The world's political record
Person
![Official portrait of Sen. Mack, Connie, III [R-FL]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m000019_200.jpg)
United States · Official source
2,265 records where Sen. Mack, Connie, III [R-FL] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1994
Designates the week of November 6 through 12, 1994, as National Health Information Management Week.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1994
Social Security Trust Fund Protection Act of 1994 - Amends the Budget Enforcement Act of 1990 to prohibit the House of Representatives or the Senate from considering any bill, joint resolution, amendment, motion, or conference report that would increase the aggregate tax liability: (1) on Social Security benefits and does not deposit the revenue resulting from such increase in the trust funds under increase title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act; or (2) of certain Railroad Retirement benefits and does not deposit the revenue resulting from such increase in the Social Security Equivalent Benefit Account.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1994
Housing for Older Persons Act of 1994 - Amends the Fair Housing Act to exempt communities in which at least 80 percent of the residents are age 55 or older from certain familial status discrimination prohibitions. Exempts a person (or real estate agent) from civil monetary penalties for good faith reliance upon such exemption.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 1994
Unlisted Trading Privileges Act of 1994 - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to modify the guidelines under which a national securities exchange may extend unlisted trading privileges for corporate securities. Directs the Securities and Exchange Commission to prescribe, as necessary, the time period after commencement of an initial public offering during which a national securities exchange is prohibited from extending unlisted trading privileges. Subjects the extension of unlisted trading privileges by a national securities exchange to Commission rules and/or approval. Provides for suspension and reinstatement of such privileges.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 1994
World War II Peace Accords Commemorative Coin Act - Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the 50th anniversary of the signing of the World War II peace accords on the U.S.S. Missouri should not go unrecognized at the national level; and (2) the United States should recognize such anniversary by minting and issuing a commemorative coin. Sets forth specifications for half dollar clad coins. Mandates that the surcharges received from the sale of such coins be paid by the Secretary of the Treasury to the Admiral Nimitz Foundation for the purpose of preserving the Pacific War heritage of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1994
Designates 1995 as the Year of the Grandparent.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1994
Establishes the Special Subcommittee on Certain Allegations Concerning Whitewater Development Corporation, Madison Guaranty Savings and Loan Association, and Capital Management Services, Inc., and Related Issues within the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Declares that the purpose of such Subcommittee shall be to conduct an investigation into, and study matters related to: (1) Whitewater, Madison, Capital Management, the Arkansas Development Finance Authority, and Value Partners I; (2) the conduct and policies of specified Federal executive and regulatory agencies; and (3) the circumstances surrounding Hillary Rodham Clinton's commodities-futures trading activities. Requires the Subcommittee to report its findings to the Senate.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 1994
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Work Requirements for Welfare Recipients Title II: Promotion of Marriage and Social Responsibility Subtitle A: Welfare Benefits Subtitle B: Grants for Assistance to Children Born Out-of-Wedlock Subtitle C: Tax Credit for Certain Low-Income Families Subtitle D: Expansion of Abstinence Education Title III: Child Support Enforcement Title IV: Specific Reforms in Welfare Spending Title V: State Options and Miscellaneous Provisions Title VI: Capping the Aggregate Growth of Welfare Spending Welfare Reform Act of 1994 - Title I: Work Requirements for Welfare Recipients - Amends Part A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) (AFDC) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require each State, as a condition of participation in the AFDC program, to establish a workfare and dependency reduction program meeting specified requirements. (Sec. 101) Sets forth program participation requirements for parents in the AFDC unemployed parent program and certain noncustodial parents, including a specified mix of weekly community work service and job search activities or benefits to wages program participation. Specifies participation requirements for each adult AFDC recipient in a single-adult family. Requires States to establish: (1) a community work service program under which a participating individual shall work for a public or nonprofit private sector organization; and (2) a benefits to wages program under which an individual shall work for a qualified private employer whom the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall pay a wage subsidy on behalf of such individual equal to the amount of AFDC allotment and the cash value of food stamp benefits the individual would otherwise receive. Sets forth penalties (including allotment reductions and eligibility denials) for individuals, including noncustodial parents, who fail to meet participation requirements. Prohibits participating organizations or entities from replacing any employed workers with participating AFDC individuals. Specifies payments to States for welfare and dependency reduction programs. Requires State plans to require custodial parents under 19 years old who have not successfully completed a high-school education to participate in an educational activity, either a high-school diploma or equivalency degree program or other training or work activities. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for advance payments of the earned income tax credit to employees in a benefits to wages program. (Sec. 102) Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to deny food stamp eligibility to any able-bodied individual belonging to a household otherwise eligible for food stamps if that individual has not performed at least 32 hours of work on behalf of a State or local government, through a program established by that government, during the preceding month. (Sec. 103) Specifies job search requirements for AFDC applicants and recipients with children over five years old. Title II: Promotion of Marriage and Social Responsibility - Subtitle A: Welfare Benefits - Declares the sense of the Congress that: (1) marriage is the foundation of a successful society; and (2) in view of specified negative consequences of out-of-wedlock birth on the child, the mother, and society, the reduction of such births is an important government interest. (Sec. 201) Amends SSA title IV Part A (AFDC) and the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to require State plans and State food stamp agencies, respectively, with specified exceptions, to deny AFDC payments for a child born to any unmarried individual under 26 (or later age, if the State so determines). Allows such payments if the child is legally adopted or if the child's custodian marries an individual who assumes lawful paternity or permanent legal guardianship and financial responsibility for the child. Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to require public housing contracts to provide for denial of housing and rental assistance in the same circumstances. (Sec. 202) Amends SSA title IV Part A (AFDC) and the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to require similar denial of benefits with respect to any additional children born while the custodial parent was receiving assistance. (Sec. 203) Amends SSA title IV Part A (AFDC) to require reductions in AFDC payments to a family where a child has been born for whom paternity has not been established. Provides for such payments, notwithstanding such denial policy, for a child of up to four months old if some identifying information on the putative father is provided. Subtitle B: Grants for Assistance to Children Born Out-Of-Wedlock - Amends SSA title IV Part A (AFDC) to provide for grants to States for programs to discourage out-of-wedlock births and to care for children born out-of-wedlock. Allows the use of such funds to: (1) establish or expand out-of-wedlock pregnancy reduction programs; (2) promote adoption; (3) establish and operate orphanages; and (4) establish and operate closely supervised residential group homes for unwed mothers. (Sec. 211) Prohibits payments to: (1) parents of out-of-wedlock children; or (2) such children if parent and child live in any conventional residential or community setting, including a relative's household or a household headed by the custodial parent. Subtitle C: Tax Credit for Certain Low-Income Families - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an additional earned income tax credit for a married individual who: (1) has lived together with his or her spouse at all times during