enactment of this Act, increased if and by the extent to which the percentage increase in the consumer price index exceeds six percent. Makes such limitation inapplicable to facilities which have less than 16 beds or meet the size and location requirements for a community living facility. Requires States to have in effect a system to protect and advocate those rights of the severely disabled who are eligible for medical assistance which relate to the provision of such assistance. Provides Federal Medicaid matching funds for such system. Gives individuals who are adversely affected by a violation of this Act's requirements the right to bring an action to enjoin such violation. Allows States to set payment rates for community and family support services for the severely disabled. Authorizes States to treat severely disabled individuals under age 19 who are not in a medical institution as receiving benefits under title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Act for Medicaid eligibility purposes if they would be eligible for SSI benefits if institutionalized. Requires States to establish a uniform income standard for the severely disabled regardless of whether or not they are in a medical institution. Authorizes States to provide Medicaid coverage of disabled spouses and children who, except for the resources deemed to them, would be eligible for SSI benefits. Removes certain limitations on the Secretary's approval of reduction and correction plans for deficient intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded. Makes individuals who are severely disabled and receiving or deemed to be receiving SSI benefits eligible for Medicaid as long as such qualifications continue to be satisfied. Directs the Secretary to establish, within the Health Care Financing Administration, a Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services responsible for administering Medicaid programs for the severely disabled. Requires the Secretary to: (1) develop standards and a program for training Federal and State personnel who perform surveys of skilled nursing and intermediate care facilities to determine whether such facilities meet Medicaid participation requirements; and (2) periodically conduct studies of the reliability of such surveys and make the changes necessary to improve such reliability. Directs the Secretary to support the development of: (1) instruments to assess outcomes in the provision of this Act's services; and (2) competency-based personnel standards for agencies and organizations providing services to the severely disabled pursuant to this Act. Requires the Secretary to: (1) conduct an annual assessment of each State's compliance with this Act's requirements; and (2) issue final regulations regarding this Act's amendments prior to the first fiscal year beginning after this Act's enactment. Sets forth reporting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 1989
Designates the week of April 23 through April 29, 1989, and the last full week of April of each subsequent year as National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1989
Global Poverty Reduction Act - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to direct the President to develop a plan to ensure that U.S. development assistance contributes measurably toward eradicating the worst aspects of absolute poverty by the year 2000. Requires that such plan include target dates for reaching specific measurable goals whose attainment would contribute to direct improvements in the living standards of the poorest 40 percent of the population. Specifies that such goals shall include reducing the mortality rate of infants under age five, increasing the female literacy rate, and reducing the percentages of populations below the absolute poverty level by specified amounts by the year 2000. Directs that development activities carried out under this Act shall be consistent with maintaining and restoring the renewable natural resource base. Requires the President to submit the plan to the Congress by July 1, 1990. Requires all U.S. development assistance to be directed at attaining plan goals between October 1, 1990, and December 31, 2000. Requires the President to submit annual reports to the Congress detailing progress toward achieving plan goals. Directs the Comptroller General to review and comment on each report issued. Directs the President to host an international development conference for heads of governments of development assistance donor and recipient countries by October 16, 1990, to conclude an international agreement on eliminating the worst aspects of absolute poverty by the year 2000.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1989
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 1992 the period during which qualified mortgage bonds and mortgage credit certificates may be issued. (Under current law, authority for these programs is due to expire as of 1990).
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1989
Declares that, in celebration of Law Day, U.S.A., special emphasis and acknowledgment should be given to all law enforcement personnel for their service in preserving domestic tranquility and guaranteeing rights under law.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1989
National Energy Policy Act of 1989 - Establishes as national goals: (1) that the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere be reduced from 1988 levels by at least 20 percent by the year 2000 through a mix of Federal and State energy policies; and (2) the establishment of an international global agreement on the atmosphere by 1992. Title I: National Energy Plan - Requires the Secretary of Energy (the Secretary) to transmit to the Congress a "least cost national energy plan" with forecasts, priorities, inventories, and targets for meeting such national goals. Sets forth the plan's contents. Mandates revision and resubmission of the Plan to the Congress every two years. Title II: Office of Climate Protection - Establishes the Office of Climate Protection which shall be responsible for: (1) participation by the Department of Energy in various domestic and international agencies involved in global climate change analysis; and (2) the monitoring of U.S. energy policies for atmospheric and global warming effects, with annual reports on such effects. Title III: Energy Efficiency - Subtitle A - Directs the Secretary to: (1) assign a high priority to energy efficiency in departmental programs, buildings, and equipment; and (2) submit to the Congress evaluation reports regarding the policy options necessary to produce a two to four percent annual decrease in the energy use per unit of gross national product through the year 2005. Mandates that the President's budget requests for FY 1991 through 1993 include the Secretary's recommendations of amounts to be set aside for innovative energy efficiency research and development. Authorizes appropriations for energy efficiency research and development programs for FY 1991 through 1993. Requires the Secretary to issue a general request for proposals dealing with energy efficiency technologies. Sets forth guidelines for Federal financial assistance for such proposals. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to establish and provide financial assistance to joint research and development ventures with specialized private firms and investors in order to establish at least five regional centers for energy-intensive industries. Requires such industries to conduct research and development on common industrial processes to improve energy efficiency and reduce production and emission of carbon dioxide and trace gases into the atmosphere. Authorizes appropriations for such centers and requires the industries for which the centers are established to contribute matching funds starting in 1992. Directs the Secretary to establish a Federal Energy Analysis Team to analyze and make recommendations regarding energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy in Federal buildings. Sets guidelines for the Federal building energy conservation program to be implemented by the Secretary and Federal agencies. Amends the National Energy Conservation Policy Act to repeal the prohibition against the supply or installation by a public utility of a residential energy conservation measure for residential customers. Requires the Secretary to promulgate guidelines for regulations to be formulated and implemented by State governments requiring the assignment of an energy efficiency rating to residential buildings. Directs the Secretary to establish a technical and managerial support program for State and local governments adopting energy efficiency rating systems or building codes. Adds incandescent and fluorescent lamps to the list of covered consumer products to which energy efficiency standards apply. Requires the Secretary to: (1) prescribe energy conservation standards and test procedures for such projects by January 1, 1990; and (2) establish energy efficiency labels for windows. Subtitle B - Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to direct the State regulatory authorities, nonregulated electric utilities, and nonregulated gas utilities to hold public hearings regarding the implementation of Federal standards concerning utility rates based upon least cost investment. Directs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to prescribe rules encouraging the achievement of qualifying conservation. Mandates that such rules: (1) require that electric utilities offer to purchase qualifying conservation from qualifying cogeneration or small power production facilities; and (2) provide for the verification of conservation achievement. Prescribes rate guidelines for such electric utilities purchases. Title IV: Energy Research and Development Priorities - Directs the Secretary to establish priorities for energy research and development programs using prescribed criteria. Title V: State Energy Conservation Program - Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to mandate that State energy conservation programs which receive Federal assistance include as a goal reduction of ten percent or more in the total amount of energy consumed in such State in the year 2000 from the projected energy consumption for such State in that year. Adds to Federal assistance eligibility prerequisites for proposed State energy conservation plans, including an emergency planning program for energy supply disruption. Repeals the National Energy Extension Service Act. Cites optional State energy conservation programs. Repeals the mandate for supplemental State energy conservation plans. Authorizes appropriations for energy conservation programs for FY 1991 through 1993. Establishes a State Energy Advisory Board to: (1) recommend and advise on the programs under this Act; (2) serve as liaison between the States and the Department of Energy on energy efficiency; and (3) report annually to the Secretary and the Congress on the status of State energy conservation programs. Authorizes the use of loan programs and performance contracting for the non-Federal share of energy conservation