United States · United States Congress · 27 September 1989
Directs the Secretary of Education to make a grant to Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi, to establish the Margaret Walker Alexander National African-American Research Center on its campus in recognition of, and to commemorate, the literary contributions of Margaret Walker Alexander. Requires the application for the grant to contain provisions to ensure that the Center will serve as a national center for the study, research, and teaching of African-American literature and history and as a repository for papers and memorabilia relating to the lives of individuals noted for their work in African-American literature and history. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 1989
Commends and expresses support for President Barco and the Government and people of Colombia for standing up to drug traffickers. Urges the President to continue to commend the cooperation of the President of the United States with the Government of Colombia and provide assistance to Colombia to overcome the activities of drug traffickers.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 1989
Recognizes September 25, 1989, as the 200th anniversary of the Bill of Rights. Encourages schools and civic enterprises to observe such anniversary by reading and discussing the meaning of the Bill of Rights.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 1989
Poland and Hungary Democracy Act of 1989 - Title I: Enterprise Funds in Poland and Hungary - Authorizes appropriations to the President for promoting the development of the Hungarian and Polish private sectors through the support of a Polish-American Enterprise Fund and a Hungarian-American Enterprise Fund. Allows the President to designate two private, nonprofit organizations as the Funds. Requires the President to designate an executive agency to grant such monies to the Funds. Permits the agency to use a specified amount of such monies for carrying out functions under this title. Makes certain commodities eligible for assistance programs under the Agricultural Act of 1949 and the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 available to the Funds to generate local currencies. Authorizes grants to be made to the Funds only if the Funds are in compliance with this title. Provides for annual audits of the Funds. Requires the Funds to ensure that: (1) each recipient of Fund assistance keeps separate accounts and financial records; and (2) the Funds have access to such records for audit purposes. Directs each Fund to publish annual reports. Title II: Labor Market Transition - Requires the Secretary of Labor to provide technical assistance to Poland and Hungary for the implementation of labor market reform and to facilitate adjustment during the period of economic transition and reform. Authorizes the Secretary to transfer a specified amount from Department of Labor funds to provide such assistance. Title III: Environmental Initiatives - Authorizes the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to: (1) undertake environmental protection activities in Hungary and Poland; and (2) use specified amounts of funds made available for FY 1990 through 1992 under the Clean Water Act and other authorizing statutes to carry out such activities. Requires the Administrator to: (1) establish an air quality monitoring network in the Krakow metropolitan area; and (2) improve water quality and the availability of drinking water in such area. Directs the Administrator to work with U.S. and Hungarian officials and private parties to establish and support a center in Budapest, Hungary, for facilitating cooperative environmental activities between governmental experts and U.S. and Eastern and Western European organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 1989
Global Climate Change Prevention Act of 1989 - Title I: Agriculture and Global Climate Change - Subtitle A: Office of Climate Change - Establishes in the Office of the Secretary of Agriculture the Office of Climate Change to coordinate policy, planning, research, and response strategies relating to climate change issues. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study of the implications of global climate change for agriculture and forestry. Subtitle B: Research on Global Warming, Forests, and Agriculture - Domestic Research on Global Warming, Forests, and Agriculture Act of 1989 - Directs the Secretary to conduct studies on: (1) the effects of global warming on rice production; (2) the effects of global warming on major U.S. crops; (3) methane emissions from irrigated rice production; (4) emissions from nitrogen intensive crops; and (5) forest emissions. Establishes in the Department of Agriculture the Methane Emissions Evaluation, Use, and Control Program and a related technical advisory committee. Title II: Forestry and Global Climate Change - Subtitle A: International Forestry Cooperation - International Forestry Cooperation Act of 1989 - Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) undertake international forestry activities; (2) undertake tropical reforestation and conservation activities; and (3) expand the capabilities and facilities of the Caribbean National Forest and Institute of Tropical Forestry in Puerto Rico. Subtitle B: Forestry Planning and Global Warming - Amends the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 to consider the effects of climate change in developing plans for units of the National Forest System. Subtitle C: Urban Forestry - Directs the Secretary to carry out an urban forestry energy conservation education and accelerated planting program. Subtitle D: Biomass Energy Demonstration Projects - Authorizes the Secretary to carry out projects that demonstrate the potential of short-rotation forestry methods to produce wood for electricity production and industrial energy needs. Subtitle E: Forestry Research and Global Warming - Amends the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Research Act of 1978 to include the effects of weather, climate, and air pollution on forests and rangelands among the areas of research under such Act. Subtitle F: Conservation Reserve Program - Directs the Secretary to take steps to meet the conservation reserve program tree planting goal. Subtitle G: Interagency Cooperation on Forestry and Climate Change - Directs the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the Secretary of Defense to manage Department of Defense forests and lands.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 1989
International Climate Change Prevention Act of 1989 - Title I: Focusing Forestry and Energy Cooperation with Key Newly Industrializing, Middle-Income, and Low-Income Developing Nations - Directs the Agency for International Development (AID) to submit to the Congress a report which: (1) examines the potential contributions of developing countries to future global emissions of greenhouse gases under different economic growth scenarios; (2) estimates the relative contributions of such countries to global greenhouse gas emissions; and (3) identifies specific key industrializing, middle-income, and low-income developing countries (key countries) which stand to contribute significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions and in which actions to promote energy efficiency, reliance on renewable energy resources, and conservation of forest resources could significantly reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. Authorizes AID to use funds appropriated for the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (the Act) to reimburse U.S. agencies, State agencies, and institutions of higher learning for the full costs of employees detailed or assigned to AID for the purposes of carrying out activities relating to forestry and energy programs aimed at reducing emissions of greenhouse gases related to global warming. Title II: Tropical Forestry Assistance - Requires AID to focus tropical forestry assistance programs on key countries. Allows funds appropriated for the Act to be used by AID to support tropical forestry programs aimed at reducing emissions of greenhouse gases related to global warming with regard to those key countries referred to in this Act in which deforestation makes a significant contribution to global warming. Directs the President, in providing assistance relating to tropical forests, to assist countries in developing a systematic analysis of the appropriate use of their total tropical forest resources. Directs the Administrator of AID to assist the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research