United States · United States Congress · 3 August 1990
Radiation Protection Act of 1990 - Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to declare that no Federal law may be construed to prohibit or otherwise restrict the authority of a State to regulate, on the basis of radiological hazard, the disposal of low-level radioactive waste designated a State responsibility for which the Nuclear Regulatory Commission does not require disposal in a low-level radioactive waste disposal facility licensed by the Commission or by an Agreement State. Provides that no Federal law may be construed to preclude or otherwise restrict the authority of any State to impose standards for the protection from radiological hazards more stringent than the Commission's for such disposal. Revokes certain policy statements of the Commission relating to radioactive waste below regulatory concern.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1990
Commends the President for his initial actions with respect to Iraq. Urges the President to seek the full and unconditional withdrawal of Iraqi forces from Kuwait and to impose: (1) against Iraq unilateral sanctions applicable to countries which engage in a consistent pattern of human rights violations; and (2) a sustained freeze of Iraqi assets and a ban on U.S. exports to Iraq. Urges the President to achieve collective international sanctions against Iraq, to include: (1) a cessation of all arms shipments and military technology to Iraq; (2) a cessation of trade with Iraq and a worldwide freeze on Iraqi and Kuwaiti assets; (3) a suspension of all economic development activities within Iraq; (4) the imposition of a full economic blockade under the United Nations Charter; and (5) additional multilateral actions involving air, sea, or land forces as necessary to maintain or restore international peace or security.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1990
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish three-year demonstration projects in two States to study the effect on access to, and costs of, health care of extending Medicaid (title XIX of the Social Security Act) coverage to individuals who are not otherwise eligible for Medicaid benefits, but whose income is below 150 percent of the Federal poverty level. Prohibits project coverage of long-term care or pregnancy-related services. Limits the amount of cost-sharing required of project beneficiaries.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1990
Waives provisions of Federal law (which require adjournment by July 31 of each year) to prohibit the Senate and the House of Representatives from adjourning for a period in excess of three days, or adjourning sine die, until both Houses of Congress adopt a concurrent resolution providing either for an adjournment (in excess of three days) to a day certain, or for an adjournment sine die.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 1990
Directs the Senate Legal Counsel to represent the Offices of Senator Sam Nunn and Senator Wyche Fowler in the cases of Michael A. Nelson v. Senator Sam Nunn's Office and Michael A. Nelson v. Senator Wyche Fowler's Office.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 1990
Fish Safety Act of 1990 - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to create a new title setting forth a fish inspection program. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (the Secretary) to exempt from specific provisions of the title: (1) fish processing by an individual for use in that individual's household; (2) custom processing for use in the household of the product owner; (3) processing of products not intended for nor capable of use as human food; (4) warehousing of up to 50 pounds or of product caught for other than commercial purposes in waters outside the United States; and (5) operations of types traditionally and usually conducted at retail stores or restaurants. Excludes from the application of the title recreational vessels, commercial fishing vessels, or fish tender vessels except where such vessels process fish. Authorizes the Secretary to cooperate with the appropriate agency in any State that has enacted a mandatory State fish product inspection law with requirements at least equal to those in the title. Prohibits State programs from permitting products to bear any official marks or certificates applicable to products in interstate commerce. Requires that fish products processed for intrastate commerce under a State program that are sold, transported, delivered, or offered for sale in interstate commerce be considered adulterated. Authorizes the Secretary to cooperate with State agencies concerning the State administration of the inspection and sampling components of the fish inspection program established under the title on behalf of the Secretary. Authorizes the Secretary to provide State agencies with advisory assistance, technical and laboratory assistance and training, and financial and other assistance for up to 50 percent of the cost of the cooperative program. Requires State program participants to submit operation plans to the Secretary annually. Directs the Secretary to establish standards for the efficient and effective administration of the sampling and inspection program by each approved State. Authorizes the Secretary to deputize specific State employees in approved States. Authorizes the Secretary to appoint advisory committees. Requires the appropriate State agency with which the Secretary may cooperate to be a single agency that is primarily responsible for the coordination of the State programs having objectives the same as the title. Directs the Secretary to develop and administer a comprehensive and efficient health-based inspection program for fish products designed to protect the consuming public from fish products that may be adulterated or misbranded. Sets forth program requirements. Directs the Commissioner of Food and Drugs to establish tolerances, except where tolerances are established by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, that shall be applicable to poisonous or deleterious substances that may adulterate fish products. Requires the tolerances to be: (1) established at levels so that fish products are not injurious to health; and (2) based on a scientific analysis of health risks. Directs the Commissioner to establish tolerances, except where tolerances are established by the Administrator under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, for harmful chemicals, toxins, parasites, pathogenic microorganisms, viruses, bacteria, and other harmful agents that may render fish products adulterated. Allows the tolerances to include the use of indicators, including indicator organisms. Directs the Secretary of Commerce and appropriate State authorities, for waters under their jurisdiction, to establish a system for the identification and classification of growing and harvesting areas for fish in coastal areas and the Great Lakes. Directs the Secretary to sample and test fish products regarding any instance or trend that may pose a significant threat to consumers' health and safety. Authorizes the Secretary to provide financial and other assistance to States to prevent the entry of adulterated fish products into establishments, including annual grants to each State that is a member of the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference. Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce, with regard to waters under the exclusive jurisdiction of that Secretary, to close waters or restrict harvesting of a species if fish of that species within the identified harvesting or growing areas are likely to be adulterated. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to: (1) periodically review the closure or restriction; and (2) establish procedures for review on petitions by affected persons. Requires reasonable public notice prior to closure or restriction, except in public health emergencies. Requires inspectors authorized by the Secretary to take actions as necessary to implement the title, including: (1) inspection of establishments, products, packages, equipment, procedures, and records; (2) sampling and testing of fish products; (3) detention and condemnation of adulterated or misbranded products; and (4) inspection, sampling, and testing of imports of fish products. Provides for: (1) segregation, seizure, condemnation, and destruction of adulterated or misbranded fish products; (2) processing of products to the extent necessary to prevent spoilage pending hearing and review; and (3) deferral of condemnation pending bringing of a product into compliance by relabeling or other action. Requires establishments to maintain premises, facilities, equipment, and operations in accordance with sanitation regulations set by the Secretary. Directs the Secretary to establish regulations for the storage or handling of fish products by any person in the business of buying, selling, freezing, storing, transporting, or importing fish products. Authorizes the Secretary to establish guidelines for training persons employed by establishments involved in fish product sanitation and quality control. Authorizes the Secretary to exempt products from inspection requirements until a specified date if appropriated funds are insufficient or if the exemption will aid in the effective transition to the programs implemented under the title. Directs the Secretary to establish procedures for the annual certification of establishments and persons engaged in importing of fish and fish products. Prohibits importers from processing or handling any fish product for commercial purposes unless the establishment is certified. Authorizes the Secretary to refuse to certify or to decertify establishments or importers unfit to engage in any business as a result of Federal or State convictions for: (1) acquiring, handling, or distributing adulterated, mislabeled, or deceptively packaged food, or fraud in food transactions; or (2) any felony involving a lack of the integrity needed for the conduct of operations affecting the public health. Requires all products processed at any certified establishment to bear on their shipping containers and immediate containers information as the Secretary requires. Authorizes the Secretary to permit such products to bear a seal stating that the product was processed in accordance with Federal standards or similar language. Authorizes the Secretary to prescribe: (1) labeling requirements to avoid false or misleading labeling; (2) definitions and standards of identity or composition and fill; and (3) procedures that permit statements on labels that indicate the State or location of the product's origin. Directs the Secretary to: (1) require that each package of fish product bears the appropriate identification, issued under the title, and an official mark; and (2) ensure that the official mark shall be available only on products processed in certified establishments. Prohibits articles from being sold or offered for sale under any name, marking, or labeling that is false or misleading, or in any container of a misleading form or size. Permits established trade names and other marking and labeling that are not false or misleading and that are approved by the Secretary. Authorizes the Secretary, if any marking, labeling, size, or form of any container is false or misleading, to require that use be withheld unless modified as prescribed by the Secretary so that it will not be false or misleading. Prohibits a fish product from being entered, or withdrawn from warehouses, for consumption in the United States, unless the product: (1) is not adulterated or misbranded; (2) complies with all requirements of the title; and (3) is marked and labeled as required for imports. Treats all such products as domestic fish products under the title, except that its labeling must identify the country of origin. Directs the Secretary to enforce these provisions through inspections, sampling, and any other necessary procedures. Requires products refused entry or entered, or withdrawn from warehouses, in violation of these provisions to be destroyed unless exported or brought into compliance. Requires storage, cartage, labor, and other costs from denial of entry, or withdrawal from warehouse to be paid by the owner or consignee. Declares that nonpayment constitutes a lien against the product and any other fish product thereafter entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption in the United States by such owner or consignee. Directs the Secretary, on request of a country desiring to export fish products to the United States, to review the inspection program of products offered for importation to determine whether the requirements and tolerances for the products are at least equal to those under the title and, if so, and if the country will permit the enforcement measures the Secretary determines necessary, to issue a certificate stating that the country meets the requirements. Requires all fish products imported from an uncertified country to be inspected by the Secretary to ensure compliance with these provisions. Directs the Secretary to enforce these provisions through inspections, sampling, testing, or other actions in the foreign country, during importation, or which otherwise as necessary. Declares that products intended for export shall not be considered adulterated or misbranded if they are consistent with the laws of the importing country and meet other requirements. Directs the Secretary to inspect products intended for export as necessary. Directs the Secretary, on request of the exporter, to provide a certificate for export stating the condition of fish products inspected under these provisions. Authorizes the Secretary to require any person who owns or operates an establishment or is in the business of importing fish products to recall any fish product that is adulterated or misbranded if it could cause serious health consequences. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish, through the Centers for Disease Control, an active surveillance system, based on a representative portion of the U.S. population, to provide an estimate of the frequency of human disease in the United States associated with the consumption of food, including a comparison of each major food category. Sets forth a list of prohibited acts in connection with the processing, handling, selling, transporting, offering for sale or transportation, possessing, misbranding, or importation of fish products or in connection with inspections under the title. Provides civil monetary penalties and criminal penalties for violations. Prohibits a common or contract carrier, including carriers that are fish tender vessels, from being subject to penalties under the title unless the carrier: (1) had knowledge, or possessed facts that would cause a reasonable person to believe, that the products were adulterated or misbranded; or (2) refuses to furnish certain information and documents. Sets forth: (1) felony penalties for giving or receiving bribes; and (2) criminal penalties for forcibly assaulting, resisting, intimidating, or interfering with any inspector or other person while engaged in official duties under the title. Requires each establishment or import business subject to inspection under the title to be operated in accordance with such sanitary and other procedures and practices as the Secretary requires. Directs the Secretary to prescribe standards for marking fish or fish products handled or processed in accordance with the title, or their packages, with an official stamp. Directs the Secretary to establish priorities for fish and fish products safety research. Requires the appropriate Federal agencies to conduct research regarding the priorities. Directs the Secretary, through the Extension Service, to provide a specified sum each fiscal year out of funds appropriated for the title to award grants for demonstration projects by States with regard to providing food safety information and instruction regarding the proper handling, storage, and preparation of fish and fish products for human consumption. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish through grants and administer, for a five-year period, a shellfish indicator research program to develop a system of classification of shellfish harvesting areas. Directs the Secretary to establish an advisory panel to assist in the development and implementation of the research programs under these provisions. Prohibits: (1) copying of any official mark; and (2) processing fish products except in compliance with the title. Authorizes the Secretary to limit the entry of fish products and other materials into any establishment consistent with the purposes of the title. Provides for administrative detention of any fish product meeting certain requirements if there is reason to believe the product is adulterated or misbranded. Makes any fish product capable of use as human food and adulterated or misbranded, or which otherwise is or has been in violation of the title, liable to be proceeded against and seized and condemned at any time, on a libel of information. Provides for disposal of a condemned product and for the delivery of the product to the owner on delivery of bond. Applies specified provisions of Federal law to the administration and enforcement of the title. Exempts the inspection, sampling, regulation, handling, processing, storage, or transportation of fish products from the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to the extent such matters are covered by the title. Requires that the cost of inspections be borne by the United States, except for overtime or holiday work required in an establishment, which must be borne by the establishment. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the title, earmarking: (1) certain sums for the research programs under the title; (2) certain percentage for the Food and Drug Administration; and (3) other percentages for the Department of Commerce. Amends Federal law to add a reference to food safety to provisions specifying the matters to be included in cooperative agricultural extension work. Authorizes appropriations for programs administered by the Secretary of Agriculture through the Extension Service to disseminate food safety information and instruction to consumers, restaurant food handlers, schools, and other persons. Requires the Commissioner of Food and Drugs to: (1) develop and implement a program to carry out and administer the title; and (2) enter into contracts with the National Academy of Sciences to identify chemical and microbiological contaminants, parasites, toxins, and other harmful substances that are most likely to be found in fish and fish products and that are most likely to cause fish and fish products to be adulterated. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to develop and implement a program to carry out the requirements of the title.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 1990
Christopher Columbus Quincentenary Commemorative Coin and Scholarship Endowment Act of 1990 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue a specified number of five dollar gold coins, one dollar silver coins, and half dollar clad coins emblematic of the quincentenary of the discovery of America. Sets forth certain features of such coins and provides for their design, issuance, and sale. Provides that such coins shall be considered legal tender. Requires that all sales of such coins include specified surcharges. Requires that all surcharges received from the sale of such coins be paid quarterly to the Christopher Columbus Quincentenary Scholarship Endowment Fund established by this Act. States that such Fund shall be maintained by the Quincentenary Scholarship Foundation to generate income for scholarships and secondary school summer programs for students with the potential to make lasting contributions in the disciplines of geography, foreign languages, and international affairs. Requires the Foundation to report annually on its activities to the Congress and the Secretary of Education.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 1990
Educational Exchanges Enhancement Act of 1990 - Provides for an increase in the number of U.S. Information Agency scholarships for foreign and U.S. students and scholars. Makes such scholarships available only to: (1) foreign students and scholars from Eastern European democracies, the Soviet Union, and countries with fewer than 1,000 citizens studying in the United States; (2) students from economic, social, or ethnic backgrounds not represented in the U.S. foreign student population; and (3) U.S. students and scholars for study, research, and teaching in Eastern European democracies, the Soviet Union, and non-European countries.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 1990
Rural Health Care Provider Recruitment and Education Act of 1990 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a demonstration program known as the Rural Health Care Provider Recruitment and Education Program to assist rural communities in recruiting and educating eligible students to serve as health care providers. Directs the Secretary to make grants to States to share the costs incurred by local communities in providing funds to full-time students in a program leading to a degree in medicine or osteopathy or licensure or certification as a nurse midwife, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant. Requires each student to agree to serve between two and four years (but not less than the number of years in which the applicant was provided assistance). Requires that grant funds provided to States be used for 25 to 50 percent of the costs of the education. Requires students receiving assistance to serve in the rural community represented by the local community that provided assistance. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 1990
Support for Democracy and Human Rights in China Act of 1990 - Prohibits most-favored-nation treatment for Chinese products. Terminates such prohibition upon the President's certification to the Congress that China: (1) has ceased committing violations of internationally recognized human rights; (2) has ceased persecution of pro-democracy movement members; (3) permits unrestricted emigration; and (4) has ceased religious persecution in China and Tibet.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 1990