project costs under the grant program. Amends the Energy Conservation and Production Act regarding limitations upon Federal weatherization assistance for low-income persons. Lists conditions under which the Secretary is authorized to approve a State application for a waiver of: (1) the requirement that at least 40 percent of Federal weatherization assistance be used for weatherization materials; and (2) the limitations placed upon expenditures per dwelling unit for weatherization measures. Title VI: Renewable Energy - Subtitle A - Solar Development Initiative Act of 1989 - Directs the Secretary of Energy to develop a complementary solar and renewable energy research program which: (1) has near-term commercial applications; and (2) enhances the international competitiveness of the solar and renewable energy industries. Requires the Secretary to include funding for such program in the FY 1991 budget. Directs the Secretary of Energy to establish an information dissemination program for Federal procurement and loan officers regarding the application of solar heating and cooling technology in Federal buildings. Declares that it is the sense of the Congress that the renewable energy technologies programs established by the Secretary of Commerce should be funded in FY 1991 through 1993 through the Department of Energy at a specified minimum level. Amends the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act to direct the President to take into account, when determining whether to designate a beneficiary country, the degree to which it undertakes self-help measures to promote energy self-sufficiency using locally available renewable energy resources. Mandates that the design for new Federal facilities for specified agencies include consideration of energy systems using solar energy or other renewable energy forms. Amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to mandate that a specified minimum percentage of loan authority be available only for solar and renewable energy loans. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the Overseas Private Investment Corporation to include among its special projects incentives, grants, and studies for renewable energy and other small business activities. Prohibits the use of administrative funds for such projects. Amends the Small Business Act to: (1) repeal provisions regarding loans to small business concerns for solar energy and energy conservation measures; (2) mandate that a certain percentage of loan authority be used only for small business energy measures; and (3) direct the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to give due consideration to the export potential of solar and renewable energy loan guarantees in an annual report to the Congress. Subtitle B - Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Technology Competitiveness Act of 1989 - Sets forth specified national goals for the current wind, photovoltaics, and solar thermal energy programs. Requires the President's budget requests for FY 1991 to contain the recommendations of the Secretary of Energy for specified Department of Energy research and development programs for 1995, including biofuels energy systems, solar buildings energy systems, ocean energy systems, and geothermal energy. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1991 through 1993 for: (1) the wind energy research program; (2) the photovoltaic energy systems program; (3) the solar thermal energy systems program; (4) the biofuels energy systems program; (5) the solar buildings energy systems program; (6) the ocean energy systems program; and (7) the geothermal program. Requires the Secretary to submit an options analysis to the Congress regarding the accelerated commercialization of specified renewable energy technologies. Directs the Secretary to establish joint research and development ventures in specified energy technologies, and to report to the Congress on the implementation of such plans. Directs the Secretary to establish the following advisory bodies: (1) Advisory Committee on Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Technology; (2) Advisory Subcommittee on Photovoltaic Energy Technology; (3) Advisory Subcommittee on Wind Energy Technology; (4) Advisory Subcommittee on Solar Thermal Energy Technology; (5) Advisory Subcommittee on Energy Performance in Factory-Made Housing; (6) Advisory Subcommittee on Advanced District Cooling Technology; and (7) Advisory Subcommittee on Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Technology Exports. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1991 through 1993 for such joint ventures. Requires the Committee on Renewable Energy, Commerce and Trade to promote renewable energy technology exports. Authorizes appropriations for such Committee activities for FY 1991 through 1993. Requires the Secretary to make annual reports to the Congress regarding the research programs and ventures under this Act. Requires each annual submission of the National Energy Policy Plan to be accompanied by a three-year strategic plan for energy technology research, development, and demonstration, including energy conservation and renewable energy technologies. Subtitle C - Directs the Secretary of Energy to implement a research program regarding: (1) fuel cell use of methane gas generated from biomass forms; (2) technologies using renewable energy sources (such as wind and solar energy) to produce hydrogen for fuel cell use; and (3) fuel cell technology for electric power production as backup spinning reserve components to renewable power systems in rural and isolated areas. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to, and enter into contracts with, private research laboratories. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress regarding the fuel cell research program. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1991. Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to include industries using fuel cell technology under the Renewable Energy Industry Development Act. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to prepare Federal guidelines, within 180 days after enactment of this Act, for cities and municipalities specifying environmental and safety standards for use of fuel cell technology. Directs the Secretary of Commerce, within the same period of time, to report to the Congress an assessment of the export market potential for integrated systems of fuel cells with renewable power technologies. Subtitle D - Hydrogen Research and Development Act - Directs the Secretary of Energy to prepare and submit to specified congressional committees a comprehensive five-year program management plan for a research and development program designed to permit the development of a domestic hydrogen fuel production capability within the shortest practicable time. Requires the Secretary to send the Congress annual plan descriptions, including any necessary plan modifications. Directs the Secretary to establish such program within the Department of Energy. Requires that the areas to be addressed in such program include production, liquefaction, transmission, distribution, storage, and utilization. Requires priority to be given to production techniques that use renewable energy sources as their primary energy sources. Directs the Secretary to conduct demonstrations to evaluate technical and nontechnical parameters to determine commercial applicability of hydrogen technology and to prepare a comprehensive large-scale hydrogen demonstration technology plan. Requires the Secretary to prepare a comprehensive technology application plan which shall include: (1) the potential applications for the use of hydrogen; (2) technical market and economic readiness assessments for such potential applications; (3) an assessment of Government actions needed to develop such application; and (4) an analysis of the impact of such applications on domestic energy supplies. Requires the Secretary to consult with other Federal agencies and departments in carrying out this program. Requires the establishment of a Hydrogen Technical Advisory Panel of the Energy Research Advisory Board to advise the Secretary on the conduct of the hydrogen program. Requires the Panel to submit an annual report on the program to the Energy Research Advisory Board, which shall subsequently report to the Secretary. Authorizes appropriations to carry out this title for FY 1991 through 1996. Directs the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to prepare and submit to specified congressional committees a comprehensive five-year program management plan for a research and development program for the development of a domestic hydrogen-fueled aircraft capability within the shortest practicable time. Requires the Administrator to transmit to the Congress an annual plan description, including any necessary modifications with respect to the plan. Requires the Administrator to establish such program within NASA and to prepare and transmit to the Congress a comprehensive flight demonstration plan which shall confirm the technical feasibility, economic viability, and safety of liquid hydrogen as a fuel for commercial transport aircraft. Provides that the research and development program under this title shall include, at a minimum, the development of the systems associated with the production, transportation, storage, and handling of liquid hydrogen for commercial aircraft application. Provides that the Administrator shall consult with other Federal agencies and departments in carrying out the program. Establishes a Hydrogen-Fueled Aircraft Advisory Committee to advise the Administrator on the programs established by this title. Requires the Committee to report annually to the Administrator on its activities and on the status of such programs. Authorizes appropriations to carry out this title for FY 1992 through 1996. Title VII: Advanced Civilian Reactor Programs - Directs the Secretary to implement, according to certain guidelines, a research, development, and demonstration program for the generation of commercial electric power from nuclear fission. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 through 1994. Requires the Secretary to submit an annual comprehensive report to the Congress regarding the progress of reactor designs which meet the guidelines set out for such demonstration program. Title VIII: Fusion - Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress regarding international collaboration in research, development, and demonstration in technology for the production of electricity from magnetic and inertial confinement fusion. Title IX: Coal - Requires the Secretary, within nine months after the date of enactment of this Act, to provide the Congress with a comprehensive review of clean coal technologies to be developed in federally funded projects under the Department of Energy's Clean Coal Technology Program. Directs the Secretary to establish and implement: (1) research and development programs demonstrating techniques for carbon dioxide recovery and disposal from motor vehicles, electric utility power operations, and industrial manufacturing processes; and (2) a comprehensive program in the fundamental physics and chemistry of coal combustion. Directs the Secretary to support research to improve the efficiency of coal-generated electricity and industrial processes, giving priority to those projects with the greatest potential for reducing the generation of carbon dioxide. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1991 through 1993. Title X: Natural Gas - Directs the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements with and to provide financial assistance to municipal governments to demonstrate the feasibility of using natural gas as a fuel for urban area mass transit. Sets as a prerequisite to such agreements that the participating municipal government provide at least 25 percent of the demonstration costs. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1991 through 1993. Requires the Secretary to submit a feasibility report to the Congress within nine months after the date of enactment of this Act pertaining to the use of natural gas in diesel-powered vehicles to facilitate compliance with emissions requirements. Directs the Secretary to implement a program promoting the development and commercialization of natural gas use in motor vehicle fleets by providing for the purchase and construction of alternative fuel vehicles and associated refueling equipment. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1991 through 1993. Directs the Secretary to implement a technician training program to convert conventional fuel vehicles to natural gas. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1991 through 1993. Directs the Secretary to enter into cooperative financial assistance agreements with the Gas Research Institute to perform research and development to improve natural gas vehicle technology. Directs the Secretary to implement a research, development, and demonstration program (including joint research and development ventures) on nonconventional natural gas recovery techniques, as well as improved techniques for recovering gas from discovered reservoirs. Directs the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements with, and provide financial assistance to, certain parties to construct and demonstrate high efficiency heat engines. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Secretary to transmit a biennially updated research and priorities list to certain congressional committees. Title XI: Natural Resource Policy - Subtitle A: General - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of the ecological and environmental resources that would be affected by a global climate change. Directs such Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture to consider the relative impact on global warming of all Federal forest land management programs, including timber sales and reforestation. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture, in cooperation with the Secretary of the Interior, to report to the President and the Congress on the feasibility of a national forestation initiative. Requires the Secretary of Energy to submit to the Congress a study regarding the potential for reducing carbon dioxide emissions through targeted urban tree plantings designed to reduce air conditioning needs in buildings. Subtitle B: Tongass Timber Reform Act - Amends the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act to repeal the ongoing appropriations for timber utilization in the Tongass National Forest, Alaska. Repeals the requirement for identifying lands unsuitable for timber production in such Forest. Repeals the reporting requirement on the adequacy of the timber supply from Forest lands. Requires the biennial report on such Forest to include the impact of timber management on subsistence resources, wildlife, fisheries habitats, biological diversity, the old growth rain forest ecosystem, and other specified items. Requires the southeast Alaska commercial fishing industry to be included, for cooperation and consultation, in a study of the Forest timber supply and demand. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to terminate specified long-term timber sale contracts, and to revise the Tongass National Forest Land Management Plan of 1979 in a manner that fully protects long-term environmental and recreational concerns. Requires the Secretary to report to certain congressional committees regarding the status of such Forest Plan revision schedule. Imposes a moratorium on timber sales and harvest until the Forest Plan is completely revised and ready for implementation. Title XII: Basic Science Initiatives - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1991 through 1993 to specified Federal agencies to conduct certain climatological and ecological research. Title XIII: Development Assistance - Directs the Secretary of State, in conjunction with the Administrator of the Agency for International Development and other specified officials, to report to the Congress on the status of forest resources in tropical countries, including a forest plan with goals for each tropical country. Requires the Administrator to: (1) ensure that all financial support activities supported by U.S. bilateral foreign assistance are consistent with such plan; and (2) take into account each country's measure of success in meeting plan goals when allocating development assistance monies. Prescribes guidelines under which the Secretaries of State and of the Treasury are directed to promote multilateral tropical forestry programs and to report to the Congress regarding the progress made by each of the multilateral development banks, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Program, the United Nations Development Program, and the International Tropical Timber Organization. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to promulgate regulations within one year after the date of enactment of this Act requiring wood and products containing imported wood to bear a label disclosing the names of such wood and the countries of origin. Requires such Secretary to promulgate regulations prohibiting the importation of wood and wood products containing wood from: (1) tropical forest countries that have not achieved the forest plan goals; (2) countries that import wood or products containing wood harvested in tropical countries that have not achieved forest plan goals; and (3) countries that permit transit of wood or products containing wood harvested in tropical countries that have not achieved forest plan goals. Requires the Secretary to report annually to the Congress on the status of import controls with respect to tropical forest countries that have not achieved the forest plan goals. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to assist developing countries with research and development programs aimed at energy efficiency and energy transmission facilities in rural areas. Prohibits assistance for large-scale production of energy from fossil fuels. Prescribes guidelines under which the President is directed to provide support to aid-receiving countries with emphasis upon end use energy efficiency, least-cost energy planning, and energy conservation. Requires the President to report annually to the Congress regarding the bilateral energy program, including the progress made in reducing greenhouse gas emission. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the U.S. Executive Director of each multilateral development bank to: (1) vigorously promote the adoption by each bank of an energy conservation and efficiency program containing specified components; and (2) oppose, except in certain instances, financial or technical assistance to any borrowing country if a least-cost energy plan prioritizing energy conservation, end use energy efficiency, and renewable energy sources is not in place. Directs the Secretary of State to instruct the Ambassador to the United Nations to: (1) vigorously encourage the United Nations Development Program implementing energy conservation and efficiency programs for recipient countries; and (2) oppose the adoption of country programs for any country for which a least-cost energy planning program giving priority to energy conservation, end use energy efficiency, and renewable energy sources is not in place. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of State to report annually to the Congress regarding the progress of the multilateral development banks and the United Nations Development Program in implementing energy conservation measures. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to modify the loan terms on up to one-half of the sovereign debt owed the United States by developing countries as a condition of adopting forest and energy conservation programs. Directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations implementing such environmental conservation and debt reduction program within one year after the enactment of this Act. Directs the Secretary to encourage the adoption of joint initiatives of debt reduction and conversion by the public and private sectors in member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Directs the Administrator of the Agency for International Development to report biennially to the Congress regarding the status of energy conservation and efficiency for each country receiving Federal development assistance monies. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) instruct the U.S. Executive Director to notify the staff of each multilateral development bank that future Federal contributions will be conditioned upon the successful implementation of a specified energy efficiency program; and (2) report annually to the Congress on the progress made by each multilateral development bank in implementing the energy efficiency program. Requires the Administrator of the Agency for International Development to report to the Congress regarding the options and strategies for the use of bilateral and multilateral development assistance programs sponsored by the United States to control emissions of certain greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Title XIV: International Activities - Declares that it is the policy of the United States that the Secretary of State shall convene an international meeting in the United States by the end of 1992 to adopt a global climate protection convention with measures at least as stringent as those in this Act. Sets forth a percentage reduction schedule for emissions of specified gases. Directs the Secretary of State to: (1) initiate negotiations for the adoption of a binding multilateral agreement requiring specified reductions of nitrogen oxide emissions by 1998; (2) request and, if necessary, convene the parties to the Montreal protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer for possible control measures reassessment; and (3) convene an international meeting to exchange information regarding nuclear safety issues, including nuclear waste disposal. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the U.S. Executive Directors of multilateral development banks to promote lending policies which emphasize specified aspects of energy conservation, renewable energy sources, including measures for international energy cooperation, and world population reduction. Directs the Administrator of the Agency for International Development to take specified measures concerning: (1) biological diversity conservation; (2) renewable energy resources and conservation; (3) assistance to developing countries in the use of agricultural and industrial chemicals; and (4) a report to the Congress on Agency practices regarding the overseas use of renewable energy technologies. Declares U.S. policy with respect to domestic and international efforts to deal with the greenhouse effect. Requests the President to take steps to establish a long-term study of the greenhouse effect, beginning with a one-year cooperative international research program started during or before 1991. Names the year of such program the International Year of the Greenhouse Effect. Title XV: Moderating World Population Growth - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1991 through 1993 for international population and family planning assistance. Prohibits the use of such funds for: (1) involuntary sterilization; (2) abortion; or (3) the coercion of any person to accept family planning services.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1989