in its efforts to strengthen their work on tropical forestry. Directs the President, in undertaking tropical forestry-related activities with key countries, to emphasize a cooperative partnership approach. Sets forth specific items for the President to emphasize. Provides that AID's policy dialogue with key countries and other developing countries should: (1) encourage reform of economic and other policies that encourage deforestation and land misuse; and (2) encourage policies that promote sustainable forest land and resource use. States that AID should work with other bilateral and multilateral donors to increase support for assistance in conservation and sustainable use of tropical forests. Directs the Administrator and the Secretary of State to undertake initiatives to promote multilateral cooperation and stimulate actions by international institutions to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions from forests. Title III: Grassroots Involvement in Tropical Forest Ecosystem Management - Authorizes AID to undertake a program to encourage grassroots involvement in tropical forest ecosystem management. Enumerates specifically authorized activities. Title IV: Energy Assistance - Directs AID to focus energy assistance activities on key countries where such assistance would have the greatest impact on reducing emissions from greenhouse gases. Requires such assistance to be focused on improved energy efficiency, increased use of renewable energy resources, and national energy plans which include investment in end use efficiency and renewable energy resources. Allows funds appropriated for the Act to be used by AID for the purpose of supporting energy programs aimed at reducing emissions of greenhouse gases related to global warming with regard to key countries. Expresses the sense of the Congress that AID should increase its efforts in the fields of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and energy planning. States that such increase should take place with respect to key countries and countries with large Economic Support Fund project assistance. Enumerates what such efforts should include. Provides that the policy dialogue undertaken by AID should encourage: (1) reform of economic and other policies that encourage construction of new energy facilities in lieu of more cost-effective conservation and energy efficiency measures or that encourage wasteful use of existing energy; (2) the adoption of policies that provide incentives for increasing the efficiency of energy use in all sectors; (3) the development of "least cost" energy-sector investment plans; (4) the reform of energy pricing regimes so that electricity tariffs more closely meet the long-run marginal cost of supply and so that fossil fuel prices more closely meet international prices; and (5) more efficient market structures for traditional biomass fuels. Directs AID to work with other bilateral and multilateral donors to increase support for assistance in energy policy, energy planning, and energy efficiency. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 and 1991. Title V: Multilateral Programs - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the U.S. Executive Director to each multilateral development bank to promote the adoption by that bank of a policy to achieve a maximum impact from activities relating to energy and tropical forestry by focusing such activities on the key countries whose actions in the areas of energy and forestry could have a substantial impact on the reduction of emissions of the greenhouse gases related to global warming.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1989
Amends the Volunteers in the National Act of 1972 to authorize the Forest Service to pay the claims of Forest Service volunteers for personal property damage or loss while performing volunteer service as if such volunteers were Federal employees.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1989
Conditions eligibility for certain agricultural export benefits on the U.S. exporter's certifying that none of such domestic commodity exports shall be used as the basis for import drawbacks (reimbursement) under the Tariff Act of 1930. Requires U.S. vegetable oil or vegetable oil products exporters to comply with this Act. Exempts contracts entered into before the effective date of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1989
Legislative Line Item Veto Act of 1989 - Amends the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to grant the President legislative line item veto rescission authority. Authorizes the President to rescind all or part of any budget authority if the President determines that such rescission: (1) would help balance the Federal budget, reduce the Federal budget deficit, or reduce the public debt; (2) will not impair any essential Government functions; and (3) will not harm the national interest. Requires the President to notify the Congress of such a rescission by: (1) special message not later than 20 calendar days after enactment of appropriations legislation; or (2) special message accompanying the budget when such rescissions have not been proposed previously for that fiscal year. Makes such a rescission effective unless the Congress, during a review period of 20 calendar days, enacts a rescission disapproval bill. Describes: (1) information to be included in the President's message; and (2) procedures to govern consideration of rescission disapproval legislation in the Senate and the House of Representatives.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1989
Amends Federal copyright law to permit the unlicensed viewing of videos in a hospital, hospice, nursing home, or other group home providing health care if the institution: (1) provides long-term health care services to individuals on a regular basis; and (2) serves as a temporary or permanent home for such individuals. Prohibits such institutions from levying a direct charge for the video viewing and from transmitting such video viewing via closed-circuit television or other means.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1989
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase from 25 percent to 80 percent the income tax deduction for the health insurance costs of a self-employed individual.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1989
Requests: (1) the Soviet Union to release the prison records of Raoul Wallenberg and account for his whereabouts; and (2) the President to pursue such release and accounting through diplomatic actions with the Soviet Union.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1989
Calls upon the Government of Burma to: (1) remove house arrest orders imposed on Aung San Suu Kyi and U Tin Oo and release all those imprisoned for the peaceful expression of their views; (2) abandon martial law restrictions on the rights to a fair trial, to counsel, to adequate time to prepare defenses, and to have cases heard before an impartial tribunal; (3) order thorough investigations of reports of torture and prosecute those responsible for mistreatment of detainees; (4) permit opposition political parties to operate freely; and (5) maintain its commitment to hold free and fair elections by May 1990. Calls upon: (1) all nations to withhold foreign assistance from such Government until a democratically elected government assumes office; and (2) the President, the Secretary of State, the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, and the U.S. Ambassador to Burma to condemn publicly the repression in Burma and encourage free and fair elections and the provision of international observers for such elections.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1989
Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 1989 - Title I: Programs Under the National School Lunch Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 - Subtitle A: Programs Under the National School Lunch Act - Amends the National School Lunch Act (NSLA) to eliminate certain duplicate provisions. Requires that lunches served by schools participating in the National School Lunch Program offer students fluid whole milk and fluid unflavored lowfat milk. Makes certain private nonprofit organizations eligible to sponsor programs under the Summer Food Service Program for Children under specified conditions, including limitations on numbers of children served and on rural or urban sites. Requires that such organizations: (1) either use self-preparation facilities to prepare meals or obtain meals from a public facility or a school participating in the National School Lunch Program; and (2) provide ongoing year-round activities for children or families. Makes such organizations ineligible for such program when they are in areas where a school food authority or the local, municipal, or county government has indicated by March 1 of that year that it will operate such a program under the Summer Food Service Program for Children. Allows higher education institutions that participate in the National Youth Sports Program to receive payments for meals served to children under such Program during the academic year, as well as during May through September. Extends through FY 1993 the authorization of appropriations for the Summer Food Service Program for Children. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (the Secretary) and State agencies, during FY 1990 and 1991, to disseminate information to potentially eligible private nonprofit organizations concerning the amendments made by this Act regarding the eligibility of private nonprofit organizations for the Summer Food Service Program for Children. Directs the Secretary to use funds for such summer program to institute one or more demonstration projects designed to provide year-round food service to homeless children under age six in emergency shelters. Allows private nonprofit organizations to be eligible to participate in such project under specified conditions. Limits the amounts to be expended by the Secretary for such projects. Requires such projects to commence before the end of FY 1990 and terminate at the end of FY 1992. Extends through FY 1993 the general authority for the Commodity Distribution Program (under which the Secretary provides commodities to participating schools for use in the school lunch program). Revises provisions relating to the computation of cash compensation to school districts under the Commodity Distribution Program. Abolishes the National Advisory Council on Child Nutrition. Provides that eligible organizations under the Child Care Food Program must be reimbursed for expansion into low-income or rural areas. Directs the Secretary to conduct demonstration projects to test innovative approaches to remove or reduce barriers to Child Care Food Program participation by family or group day care homes operating in low-income areas or primarily serving low-income children. Directs the Secretary and State agencies to provide training and technical assistance to help family and group day care home sponsoring organizations in reaching low-income children. Requires that meals served in adult day care programs, which are reimbursed under such day care food program, provide on the average at least one-third of the daily recommended dietary allowance. Requires such adult day care programs to make reasonable efforts to serve meals that meet the special dietary requirements of participants, including efforts to serve foods in forms palatable to them. Authorizes designation of a State agency other than that which administers the child care food program to administer the adult day care food program. Directs the Secretary to carry out, in Iowa and Kentucky, statewide demonstration projects in which private for-profit organizations providing nonresidential day care services shall qualify as institutions for purposes of the Child Care Food Program, if at least 25 percent of the children served by each such organization meet the income eligibility criteria for free or reduced price meals. Requires examination of: (1) the budgetary impact of such change ineligibility on the extent to which additional low-income children can be reached through such change; and (2) the most effective outreach methods. Requires such demonstration projects to begin on or after May 1, 1990, and to terminate on September 30, 1992. Extends until September 30, 1990, a selected State (Minnesota) demonstration project to test the nutritional and participatory impact of providing an additional meal to children staying in family or group day care homes for at least eight hours. Establishes a program of meal supplements for children in after-school care. Directs the Secretary to provide grants-in-aid and other assistance to States for such program in eligible elementary and secondary schools (which operate school lunch programs, sponsor after-school care programs, and participate in the child care food program as of May 15, 1989). Provides for reimbursement for such supplements for children who are not more than 12 years of age (or not more than 15 years of age, in the case of children of migrant workers or children with handicaps). Sets forth administrative provisions relating to payment rates, eligibility for supplements, and content of meal supplements. Extends until September 30, 1992, certain pilot projects under which school districts receive cash payments or commodity letters of credit, instead of donated commodities, under the school lunch program, and under which compensation for certain losses is authorized. Authorizes the Secretary to establish and maintain a Food Service Management Institute for research, training, technical assistance, and information clearinghouse activities. Authorizes appropriations for such Institute for FY 1990 through 1993. Establishes a unified system,to be prescribed and administered by the Secretary, for ensuring that participating local food service authorities comply with school lunch program requirements. Sets forth compliance monitoring duties of the Secretary and State educational agencies under such system, including a duty to minimize imposition of additional duties on local food service authorities. Authorizes appropriations for such compliance and accountability activities for FY 1990 through 1993. Directs the Secretary to provide to each appropriate State agency specified information on income eligibility of children to receive free or reduced price meals and on consideration of applications where the head of the household is less than 21 years old. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to jointly develop and approve, and update as necessary, a publication on nutrition guidance for school food service programs. Directs the Secretary to distribute such publication to school food authorities and other organizations in the school lunch and school breakfast programs and ensure that meals and supplements under such programs are consistent with such guidance in that publication. Subtitle B: Programs Under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 - Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (CNA) to provide for expansion of the School Breakfast Program. Requires State educational agencies (SEAs) to: (1) provide information to school boards and public officials on the benefits and availability of the School Breakfast Program; and (2) select each year, for informational efforts concerning such program, schools which do not participate in such program and in which a substantial portion of the enrollment consists of children from low-income families. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (the Secretary) to report annually to specified congressional committees on Federal and State efforts to increase participation of schools in the School Breakfast Program. Directs the Secretary to use specified amounts from appropriations for such Program in FY 1990 through 1993 to make payments on a competitive basis to SEAs in a substantial number of States for startup costs of school breakfast programs at eligible schools which have a significant percentage of enrollment of children from low-income families and which agree to operate such a program for at least three years. Gives preference to SEAs that submit plans for expanding such programs or implement State laws requiring such expansion. Requires SEAs to give preference to schools in greatest need. Revises provisions for State administrative expenses to require appropriate reimbursements for the State agency administering the school breakfast program (if it is other than the SEA) and for the State agency administering commodity distribution under CNA and NSLA. Requires States to agree to participate fully in studies authorized by the Secretary in order to receive payments for State administrative expenses. Extends through FY 1993 the authorization of appropriations for such State administrative expenses payments. Sets forth additional activities and requirements with respect to the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Provides that income limits for the WIC program are met by persons who meet income limits for free or reduced price meals under the school lunch program, who