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United States · Official source
2,614 records where Sen. Mitchell, George J. [D-ME] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 21 December 1987
Global Environmental Protection Act of 1987 - Amends the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to add a new title III, the Atmosphere Protection Act of 1987, to require the Federal Government to make and implement policies and programs so as to minimize environmental contamination and modification of the atmosphere.
United States · United States Congress · 21 December 1987
Designates the month of May 1988 as Worldwide Bluegrass Music Month.
United States · United States Congress · 17 December 1987
Deplores the Soviet Government's active persecution of religious believers in the Ukraine and its forcible liquidation of the Ukrainian Orthodox and Ukrainian Catholic Churches. Discourages official participation by the U.S. Government in ceremonies of the Millennium of Christianity in Kievan Rus' so long as: (1) individuals are harassed and imprisoned for their religious beliefs and denied access to religious literature and instruction; and (2) the Ukrainian Catholic and Orthodox Churches remain outlawed. Sends greetings to the Ukrainian people on the Millennium. Urges the President, the Secretary of State, the U.S. delegation to the United Nations, and the U.S. delegation to the Vienna Review Meeting of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe to continue to speak out forcefully against violations of religious liberty throughout the Soviet Union and, specifically, in the Ukraine. Calls upon the Soviet Government to release all those imprisoned for their religious beliefs and legalize the Ukrainian Orthodox and Ukrainian Catholic Churches.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 1987
Designates the week of April 17, 1988, as Crime Victims Week.
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 1987
Delays the imposition of sanctions under the Clean Air Act for eight months (until August 31, 1988). Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to designate nonattainment areas by such date.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 1987
Designates the period of June 11 through June 18, 1988, as National Dairy Goat Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 4 December 1987
Declares that, in celebration of Law Day U.S.A., special emphasis should be given by grateful people to all law enforcement personnel for their service in preserving domestic tranquility and guaranteeing rights under law.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 1987
Clean Air Standards Attainment Act of 1987 - Title I: Requirement for Nonattainment Areas - Amends the Clean Air Act to authorize States to submit a revised implementation plan for nonattainment areas unable to attain the national primary ambient air quality standard for photochemical oxidants (ozone) and/or carbon monoxide, requiring compliance no later than the end of 1992. Requires such revised plan to include: (1) a vehicle emission control inspection and maintenance program; (2) gasoline vapor recovery of hydrocarbon emissions in certain ozone nonattainment areas; (3) a schedule for implementing the use of alternative fuels or power sources; (4) emissions reductions through the adoption of reasonably available control technology in ozone nonattainment areas; and (5) compliance with the lowest achievable emission rate by new or modified major stationary sources. Requires States to develop an implementation plan for nonattainment areas where ozone exceeds the national primary ambient air quality standard by more than 50 percent and the extended compliance schedule cannot be met by the implementation of the additional requirements. Requires this implementation plan to require the identification and adoption of specific enforceable strategies and transportation control measures, including: (1) restricted vehicle use in emission concentration areas; (2) high occupancy vehicle limitations; (3) improved public transit; (4) the use of cleaner fuels by fleet vehicles; and (5) other traffic flow and ridesharing measures. Requires such ozone nonattainment areas to achieve a specified percent total emissions reduction annually, including major stationary sources. Permits a State to substitute a percentage that will achieve the national primary ambient air quality standard within ten years. Requires per ton fees and excess emissions penalties. Requires monies collected to be used to fund air pollution control programs under this Act. Requires compliance reports at least every three years. Requires offsetting emission reductions in such area to be at least twice as great as the amount of allowable emissions from proposed sources. Requires that the use of technology or emission reduction methods in nonattainment areas should reflect the highest ten percent achieved for the same class or category of source when meeting the lowest achievable emission rate for new or modified sources. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to publish and revise control technique guidelines for specified categories of sources, including wood furniture coating and hazardous waste facilities. Establishes ozone transport regions and commissions within each region to facilitate the attainment of the national air quality standard for ozone in nonattainment areas affected by emissions in other areas. Requires such commissions to identify controllable sources and other measures to attain the ozone air quality standard. Prohibits the construction or modification of a major stationary source or the award of certain Department of Transportation grants in any nonattainment area which remains a nonattainment area or which is not in compliance with plan implementation requirements. Prohibits the introduction of any pollutant into a publicly owned sewage treatment works with a Clean Water Act permit by a source not utilizing such treatment works prior to a plan implementation violation in a nonattainment area, except when the applicable implementation plan provides for an offset. Permits ozone nonattainment areas to delay compliance with the primary national ambient air quality standard for up to three years if all good faith efforts to attain such standard have been made. Authorizes the Administrator to make grants to facilitate the implementation of revised standards and plans. Requires activities under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act performed on the Outer Continental Shelf to comply with the requirements of the Clean Air Act as they would apply to the adjacent State. Authorizes States to control emissions from vessels within their jurisdiction. Title II: Acid Deposition Control - Amends the Clean Air Act to require each State to adopt Administrator-approved enforceable measures to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions in three stages between 1993 and 2000, and to reduce oxides of nitrogen emissions by 1996. Requires covered stationary sources in each State to certify the means of compliance and to be in compliance by specified dates. Prohibits emission increases from newer sources without a corresponding net reduction not otherwise required. Authorizes States with actual utility emissions at specified levels to substitute other standards and enforceable measures. Requires States to submit to the Administrator electric load forecasts and emission reduction contingency plans. Sets emissions limitations for States without enforceable measures. Sets forth methods which may be used, including: (1) energy conservation as the first priority; (2) least emissions dispatch; (3) source retirement; (4) trading of reduction requirements within State; and (5) precombustion cleaning of fuels. Prohibits interstate trading of emissions reductions except in areas served by a utility service territory in more than one State. Directs the Secretary of Energy, acting jointly with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, to carry out a program of construction and operation of facilities to develop experience in the commercial deployment of clean coal technologies which significantly reduce air emissions of sulfur dioxide or oxides of nitrogen from the generation of electricity or industrial process steam. Includes within such program the solicitation, selection, supervision, monitoring, and dissemination of information about results of proposed projects to deploy such technologies. Requires project selection to be based on applicability to existing coal-fired sources of emission, reductions achievable, and cost-effectiveness, including the ability to use feedstock coal mined in the United States. Prohibits the application of reductions achieved through this program to reductions required under a State implementation plan. Limits Federal funds to 50 percent of costs over a two-year period. Directs the Secretary and the Administrator to establish a Clean Coal Technologies Advisory Committee to select projects. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 through 1992. Requires primary nonferrous smelters to be in compliance with applicable emission standards by 1988. Directs the President to negotiate with Canada and Mexico to establish cooperative efforts in controlling transboundary air pollution, including uniform standards of performing to control air pollutant emissions. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to study and report to the appropriate congressional committees on a system of tariffs on emissions to encourage reductions. Directs the National Academy of Sciences to evaluate and report to the Congress on research priorities for sources and the long-range transport of air emissions. Directs the Administrator to report to the appropriate congressional committees on the feasibility and effectiveness of acid deposition standards to protect sensitive and critically sensitive aquatic and terrestrial resources, including an identification of such resources and impediments to implementing such a control program. Title III: Mobile Source and Other Federal Controls - Sets emission standards for light-duty vehicles and engines: (1) for hydrocarbons after model year 1992; (2) for oxides of nitrogen after model year 1990; and (3) for particulates after model year 1989. Sets emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles and engines for oxides of nitrogen during and after model year 1991 and model year 1995. Sets standards for particulates from heavy-duty diesel vehicles and engines for model years 1991 and 1994. Sets emission standards for light-duty trucks and engines during and after model year 1990 for oxides of nitrogen, hydrocarbons, particulates, and carbon monoxide. Requires motorcycles and motorcycle engines to comply with the standards for light-duty vehicles during and after model year 1992. Requires onboard hydrocarbon control technology for light-duty vehicles during and after model year 1991. Requires the Administrator to regulate formaldehyde emissions. Directs the Administrator to prohibit the manufacture and sale of engines requiring leaded gas. Requires additional regulation of carbon monoxide emissions. Doubles the