Antiterrorism and Arms Export Amendments Act of 1989 - Amends the Arms Export Control Act to prohibit the Government or U.S. persons from exporting or providing munitions items to, or facilitating (through loans, credits, guarantees, or other financial assistance) the acquisition of munitions by, any country, or any individual or group in a country, which, as determined by the Secretary of State, has repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism. Permits the rescission of a determination of the Secretary only after the President makes specified certifications concerning the country involved to the Congress. Authorizes the President to waive such prohibition with respect to transactions determined to be vital to national security after consulting with, and reporting to, the Congress. Exempts from such prohibition transactions subject to reporting requirements of the National Security Act of 1947. Authorizes additional waivers pursuant to authority under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 in exceptional circumstances where time is of the essence and the President consults with and submits a report to the Congress at least 24 hours prior to granting such a waiver. Sets forth criminal and civil penalties for violations of this Act. Requires the Director of the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, in making decisions concerning the issuance of export licenses, to consider whether the export of an article will support international terrorism. Requires the Director's evaluation of an arms sale submitted to the Congress to include an evaluation of whether the sale would support international terrorism. Amends the Export Administration Act of 1979 to provide that a validated license shall be required for the export of goods or technology to a country if the Secretary determines that: (1) such country has repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism; and (2) such exports could contribute to the military potential of such country or would enhance the ability of such country to support acts of international terrorism. Removes the $1,000,000 threshold for notification to the Congress of the issuance of an export license. Revises the President's authority to rescind the Secretary's determination. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to prohibit the provision of any assistance under such Act, the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954, the Peace Corps Act, or the Export-Import Bank Act to any country which the Secretary determines has repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism. Authorizes the President to: (1) rescind such a determination only after making specified certifications concerning the country involved to the Congress; and (2) waive such prohibition for national security interests or humanitarian reasons only after consulting with, and reporting to, the Congress. Requires the President, in order to rescind a determination by the Secretary that a country supports international terrorism, to certify to the Congress that: (1) there has been a fundamental change in the leadership and policies of the government concerned and such government is not supporting acts of international terrorism and has provided assurances not to do so in the future; or (2) the government concerned has not provided any support for international terrorism during the preceding six-month period and has provided assurances that it will not support acts of international terrorism in the future. Amends the Arms Export Control Act to specify that any presidential designation to place a defense item on the munitions list shall be final and conclusive and shall not be subject to judicial review. Directs the President to include in required quarterly reports to the Congress concerning military exports a listing of: (1) all consents granted to third-party transfers of defense articles or defense services exceeding $1,000,000 in value; or (2) munitions items exceeding $250,000 in value transferred by the Department of Defense to other agencies of the U.S. Government, excluding items transferred for use within the United States or for intelligence activities subject to other reporting requirements under the National Security Act of 1947. Revises requirements for reporting the use of foreign assistance funds where it is inadvisable to specify the nature of the use of such funds to require that such a report be transmitted to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives rather than to the Speaker of the House. Amends the Hostage Act to specify that the President may not use any means otherwise prohibited by law in attempting to cause the release of U.S. citizens imprisoned by foreign governments. (Current law specifies that the President may not use any means amounting to acts of war.) Specifies that the use by any government of armed force in the exercise of individual or collective self-defense in accordance with applicable international agreements and customary international law shall not be considered an act of international terrorism for purposes of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1989
Tongass Timber Reform Act - Title I: Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act Amendments - Repeals specified provisions of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (the Act) relating to: (1) the authorization of appropriations for the maintenance of the timber supply from the Tongass National Forest in Alaska to dependent industry; (2) the identification of Forest lands unsuitable for timber production; and (3) a specified report to the Congress by the Secretary of Agriculture on the timber supply and demand in southeastern Alaska. Amends the Act to include in a specified report to the Congress on the Forest: (1) the impact of timber harvest on wildlife and fisheries resources and recreation resources and tourism, biological diversity, and the old growth rain forest ecosystem; (2) timber supply and demand in southeastern Alaska; and (3) costs and revenues of the timber sale program. Requires the Secretary to terminate, not later than 90 days after enactment of this Act, specified timber sale contracts between the United States and the Alaska Pulp Corporation and the Ketchikan Pulp Company. Title II: Management of the Tongass National Forest - Directs the Secretary to revise the Tongass National Forest Land Management Plan of 1979, in conformance with this Act and other applicable laws, to increase protection of the Forest's resources critical to the interests of the commercial fishing, recreation, and tourism industries, and the subsistence users in southeast Alaska. Requires specified reports to certain congressional committees. Title III: Moratorium on Timber Sales and Harvest - Prohibits the sale or harvest of timber (including timber sale preparation or road construction) upon forest lands during the revision of the management plan.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1989
Family and Medical Leave Act of 1989 - Title I: General Requirements for Family Leave and Medical Leave - Entitles employees to family leave for specified periods in cases involving the birth, adoption, foster care, or serious health condition of a child or the serious health condition of a parent. Entitles employees to temporary medical leave for specified periods in cases involving inability to work because of a serious health condition. Sets forth conditions for certification for such types of leave. Provides that such leave may be without pay. Allows employees to substitute other types of paid leave to cover part of such leave period. Sets forth employment and benefits protections relating to such leave. Provides for administrative enforcement of this title by the Secretary of Labor, as well as enforcement by civil action. Requires employers to post notice of the pertinent provisions of this title. Title II: Family Leave and Temporary Medical Leave for Civil Service Employees - Amends specified Federal law to entitle civil service employees to family and temporary medical leave for specified periods. Provides that such leave will be without pay. Allows employees to substitute other types of paid leave for part of such leave. Provides for protection for job position and health insurance benefits of employees using such leave. Directs the Office of Personnel Management to prescribe regulations for administration of this title which are consistent with the regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Labor under title I of this Act. Title III: Commission on Family and Medical Leave - Establishes the Commission on Family and Medical Leave. Requires the Commission to report on its study of family and medical leave (which may include legislative recommendations concerning coverage of small businesses) to the Congress within two years after the Commission first meets. Terminates the Commission within 30 days after its final report. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - Sets forth the effect of this Act on existing laws and existing employment benefits. Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to discourage employers from adopting more generous leave policies. Directs the Secretary of Labor to prescribe regulations to carry out title I of this Act within 60 days.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1989
Calls for: (1) continued support for the Cooperative Extension System; and (2) commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the enactment of the Smith-Lever Act of 1914 on May 8, 1989.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1989
Postal Service Budgetary Treatment Act of 1989 - Declares that the receipts and disbursements of the Postal Service Fund: (1) shall not be included in the totals of the Federal budget or the congressional budget; (2) shall be exempt from Federal budget limitations on expenditures and net lending; and (3) shall not be counted for purposes of calculating the Federal deficit. Makes the U.S. Postal Service an off-budget Federal entity.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