receive food stamps or Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) or Medicaid, or who are members of a family in which a pregnant woman or an infant receives Medicaid. Requires State agencies to provide adult participants in and applicants for the WIC program with information on food stamps, AFDC, and the child support enforcement program. Requires State agencies to provide such participants and applicants also with information on Medicaid, and to refer them to Medicaid if they are not participating in it and appear to have family income below its limits. Requires State agencies to ensure that each local agency under the WIC program maintains and makes available for distribution a list of local resources for substance abuse counseling and treatment. Includes local breastfeeding promotion programs and alcohol and drug abuse treatment (as well as counseling) programs among those with which the WIC program is to be coordinated under the State plan. Requires the State WIC plan to include provisions for: (1) getting benefits to eligible persons most in need; (2) reaching eligible persons not participating with program information, eligibility criteria, and application procedures; (3) reaching and enrolling eligible women in the early months of pregnancy and eligible migrants; (4) getting program benefits to unserved infants and children under care of foster parents, protective services, or child welfare authorities, including infants exposed to drugs perinatally; and (5) nutrition education and breastfeeding promotion. Requires local WIC agencies operating within or in cooperation with a hospital to: (1) advise of the availability of WIC program benefits any potentially eligible individuals who receive inpatient or outpatient prenatal, maternity, or postpartum services, or accompany a child under age five receiving well-child services; and (2) provide an opportunity within the hospital for certification for WIC participation. Requires State agencies to notify participants, giving relevant categories, before suspending or terminating WIC benefits due to a shortage of funds. Requires State agencies for WIC to provide breastfeeding promotion materials and instruction in languages other than English. Allows State agencies to implement WIC income eligibility guidelines at the time the State implements such guidelines for Medicaid, as long as this is not later than July 1 of each year. Requires local WIC agencies to provide written information on other potential sources of food assistance in the local area to individuals who apply in person but cannot be served because the local WIC program is operating at capacity. Requires State agencies to require local WIC agencies to: (1) attempt to contact pregnant women to reschedule missed application appointments; and (2) if such agencies do not routinely do so, schedule application or recertification appointments to minimize the time of employed individuals' absence from their workplace. Extends through FY 1993 the authorization of appropriations for the WIC program. Sets forth provisions for availability and allocation of such funds. Increases the amount which may be reserved for studies, evaluations, and pilot projects. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study, and report to specified congressional committees, on WIC program access problems of low-income working or rural family members. Directs the Secretary, on completion of the 1990 decennial census and in coordination with the Secretary of Commerce, to make available an estimate, by State and county, of the number of women, infants, and children who are members of families with incomes below the maximum limit for WIC program participation. Requires the Secretary to make available in each fiscal year, from WIC program funds, an amount sufficient to guarantee a national average per participant grant to be allocated for costs of WIC nutrition services and administration incurred by State and local agencies. Sets forth formulas for adjusting such amount and for determining State allotments. Provides that remaining amounts shall be made available for specified food benefits. Authorizes the Secretary to reduce a State agency's operational level for costs of nutritional services and administration if that level exceeds the grant by more than 15 percent without good cause. Requires State agencies to expend a specified portion of WIC funds for nutrition education and breastfeeding promotion and support. Allows State agencies, under specified conditions, to convert allocations for food benefits to costs of nutrition services and administration. Sets forth provisions relating to WIC program cost containment systems. Requires States to use either competitive bidding, or an equally or more effective system of cost containment, for the procurement of infant formula. Requires the Secretary to inform specified congressional committees of waivers from such requirement. Directs the Secretary, during FY 1990, to review, and report to specified congressional committees on, the relationship between specified nutritional risk criteria and the priority system used under the WIC program. Directs the Secretary to review, and report on to the Congress by the end of FY 1990 and 1991, the appropriateness of foods eligible for purchase under the WIC program. Directs the Secretary to review, and report on to the appropriate congressional committees within one year, the effect on costs for nutrition services and administration incurred by State and local agencies of specified amendments made by this Act (including increases and decreases in imposed requirements). Prohibits the Secretary, in implementing specified amendments to the WIC program under this Act, from imposing any new requirement on a State or local agency to place additional paperwork in, or otherwise additionally document, any case file maintained by it. Revises CNA provisions for nutrition education and training. Authorizes appropriations in increasing amounts for FY 1989 through 1991 and subsequent fiscal years for such nutrition education and training programs. Subtitle C: Cross-Program Provisions - Eliminates the 20 percent commodity refusal option under the NSLA. Revises provisions for determination of total commodity assistance for the school lunch and child care food programs under the NSLA. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture (the Secretary) to estimate the total number of commodities to be delivered to each school or child care institution in the current year. Requires adjustments for differences between such prior year and current year numbers of meals served in subsequent estimations. Title II: Paperwork Reduction Amendments - Subtitle A: Reduction of Paperwork Under the National School Lunch Act - Requires that State-local agreements for carrying out the School Lunch Program under the NSLA shall be permanent agreements that may be amended as necessary, but does not limit an SEA's ability to suspend or terminate any such agreement in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Agriculture (the Secretary). Authorizes the Secretary, State, or local food authority to verify data in the application. Authorizes any school food authority to certify any child for free or reduced price lunches, without further application, by directly communicating with the appropriate State or local agency to obtain documentation of the child's membership in a household receiving food stamps or a family receiving AFDC. Authorizes the Secretary, when appropriate, to request each school food authority in the school lunch program to report monthly to the SEA. Directs the Secretary to permit institutions that apply directly to a State agency to participate in the child care food program, at the option of the State agency, to reapply for such assistance at two-year intervals. Directs the Secretary, in carrying out the NSLA and CNA, to: (1) reduce, to the maximum extent possible, the paperwork required of SEAs, schools, and other agencies participating in child nutrition programs; (2) review and simplify application forms and instructions; (3) consult with State and local administrators in reducing and simplifying such paperwork; and (4) report within one year to the Congress on the extent of paperwork reduction in such programs. Subtitle B: Paperwork Reduction Under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 - Eliminates duplicate provisions under CNA. Requires SEAs to disburse funds paid to the State under the Special Milk Program to schools in accordance with agreements approved by the Secretary. Requires that such