Aviation Security Improvement Act of 1990 - Establishes as a position within the Department of Transportation an Assistant Secretary for Transportation Security and Intelligence, appointed by the President for a term of five years, who shall be responsible for the development of transportation security. Requires the Secretary of Transportation to report annually to appropriate congressional committees on transportation security, including appropriate recommendations. Amends the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 to direct the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to establish the position of Federal Security Manager and initiate placement of such managers at high risk U.S. airports and abroad. Sets forth the duties of such managers. Directs the Administrator of the FAA to subject by regulation air carrier personnel with unescorted access to domestic and foreign aircraft, or secured areas of domestic airports serving U.S. or foreign air carriers, to initial and periodic employment investigations, including fingerprinting. Requires the Administrator and the Attorney General to establish fees to cover expenses incurred in carrying out this Act. Directs the Administrator of the FAA to prescribe standards for the hiring, continued employment, and contracting of air carrier and airport security personnel. Requires the Administrator to conduct an assessment of current and potential threats to the domestic air transportation system. Directs the Administrator to establish a program to accelerate and expand the research, development, and implementation of technologies and procedures to counteract terrorist acts against civil aviation. Requires the Administrator to: (1) complete a review of threats to civil aviation; and (2) establish a Scientific Advisory Board to review and advise on the progress of such program. Authorizes appropriations. Establishes within the FAA the position of Assistant Administrator for Civil Aviation Security. Prohibits the deployment or purchase of explosive detection equipment unless the Administrator certifies that it can reliably detect explosive material which can cause catastrophic damage to commercial aircraft with 60 or more passenger seats. Requires air carriers, airport operators, travel agents, and employees receiving information of a threat to civil aviation to provide such information to: (1) an official of the FAA; (2) the Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Transportation Security and Intelligence; or (3) other appropriate officials. Requires the Administrator to cancel flights in the event that passenger safety from such a threat cannot be ensured. Requires the Postmaster General to issue regulations to permit the screening by air carriers of mail not sealed against inspection. Requires the Administrator to require the screening of mail and cargo by air carriers or their agents before the transport of such materials. Directs the Administrator to develop model standards for airport design and construction to allow for maximum security enhancement. Sets forth civil penalties for violations of such Act. Requires the Secretary of State to report annually to the Congress on efforts to implement recommendations of the President's Commission on Aviation Security and Terrorism. Urges the President to initiate negotiations with foreign governments with respect to improving civil aviation security. Requires the President to submit to the Congress a legislative proposal to authorize the United States to provide compensation, including, but not limited to, monetary benefits or limited relief from Federal taxation, to U.S. citizens who are victims of terrorism. Authorizes the President to set up a board to develop compensation criteria and recommend appropriate changes to existing laws. Requires the Administrator to require all air carriers, including foreign air carriers, to provide a passenger manifest of any flight to appropriate representatives of the Department of State (Department) not more than one hour after such carrier is notified of an aviation disaster outside the United States which involves such flight. Requires the Secretary of State (Secretary) to ensure the installation and use of passport reading machines at international gateway airports. Authorizes the use of passport fees collected by the Department for the purchase and installation of machines able to read U.S. passports and facilitate the collection of specified data. Declares it to be the policy of the Department to notify promptly the families of victims of aviation disasters abroad, including timely written notice. Directs the Secretary to issue guidelines to provide that in the event of an aviation disaster involving U.S. citizens abroad, the Department will assign a specific individual, and an alternate, as the Department liaison for the family of each such citizen. Requires the Secretary to ensure that a toll-free telephone number is reserved for the use of the families of citizens who have been involved in such disasters. Requires the Secretary to institute a supplemental program of training in disaster management for all consular officers. Directs the Secretary to issue guidelines to provide that in the event of a major aviation disaster involving U.S. citizens abroad at least: (1) one senior officer from the Bureau of Consular Affairs of the Department shall be dispatched to the disaster site; and (2) one Department employee shall be dispatched to such site to provide assistance and to act as an ombudsman to the victims' families. Requires the Secretary to promulgate: (1) criteria for Department staffing of disaster sites abroad; and (2) procedures for the deployment of a crisis team. Declares it to be the policy of the Department to provide arrangements for the preparation and transport to the United States of the remains of citizens who die abroad, as well as the disposition of personal effects. Requires the Secretary to compile an assessment of the Department response to the Pan American Airways Flight 103 aviation disaster over Lockerbie, Scotland, together with guidelines for future responses to such disasters, for distribution to Embassy and consular posts abroad. Requires the Secretary of State to promulgate guidelines with respect to recognition for the families of U.S. citizens who are killed through acts of terrorism abroad. Requires the Secretary to issue regulations to establish, under the Bureau of Consular Affairs, an electronic bulletin board accessible to the general public. Establishes within the Department the position of Coordinator for International Aviation Security. Declares that the Department of State shall be responsible for negotiating aviation security agreements with foreign countries concerning the implementation of U.S. rules and regulations which affect the foreign operations of U.S. air carriers, foreign air carriers, and foreign airports.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1990
Designates August 1, 1990, as Helsinki Human Rights Day. Authorizes and requests the President to: (1) reassert American commitment to the Helsinki Accords; (2) raise the issue of noncompliance with such Accords with any signatory nation which may be in violation; (3)convey to all signatories of such Accords that respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is vital to progress in the ongoing Helsinki process; and (4) develop new proposals to advance the human rights objectives of the Helsinki process, including the self-determination of peoples.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1990