the marriage during the taxable year; and (2) has earned at least $8,500 in income for such year. Subtitle D: Expansion of Abstinence Education - Directs the HHS Secretary to make grants to States and public and private entities to establish educational programs beginning in the sixth grade or later that emphasize the social, psychological, and health gains to be derived from abstaining from sexual activity while unmarried. Authorizes appropriations. Title III: Child Support Enforcement - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a system for the reporting of information relating to child support obligations of employees, including mandatory reporting of such information on W-4 forms. (Sec. 302) Amends SSA title IV Part A (AFDC) to require State agencies to: (1) maintain child support order registries; (2) make all pertinent State records accessible to any agency of any other State through the Interstate Locate Network; (3) give custodial parents access to State parent locator services to aid in establishment and enforcement of child support obligations against noncustodial parents; and (4) give noncustodial parents access to such services to aid in establishment of visitation rights. (Sec. 303) Provides for expansion of the Parent Locator Service. Directs the HHS Secretary to establish an Interstate Locate Network linking the Parent Locator Service and all State databases. Requires regulations governing information sharing among States, within States, and between the States and the Parent Locator Service. (Sec. 304) Amends SSA title IV Part A (AFDC) to require States to have laws requiring employers to withhold child support pursuant to uniform income withholding orders. (Sec. 305) Requires the responsible unit within HHS to develop: (1) a uniform abstract of a child support order containing specified terms for use by all State courts; and (2) procedures providing for voluntary establishment or acknowledgement of paternity. (Sec. 306) Waives the application and genetic testing fees for any individual receiving child support collection or paternity determination services who has been denied AFDC, food stamp, and housing assistance under this Act. Title IV: Specific Reforms in Welfare Spending - Amends the National School Lunch Act to reduce the income eligibility guidelines for reduced price lunches from 185 to 130 percent of the applicable family-size nonfarm income levels. (Sec. 402) Repeals the Mickey Leland Childhood Hunger Relief Act. Applies the Food Stamp Act of 1977 as if the Mickey Leland Childhood Hunger Relief Act had not been enacted. (Sec. 403) Amends the Revenue Reconciliation Act of 1993 to repeal the mandates and authorities for empowerment zones and enterprise communities. (Sec. 404) Amends SSA title IV Part A (AFDC) to reduce by 25 percent monthly benefits to AFDC families who also receive public housing benefits. (Sec. 405) Repeals the Davis-Bacon Act (which requires Federal contractors and subcontractors to pay prevailing wages). (Sec. 406) Reduces the authorization of appropriations for social services block grants for each fiscal year after FY 1994. (Sec. 407) Limits specified welfare benefits, currently available to aliens, to U.S. citizens only. Declares that it is the policy of the Congress that States and local educational agencies should not be required to provide a free public elementary or secondary education to any individual who is not a U.S. citizen, a lawful resident alien, or an alien permanently residing in the United States under color of law. Requires a State or local educational agency to notify the Attorney General whenever it learns of a public school child who does not belong to any such category. Requires immediate deportation proceedings against such child. (Sec. 408) Amends SSA title XVI (Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for the Aged, Blind, and Disabled) to direct the HHS Secretary to issue vouchers in lieu of cash benefits to each eligible child under 18 to cover the cost of certain medical expenses. (Sec. 409) Requires an eligibility review during the year after the 18th birthday of any individual receiving disability benefits. (Sec. 410) Requires a specified reduction of the authorization of appropriations for low-income home energy assistance for any fiscal year. Title V: State Options and Miscellaneous Provisions - Amends SSA title IV Part A (AFDC), the Food Stamp Act of 1977, and the United States Housing Act of 1937 to allow States the option to: (1) place a time limit on AFDC, food stamp, and housing assistance to any individual; and (2) apply that time limit to any household moving to a State from another State with such a time limit. (Sec. 502) Amends SSA title IV Part A (AFDC) to give a State the option to treat interstate immigrants under the AFDC benefit rules of their former State. (Sec. 503) Directs the Secretary of Labor, in cooperation with the States, to conduct ongoing evaluations of Federal and State job training programs. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 504) Amends specified parts of the Social Security Act, the Food Stamp Act of 1977, and the United States Housing Act of 1937 to require safeguards and information exchange among law enforcement agencies to ensure that fugitive felons and probation and parole violators do not receive Medicaid, AFDC benefits, food stamps, SSI, or housing assistance. Requires public housing agencies to furnish Federal, State or local law enforcement agencies, upon request, the current address of any assistance recipient identified as a fugitive felon or probation or parole violator. Title VI: Capping the Aggregate Growth of Welfare Spending - Specifies FY 1995 through 1996 and subsequent fiscal year caps on Federal spending on certain welfare programs. (Sec. 602) Directs the HHS Secretary to make welfare block grants to the States for aid to low-income households. Prohibits the use of such funds for abortions or for any counseling related to abortion. Sets forth general work, job search, and training requirements for aid recipients, as well as certain participation requirements for States. Denies cash or direct food assistance to young unwed parents as under title II of this Act, or to noncitizens, fugitive felons, or probation or parole violators. (Sec. 603) Terminates funding and State obligations under specified cash, medical, housing, energy, education, jobs and training, social services, and low-income community aid welfare programs as of the end of FY 1994. (Sec. 604) Dedicates to deficit reduction all Federal savings under the spending cap mandated by this title. Requires the adjustment of the present discretionary spending caps for the net increase in discretionary spending that results from the creation of the welfare block grant as a replacement for current welfare entitlement programs. (Sec. 605) Sets forth special rules, upon termination of the AFDC program, with respect to grants for assistance to children born out-of-wedlock. (Sec. 606) Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) with respect to Medicaid eligibility criteria after enactment of this Act. Authorizes States to request a waiver to simplify such criteria. Requires the HHS Secretary to review and approve such requests only if Federal Medicaid expenditures will not be increased as a result.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 1994
Designates August 1, 1994, as Helsinki Human Rights Day. Authorizes the President to reassert America's commitment to the Helsinki Accords and requests him to: (1) convey to all signatories of the Accords that respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is a vital element of further progress in the ongoing Helsinki process; and (2) develop new proposals to advance the human rights objectives of such process to address the major problems that remain.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1994
Designates 1995 the Year of the Girl Child.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1994
Family Cancer Screening and Research Partnership Act of 1994 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Director of the National Cancer Institute to provide matching research awards for breast, cervical, and prostate cancer treatment research. Authorizes grants for breast, cervical, and prostate screening for low-income or geographically isolated persons. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1994
Designates July 16 through 24, 1994, as National Apollo Anniversary Observance.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 1994
Designates October 1994 as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 1994
Designates September 18 through 24, 1994, as Iron Overload Diseases Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 1994