agreements be permanent (amendable as necessary), but does not limit the SEAs ability to suspend or terminate any such agreement in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Agriculture (the Secretary). Requires that State-local agreements for carrying out the School Breakfast Program be permanent (amendable as necessary), but does not limit an SEA's ability to suspend or terminate any such agreement in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary. Allows local agencies under the WIC program to use a master file to document and monitor provision of nutritional education services to individuals required to be included by the agency in group nutrition educational classes. Authorizes State agencies under the WIC program to provide for delivery of vouchers to any participant not scheduled for nutrition education counseling or recertification interview through means, such as mailing, that do not require a participant to travel to the local agency. Requires State plans to describe mail issuance of vouchers. Prohibits disapproval of the mail issuance of vouchers in specified jurisdictions unless th Secretary finds that it would pose a significant threat to program integrity. Requires each State agency to conduct monitoring reviews of each local agency at least biennially under the WIC program. Requires plans for nutrition education and training to be updated annually. Title III: Technical Amendments - Subtitle A: Amendments to the National School Lunch Act - Makes various technical amendments to the NSLA, including elimination of gender-specific references. Subtitle B: Amendments to the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 - Makes various technical amendments to the CNA, including elimination of gender-specific references. Repeals specified provisions for nutrition education grants.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 1989
Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act to authorize the distribution of a meat article or animal without charge to nonprofit private entities or to Federal, State, or local entities engaged in the distribution of food without charge to individuals, if the article: (1) was inspected and found wholesome and not adulterated; and (2) is marked "Not for Sale." Relieves the United States and the person from whom the meat was seized and condemned from legal responsibility for the article if it: (1) was inspected and found wholesome and not adulterated; and (2) is marked "Not for Sale." Amend the Poultry Products Inspection Act to authorize the distribution of a poultry article without charge to nonprofit private entities or to Federal, State, or local entities engaged in the distribution of food without charge to individuals, if the article: (1) is capable of use as a human food; (2) was inspected and found wholesome and not adulterated; and (3) is marked "Not for Sale." Relieves the United States and the person from whom the poultry was seized and condemned from legal responsibility for the article if it: (1) was inspected and found wholesome and not adulterated; and (2) is marked "Not for Sale."
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 1989
Municipal and Industrial Water Conservation Act of 1989 - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish an Office of Water Conservation to perform specified duties, including: (1) the support of programs to reduce water use and loss in municipal, industrial, commercial, institutional, and residential sectors; (2) the support of dissemination of model water conservation programs; and (3) the promotion of least-cost approaches to water planning and regional approaches to management of water and sewer systems. Calls for intergovernmental coordination in water conservation efforts. Requires the Office to provide technical assistance to States, Indian tribes, utilities, local governments, and others in efforts to implement water conservation policies. Requires regular consultations with major water resources development agencies in order to target limited resources. Requires the Office to develop a series of model water conservation programs with policy options for States, Indian tribes, water utilities, and municipalities. Allows such water users to request feasibility studies of their current and potential water conservation activities. Allocates the costs of such studies, allowing smaller studies to be conducted at full Federal cost. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (as amended by the Water Quality Act of 1987) to require the Administrator to make capitalization grants to State water pollution control revolving funds for conducting municipal and industrial water conservation activities which will reduce operating and capital costs of and needs for waste water treatment facilities. Directs the Office to provide, upon request, technical assistance to businesses and institutions for water efficiency campaigns, plumbing system leak-detection, water use audits, and other water conservation measures. Requires the development of model water conservation programs for businesses and institutions and studies, upon request, of their programs. Directs the Administrator to establish a National Clearinghouse on Water Conservation to collect and disseminate, free of charge, information on water conservation technologies and practices. Establishes the Advisory Council on Water Conservation to make recommendations to the Administrator on activities under this Act. Requires the President's Council on Environmental Quality to require, by rulemaking authority, the consideration of water conservation activities in all relevant environmental impact studies conducted under specified provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Authorizes appropriations through FY 1994 to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 1989
Conservation Reserve Adjustment Act of 1989 - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to encourage the planting of trees on conservation reserve program (CRP) acreage through: (1) cost-sharing programs; (2) increased CRP eligibility of non-highly erodible cropland used as shelterbelts, windbreaks, or wildlife corridors; and (3) CRP eligibility of uncropped wetlands, marginal pastureland, and converted grassland planted to trees.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1989
Title I - Product Liability Reform Act - Declares that this Act governs any product liability action brought against a manufacturer or product seller, on any theory, for harm caused by a product. States that a civil action brought against a manufacturer or product seller for loss or damage to a product itself or commercial loss shall be governed by applicable commercial or contract law. Supersedes any inconsistent State law regarding recovery in such actions. Lists specific laws not superseded, including: (1) defense of sovereign immunity asserted by any State or by the United States; (2) any Federal law (except the Federal Employees Compensation Act and the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act); (3) the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976; (4) State choice-of-law rules; (5) the right of any court to transfer venue or to apply the law of a foreign nation or to dismiss a claim of a foreign nation or citizen on the ground of inconvenient forum; and (6) any statutory or common law cause of action, including an action to abate a nuisance, that authorizes a State or person to institue an action for civil damages or civil penalties, clean up costs, injunctions, restitution, cost recovery, punitive damages, or any other form of relief from contamination or pollution of the environment or the threat of it. Declares that U.S. district courts shall not have jurisdiction over any civil action under this Act, based on specified provisions of Federal law relating to district court jurisdiction. Declares that, if any provision of this Act would shorten the period during which a manufacturer or seller would otherwise be exposed to liability, the claimant may, notwithstanding that period, bring any civil action under this Act within one year after the effective date of this Act. Title II - Allows any claimant to bring a civil action for damages against a person for harm caused by a product under applicable State law, except to the extent such law is superseded by this title. Sets forth expedited settlement measures, including: (1) an option to include an offer of settlement, for a specific dollar amount, by the plaintiff in the complaint and by the defendant in a responsive pleading; and (2) awarding attorney's