Designates as South African Freedom Week the week in 1990 coinciding with the first visit of Nelson Mandela to the United States after his release from prison in South Africa.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 1990
Authorizes Senator John D. Rockefeller IV to attend a deposition and trial in the case of John D. Rockefeller IV v. CNA Insurance Companies and Continental Casualty Company.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 1990
Coastal Barrier Resources Act Amendments of 1990 - Amends the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (the Act) to replace provisions describing the properties included in the Coastal Barrier Resources System and providing for boundary modifications and maps with provisions including in the System undeveloped coastal barriers: (1) depicted on specified maps; (2) owned by the United States and meeting certain requirements; and (3) incorporated into the System under provisions of this Act. Requires the Administrator of General Services, prior to transfer or disposal of excess property that may be an undeveloped coastal barrier, to obtain from the Secretary of the Interior a determination of whether the property constitutes such a barrier. Sets forth procedures for adding such a property to the System. Directs the Secretary to provide to the Governor of each State on the Atlantic, Gulf, or Great Lakes coasts copies of maps of the undeveloped coastal barriers owned by that State or a local government. Directs the Secretary, if a Governor elects to have any portion added to the System, to follow certain procedures for adding such portions. Sets forth procedures regarding filing, public inspection, and changing of maps. Requires review of maps: (1) on request of certain officers of States, political subdivisions, and coastal zone management agencies; and (2) at least once every seven years. Amends provisions setting forth permissible Federal expenditures affecting the System to: (1) require that expenditures for the disposal of dredge materials be consistent with the purposes of the Act; (2) require that emergency actions essential to saving lives and protecting property be subject to specified provisions of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act regulating the amount of assistance; and (3) allow expenditures for the maintenance of existing channel improvements and related structures only if all, or a portion, of the moneys for the improvement or structure were appropriated before that System unit was included within the System (currently, before October 18, 1982). Requires the head of each Federal agency concerned (currently, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget) to certify compliance with the Act annually to specified congressional committees and the Secretary (currently, to the House of Representatives and the Senate). Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 1990
Declares that the United States should suspend its dialogue with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) if the PLO does not: (1) condemn the May 30, 1990, Palestine Liberation Front terrorist attack against Israel; and (2) expel leader Abul Abbas for his role in such attack.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 1990
Expresses the admiration, support, and gratitude of the Senate to Eunice Kennedy Shriver for her dedicated efforts as a pioneer leader of sport, and for her vision in blazing a trail of dignity, hope and respect, for persons with mental disabilities throughout America and the world.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1990
Directs the Senate Legal Counsel to appear as amicus curiae in the name of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Governmental Affairs in the matter of Provident Life and Accident Insurance Company.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1990
Directs the Senate Legal Counsel to represent John R. Luckey, a Congressional Research Service legislative attorney at the Library of Congress, in the case of James B. Smith, et al. v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1990
Authorizes Stanley Israelite, Lise Heintz, and Edward Mann to testify and provide documents in the case of State of Connecticut v. Patricia L. Nuelsen and the Senate Legal Counsel to represent any Member or employee of the Senate in such case.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1990
Authorizes and requests the President to call on the people to observe May 26, 1990, as the bicentennial of "An Act for the government of the territory of the United States, south of the river Ohio" (from which Tennessee was formed).
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1990
Ozone Protection Funding Act of 1990 - Authorizes appropriations to the Department of State to assist developing nations in complying with the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 1990
Directs the Senate Legal Counsel to appear as amicus curiae in the name of the Senate in the case of United States ex rel. Rudd, et al. v. General Contractors, Inc., et al. to defend the constitutionality of the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1990
Authorizes the use of the Rotunda of the Capitol on May 24, 1989, to allow the assembling of Members of Congress for ceremonies celebrating American Military Heroism.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1990
Appoints Senator Akaka to serve as a member on the Senate Committees on Energy and Natural Resources, on Governmental Affairs, and on Veterans' Affairs for the 101st Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1990
Appoints Senator Metzenbaum to the Committee on Environment and Public Works, Senator Breaux to the Committee on Finance, and Senator Bingaman to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources. Amends rule XXV of the Standing Rules of the Senate to: (1) authorize a Senator to serve on the Committee on Labor and Human Resources, the Committee on Armed Services, and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources; and (2) authorize a Senator appointed to the Committee on Environment and Public Works on May 16, 1990, to serve on the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Labor and Human Resources.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1990
Conveys the appreciation, affection, and respect of the Congress to Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy on the occasion of her 100th birthday, July 22, 1990. Authorizes and requests the President to designate such day as Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Family Appreciation Day.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1990
Medicare Bone Mass Measurement Coverage Act of 1990 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide Medicare coverage of bone mass measurements.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1990