Congressional Accountability Act - Makes specified Federal statutes (or provisions thereof) applicable to the offices and employees of the legislative branch of the Federal Government, including (with exceptions): (1) the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA); (2) the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA); (3) the Civil Rights Act of 1964; (4) the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; (5) the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA); (6) the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; (7) the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993; (8) the Employee Polygraph Protection Act of 1988; (9) the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act; (10) the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA); (11) the Privacy Act of 1974 (Privacy Act); and (12) provisions governing Federal labor-management relations. (Sec. 3) Establishes in the legislative branch an Office of Compliance. Provides for a Board of Directors: (1) to issue regulations that specify the manner in which provisions of this Act shall be implemented to ensure compliance; (2) when proposing regulations, to recommend to the Congress any needed changes in or repeals of existing law to accommodate the application of such provision to its employees and offices; and (3) to study provisions of Federal law relating to employment, personnel actions, or availability of information to the public that are similar to such provision and that do not apply to congressional offices or employees, and recommend to the Congress whether any of those provisions should be applied to congressional offices or employees. Sets forth congressional disapproval procedures with respect to the issuance of regulations of, and rulemaking by, the Office. Requires the Board to carry out a program to inform Members of Congress, congressional employees, and heads of congressional offices as to the provisions, including remedies, made applicable to the legislative branch. (Sec. 5) Sets forth procedures for consideration of alleged violations of civil rights and personnel requirements, including: (1) step I, counseling; (2) step II, mediation; and (3) at the election of the employee alleging the violation, step IIIA, formal complaint and hearing by a hearing board, and step IV, judicial review of a hearing board decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, or step IIIB, a civil action in a U.S. district court. (Sec. 11) Sets forth procedures for consideration of alleged violations relating to: (1) information requirements; and (2) labor management and occupational health and safety requirements. (Sec. 13) Makes FOIA and the Privacy Act inapplicable to specified offices, including the personnel offices of Members of Congress, congressional committees, and the offices of any caucus or partisan organization related to the Congress. (Sec. 15) Treats intimidation of, or reprisal against, a congressional employee by any Member or officer of the Congress, any head of a congressional office, or any congressional employee, because of the exercise of a right under this Act, as an unlawful employment practice. (Sec. 16) Sets forth provisions regarding confidentiality with respect to counseling, mediation, hearings, release of records for judicial review, and access by congressional committees. (Sec. 17) Requires the Office, on a regular basis and at least once during each Congress, to request that the Secretary of Labor and the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board detail to the Office such personnel as necessary to inspect the facilities of the legislative branch to ensure compliance with OSHA, FLSA, and ADA. (Sec. 18) Requires the executive director of the office (appointed by the chairperson of the Board) to: (1) collect information with respect to complaints filed under this Act; and (2) submit for publication in the Congressional Record a report containing such information, without identifying parties by name. (Sec. 19) Specifies that it shall not be a violation to consider the party affiliation, domicile, or political compatibility with the employing office of an employee with respect to employment decisions issued under this Act. (Sec. 20) Prohibits a congressional employee from commencing a judicial proceeding to redress practices prohibited under this Act, except as provided in this Act. (Sec. 22) Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1994
Expresses the sense of the Senate with respect to mammography screening to detect breast cancer in women ages 40 to 49.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1994
Directs that the eulogies offered concerning the life of the Honorable Richard M. Nixon, former President of the United States, be bound and printed as a Senate document.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 1994
Prohibits the President or any other member of the executive branch from interfering with the transfer of arms to the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Requires the President to terminate the U.S. arms embargo of such government upon receipt from such government of a request for assistance in exercising its right of self-defense under the United Nations Charter.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 1994
Authorizes Escambia County, Florida, to convey certain lands to a political subdivision of the State of Florida. (Currently, such lands may be conveyed by the County only by lease or to the Federal Government, the State of Florida, or a State agency.)
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 1994
Designates 1995 as Jazz Centennial Year.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 1994
Small Business Investment and Growth Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a maximum small business tax rate on taxable small business income for individuals, partnerships, or certain S corporations. Describes such income as the least of: (1) income from the active conduct of a trade or business in which the taxpayer is a material participant; (2) net earnings from self-employment; or (3) the taxpayer's share of additions to a qualified retained earnings account of such trade or business. Allows distributions from such account to pay ordinary and necessary business expenses or to pay the tax imposed by this Act. Excludes from employment taxes the portion of taxable small business income in excess of $135,000.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 1994
United Negro College Fund 50th Anniversary Resolution - Designates May 8 through 14, 1994, as United Negro College Fund Week.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1994
Poverty Data Improvement Act of 1994 - Requires the Secretary of Commerce to biennially produce and publish data relating to the incidence of poverty for each State, county or borough, and local government, including Alaska native villages, (compiled from the most recent decennial census and for each school district). Authorizes such data to be produced by means of sampling, estimation, or any other method that the Secretary determines will produce current, comprehensive, and reliable data. Authorizes the Secretary to aggregate school districts if reliable data could not otherwise be produced for each school district, but only to the extent necessary to achieve reliability. Requires such data to be appropriately identified and accompanied by a detailed explanation as to how and why aggregation was used (including the measures taken to minimize any such aggregation). Requires the Secretary, if unable to produce and publish such data for any area, to report to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives on each government or school district excluded and the reasons therefor.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1994
Historically Black Colleges and Universities Historic Building Restoration and Preservation Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to make grants to historically black colleges and universities for the preservation and restoration of historic buildings and structures on their campuses. Requires a grantee to covenant, for the period of time specified by the Secretary, that: (1) no alteration shall be made to the property with respect to which the grant is made without the concurrence of the Secretary; and (2) reasonable public access to such property shall be permitted for interpretive and educational purposes. Limits the Federal share of a grant for a building or structure listed on the National Register of Historic Places to 50 percent of the cost of the grant project. Authorizes the Secretary to waive the cost-share requirement if an extreme emergency exists or if such a waiver is in the public interest to assure the preservation of historically significant resources. Directs the Secretary to make such grants from amounts made available to carry out the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. Limits amounts made available for this Act for FY 1995 through 1998. Earmarks funds for FY 1995 for grants to: (1) Fisk University; and (2) historically black colleges and universities identified for inclusion in the Department of the Interior Historically Black College and University Historic Preservation Initiative.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1994