fees and costs, in certain circumstances, to the prevailing party if the other party does not accept the settlement offer. Sets forth alternative dispute resolution procedures, including: (1) an option, in lieu of or in addition to a settlement offer, for a claimant or a defendant to offer to proceed under any voluntary alternative dispute resolution procedure established or recognized under the law of the State in which the action is brought or maintained; and (2) awarding of attorney's fees and costs to the offering party if the court determines that a refusal to so proceed was unreasonable or not in good faith. Creates a rebuttable presumption that a refusal to so proceed was unreasonable, or not in good faith, if a verdict is rendered in favor of the offeror. Title III - Allows a person seeking to recover for harm caused by a product to bring a civil action against the manufacturer or seller under applicable State or Federal law, except to the extent such law is superseded by this Act. Establishes a standard of product seller liability for proximate causes of harm, established by a preponderance of the evidence, which fall under the categories of negligence or express warranty. Allows the trier of facts, in a negligence action, to consider the conduct of the seller with respect to: (1) the construction, inspection, or condition of the product; and (2) failure to pass on warnings or instructions from the manufacturer. Deems the seller not liable for failure to provide warnings or instructions unless the claimant establishes that the seller failed to: (1) provide warnings or instructions received while the product was in the seller's possession and control; or (2) make reasonable efforts to provide users with warnings and instructions which it received after the product left its possession and control. Deems a seller not liable except for breach of warranty where there was no opportunity to inspect the product in a manner which would or should, in the exercise of reasonable care, have revealed the aspect which allegedly caused the harm. Declares that the seller shall be treated as the manufacturer and be liable for harm caused by a product as if it were the manufacturer if: (1) the manufacturer is not subject to service of process in any State in which the action might have been brought; or (2) the court determines that the claimant would be unable to enforce a judgment against the manufacturer. Allows punitive damages, if otherwise permitted by applicable law, to be awarded in any civil action under this title to any claimant who establishes by clear and convincing evidence that the harm suffered was the result of conduct manifesting a manufacturer's or product seller's conscious, flagrant indifference to the safety of those persons who might be harmed by a product. Declares that a failure to exercise reasonable care in choosing among alternative product designs, formulations, instructions, or warnings is not of itself such conduct. Prohibits awarding punitive damages in the absence of a compensatory award, subject to exception. Prohibits punitive damages against a manufacturer or seller of a drug or medical device where: (1) the drug or device was subject to pre-market approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); or (2) the drug is generally recognized as safe and effective under conditions established by the FDA. Prohibits punitive damages against a manufacturer of an aircraft where: (1) the aircraft was subject to pre-market certification by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); and (2) the manufacturer complied, after delivery, with FAA requirements and obligations with respect to continuing airworthiness. Provides for separate proceedings, if requested by the manufacturer or seller, with regard to punitive damages. Lists factors the trier of fact is allowed to consider in determining the amount of punitive damages. Bars any civil action under this title: (1) unless filed within two years after the claimant discovered or should have discovered the harm and its cause, subject to exception; and (2) if the product involved is a capital good that is alleged to have caused harm which is not a toxic harm unless filed within twenty-five years after delivery of the product, provided the claimant has received or would be eligible for State or Federal workers' compensation. Excludes a motor vehicle, vessel, aircraft, or railroad used primarily to transport passengers for hire from these time limitations. States that nothing in these provisions affects the right of any person who is subject to liability under this Act to obtain contribution or indemnity from any other person who is responsible for the harm. Requires reduction in the damages awarded by the sum of all State or Federal workers' compensation benefits to which the employee is or would be entitled. Requires an action to be stayed, at the sole discretion of the claimant, until a final determination is made on the amount payable as workers' compensation benefits. Declares that, unless the manufacturer or seller has expressly agreed to indemnify or hold an employer harmless, neither the employer nor the workers' compensation insurance carrier shall have a right of subrogation, contribution, or implied indemnity against the manufacturer or seller or a lien against the claimant's recovery. Prohibits a third party tortfeasor, where workers' compensation is involved, from maintaining any action for implied indemnity or contribution against the employer, any coemployee, or the exclusive representative of the injured person. Prohibits, for a person who is or would have been entitled to receive workers' compensation, any other action, unless a State or Federal workers' compensation law permits recovery based on a claim of an intentional tort. Makes these provisions inapplicable and declares that applicable State law shall control if the employer or the workers' compensation insurer asserts a right of subrogation, contribution, or implied indemnity against the manufacturer or seller or a lien against the claimant's recovery. Declares that, in any product liability action, the liability of each defendant for noneconomic damages shall be several and not joint. Requires the trier of fact to determine the proportion of responsibility of each party for the claimant's harm. Establishes a complete defense, in any civil action under this Act in which all defendants are manufacturers or sellers, that the claimant was under the influence of alcohol or any drug and that, as a result, the claimant was more than 50 percent responsible for the event which resulted in the harm. Defines "drug" to mean any non-over-the-counter drug which has not been prescribed by a physician.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1989
Displaced Homemakers and Single Parents Homeownership Assistance Act - States that displaced homemakers and single parents shall not be deemed ineligible for Federal assistance for first-time homebuyers on the basis of previous home ownership or residence while married or a homemaker.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1989
Declares it is U.S. policy to provide a national air transportation system which: (1) enhances the general welfare and security of the United States; and (2) is free of regulations which unreasonably burden or restrict the right of citizens to travel by air. Requires the President to submit to the Congress a plan for a new comprehensive national aviation policy.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 1989
Alternative Agricultural Products Research Act of 1989 - Establishes in the Department of Agriculture the New Products Research Board to be administered by the Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Science and Education. States that the Board shall advise the Assistant Secretary with respect to research project selection and evaluation under this Act. Authorizes a plant modification research program focusing on the development and production of new (non-food and -fiber) industrial and commercial products. Gives priority to biotechnological research projects. Sets forth project selection criteria. Authorizes FY 1990 through 2008 appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 1989
Self-Employed Equity Act - Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions relating to the income tax deduction for the health insurance costs of self-employed individuals to: (1) increase the allowable deduction from 25 percent to 100 percent; and (2) make the deduction permanent (under current law it will expire after tax year 1989).