Osteoporosis and Related Bone Disorders Research, Education, and Health Services Act of 1990 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMSD) and the Director of the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to expand and intensify research on osteoporosis and related bone disorders. Requires, with respect to osteoporosis and related bone disorders: (1) the NIAMSD Director to increase the number of Specialized Centers of Research; and (2) the NIA Director to increase the number of program project grants devoted to creating centers of excellence. Authorizes appropriations. Establishes in the Department of Health and Human Services the Interagency Council on Osteoporosis and Related Disorders and the Advisory Panel on Osteoporosis and Related Disorders. Authorizes appropriations for the Advisory Panel. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make up to three grants to establish model health promotion projects for community-based education on osteoporosis, with each project targeting one of these groups: young and teenage girls, midlife women, and older men and women. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the NIAMSD Director to make grants or enter into contracts to establish a Resource Center on Osteoporosis and Related Disorders to: (1) disseminate information about research results, services, and educational materials to health professionals, patients, and the public; and (2) coordinate leadership training for the development of health professional resource networks. Requires grant and contract recipients to establish: (1) a central computerized information system to, among other matters, translate scientific and technical information into information readily understandable by the general public; and (2) a national toll-free telephone information line. Requires the grant or contract recipient to charge fees for providing information, but allows exceptions for individuals and organizations unable to pay. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1990
Designates the center table in the Senators' Dining Room as the Spark M. Matsunaga Table in commemoration of his extraordinary efforts, uncommon kindness, and generosity.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1990
Homelessness Prevention and Community Revitalization Act of 1990 - Title I: Family Support Centers - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to eligible agencies (as defined in this Act) for comprehensive supportive services for low-income families, especially very low-income families living in subsidized housing who were previously homeless or who are at risk of becoming homeless. Requires a participating agency to: (1) establish at least one primary location family support center; and (2) employ family case managers. Authorizes planning grants. Title II: Provision of Services to Elderly Individuals and Individuals With Chronic and Debilitating Illnesses and Conditions - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary to make grants to eligible agencies for health and related services for low-income elderly or low-income seriously ill persons, especially very low-income elderly or seriously ill persons who were homeless or who are at risk of becoming homeless or institutionalized. Requires a participating agency to establish at least one primary location home health service program. Authorizes planning grants. Title III: Mental Health Services Grants for Group Homes for Homeless Individuals - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary to make grants to eligible agencies for housing based services to previously homeless low-income mentally ill persons who will reside in a group home. Requires a participating agency to establish a primary location mental health services program. Authorizes planning grants. Provides with regard to grants under titles I, II, and III of this Act for: (1) 80 percent Federal funding; (2) maximum grants of $50,000 per agency; (3) obligated amounts for staff training; and (4) FY 1991 through 1995 appropriations. Title IV: Community Development Corporation Improvement Grants - Amends the Community Economic Development Act of 1981 to direct the Secretary to make grants for community development corporation: (1) business management enhancement; (2) operations; and (3) equity accounts for low-income housing development. Authorizes appropriations. Title V: Plan for Cooperation - Requires the Secretary and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to prepare and submit to the appropriate congressional committees a specified cooperation plan.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1990
Directs the Senate Legal Counsel to appear as amicus curiae in the name of the Select Committee on Ethics in In re American Continental Corporation/Lincoln Savings and Loan Securities Litigation, in support of the interest of the Senate in preserving the confidentiality of preliminary inquiries of such committee.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1990
Declares that it is the sense of the Congress that the United States should: (1) promote maximum conservation and protection of the world's whales; (2) work to continue the International Whaling Commission moratorium on the commercial killing of whales and maintain zero catch limits for all whale stocks for at least another decade; (3) work to strengthen the Commission and encourage it to carry out long-term, nonlethal research for all whale stocks on a global basis; and (4) in promoting protection, make use of diplomatic channels, domestic and international law, and all other means.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1990
Directs the Senate Legal Counsel to represent the Select Committee on Intelligence in the case of United States v. Barnett. Authorizes the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence to provide, under appropriate security controls, copies of documents relevant to the case.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 1990
Radiation-Exposed Veterans Compensation Amendments of 1990 - Amends Federal provisions relating to the payment of disability compensation due to certain diseases and disabilities presumed to be service-connected to remove the current limitation on the required manifestation period (either 40 or 30 years from the date on which a veteran last participated in a radiation-risk activity). Adds cancer of the salivary gland and cancer of the urinary tract to the list of diseases that will be presumed to be service-connected for purposes of such disability compensation. Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to compile a list of military activities that are likely to have resulted in exposure to ionizing radiation above background levels. Requires the Secretary, immediately after including an activity on such list, to direct the Veterans' Advisory Committee on Environmental Hazards to determine whether an association exists between the maximum level of exposure experienced by an individual and one or more of the diseases listed as presumptively service-connected for purposes of veterans' disability compensation. Requires the Secretary, after receiving a report from the Committee on such activities, to: (1) establish a presumption of service-connection between such activity and any of the diseases listed; or (2) determine that available scientific evidence clearly establishes that there is no reasonable possibility of an association between that disease and participation in that activity.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 1990