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Private Securities Litigation Title II: Financial Disclosure Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1994 - Title I: Private Securities Litigation - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Act) to prohibit brokers or dealers from soliciting or accepting referral fees from an attorney for obtaining the representation of a customer in any implied private action. Prohibits the use of disgorgement funds resulting from actions brought by the Securities Exchange Commission (the Commission) to pay legal expenses incurred by private parties seeking distribution of such funds. Modifies the guidelines for class action litigation, including: (1) recovery by named plaintiffs in the same manner as all other members of the class; (2) court determination of conflicts of interest on the part of counsel with a beneficial interest in the securities that are the subject of the litigation; (3) restrictions on settlements under seal; (4) restrictions on payment of attorney's fees from settlement funds; (5) disclosure of settlement terms to class members; (6) special verdicts; and (7) the threshold enabling a plaintiff to obtain certification as representative for the class. Prescribes procedural guidelines for alternative dispute resolution. Establishes a limitations period for implied private rights of action. Provides for a court-appointed guardian ad litem or class action steering committee to oversee counsel and settlement offers for the plaintiff class. Delineates the requirements for securities fraud actions. Amends the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations statute to exclude from its purview an action involving fraud in the sale of securities. Title II: Financial Disclosure - Directs the Commission to re-examine the regulatory and judicial framework with respect to predictive statements ("forward-looking statements") concerning the future economic performance of an issuer of securities. Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to prescribe litigation procedures governing safe harbors for forward-looking statements. Modifies requirements for audits conducted by an independent public accountant of an issuer's financial statements to include procedures to: (1) detect illegal acts; (2) identify related party transactions material to financial statements; and (3) evaluate an issuer's ability to continue as a going concern. Sets forth notification and reporting guidelines for a public accountant who detects illegal activities during the course of an audit. Limits such auditor's liability for complying with such guidelines. Establishes civil penalties for an auditor's noncompliance with this Act. Modifies the allocation of damages scheme to distinguish between primary degrees of responsibility and the application of proportionate liability. Directs the Commission to establish a Public Auditing Self-Disciplinary Board (the Board). Prohibits a public accounting firm from furnishing an accountant's report on any document required to be filed with the Commission unless it has registered with the Board. Requires the Board to establish guidelines for: (1) investigations and disciplinary proceedings against public accounting firms; and (2) criteria for certification of public accountant peer review organizations. Grants the Commission responsibility for oversight of the Board. Includes within Board jurisdiction a foreign public accounting firm that furnishes accountant's reports on any document required to be filed with the Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1994
Designates October 16 through 22, 1994, as National Character Counts Week.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1994
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Statement of Congressional Purpose Title II: Binding Budget Law Title III: Enforcement Mechanics Title IV: Sustaining Mechanism Title V: Protection of Social Security Title VI: Timetable Title VII: Conforming Amendments Title VIII: Definitions and Rules of Interpretation Title IX: Effective Date Budget Process Reform Act - Title I: Statement of Congressional Purpose - Declares that the purpose of this Act is to facilitate rational, informed, and timely decisions by the Congress in the course of the Federal budget process. (Sec. 102) Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Federal budget process should focus the attention of policymakers and the public on the aggregate impact of Federal spending on the economy, and on the tradeoffs that must be made among priorities in order to control overall levels of spending. (Sec. 103) Declares that the budget process should contain safeguards against delay and inaction, so that temporary shut-downs of the Government may be avoided. Title II: Binding Budget Law - Requires the Congress to enact a binding budget law, in the form of a joint resolution, by April 15 of the calendar year before that in which the fiscal period commences. (Sec. 202) Makes it out of order in the House of Representatives of the Senate to consider any spending bill affecting spending in a major functional category unless and until a joint resolution on the budget is enacted. (Sec. 203) Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to prohibit baseline budgeting. (Sec. 204) Requires the President to submit to the Congress on or before the 15th day after a joint resolution on the budget is enacted a detailed budget for the fiscal period beginning on October 1 of the current calendar year. Title III: Enforcement Mechanics - Subtitle A: Supermajority Required to Break Budget Law - Requires a three-fifths majority vote in the House and the Senate to consider any spending bill prior to the enactment of the budget law. (Sec. 302) Requires the Congressional Budget Office to provide to the Congress an estimate of the costs in each major functional category of certain spending bills as soon as practicable after its introduction. Requires a three-fifths affirmative vote in the House and the Senate to consider over-budget spending bills. Requires a three-fifths affirmative vote in the House and the Senate to waive any provision of this Act. Subtitle B: Limited Enhanced Rescission Authority - Amends the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to limit the President's rescission authority to spending that is above the limits of the budget law. Subtitle C: "Blank Check" Appropriations Prohibited - Declares the intent of the Congress to end open-ended, "blank check" appropriations which typically authorize spending "such sums as may be necessary." Requires fixed-dollar appropriations for every account except social security and interest on the debt. Prohibits open-ended appropriations. Requires Executive agencies to adjust benefit levels to ensure that appropriations for entitlement programs are not exceeded. (Sec. 309) Restricts budget authority and entitlement authority to one fiscal period. Subtitle D: "Pay As You Go" Requirement for New Spending - Prohibits the Congress from considering any legislation which exceeds the budget ceiling unless it offsets such increased spending with an equal amount of reductions. Requires a three-fifths affirmative vote in the House and the Senate to waive such prohibition. Title IV: Sustaining Mechanism - Makes appropriations to provide for an automatic continuing resolution if for any account an appropriation for a fiscal period does not become law before the beginning of such period. (Sec. 403) Restricts legislation providing funding to the Committees on Appropriations. Title V: Protection of Social Security - Provides that no reduction in benefits under title II of the Social Security Act (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) shall be made as a consequence of this Act. Title VI: Timetable - Revises the timetable for the congressional budget process. Title VII: Conforming Amendments - Makes various technical and conforming amendments, including changing references to a concurrent resolution on the budget to references to a joint resolution on the budget. Title VIII: Definitions and Rules of Interpretation - Sets forth definitions for specified terms. Title IX: Effective Date - Declares the effective date of this Act to be January 1, 1995, applicable to fiscal years beginning after September 30, 1995.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1994
Designates April 24 through 30, 1994, as National Crime Victims' Rights Week.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 1994
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President should: (1) work to achieve an enforceable agreement with U.S. allies which establishes a multilateral export control system for the proliferation of products and technologies to rogue regimes that threaten U.S. national security; and (2) persuade such allies to promote mutual security interests by preventing such regimes from obtaining militarily critical products and technologies.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1994
National Security Budgeting and Deficit Control Act of 1994 - Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to extend the caps on defense and nondefense discretionary spending through FY 1998.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1994
1995 Special Olympics World Games Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue one-dollar silver coins emblematic of the 1995 Special Olympics World Games. Mandates that the surcharges collected from the sale of such coins be paid to the 1995 Special Olympics World Games Organizing Committee, Inc.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 1994