State Energy Conservation Programs Improvement Act of 1989 - Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to mandate that each State energy conservation plan which receives Federal assistance under the Act contain a specified reduction in energy consumption as one of its goals. Adds to Federal assistance eligibility prerequisites for proposed State energy conservation plans, including an emergency planning program for energy supply disruption and programs implementing all the functions currently performed by the Energy Extension Service. Repeals the National Energy Extension Service Act. Cites optional State energy conservation programs. Repeals the mandate for supplemental State energy conservation plans. Authorizes appropriations for energy conservation programs for FY 1990 through 1992. Establishes within the Department of Energy a State Energy Advisory Board to report annually to the Congress regarding recommended energy efficiency objectives, the technology transfer aspect of Federal research and development with respect to energy efficiency and renewable resources, and recommended changes with respect to State and Federal energy policies. Authorizes the use of loan programs and performance contracting for the non-Federal share of energy conservation project costs under the grant program. Cites conditions under which the Secretary is authorized to approve a State application for a waiver of: (1) the requirement that at least 40 percent of Federal weatherization assistance for low-income persons be used for weatherization materials; and (2) the limitations placed upon expenditures per dwelling unit for weatherization measures. Terminates the Performance Fund used for State weatherization assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
Department of Environmental Protection Act - Redesignates the Environmental Protection Agency as the Department of Environmental Protection, an executive department to be administered by a Secretary of Environmental Protection appointed by the President.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
Decennial Census Improvement Act of 1989 - Requires the Secretary of Commerce to adjust the population data of the decennial census to correct for any undercounts or overcounts and to report to the appropriate congressional committees on the proposed plan for making such adjustments. Declares that the use of the "sampling" statistical method shall be governed by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
Computer Software Rental Amendments Act of 1989 - Amends Federal copyright law to prohibit the person in possession of a computer software program from renting, leasing, or lending it for direct or indirect commercial advantage unless authorized to do so by the copyright owner (or licensee). Grants remedies for copyright infringement in cases of violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Care Improvement Act of 1989 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to create a new title on trauma care. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for the establishment and operation of a National Clearinghouse on Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Care. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1992 or for the first three fiscal years for which funds are appropriated. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants and enter into cooperative agreements and contracts with respect to emergency medical services and trauma care systems to: (1) conduct and support research, training, evaluations, and demonstration projects; (2) provide technical assistance to State and local agencies; and (3) establish guidelines for the development of uniform State data reporting systems. Directs the Secretary to make an allotment for each State for each fiscal year, mandating that at least 35 percent, subject to adjustment, be used for planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating the operation of county, regional, or State trauma care systems. Sets forth requirements for such systems. Requires States to use at least 35 percent of the amount available to them for a fiscal year to reimburse designated trauma centers for uncompensated trauma care expenditures. Requires non-Federal matching contributions (in cash or in kind) in a specified ratio for fiscal years after FY 1990. Requires each State, for each fiscal year beginning with FY 1990, to submit the trauma care component of the State emergency medical services plan (State plan) to the Secretary. Sets forth requirements for the State plan. Requires that hospital emergency departments, within their capability, if an individual appears and requests examination and treatment: (1) examine for the existence of an emergency medical condition or active labor and, if such a condition or labor exists, treat the individual until stable, subject to exception; and (2) transfer such individual to other facilities only according to stated criteria. Requires States to adopt guidelines for the designation of trauma centers, and for triage, transfer, and transportation policies, at least as stringent as the applicable guidelines developed by the American College of Surgeons and by the American College of Emergency Physicians. Mandates that States: (1) require each trauma center to provide certain information to the State central data reporting system annually; (2) submit, to the Secretary at least annually, the information it receives from its data reporting and analysis system; and (3) identify and submit to the Secretary a list of rural areas lacking certain emergency medical services. Sets forth restrictions on the use of State allotments. Requires an annual report from each State to the Secretary. Sets forth a formula for determination of the amount of allotments. Provides for: (1) repayment and offset for failure to use funds as agreed; (2) criminal penalties for certain false statements; (3) technical assistance and provision of supplies and services by the Secretary in lieu of grant funds; and (4) a report by the Secretary to the Congress. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1992. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct studies: (1) to determine the adequacy and appropriateness of the reimbursements provided to trauma centers under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act; and (2) of the long-term economic effects of trauma. Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise the application procedure for Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grants to provide the State officer responsible for the administration of the State highway safety program an opportunity to participate in the development of any plan relating to emergency medical services as such plan relates to highway safety. Allows the State official responsible for the provision of emergency medical services the opportunity to participate in the development of the State highway safety program as such program relates to emergency medical services. Amends the Public Health Service Act and the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to allow certain grant allotments to be used for the purchase of communications equipment. Requires the Federal Communications Commission to: (1) study the availability of radio frequency channels for emergency medical services communications; (2) establish a plan to ensure that the needs of emergency medical services communications are provided for in the allocations of frequencies for public safety; and (3) submit a report to committees of the Congress containing such study and plan.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
Federal Debt Collection Procedures Act of 1989 - Title I: Debt Collection Procedures - Establishes a uniform, nationwide system of procedures to facilitate the collection of debts owed to the United States. Provides that the United States shall not be barred by the statute of limitations of any State in the enforcement of any of its claims. Establishes a pre- and post-judgment right of discovery with respect to the financial condition of any debtor. Establishes special rules with respect to the sale of perishable property during the pendency of any proceeding to recover debts owed to the United States, except with respect to proceedings to attach certain debtor property. Grants U.S. counsel and non-attorney debt collection personnel absolute immunity from liability arising from errors, omissions, or negligence in performing their official debt collection duties. Allows U.S. district courts to assign their duties in proceedings under this Act to U.S. magistrates. Authorizes appropriations. Permits a U.S. Attorney to commence a proceeding against parties for the purpose of determining whether a claim for relief should be asserted whenever the United States believes that an illegal activity threatens to deprive it of a claim. Allows the United States to name as an additional defendant any party believed to owe sums to the debtor arising out of the transaction giving rise to the obligation to the United States. Permits the United States to seek any prejudgment remedy allowed by law. Sets forth procedures to be followed by the United States under such circumstances. Establishes additional procedural requirements with respect to the attachment of property, garnishment, sequestration, and replevin. Prohibits a U.S. marshal from selling property unless ordered by the court. Allows the United States to apply for the appointment of a receiver for property in which it has an interest and which is or will be the subject of a court action. Sets forth the powers of the receiver. Allows the district court to enter a "judgment by confession" in favor of the United States without the filing of a civil action for money due and owing. States that a judgment creates a lien upon all the real property of a judgment debtor. Makes any person who is the subject of such a lien ineligible for Federal grants and loans. Allows the district court to order the United States to sell any real property subject to its judgment lien. Sets forth procedures for determining the applicable interest to be charged on judgments. States that such liens shall be effective for a period of 20 years and renewable for one additional 20-year period. Sets forth procedures with respect to: (1) the issuance of restraining notices; (2) the sale of real and personal property subject to levy pursuant to a writ of execution; (3) installment payments; and (4) garnishment. Grants the court power to: (1) modify the use of any enforcement procedure; (2) punish for civil and criminal contempt with respect to an enforcement procedure or order under this Act; and (3) under certain circumstances, issue a warrant for the arrest of a judgment debtor. Lists the types of property exempt from the enforcement procedures of this Act, including the debtor's: (1) interest in real property used as a residence; (2) interest in one motor vehicle; (3) interest in unmatured life insurance contracts; and (4) right to receive social security, veterans' disability, or unemployment benefits. Places certain limitations on exempt property. Provides remedies for the fraudulent transfer of an asset by a debtor. Allows the United States to bring an action in U.S. district court to compel a partition of property among co-owners and tenants. States that Federal law shall govern: (1) any action by the United States to foreclose security interests in real property; and (2) the right of the United States to collect a deficiency following the foreclosure of a loan guaranteed or insured by the United States. Title II: Amendments to Other Provisions of Law - Makes technical and conforming amendments to various provisions of Federal law. Establishes in the Treasury the Department of Justice Debt Collection Fund, which shall be used to: (1) train Department personnel in debt collection; (2) provide services pertinent to debt collection; and (3) cover expenses associated with the sale of property. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 through 1992. Allows the court to order that criminal appearance bail bonds be applied to the payment of any assessment, fine, restitution, or penalty imposed upon the defendant.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