Medicare Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinic Amendments of 1990 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover outpatient services provided by health centers which: (1) are eligible for Public Health Service Act grants to migrant health centers, community health centers, or for health care services to the homeless; or (2) were comprehensive federally funded health centers as of January 1, 1990. Makes deductibles inapplicable to services provided by such health centers. Permits such centers to waive Medicare coinsurance requirements when providing services to individuals who qualify for subsidized services under the Public Health Service Act. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to approve or disapprove a rural health clinic's application for certification within 60 days of the State agency's determination that the clinic qualifies for rural health clinic status. Establishes a temporary one-year waiver of certain staffing requirements for rural health clinics that, despite reasonable efforts, have been unable to hire appropriate personnel. Requires that productivity screening guidelines take into account the combined services of a rural health clinic's staff. Gives rural health clinics and health centers covered by this Act the same appeal and hearing rights as other Medicare providers. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require the automatic Medicaid certification of health centers which meet this Act's Medicare requirements and a uniform Medicaid payment methodology for such centers which is no more restrictive than that used to determine payments for rural health clinics. Directs the Comptroller General to conduct a study and report to the Congress on whether physicians practicing in community and migrant health centers are able to obtain admitting privileges at local hospitals.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 1990
Mickey Leland Memorial Domestic Hunger Relief Act - Title I: Reducing Childhood Hunger - Subtitle A: Eliminating the Excess Shelter Deduction Cap - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to revise and increase the excess shelter expense deduction for FY 1991 and 1992. Subtitle B: Adequacy of Food Stamp Benefits - Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to adjust the basic benefit level upwards by specified increments at the beginning of each fiscal year from FY 1991 through 1995 until it reaches 105 percent of the cost of the thrifty food plan. Subtitle C: Protecting Households in Special Circumstances - Directs the Secretary to provide for emergency allotments to eligible households to replace food lost in a disaster. Excludes from the computation of household income any State allowance (provided at least annually) for obtaining school clothes for children in school or child care. Provides for allotment increases to cover State or local sales taxes for participants in demonstration projects. Authorizes a State, on or after April 1, 1992, and with the Secretary's approval, to implement an electronic food stamp benefit transfer system. Redefines "food" with regard to the homeless for purposes of such Act. Permits State agencies to develop standard estimates of the shelter and related expenses which homeless households may reasonably be expected to incur in order to certify such households based on reported expenses not exceeding such an estimate. Title II: Promoting Self-Sufficiency - Excludes the first $50 a month received as child support from consideration as income in determining the food stamp allotments of households also receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) benefits. Increases from $4,500 to $5,500 from January 1 through September 30, 1991, with annual cost-of-living adjustments to follow, the limit on the fair market value of vehicles that food stamp recipients may own. Directs the Secretary to conduct a sufficient number of demonstration projects to evaluate the effects of excluding from such vehicle calculation the value of: (1) any licensed vehicle used for certain income-producing, transportation, or shelter purposes; and (2) one licensed vehicle used for job-related or job-seeking purposes (including commuting), for pursuing education or training, or for securing food or food stamp benefits. Allows States to use their own agency-designed forms instead of forms approved by the Secretary. Allows four States to give priority in the provision of services to voluntary participants (including both exempt and nonexempt), so long as performance standards are maintained. Authorizes an employment and training program to contain programs designed to increase the self-sufficiency of recipients through self-employment. Excludes from the computation of household financial resources any nonliquid resources necessary to allow the household to carry out an approved plan for self-sufficiency. Increases the dependent care deduction for purposes of eligibility and benefit levels. Increases the limit for reimbursements to recipients for costs incurred in employment and training activities. Revises: (1) low-income student eligibility provisions; and (2) educational expense exclusions. Excludes from income computation housing assistance payments made to a third party on behalf of a household member residing in transitional housing for the homeless. Title III: Simplifying Program Administration - Requires parents and minor children who live together to apply for food stamps as a single household. Requires the Secretary to issue rules under which State agencies must develop standards for identifying (for exclusion as inaccessible resources) those kinds of resources the household is unlikely to sell for any significant return because its interest is so slight or the cost of selling would be so great. Provides that a food stamp office need not consider any resources that the AFDC or supplemental security income benefit programs have already determined to be exempt. Directs State agencies to require only one adult representative of a household to sign all declarations required in the application process on behalf of the household. Makes recipients of State or local general assistance programs categorically eligible for food stamps. Changes from mandatory to discretionary aggregate allotments for households applying for benefits after the 15th day of the month. Title IV: Hunger in Rural America - Requires State agencies to designate rural project areas where low-income persons face substantial difficulties in getting transportation. Requires issuance of coupons by mail in such areas, except where households experience mail losses exceeding certain levels. Title V: Promoting Access for the Elderly and Disabled - Declares that State agencies, with respect to the excess medical deduction for the elderly and the disabled, shall not require further verification of a change in medical expenses if the change has been anticipated for the verification period. Requires annual adjustments to the value of the minimum food stamp benefit. Permits State agencies to establish a procedure allowing households whose regular food stamp benefits do not exceed $20 per month to receive up to $60 worth for intervals of up to three months. Requires that any applicant for or recipient of supplemental security income benefits be informed of the availability of food stamp benefits. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to: (1) make grants in FY 1991 through 1993 for demonstration projects to improve food stamp participation among homeless persons and families, low-income working families with children, and elderly and disabled persons; and (2) conduct pilot projects in FY 1994 and 1995 to test new food stamp procedures aimed at increasing rural participation. Title VI: Program Administration by State Agencies - Prohibits the application of disallowances for erroneous issuances or similar actions to any State for a fiscal year before FY 1991. Title VII: Program Integrity - Prohibits a wholesale-retail food concern from redeeming food stamps as a retail store unless: (1) it does a substantial level of retail food business; or (2) the Secretary determines that failure to so authorize the store would cause hardship to food stamp households. Requires applicant wholesale or retail food stores or concerns to provide the social security numbers of their owners, officers, and on-site managers. Increases fines for food stamp trafficking. Disqualifies a food store or concern permanently for selling guns, explosives, or controlled substances for food stamps, except that a fine may be imposed in lieu of disqualification under specified circumstances. Authorizes fines for: (1) food stores or concerns that accept loose coupons; and (2) unauthorized third-party food stamp acceptance. Reduces the election period during which a household required to repay a food stamp overissuance must decide whether to make such repayment through cash refund or allotment reduction. Title VIII: Reauthorization of Programs - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to make food stamp program authorization of appropriations permanent. Repeals allotment reduction and limitation on value provisions. Authorizes fund allocations through FY 1995 for food stamp job training. Extends through FY 1995 food stamp pilot program authority. Reauthorizes through FY 1995: (1) the nutrition assistance program for Puerto Rico; (2) the temporary emergency food assistance program under the Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983; (3) the soup kitchen and food bank programs under the Hunger Prevention Act of 1988; (4) the commodity distribution and supplemental food programs under the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973; (5) the distribution of surplus commodities to special nutrition projects under the Agriculture and Food Act of 1981; and (6) the nutrition education program under the Food Security Act of 1985. Title IX: Miscellaneous - Amends the Commodity Distribution Reform Act and WIC Amendments of 1987 to: (1) make the food bank demonstration project permanent; and (2) authorize State option contracts (with reimbursement by a State distribution agency) for commodity distribution programs. Directs the Secretary to study and report to the appropriate congressional committees on the feasibility of providing food stamp allotments to elderly and disabled residents of board and care homes. Increases the amount and variety of food available under the Indian reservation food distribution program. Authorizes nutrition education grants. Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 with regard to the special supplemental food program for women, infants, and children (WIC) to: (1) establish a specified FY 1991 authorization of appropriations; and (2) make WIC authorizations permanent. Title X: Indian Nutrition Gardening Program - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish an Indian (including Native Alaskan) gardening grant program to establish gardening operations on Indian reservations. Directs the Extension Service to provide training and technical assistance. Authorizes FY 1991 through 1994 appropriations. Title XI: Effective Dates - Sets forth effective dates for provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 1990
Medicaid Child Health Act of 1990 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to phase-in mandatory Medicaid coverage of children whose family income is below the Federal poverty level. Permits States to provide Medicaid coverage to children whose family income does not exceed 185 percent of the Federal poverty level and to foster care children. Prohibits States from considering the value of an automobile, household goods, personal effects, burial spaces, or insurance policies when determining a pregnant woman's Medicaid eligibility. Makes pregnant women who are presumptively eligible for Medicaid benefits and apply for such benefits within a time period specified by the State, but set at no less than 14 days, eligible for such benefits until the State determines otherwise. Requires States to continue the Medicaid coverage of a woman and her infant for 60 days after delivery regardless of fluctuations in her income during such period. Prohibits the redetermination of the Medicaid eligibility of a child under age six who has been deemed eligible less than six months previously, unless such eligibility is due to his or her receipt of aid under part A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) (AFDC) or E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Act or under title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Act. Preserves the Medicaid eligibility of a child under age six who loses such aid until it is determined that he or she is not eligible for Medicaid on some other basis. Requires that Medicaid coverage of inpatient hospital services provided to children at hospitals serving a disproportionate share of low-income patients: (1) make an outlier adjustment in payment amounts for exceptionally long or costly cases if such payments are made on a prospective basis; (2) not impose durational limitations on such services; and (3) not set dollar limits on the delivery of services to individuals who enter the hospital prior to their first birthday. Permits States to cover home and community-based services for children who have acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) or are medically dependent on a ventilator for life support. Allows States to cover home visitor services furnished by registered nurses to infants, during the first six months of life, who require treatment with life sustaining medication or equipment or technically-assisted feeding. Prohibits the Secretary from limiting to fewer than 500 (currently, 200) the number of individuals in a State who may receive home and community-based services under a waiver of certain Medicaid requirements. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) develop definitions of medically high risk pregnancy and children at a high risk of medical problems; (2) develop alternative definitions of medically uninsurable children; (3) develop a model health benefit package for pregnant women and children; and (4) study different methodologies to improve the coordination between various public health programs. Sets forth reporting requirements. Requires States to provide Medicaid coverage to all children under age 18 who are SSI recipients. Amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to require that a preplacement health care record for a child be provided to such child's foster care provider and be completed before he or she is placed in foster care or within 30 days after an emergency foster care placement. Requires the maintenance of a health care plan and record for such child while he or she is in foster care, and notification of the provider concerning such child's eligibility for Medicaid early and periodic screening, diagnosis, and treatment services. Amends part A (General Provisions) of title XI of the Act to reduce the lag time between the Secretary's calculation of the Federal matching rate under the AFDC, Medicaid, and Foster Care and Adoption Assistance programs and its implementation. Amends the Medicaid program to reimburse States, at the Federal Medicaid assistance percentage, for outreach services identifying Medicaid-eligible pregnant women and infants and assisting them in applying for Medicaid coverage. Provides that Medicaid waivers to promote the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of pregnancy-related services shall be for an initial three-year term and, upon the Secretary's approval, additional five-year terms.
![Official portrait of Sen. Mitchell, George J. [D-ME]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m000811_200.jpg)