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Saving the Taxpayers Money Subtitle A: Specific Spending Cuts Subtitle B: Reducing the Size of Government Subtitle C: Eliminating Government Printing Monopoly Title II: Streamlining the Federal Bureaucracy Subtitle A: Department of Agriculture Reorganization Subtitle B: Procurement Streamlining Subtitle C: Other Streamlining Reforms Title III: Improving Government Performance and Accountability Title IV: Improving the Legislative Process Title V: Enforcement Government Downsizing, Performance, and Accountability Act of 1994 - Title I: Saving The Taxpayers Money - Subtitle A: Specific Spending Cuts - Rescinds 7.5 percent of remaining FY 1994 appropriations for the legislative branch (except the House of Representatives and the Executive Office of the President). (Sec. 1003) Amends the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 to limit annual cost of living adjustments (COLAs) for Members of Congress to those for other Federal employees. (Sec. 1004) Rescinds certain FY 1994 appropriations to provide for reductions in FY 1994 budgetary outlays for, and thereafter through FY 1996 sets general obligational limits on, various specified agency administrative expenses (except Department of Defense (DOD) and other specified expenses), as determined by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). (Sec. 1005) Makes specified rescissions in current FY 1994 appropriations for: (1) the Agency for International Development's (AID) Development Assistance Fund; (2) Department of State Diplomatic and Consular Programs; and (3) salaries and expenses of the United States Information Agency (USIA) and USIA's North/South Center. (Sec. 1006) Raises the minimum threshold for application of the prevailing wage requirements of the Davis-Bacon Act from $2,000 to $100,000 for Federal or District of Columbia contracts within the geographical limits of the 48 contiguous States. Prohibits artificially splitting contracts above the $100,000 threshold into contracts smaller than $100,000 for the purpose of evading such Act. (Sec. 1007) Permits the use of funds under the Department of Labor Appropriations Act, 1994 to implement or administer certain regulations pertaining to utilization of helpers on Federal construction projects subject to the Davis-Bacon Act. (Sec. 1008) Amends the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 to phase-in through FY 1998 a ten percent reduction in Federal funding for the National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities. Requires a phase-in of eight percent funding reductions for the Smithsonian Institution, the National Gallery of Art, and Corporation for Public Broadcasting. (Sec. 1009) Places a one-year moratorium on construction of new Federal buildings and agency leasing of building space, except construction of buildings primarily used for education, and certain pending projects. Rescinds a specified amount of FY 1994 obligational authority from the Federal Buildings Fund for new construction and acquisitions. (Sec. 1010) Makes specified rescissions of FY 1994 funding for: (1) the Appalachian Regional Commission; (2) the Legal Services Corporation; (3) community development block grant programs; (4) the Tennessee Valley Authority; (5) public housing; (6) the Economic Development Administration; (7) the International Developmental Association (IDA); (8) the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development; and (9) United Nations (UN) peacekeeping. (Sec. 1012) Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to reauthorize at slightly increased levels and extend through FY 1998 the community development grant program for States, local governments, and Indian tribes. (Sec. 1014) Replaces programs providing Federal assistance for the construction of new non-Indian-related public housing with a tenant-based voucher assistance program. (Sec. 1016) Expands the program which assists Federal employees permanently disabled on the job in order to help them find new employment. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to expand the Federal Employees' Compensation Act Periodic Roll Management Projects to all offices of the Department of Labor's Office of Workers' Compensation Program. Amends the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1994 to impose limitations on the availability of funding for the IDA in FY 1994 and 1995. (Sec. 1018) Amends the National Energy Conservation Policy Act to allow the use of any cogeneration process for other than federally owned buildings or other federally owned facilities when entering into contracts for achieving energy savings at Federal agencies. (Sec. 1019) Amends the National Housing Act to revise mortgage refinancing provisions to authorize the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to use amounts recaptured under such provisions for the refinancing incentives and costs payments authorized under them. Subtitle B: Reducing the Size of Government - Alaska Power Administration Sale Authorization Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Energy, in accordance with specified purchase agreements, to sell: (1) the Snettisham Hydroelectric Project to Alaska; and (2) the Eklutna Hydroelectric Project to the Anchorage Municipal Light and Power, the Chugach Electric Association, Inc., and the Matanuska Electric Association, Inc. (Sec. 1101) Directs the Secretary to: (1) close out the Alaska Power Administration; (2) report to the Congress on the sales; and (3) return to the Treasury unused balances of funds appropriated for the Alaska Power Administration. Repeals specified Federal law concerning water resources investigations in Alaska by the Secretary of the Interior. (Sec. 1102) Rescinds a specified amount of funds available for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fleet for research. (Sec. 1103) Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to phase-out and close certain Department of Veterans Affairs supply depots in New Jersey, Illinois, and California and transfer funding back to the Treasury. (Sec. 1104) Repeals the State Justice Institute Act of 1984, thereby terminating the State Justice Institute. Rescinds half the FY 1994 appropriations for salaries and expenses of the State Justice Institute. (Sec. 1105) Eliminates the National Small Business Tree Planting Program. (Sec. 1106) Amends Federal law to: (1) permit DOD to contract for certain non-core functions such as data processing, billing, and payroll; (2) authorize appropriations out of a special fund credited with a portion of the delinquent debts collected in order to improve debt collection activities; (3) allow the U.S. Customs Service to utilize private debt collection companies; (4) subject the Internal Revenue Service, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Customs Service to statutorily prescribed debt collection reporting requirements; and (5) repeal requirements pertaining to Department of Justice contracting for private legal services in connection with indebtedness cases. Subtitle C: Eliminating Government Printing Monopoly - Government Information Dissemination and Printing Improvement Act of 1994 - Transfers the position of Superintendent of Documents (SD) and all its functions to the Library of Congress, to be carried out by an official of the same title under the direction of the Librarian of Congress. (Sec. 1202) Revokes all existing authorized printing plant charters. (Sec. 1203) Requires all Government publications to be available for use throughout the Government. (Sec. 1204) Requires each department, agency, and other entity of the Government to: (1) establish a comprehensive inventory of its publications; (2) make it available via the electronic directory; and (3) furnish its publications to the SD. (Sec. 1205) Imposes additional specified responsibilities on the: (1) Public Printer with respect to the executive and judicial branches; and (2) SD with respect to dissemination of Government publications. (Sec. 1206) Requires the head of a Government department, agency, or entity to furnish any of its publications to the SD. (Sec. 1207) Requires the SD to make Government publications available to designated depository libraries and State libraries. Title II: Streamlining The Federal Bureaucracy - Subtitle A: Department of Agriculture Reorganization - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to: (1) consolidate field, regional, and national offices within the Department of Agriculture; and (2) reduce personnel in order to achieve a specified expenditure reduction by FY 2000. Subtitle B: Procurement Streamlining - Replaces armed forces provisions giving preference to nondevelopmental items in supply procurements with provisions for the acquisition of commercial items (property regularly used by the general public or non-governmental entities for non-governmental purposes) in equipment or supply procurements. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to develop and acquire non-commercial equipment or supplies only if no commercial items are available. Makes cost accounting standards under the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act (OFPPA) inapplicable to acquisitions of commercial items. (Sec. 2052) Amends the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 (FPASA) to make similar changes with respect to civilian agency acquisitions. (Sec. 2061) Amends OFPPA to raise the small purchase threshold (renamed the simplified acquisition threshold (SAT)) to $100,000. Makes the same change with regard to armed services acquisitions, except with regard to the contingency operation exception for certain contracts and purchases. Extends the new threshold under OFPPA to FPASA. (Sec. 2066) Requires simplified procedures under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) for SAT acquisitions. (Sec. 2068) Amends OFPPA and the Small Business Act to: (1) repeal references to "the small purchase threshold" and continue existing notice thresholds for procurements over $25,000 (except that the requirement to allow 30 days for bid and proposal submission would apply only to contracts or orders in excess of SAT); and (2) prescribe additional contents for notices with respect to contracts between $25,000 and $100,000. (Sec. 2071) Exempts: (1) subject agency (National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Coast Guard, DOD, and respective military departments) contracts below SAT from contingent fee certifications, prohibitions on limiting subcontractor direct sales and doing business with certain contractors, and requirements for audits, supplier and supply source identification, and use of U.S. vessels for supply transportation; (2) civilian agency contracts below SAT from similar requirements with regard to subcontractor direct sales; (3) prime contracts below SAT from procedural and other requirements of the Anti-Kickback Act of 1986; and (4) contracts below SAT from the Miller Act (MA), the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act, Service Contract Act of 1965, and Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988, requirements regarding certain disabled veterans, and specified requirements under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Buy American Act, and Davis-Bacon Act. Requires the FAR to provide various alternative payment protections, including payment bonds, for suppliers of labor and materials on certain contracts under MA. (Sec. 2081) Requires the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council to review the FAR to identify and amend regulations applicable to acquisitions below SAT. Requires agency heads to take similar action with respect to applicable supplemental regulations, policies, and procedures. Subtitle C: Other Streamlining Reforms - Amends the Copeland Act to require employers on contracts covered by the Davis-Bacon Act to certify compliance with applicable labor law standards at least once monthly, instead of weekly, to the Department of Labor. (Sec. 2102) Consolidates into the Block Grants to States for Social Services program under title XX of the Social Security Act (SSA) various social services programs under the Community Services Block Grant Act, the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990, titles III (Grants for State and Community Programs on Aging) and VII (Nutrition Program for the Elderly) of the Older Americans Act of 1965, the State Dependent Care Development Grants Act, and the SSA title IV part A (Aid to Families With Dependent Children) program for at-risk children. (Sec. 2103) Amends SSA title XVIII (Medicare) to revise the contractor system under Medicare, including eliminating the Railroad Retirement Board's authority to contract for processing the Medicare claims of railroad retirees, in order to provide for increased flexibility in contracting for Medicare claims processing. (Sec. 2104) Amends SSA title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) to restructure the current program for death information exchange: (1) to use, for example, a Federal Clearinghouse on Death Information as the vehicle for all such exchanges; and (2) in the case of individuals with respect to whom federally funded benefits are provided by (or through) a Federal or State agency other than under SSA, to require such agency to pay a set fee to cover all costs connected with the provision of such information for them. Ends the exemption from Internal Revenue Code requirements for Social Security Administration sharing of State collected death information with Federal, State, and local agencies granted to two States under the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993. (Sec. 2105) Amends SSA title II to earmark specified levels of administrative funding for continuing disability reviews of disabled beneficiaries. (Sec. 2106) Amends SSA title XI to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to use the Medicare and Medicaid Coverage Data Bank (renamed the Health Care Coverage Data Bank) to determine whether veterans receiving VA health care benefits have private insurance. (Sec. 2107) Amends the Housing and Community Development Amendments of 1978 to revise requirements for the management and disposition of Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-held multifamily properties and mortgages. Title III: Improving Government Performance and Accountability - Requires that all authorization and appropriation legislation contain performance goals for any programs they fund. Provides for waivers from such requirement under certain conditions. (Sec. 3002) Amends Federal civil service law to: (1) link Federal within-grade pay increases to job performance; (2) provide for the modification of reduction-in-force (RIF) regulations to give an employee's efficiency or performance rating greater weight than tenure of employment and length of service during a RIF. (Sec. 3003) Requires the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board to recommend comprehensive and uniform Federal accounting and financial standards to the Congress and the President. (Sec. 3005) Revises current law regarding annual agency financial statements and agency audits, with changes requiring audited statements covering all accounts and associated activities of each office, bureau, and activity of the concerned agency. (Sec. 3006) Amends the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) to: (1) make it a felony to lie on FECA benefit applications; (2) bar from FECA program participation those individuals convicted of defrauding it; and (3) generally cut off FECA benefits to individuals in correctional facilities who have been convicted of a felony. (Sec. 3007) Allows Federal agencies to reduce employees or positions below mandated personnel levels. Title IV: Improving the Legislative Process - Amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to require that each line-item in an appropriations bill and each tax expenditure in a revenue bill be enrolled as a separate bill to be presented to the President (effectively giving the President line-item veto authority over such measures while ensuring that the override provisions of the U.S. Constitution apply). (Sec. 4002) Amends rule XVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate to allow a point of order against reception or consideration of any appropriations bill or amendment containing a provision that has not been previously authorized by law within the preceding five years. (Sec. 4003) Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to make congressional consideration of emergency legislation subject to the same budgetary points of order and super-majority waiver requirements as other legislation. Title V: Enforcement - Provides that none of the changes in direct spending and receipts resulting from this Act shall be reflected in OMB estimates under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act). Directs the Director of OMB, upon enactment of this Act, to make specified downward adjustments in discretionary spending limits under the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 for FY 1994 through 1999. Makes specified reductions in budget outlays and authority for the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations under the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. Authorizes and directs each Committee on Appropriations to adjust its suballocations among its subcommittees for FY 1994 to reflect the lower allocations provided above. Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act to provide for the establishment of a defense firewall through FY 1998.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 1994
Delays the effective date for imposition of penalties upon States that do not have in effect safety belt and motorcycle helmet traffic safety programs. Exempts a State from certain penalties for failing to meet requirements relating to motorcycle helmet laws if the State has in effect a motorcycle safety program.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 1994
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to grant duty-free treatment, through September 30, 1994, of the personal effects of, and game associated equipment for use by, participants, their families and associated members, and officials involved in the 1994 FIFA World Cup soccer games.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1994
Expresses the sense of the Congress that a postage stamp should be issued to honor the 100th anniversary of the Jewish War Veterans of the United States and that the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee of the U.S. Postal Service should make such recommendation to the Postmaster General.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1994
Declares that it is the sense of the Congress that any federally-mandated health care reform should be on-budget.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1994
Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 to provide that the initial month for which a cost of living increase in retired pay that becomes effective on December 1 of 1993 through 1995 is payable shall be March of the following year.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1994
Child Abduction Prevention Act (CAP Act) - Amends the Federal criminal code to provide for mandatory life imprisonment of a person convicted of a second offense of kidnapping a person under age 18.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1994