Family Planning Amendments of 1989 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to remove, from provisions relating to project grants and contracts for family planning services, provisions allowing the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary), at the request of a grant recipient, to reduce the amount of the grant by the value of supplies or equipment furnished by the Secretary. Authorizes appropriations for such grants and contracts for FY 1990 through 1992. Repeals existing formula grant provisions. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1992 for technical assistance and personnel training, including clinical training for obstetric-gynecologic nurse practitioners and training for educators and counselors. States that research grants and contracts may be made for evaluation as well as for development of contraceptives, and to improve clinical management and direct delivery of family planning services. Authorizes the Secretary to conduct, make grants, and enter into contracts for applied research into the development, evaluation, and bringing to the marketplace of contraceptive devices, drugs, and methods. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1992. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants or enter into contracts for community-based information and education programs regarding sexuality, pregnancy, parenthood, and sexually transmitted diseases. Directs the Secretary to make grants and enter into contracts for the development, evaluation, and dissemination of educational and informational materials consistent with the objectives of such programs. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1992. Directs the Secretary to collect data annually on: (1) the number of low-income and marginal-income individuals and adolescents at risk of unintended pregnancies; (2) the sources of funding available for family planning services in the United States; (3) the numbers and age, gender, race, and family income of persons who receive family planning services; and (4) the types of services chosen by individuals receiving services.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
Ground Water Research, Management, and Education Act of 1988 - Title I: Coordination of Federal Ground Water Research and Education Programs - Directs the President to coordinate groundwater research, assessment, and monitoring activities conducted by Federal agencies and establish an Interagency Ground Water Research Task Force which shall be: (1) chaired by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); (2) made up of key Federal agencies involved in groundwater research; and (3) responsible for identifying research data needs, recommending research priorities, facilitating interagency coordination, and consulting with State and local governments concerning groundwater research needs. Requires the Task Force to submit an annual report to the Congress and the President that serves as the management plan for the Federal groundwater research program. Establishes an Advisory Committee on Ground Water Research to advise the President and the Task Force on groundwater research issues and needs. Requires the Task Force to appoint a Clearinghouse Committee to facilitate agency groundwater information systems. Directs each participating agency of the Task Force to establish a technical transfer and information center that serves as an accessible repository of groundwater information. Requires the Task Force to appoint an Education Committee made up of members who have scientific or educational expertise relevant to groundwater research and management and responsible for reviewing and strengthening academic training programs relating to groundwater. Authorizes appropriations for the preceding activities for FY 1989 through 1993. Amends the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 to reauthorize the program providing grants to Water Research Institutes through FY 1993. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to evaluate each institute's research at least once every five years to determine whether it merits continued support. Extends through FY 1993 the authorization of appropriations for such Act. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of the Interior through FY 1993 for the reimbursement of 50 percent of the costs of additional research or the synthesis of research by institutes on water problems of a regional nature. Title II: Ground Water Research Programs of the Federal Government - Part A: Programs of the Environmental Protection Agency - Directs the Administrator to establish a national research, development, and demonstration program to support the protection, maintenance, and restoration of groundwater resources of the United States. Requires such program to include research, demonstrations, and surveys of causes, prevention, and correction of groundwater contamination. States that priority shall be given to projects which demonstrate the fate of contaminants in groundwater and develop methods and procedures for controlling pollution sources, monitoring water quality, restoring contaminated groundwater, and reducing the contaminating effects of waste materials. Directs the Administrator to investigate the effects on human health and the environment, and on the Nation's water supply needs. Directs the Administrator to establish a media-specific research committee for groundwater resources to report annually for at least five years on the major research issues of groundwater resources, the current status of the research in such issues, and a plan for the succeeding three years. Requires such report to include a list of all major policy decisions affecting groundwater, control technology projects, health effects research, and other research related to groundwater. Makes such report the management plan for the program and requires its review by the Science Advisory Board and submission to the Congress. Directs the Administrator to appoint a Ground Water Research Manager in the Office of Research and Development to carry out such plan and serve as liaison with the Clearinghouse Committee. Directs the Administrator to establish a program of research to develop technologies for the control of groundwater pollution. Requires that such program be carried out utilizing demonstration projects through contracts, cooperative agreements, or grants. Requires the Administrator to evaluate projects on the basis of the potential of the proposed method to effectively control sources of contaminants presenting the greatest risk to human health, the environment, or groundwater and such method's potential application in other locations and circumstances as well as the technical and financial capacities of the project's proposer. Requires the Administrator to supervise and monitor such projects. Limits the Federal share to 50 percent of costs. Directs the Administrator to conduct a technology transfer program and make information gathered pursuant to such program available through a technical transfer and information center. Requires such program to protect trade secrets from public disclosure. Directs the Administrator to list contaminants known to occur in groundwater. Requires an annual review and revision of such list, providing procedures for any person to petition for additions to such list. Requires the Director of the National Toxicology Program to develop and transmit to the Administrator a proposed research program for each listed contaminant which includes studies of chemical and physical properties, health and ecological effects, and its dispersion and persistence when released. Directs the Administrator to publish risk assessments for listed contaminants. Directs the Administrator to conduct nationwide groundwater quality surveys to identify the frequency and concentration of contaminants in groundwater associated with various categories of sources or potential sources of contaminants. Includes monitoring at public and private wells. Establishes a survey schedule for: (1) pesticide applications; (2) septic tanks and cesspools; (3) landfills, surface impoundments, and wastepiles; (4) Class V injection wells; (5) fertilizer applications; (6) irrigation return flows; (7) publicly owned treatment works; (8) light industry; and (9) transportation corridors. Requires the Administrator to complete the following preliminary phases to such surveys: (1) an analysis to determine the types and distribution of sources for each category; (2) the development and preparation of techniques and protocols to be used; and (3) the preparation of health advisories for each contaminant. Requires that groundwater quality surveys provide the Administrator with a clear understanding of the need for instituting contaminant source control strategies on a local, State, or national basis. Requires the Administrator to notify the water system or well owner when a contaminant is found, but requires that information released to the public be of a general nature. Directs the Administrator to notify the appropriate government authorities for response when a source for a contaminant is identified. Requires the Administrator to cooperate with the States and utilize the Science Advisory Board in planning and conducting surveys. Requires the Administrator to provide the Congress with a plan for implementing these requirements and a status report on each survey which shall also be submitted to the President, the States, and the public. Directs the Administrator to study and report on the public health effects of nitrates, nitrosamines, and other metabolites of nutrients and nitrogen in drinking water supplies, including sources, levels of exposures, and methods and costs of control. Requires the Administrator to report to the Congress by September 1, 1989, on abandoned production and injection wells and the impacts that such wells may have on groundwater quality. Requires peer review of all studies conducted under this Act. Authorizes the provision of facilities and equipment for demonstration projects under this Act, limiting construction of facilities on non-Federal land. Requires the Administrator to make grants to universities or research institutions to establish and operate eight groundwater research institutes to conduct research and training and disseminate information on the protection and restoration of groundwater. Bases selection on whether such institute would be located in a region making significant use of groundwater with significant contamination problems and the capacity of such institute to carry on and lead such research. Limits the Federal share to 50 percent of costs. Earmarks funds for technology transfer. Requires the Administrator and the Secretary of the Interior to approve and evaluate each institute's research. Authorizes appropriations for the programs under this part through FY 1993. Part B: Programs of the Department of the Interior - States that the Department of the Interior has the principal Federal responsibility for research in the hydrologic sciences, for appraising the Nation's water resources, and for providing hydrologic information. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Geological Survey, to undertake research, investigations, assessments, surveys, and related activities of the Nation's water resources. Requires the Secretary to appoint a Ground Water Research Manager to provide central direction for groundwater research within the appropriate bureau and serve as liaison with the Clearinghouse Committee. Authorizes the Secretary to cooperate with other government agencies and to perform such activities on a reimbursable basis, as specified. Includes regional aquifer systems analysis and a toxics hydrology program in such activities. Requires the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees and the States on the Nation's water supply needs and the condition of groundwater and groundwater information and monitoring programs. Directs the Secretary to establish a national groundwater quality and quantity assessment. Requires such program to coordinate government efforts in such area, seek to achieve uniform data collection, and provide information and assistance as required. Requires the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation, to conduct a study and report to the Congress concerning the effects of existing and proposed water projects on the quantity and quality of ground and surface waters. Directs the Bureau of Mines to conduct a study and report to the Congress concerning the impact of mining on groundwater quality. Authorizes appropriations for part B activities. Part C: Ground Water Research Program of the Department of Agriculture - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to appoint a Ground Water Research Manager to provide central direction for groundwater research among the Department's Divisions and serve as liaison with the Clearinghouse Committee. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct an investigation and analysis and prepare reports for the Congress on the relationship between agricultural practices, policies, and groundwater use. Directs the Agricultural Research Service to fund basic and applied research in groundwater, including control and monitoring technologies as they pertain to agricultural practices and uses of groundwater in rural areas. Requires the Cooperative State Research Service to: (1) fund and coordinate the agricultural research program in the Land Grant University system; (2) coordinate the Agriculture Department's research efforts around the State and local data and information needs regarding contaminants; and (3) study the effects various soil types have on pesticide and fertilizer contamination in local groundwaters. Authorizes appropriations to the Soil Conservation Service for a study into the impact of conservation tillage and other soil and water conservation practices on groundwater quality. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Agricultural Research Service and the Cooperative State Research Service, to establish a national research, development, and demonstration program with respect to the impact of agricultural practices on groundwater quality, including the application of pesticides and nutrients, irrigation practices, and the operation of animal feedlots. Requires the Secretary to address: (1) chemical and biological interactions and processes, including the fate and transport of substances released by agricultural practices; (2) analytical models and testing methodology; and (3) management and control. Authorizes appropriations for such program through FY 1993. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish and co-chair an Agricultural Nitrogen Best Management Practices Committee to develop agricultural best management practices and educational materials to minimize the impact of agricultural nitrogen on public health and groundwater quality. Authorizes appropriations for such Committee for the first five fiscal years succeeding this Act's enactment. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct research on practices, methods, and techniques for improving the efficiency of fertilizer uses in agriculture. Authorizes appropriations for such research through FY 1993. Requires the Administrator to conduct a study and report to the Congress concerning the chemical constituents of commercial fertilizer products and the potential for such constituents to leach and contaminate groundwater. Authorizes appropriations for such study. Requires the Administrator and the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a study and report to the Congress on agricultural drainage wells, their impact on groundwater quality, alternatives to such wells, and the costs of closing existing wells. Authorizes appropriations. Provides for the establishment of groundwater protection education programs. Authorizes appropriations for such programs through FY 1993. Part D: Additional Provisions - Directs the Administrator, in cooperation with the Secretary of the Army, to study the Lake Okeechobee ecosystem in Florida to determine the relationship between surface and groundwater quality and the management and control of aquatic plants. Authorizes appropriations for such study through FY 1991. Requires the President to report annually to the Congress on such activities. Authorizes the Administrator to establish a Western Center for Nuclear and Ground Water Research within Nevada to conduct and promote research into the protection of groundwater from nuclear and hazardous substances. Requires the Center to report annually to the Congress, the President, and the Governor of Nevada concerning its activities. Title III: State Ground Water Strategies - Authorizes the Administrator to make grants to States to support the development and implementation of State strategies designed to detect, prevent, and correct groundwater contamination and control sources on potential sources of contaminants. Authorizes appropriations for such grants through FY 1993. Authorizes the Administrator to assist local governments in financing the acquisition and installation of groundwater treatment technologies needed to remove radium from groundwater used as a source of public drinking water. Authorizes appropriations for such grants through FY 1991. Authorizes the Safe Drinking Water Act to extend by two years the time for States to designate wellhead and sole source aquifer protection areas. Title IV: Patent Policy - Authorizes nonprofit organizations or small business firms to elect to retain title to any invention conceived or first reduced to practice under a funding agreement with the EPA, though such agreement may restrict or eliminate such right, when: (1) the contractor is not located in the United States or is subject to the control of a foreign government; (2) the restriction or elimination of such right will better promote the commercialization, utilization, and public availability of such inventions; (3) necessary to protect the security of intelligence or counter-intelligence activities; or (4) naval nuclear propulsion or weapons-related programs of the Department of Energy are involved. Gives the EPA a nonexclusive, nontransferable, irrevocable, paid-up license to practice or have practiced on its behalf throughout the world an invention in which the contractor elects rights. Authorizes the EPA to require a small business firm or nonprofit organization which has retained title in a subject invention to grant a license in any field of use to a responsible applicant in certain circumstances, such as when the contractor has not taken effective steps to achieve practical application of the invention. Prohibits such firms or organizations and their assignees from granting a person the exclusive right to use or sell such inventions unless that person agrees that products embodying the invention or produced through the use of such invention will be manufactured substantially in the United States. Authorizes the EPA to secure domestic and foreign protection of federally-owned inventions. Imposes restrictions on licensing of federally-owned inventions which are designed to promote public utilization of the invention. Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to issue regulations implementing this title's provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
Hatch Act Reform Amendments of 1989 - Declares that a Federal employee may take an active part in political management or in political campaigns, except that an employee may not: (1) use official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the result of an election; (2) knowingly solicit, accept, or receive a political contribution from any person, unless such person is a member of the same Federal employee organization and the solicitation is for a contribution to the multicandidate political committee of such organization; or (3) run for the nomination or as a candidate for election to a partisan political office. Prohibits an employee from engaging in political activity: (1) while on duty; (2) in any room or building occupied in the discharge of official duties by a Federal employee or official; (3) while wearing a uniform or official insignia identifying the office or position of the employee; or (4) while using any vehicle owned or leased by the Government. Exempts certain high level political appointees from such prohibitions if the costs associated with the political activity are not paid for by money derived from the Treasury. Includes U.S. Postal Service, Postal Rate Commission, and District of Columbia employees within the coverage of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