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 1989
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the minimum coverage requirements for pensions all railroad employees who are not covered by a collective bargaining agreement which includes a qualified cash or deferred arrangement pension plan.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 1989
Innovative Alternatives to Imprisonment Act of 1989 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize grants to States to carry out projects that demonstrate innovative alternatives to incarceration for individuals convicted of nonviolent offenses. Includes boot camp prisons as such alternatives, in conjunction with drug treatment, literacy education, vocational education, and job training programs. Makes drug treatment mandatory for drug offenders. Sets forth: (1) application procedures and requirements for grants; and (2) procedures for review of applications. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 1989
Title I: Special Status for Persons with Disabilities Whose Earnings Exceed Substantial Gainful Activity - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to continue an individual's entitlement to disability benefits and disability-based child's insurance benefits (other than those based on blindness) while such individual is under a special status, meaning that such individual is earning enough to be considered engaged in substantial gainful activity (currently, $85 per month), but would otherwise continue to satisfy eligibility requirements. Reduces such monthly benefits by 50 percent of a beneficiary's monthly earnings in excess of $85. Applies Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program (title XVI of the Social Security Act), rather than OASDI, benefit reduction rules to the total benefits of an individual who is entitled to disability-based child's insurance benefits and SSI benefits. Prohibits the recovery of overpayments from persons on the same wage record as an individual whose disability-based child's insurance benefits are reduced to recover overpayments resulting from the failure to take such individual's wages into account. Extends to current OASDI disability beneficiaries the rule preventing reductions in the primary insurance amount for prior recipients. Title II: Amendments to Section 1619 of the Social Security Act - Amends the SSI program to deem OASDI disability benefiticaries who lose disability benefits after their trial work period to have been eligible for SSI benefits and thus qualified to participate in the SSI work incentive program if yet disabled. Title III: Conforming Amendments Relating to Title XVI - Excludes spousal income and all costs of attendant care in determining whether a disabled individual should be considered as receiving SSI benefits for Medicaid (title XIX of the Social Security Act) eligibility purposes. Excludes impairment-related work expenses from an individual's income in determing the amount of, and his or her eligibility for, a State supplementary payment under the SSI program. Preserves the Medicaid eligibility of individuals who become ineligible for SSI benefits due to a cost-of-living increase in OASDI benefits. Eliminates the requirement that an individual be under age 65 to be considered to be receiving SSI benefits for Medicaid eligibility purposes. Requires States to provide supplementary payments to individuals participating in the SSI work incentive program. Treats royalties, grants, honorariums, scholarships, and fellowships as earned income for SSI eligibility purposes. Title IV: Amendments Relating to Medicare and Medicaid Programs - Amends the OASDI program to set a four-year limit on the Medicare hospital insurance (part A of the Medicare program) eligibility of individuals who owe their eligibility to their special status under the OASDI program. Amends the Medicare program to authorize such individuals to enroll for hospital insurance benefits upon the termination of such four-year limit, provided they enroll for Medicare supplementary insurance benefits under part B. Gives such option to the blind when their hospital insurance eligibility is set to expire. Amends the Medicaid program to cover Medicare cost-sharing amounts for individuals of special status and the blind who are entitled to enroll for Medicare hospital insurance benefits and whose income and resources do not exceed 250 or, at the State's option, 350 percent of the Federal poverty level and the SSI resource eligibility limit, respectively. Requires States to collect a coinsurance percentage from such individuals pursuant to a sliding scale which increases such percentage from 0 to 100 percent in reasonable increments as incomes move from 150 to 250 or 350 percent of the Federal poverty level.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 1989
Great Lakes Maritime Trade Act of 1989 - Title I: Eligibility of Certain Reflagged Vessels in the Great Lakes to Carry Preference Cargoes - Exempts an American Great Lakes vessel (AGLV) from provisions of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936 which prohibit a vessel which is built or rebuilt outside the United States or documented under any foreign registry from being, for purposes of cargo preference provisions, a privately owned U.S.-flag vessel. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to designate a vessel to be an AGLV if it meets certain requirements regarding U.S. documentation and if the owner enters into a construction and purchase agreement specifying that: (1) all repair, maintenance, reconditioning, and other construction (except emergency repairs) shall be performed in the United States; and (2) if the designation is revoked or terminated under provisions of this Act, the United States shall have an exclusive right to purchase the vessel under specified price terms. Declares that, notwithstanding any law, if the United States does not purchase the vessel, the owner shall not be prohibited from transferring the vessel to a foreign registry or selling it to a non-U.S. citizen. Prohibits an AGLV, except during the Great Lakes shipping off-season, from engaging in trade: (1) from a non-Great Lakes U.S. port; (2) between U.S. ports; or (3) between Great Lakes U.S. ports and Great Lakes Canadian ports. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to revoke the designation of a vessel as an AGLV on determining that the vessel does not meet a requirement for the designation, it has been operated in violation of this title, or the owner has violated a construction and purchase agreement under this title. Terminates an AGLV designation three years after the date of the designation or on an earlier date as may be requested by the vessel owner. Title II: Great Lakes Maritime Passage Enhancements - Amends the Merchant Marine Act, 1936 to extend indefinitely, with regard to certain cargo preference provisions, the requirement that the Secretary of Transportation take steps to preserve the percentage share, or metric tonnage of bagged, processed, or fortified commodities experienced in calendar year 1984, of waterborne cargoes exported from Great Lakes ports pursuant to specified provisions of the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954. Directs the Secretary of the Army, notwithstanding specified requirements of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986, to initiate and complete the design, planning, and engineering of the Sault Sainte Marie lock project. Extends the authorization of such project to the end of FY 1993. Directs the Secretary of State to: (1) initiate discussions with Canada to eliminate all tolls on the Great Lakes and the Saint Lawrence Seaway; and (2) report to the Congress, by January 1, 1990, regarding those efforts, any results, and recommendations for further action. Declares that it is the sense of the Congress that: (1) funding for icebreaking capability in the Great Lakes should be maintained at a level sufficient to ensure passage under any conditions which may reasonably be expected to occur during the Great Lakes shipping season; and (2) it is essential to maintain in the Great Lakes an icebreaking vessel with horsepower and beam equivalent to those of the Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1989
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow farmers' cooperatives to elect to treat as ordinary income or loss certain capital gains and losses from the disposition of assets used in conducting business with or for patrons.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1989
Urges the Government of Iran to extend to the Bahai community the rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other human rights accords. Calls upon the President to: (1) emphasize the need for improvements in Iran's treatment of the Bahais and other religious minorities as an important factor in the development of U.S.-Iranian relations; (2) encourage other governments to appeal to Iran concerning the situation of the Bahais; (3) cooperate with other governments and international organizations in appealing for the protection of the religious rights of the Bahais; and (4) provide, and urge others to provide, refugee and humanitarian assistance for the those Bahais fleeing their homelands because of religious repression.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1989
Federal Fish Inspection Act - Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act to add a new title relating to fish inspection. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish an inspection program designed to ensure the safety and wholesomeness of fish and fish products. Requires the program to: (1) cover processing, storage, and handling; (2) include imported and domestic fish products; (3) provide for registration and inspection of fish processing facilities and vessels; and (4) identify geographic areas producing products that exceed the safety standards developed under the title added by this Act. Directs the Secretary to establish standards governing: (1) sanitary conditions and processing, storage, and handling practices; (2) the safety and wholesomeness of fish products; and (3) packaging and labeling. Directs the Secretary to carry out monitoring and surveillance to assure compliance with such standards. Requires the compliance system to: (1) be in accordance with the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point method; (2) provide for the appointment and training of inspection officers; (3) contain reporting and recordkeeping requirements; and (4) provide for enforcement, including civil and criminal penalties. Directs the Secretary to conduct and support research with respect to: (1) testing the methodology for biological and chemical contaminants; (2) inspection techniques and procedures; and (3) sanitation practices for processing, transportation, and storage. Directs the Secretary to conduct and support public education programs in furtherance of the title added by this Act. Directs the Secretary to: (1) avoid duplication of Federal and State efforts; (2) minimize disruption in the fish industry; (3) consult with other Federal agencies; (4) provide technical, advisory, and financial assistance to States to encourage State programs consistent with the title added by this Act; and (5) ensure establishment of arrangements with foreign nations to ensure mutual acceptance of standards and inspection programs. Makes title I through IV of the Federal Meat Inspection Act inapplicable to the title added by this Act. Authorizes appropriations for each fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1989
Missile Control Act of 1989 - Amends the Arms Export Control Act to set forth measures the United States shall take to improve the control and reduce the proliferation of missiles and missile equipment and technology. Requires the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense to deny government contracts to any domestic or foreign firms or state entity that has transferred missile equipment and technology in violation of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) guidelines. Directs the Secretary of State to report to the Congress annually on transfers of missile equipment and technology MTCR nonadherents. Amends the Export Administration Act of 1979 to require the Secretary of Commerce to direct the Office of Export Licensing to refer all license applications for the export of items on the MTCR annex, excluding those directed to MTCR adherents and NATO programs, to the Secretary of State and, if requested, to the Secretary of Defense. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish a procedure that would permit the Secretaries of State and Defense to have access to computer lists of license applications for missile equipment and technology. Provides for licensing of missile equipment and technology exports. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to report to the Congress annually on requests for and the granting of missile equipment and technology export licenses.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1989
Designates the period of September 16 through October 9, 1989, as Coastweeks '89, recognizing the importance of coastal zones. Designates September 16, 1989, as National Estuaries Day and September 23, 1989, as National Beach Cleanup Day.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1989
Declares that the Senate: (1) expresses its disappointment that the Texas statute prohibiting the desecration of the flag was found to be unconstitutional; (2) expresses its commitment to preserving the honor and integrity of the flag; (3) intends to make a study of the impact of the Supreme Court decision on Federal and State laws and to seek ways to restore sanctions against such conduct; and (4) urges the American people to continue to display proudly the American flag.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 1989
Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to permit the Secretary of Agriculture to waive the principal due on agricultural regular or producer reserve loans in order to avoid loan collateral forfeiture.
![Official portrait of Sen. Lugar, Richard G. [R-IN]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/l000504_200.jpg)