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income any qualified education savings account. Describes such account as a trust created pursuant to a State educational savings plan and used exclusively to pay the higher education expenses of the designated beneficiary. Treats such State plans as tax-exempt organizations and treats contributions to such plans as charitable contributions. Declares that contributions to such accounts are not subject to the gift tax. Imposes penalty taxes in connection with reporting requirements or prohibited transactions associated with an account. Excludes distributions from such accounts when determining support for dependents.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 1993
Lime Research, Promotion, and Consumer Information Improvement Act - Amends the Lime Research, Promotion, and Consumer Information Act of 1990 to cover seedless and not seeded limes, alter the composition of the Lime Board, increase the level of exemption from the assessment, and delay the initial date set for the referendum under the Act.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Tax and Insurance Provisions Subtitle A: Tax Treatment of Health Care Expenses Subtitle B: Insurance Provisions Subtitle C: Employer Provisions Subtitle D: Federal Preemption Subtitle E: Report Title II: Medicare and Medicaid Reforms Subtitle A: Medicare Subtitle B: Medicaid Title III: Health Care Liability Reform Title IV: Administrative Cost Savings Subtitle A: Standardization of Claims Processing Subtitle B: Electronic Medical Data Standards Subtitle C: Development and Distribution of Comparative Value Information Subtitle D: Preemption of State Quill Pen Laws Title V: Anti-Fraud Subtitle A: Criminal Prosecution of Health Care Fraud Subtitle B: Coordination of Health Care Anti-Fraud and Abuse Activities Title VI: Antitrust Provisions Title VII: Long-Term Care Consumer Choice Health Security Act of 1994 - Title I: Tax and Insurance Provisions - Subtitle A: Tax Treatment of Health Care Expenses - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for health care expenses based upon percentages of qualified health insurance premiums and adjusted gross income. Provides advance payments of such credit by employers. (Sec. 102) Allows individuals a tax credit for a percentage of contributions made to a medical care savings account established for the benefit of an eligible individual. Exempts such accounts from taxation. Establishes an excise tax for excess contributions to medical care savings accounts and makes such accounts subject to the tax on prohibited transactions. (Sec. 103) Terminates the medical expense deduction and the exclusion for employer-provided health insurance. Subtitle B: Insurance Provisions - Part I: Federally Qualified Health Insurance Plans - Sets forth requirements for federally qualified health insurance plans, including coverage for acute medical care, cost-sharing, premium rating practices, and guaranteed issuance and renewability. Part II: Certification of Federally Qualified Health Insurance Plans - Requires States to meet standards for regulatory programs for the certification of federally qualified health insurance plans. Subtitle C: Employer Provisions - Requires employers to: (1) withhold health insurance premiums from employee wages and remit such premiums to the employee's chosen insurer; and (2) notify employees of their right to claim an advance refundable tax credit for such premiums. (Sec. 122) Provides for the conversion and continuation of existing insurance plans to required coverage under this Act. (Sec. 125) Establishes the Benefits Cash Out Commission to propose a procedure under which individuals may cash out Federal health benefits. Provides for congressional consideration of such proposal prior to its implementation. (Sec. 126) Imposes excise taxes on employers and health insurance carriers for noncompliance with this Act. Subtitle D: Federal Preemption - Preempts specified State laws concerning health insurance. Subtitle E: Report - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report to the Congress five years after the enactment of this Act on certain aspects of health insurance coverage. Title II: Medicare and Medicaid Reforms - Subtitle A: Medicare - Directs the Secretary to report to the Congress on the feasibility of allowing future Medicare beneficiaries to elect to receive certificates with which to purchase private health insurance coverage instead of receiving Medicare benefits. (Sec. 202) Eliminates disproportionate share hospital payments under Medicare. (Sec. 203) Provides for a reduction in the adjustment for indirect medical education costs under Medicare. (Sec. 204) Imposes copayments for laboratory services, certain home health visits, and skilled nursing facility services provided under Medicare. (Sec. 207) Moves payment updates to January for all payment rates under Medicare's hospital insurance program. (Sec. 208) Accelerates the transition to prospective rates for facility costs in hospital outpatient departments. Subtitle B: Medicaid - Places a cap on Federal payments for acute medical services furnished under a State's Medicaid program. (Sec. 212) Provides for waivers from Medicaid requirements in order to establish acute medical services programs. (Sec. 213) Terminates disproportionate share hospital payments under Medicaid. (Sec. 214) Directs the Secretary to provide grants to States for programs to provide health insurance coverage, acute medical services, preventive care, and disease prevention services to low-income individuals. Title III: Health Care Liability Reform - Health Care Liability Reform Act of 1994 - Limits payments, damages, and attorney's fees in health care malpractice actions and claims. (Sec. 304) Declares that a manufacturer or seller of a health care product shall not be strictly liable for injury from: (1) a defect in the design of the product; or (2) a failure to warn or instruct regarding a risk posed by the product that was not known or reasonably knowable. (Sec. 305) Limits the amount of noneconomic damages that may be awarded in a health care malpractice claim or a health care product liability claim. Allows several liability for noneconomic loss and for punitive damages. (Sec. 306) Allows punitive damages to be awarded only if the claimant establishes that the harm suffered was the result of conduct manifesting conscious, flagrant indifference to the health of those harmed by the product. Disallows punitive damages against a product approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Title IV: Administrative Cost Savings - Subtitle A: Standardization of Claims Processing - Directs the Secretary to adopt standards relating to: (1) data elements for use in paper and electronic claims processing under health benefit plans and in utilization review and management of care; (2) uniform claims forms; and (3) uniform electronic transmission of the data elements. (Sec. 402) Authorizes the Secretary, two years after standards are adopted for classes of services upon determining that a significant number of claims for benefits for such services under health benefit plans are not being submitted in accordance with such standards, to require that all providers of such services submit claims to health benefit plans in accordance with such standards. (Sec. 403) Directs the Secretary to: (1) provide for the ongoing receipt and review of comments and suggestions for changes in the standards adopted and promulgated; (2) establish a schedule for the periodic review of such standards; and (3) revise such standards. Subtitle B: Electronic Medical Data Standards - Directs the Secretary to promulgate standards for hospitals concerning electronic medical data, including standards for transmission of such data and confidentiality of patient-specific information. Authorizes the Secretary to periodically revise such standards. (Sec. 412) Sets forth requirements with respect to: (1) the sharing of hospital information under Medicare; (2) waiver of such requirements; and (3) application of such requirements to hospitals of the Department of Veterans Affairs. (Sec. 413) Authorizes the head of a Federal agency to require a provider to present and transmit a required data element electronically in accordance with applicable presentation or transmission standards. (Sec. 414) Sets forth limitations on data requirements where standards with respect to data elements are in effect. (Sec. 415) Directs the Secretary to establish an advisory commission on the standards established under this part and operational concerns about the implementation of such standards. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle C: Development and Distribution of Comparative Value Information - Directs the Secretary to determine whether each State is developing and implementing a health care value information program that meets specified criteria and a specified schedule. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) make grants to enable each State to plan development and initiate implementation of its health care value information program; and (2) recover the amount of such a grant by offset against any other amount payable to the State under the Social Security Act under specified circumstances. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 422) Directs the Secretary to take actions necessary to implement a comparable program in a State that fails to develop or implement a health care value information program in accordance with such criteria and schedule. Authorizes the Secretary to charge fees for the information materials provided pursuant to such a program. (Sec. 423) Directs the head of each Federal agency with responsibility for the provision of health insurance or health care services to individuals to develop health care value information relating to each program that such head administers and covering the same types of data that a State program meeting such criteria would provide. Subtitle D: Preemption of State Quill Pen Laws - Specifies that, effective January 1, 1996, no effect shall be given to any provision of State law that requires medical or health insurance records (including billing information) to be maintained in written, rather than electronic, form. Title V: Anti-Fraud - Subtitle A: Criminal Prosecution of Health Care Fraud - Amends the Federal criminal code to impose penalties upon a health care provider that knowingly engages in any scheme or artifice to defraud a person in connection with the provision of health care. (Sec. 502) Authorizes the Attorney General to pay a reward of up to $10,000 to a person who furnishes information unknown to the Government relating to a possible prosecution for health care fraud, with exceptions. Subtitle B: Coordination of Health Care Anti-Fraud and Abuse Activities - Amends the Social Security Act to provide for: (1) the application of Federal health anti-fraud and abuse sanctions to all fraud and abuse against any health insurance plan; and (2) treble damages for making or causing to be made false statements or representatives involving Medicare or State health care programs, for illegal remuneration, and for false statements or representatives with respect to the condition or operation of health care institutions. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with State and local health care officials, to: (1) identify opportunities for the satisfaction of community service obligations that a court may impose upon the conviction of a criminal offense involving Medicare or State health care programs; and (2) make information concerning such opportunities available to Federal and State law enforcement officers and State and local health care officials. Title VI: Antitrust Provisions - Exempts from the antitrust laws specified "safe harbor" activities related to the provision of health care services. Sets forth provisions regarding the award of attorney's fees and costs of suit to the prevailing party in an action based on a claim involving activity found to be exempt. (Sec. 602) Lists as safe harbors specified: (1) activities relating to health care services of combinations of health care providers with market share below a specified threshold; (2) activities of medical self-regulatory entities relating to standard setting or enforcement activities not conducted for purposes of financial gain; (3) participation of a health care provider in a written survey of the prices of services, reimbursement levels, or the compensation and benefits of employees and personnel; (4) activities relating to health care joint ventures for high technology and costly equipment and services; (5) activities relating to hospital mergers; (6) joint purchasing arrangements; and (7) negotiations. (Sec. 603) Directs the Attorney General to publish a notice in the Federal Register soliciting proposals for additional safe harbors and to review and report to the Congress on proposed safe harbors. Sets forth criteria in establishing safe harbors, including: (1) the extent to which a competitive or collaborative activity will accomplish an increase in health care access and quality, the establishment of cost efficiencies, and increased ability of health care facilities to provide services in medically underserved areas or to underserved populations; and (2) whether designation as a safe harbor will result in specified desirable outcomes. (Sec. 604) Directs the Attorney General to issue certificates of review for providers of health care services and to assist persons in applying for such certificates. Sets forth provisions regarding applications for, revocation of, and review of determinations regarding such certificates. Limits the disclosure of information. (Sec. 605) Sets forth provisions regarding notifications providing for a reduction in certain penalties under the antitrust laws for health care cooperative ventures. (Sec. 606) Directs the Attorney General to: (1) review the safe harbors and certificates of review periodically and (2) promulgate such rules, regulations, and guidelines as necessary to carry out provisions of this title. Title VII: Long-Term Care - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income certain amounts withdrawn from individual retirement accounts and certain employer cash or deferred arrangements to pay long-term care premiums. (Sec. 702) Provides for the nonrecognition of gain or loss on the exchange of any life insurance contract or an endowment or annuity contract for a long-term care insurance contract. (Sec. 703) Provides for the exclusion as a death benefit of any amount paid or advanced to an individual under a life insurance contract because such individual is terminally ill or chronically and has been permanently confined to ill and qualified facility.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1993
Rural Community Bank Paperwork Relief Act of 1993 - Amends the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 to exempt certain small-sized rural financial institutions from its evaluation and examination requirements. Directs Federal financial supervisory agencies to give appropriate weight and consideration to certain small-sized institutions that have made investments and loans to projects providing benefits to distressed communities within relevant service areas.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1993
Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to provide that any agreement which tends to diminish or defeat the interest of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) in any asset acquired in its capacity as conservator or receiver, and which does not meet certain statutory requirements, shall not form the basis of, or substantially comprise, a claim against the FDIC. (This narrows the applicability of the D'oench Duhane Doctrine only to agreements involving an asset.)
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1993
Commercial Mortgage Capital Availability Act of 1993 - Sets forth a regulatory scheme under which qualified insured depository institutions meeting prescribed reserve and capital requirements may execute mortgage loan transfers with a recourse arrangement. Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to modify the definition of "mortgage related security" to include notes directly secured by a first lien on real estate with commercial structures located upon it (thus bringing such securities within the purview of the Act). Directs the Secretary of Labor to exempt commercial mortgage related securities transactions from: (1) certain restrictions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974; and (2) certain taxes imposed under the Internal Revenue Code.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1993
Equitable Escheatment Act of 1993 - Amends specified Federal law to prescribe guidelines under which unclaimed distributions of security interests shall be subject to the custodial taking (escheatment) by the State which contains the principal executive offices of either the issuer or the holder of those securities.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1993
Apollo 11 Moon Landing 25th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) issue coins emblematic of humans first landing on the moon 25 years ago; and (2) pay surcharges received from coin sales to the Aerospace Education Alliance to develop and implement a math and science skills program for America's teachers in grades kindergarten through eight.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1993
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow the issuance of exempt facility bonds to provide spaceports.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1993
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) obstetrician-gynecologists should be included as primary care providers for women in Federal laws relating to the provision of health care; and (2) legislative proposals that define primary care should include primary care services performed by obstetrician-gynecologists in such definition.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1993
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the people on Taiwan should be represented in the United Nations and other international organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 1993
Spending Reduction Enforcement Act of 1993 - Establishes the Spending Reduction Commission to propose cost savings and changes in law to achieve at least $65 billion of budget outlay reductions for the budget year and each outyear until a balanced budget is reached. Sets forth the procedure for implementation of the Commission's recommendations by the Office of Management and Budget, the President, and the Congress. Makes budget outlay reductions permanent. Establishes sequester provisions if the full amount of savings required by this Act is not achieved in a session of the Congress.