Act for Better Child Care Services of 1989 - Makes eligible for services under this Act children: (1) who are less than 16 years of age; (2) whose family income does not exceed the State median income for a family of the same size; and (3) who either reside with a parent or parents who are working, seeking employment, or enrolled in a job training or educational program, or reside with a parent or parents not thus described and receive or need to receive protective services. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1994. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) to make grants to applicant Indian tribes or tribal organizations for programs and activities under this Act for the benefit of Indian children. Requires the designation of a lead agency in each State which participates in the program under this Act. Requires States to submit, in order to qualify for assistance under this Act, an application and five-year plan to the Secretary. Requires the plan to specify that at least 75 percent of the State allotment will be used to provide qualified child care services to eligible children, on a sliding fee scale basis (according to specified funding methods) with priority given to services to children of families with very low incomes for their size. Requires that child care services provided out of a State allotment be provided by: (1) contracts directly with or direct grants to eligible child care providers; (2) grants to local governments to contract with such providers to provide such services directly; or (3) child care certificates distributed to parents of eligible children to enable them to purchase such services from such providers. Requires that a specified portion of State allotment funds be used to enable providers to extend the hours of operation of part-day programs to provide full-working-day child care services throughout the year. Prohibits financial assistance under this Act from being expended for the construction of a new facility, and sets forth limitations on such assistance for renovation or repair of existing facilities. Authorizes the Secretary to make planning grants, in the first year of their program participation, to States which desire to participate under this Act but cannot fully satisfy the requirements of a State plan without financial assistance. Provides for a review of the operation of a State plan during the five-year period to determine the State's continued eligibility for funds. Directs the Governors of each participating State to establish, and appoint members of, a State advisory committee on child care to assist the lead agency, review and evaluate services, make recommendations on standards and practices, and perform other functions to improve the quantity and quality of child care services. Requires the committee to have a subcommittee on licensing to review the laws applicable to, and the licensing requirements and policies of, each licensing agency regulating child care services and programs in the State (unless the State has done such a review during the four years before the establishment of the committee). Requires the subcommittee to report to the Governor on specified matters, and the Governor to report to the Secretary with comments and a plan for correcting or improving licensing, regulating, and monitoring of child care services and programs. Requires States receiving funds under this Act to designate private nonprofit community-based organizations or public organizations, including local governments, as resource and referral agencies for particular areas, and to provide assistance to such agencies. Requires each participating State to require that all employed or self-employed persons providing licensed or regulated child care complete at least 15 hours per year of specified training. Directs the State to make grants, and enter into contracts with, specified entities to provide such training to eligible providers, including family child care providers. Requires participating States to provide scholarship assistance to: (1) individuals who seek a nationally recognized child development associate credential for center-based or family child care and whose income is not more than 50 percent above the poverty line; and (2) caregivers who seek to obtain the 15-hour minimum annual training and whose income is not above the poverty line. Requires States to establish in the lead agency a clearinghouse to collect and disseminate training materials to resource and referral agencies and child care providers. Provides for child care public-private partnership. Requires participating States to carry out activities designed to encourage businesses to support or provide child care services to a reasonable mix of children of employees and nonemployees, including those from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Establishes the President's Award for Responsive Management Policy to honor public and private sector employers who have: (1) successfully implemented personnel programs and policies responsive to child care needs of working parents; or (2) made significant contributions to child care projects. Directs the Secretary of Labor to promulgate regulations for annual awards by the President. Establishes in the Department of Health and Human Services the position of Administrator of Child Care who shall: (1) coordinate all activities of the Department and of other Federal agencies relating to child care; (2) annually collect and publish State child care standards, including periodic modifications; (3) evaluate activities funded under this Act; (4) act as a clearinghouse for specified matters, including studies on salaries of child care workers; and (5) provide technical assistance to States to carry out this Act. Establishes enforcement provisions for review of State plans and monitoring of State compliance. Sets the Federal share for funding activities under a State plan at 80 percent, but raises it to 85 percent when the State demonstrates that all child care providers are appropriately licensed and regulated and that those receiving assistance meet certain requirements and minimum standards. Requires the Secretary to establish a National Advisory Committee on Minimum Child Care Standards to: (1) review Federal policies on child care services and such other data as appropriate; (2) submit to the Secretary proposed minimum standards for child care programs; and (3) develop and make available to lead agencies model regulations for resource and referral agencies. Terminates the Committee after the Secretary establishes such standards. Prohibits financial assistance under this Act from being used for: (1) any sectarian purpose or activity, including sectarian worship and instruction; and (2) with regard to services to students in grades one through 12, any services during the regular school day, or for which academic credit is given toward graduation, or which supplant or duplicate a public or private school academic program. States that financial assistance under this Act constitutes Federal financial assistance for purposes of various civil rights and nondiscrimination laws. Prohibits a child care provider from discriminating against any child on the basis of religion in providing child care services in return for a fee paid, reimbursement received, or certificate redeemed, in whole or in part with financial assistance provided under this Act. Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed or applied in any manner to infringe upon or usurp the the moral and legal rights and responsibilities of parents or legal guardians. Authorizes any State to assist in the establishment and operation of a child care liability risk retention group (i.e., a corporation or other limited liability association whose members are child care providers licensed or accredited pursuant to State and local law and standards, and which otherwise satisfies specified criteria for risk retention groups). Directs the Secretary to make allotments to each State for such child care liability risk retention groups, on the basis of a specified formula.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
Comprehensive Lyme Disease Act of 1989 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants with respect to Lyme disease: (1) through the Director of the National Institutes of Health, for research and treatment; and (2) through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control, for public education. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1992.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
Pay Equity Technical Assistance Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor to develop and implement a continuing program of information dissemination, research, and technical assistance to public and private entities with respect to correction of wage-setting practices, and a reduction or elimination of wage disparities, to the extent that they are based on the sex, race, or national origin of the employee, rather than on the work performed and other appropriate factors.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
Employee Educational Assistance Act of 1989 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the income tax exclusion of amounts paid under employee educational assistance programs. (Under current law the exclusion expires as of tax year 1989.)
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
Amends the Tax Reform Act of 1986 to delay until 1990 the effective date of the new nondiscrimination requirements (Internal Revenue Code section 89) for coverage and benefits under certain statutory employee benefit plans.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover, on a reasonable charge basis, clinical psychologist services which would otherwise be covered if furnished by a physician or as incident to a physician's service.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
Constitutional Amendment - Declares that equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) funding for Amtrak should be continued at a level that will enable it to continue to operate a national railway system and to improve its financial performance and service levels; and (2) the Secretary of Transportation and the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration should work with Amtrak management to lower Amtrak's dependence on public funding and to assign the highest priority possible to safety.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President's 1990 budget proposals for municipal sewage treatment should be rejected and that the Congress should assure the appropriation of the amount authorized for such program by the Water Quality Act of 1987.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 1988
Declares that the Congress urges the administration to refrain from submitting any proposal in the GATT negotiations that would consider maritime transportation activity as being within the scope of "trade in services" and to reject any proposals made by foreign nations which are similar or which would lead to a contraction of the merchant marine.
United States · United States Congress · 14 October 1988
Declares that the Senate commends Richard Brandon for his service to the Senate and the Nation. (Richard Brandon served as Staff Director and Minority Staff Director of the Committee on the Budget.)