useful life of light-duty vehicles and engines for purposes of standards established by this Act. Requires each of a manufacturer's vehicles and engines, not the average, to meet each of the emission standards of this Act. Directs the Administrator to add an idle test mode to the Federal Test Procedure for light-duty vehicles. Requires certificates of conformity to be suspended or revoked if fewer than 90 percent of new vehicles or engines tested in a sampling period conform with applicable regulations. Requires the Administrator to use State information when making determinations of nonconformity. Requires the Administrator to establish a testing center for high altitude conditions. Prohibits the sale of devices designed to be installed in a motor vehicle to defeat pollution control and other devices required by this Act. Sets forth procedures for determining civil penalties. Requires States with vehicle inspection and maintenance programs to adopt quality control audits. Requires new vehicles to be labeled with pollution control warranty costs. Sets standards for sulfur content in diesel fuel after July 1, 1990. Sets standards for Reid vapor pressure of gasoline sold during warm weather months following April 1, 1990. Requires the sale of oxygenated fuels in nonattainment areas. Directs the Administrator to report to the appropriate congressional committees on the use of such fuels. Sets forth procedures for determining civil penalties. Prohibits the use of fuels or additives in a motor vehicle not designed for such fuels or additives. Requires the Administrator to establish emission limitations, or standards of performance, composition, or application for hydrocarbon emissions associated with specified categories of sources, including solvents, coatings, and pesticide application. Increases criminal penalties for the knowing violation of certain provisions of this Act, including provisions relating to applicable implementation plans, and for the making of false statements. Directs the Administrator to promulgate performance standards for emission of specified air pollutants, including particulate matter, oxides of sulfur, and lead, from new or modified municipal waste incineration units. Requires such standards to reflect the best level of emission limitation achieved in practice by similar units under optimal conditions. Makes available specified technologies, including dry and wet scrubbing, fabric filtration, and source reduction and source separation. Establishes specific, minimum requirements for degree of thermal destruction of combustibles, reductions of emissions of certain pollutants, and outlet gas concentrations of certain pollutants. Requires jurisdictions served by a municipal incineration unit to have an enforceable solid waste management plan before a State program may issue a permit for a new or modified unit. Requires such plan to reflect the operation of the new or modified unit. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations requiring existing units to meet the emissions standards promulgated under this Act according to a timetable which requires compliance within six years. Requires the shutdown of units which fail to meet certain outlet gas concentration limitations by specified dates. Requires owners or operators of municipal waste incineration units to monitor emissions at the point such emissions move into the ambient air and at other points as necessary to protect human health and the environment. Requires such owners or operators to pay for a program to detect impacts of the unit on humans or the environment, including the testing for and reporting of significant levels of contaminants. Requires such owners or operators to comply with certain reporting requirements under Superfund. Sets monitoring standards, including continuous and periodic monitoring. Requires unit permits to be reviewed every five years after their issuance for compliance with emissions and other requirements of this Act. Permits States to submit for Administrator approval a State program of enforcement, treating the State as an enforcing entity under this Act. Authorizes the Administrator to withdraw such authority if the State is not adequately enforcing these requirements. Directs the Administrator to establish a model State program for the training and certification of municipal waste incinerator personnel. Requires operating personnel to pass such training or be certified by an authorized State program. Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to direct the Administrator to develop and promulgate criteria and testing procedures for managing municipal incinerator bottom and fly ash controlled by flue gas emissions control equipment which presents a substantial hazard to human health or the environment. Requires the installation of liners, a leachate collection system, and groundwater monitoring. Requires such criteria and procedures to determine leaching, total chemical analysis, respirability, and toxicity. Requires owners or operators of each such unit to separately test the bottom and fly ash, if possible. Authorizes corrective action for releases of hazardous constituents from such facilities, including post-closure monitoring. Title IV: Ambient Air Quality Standards - Amends the Clean Air Act to require the Administrator to periodically review and revise criteria and standards for each pollutant to reflect the latest available research. Directs the Administrator to report annually to the appropriate congressional committees on such review process. Directs the Administrator to promulgate additional national primary ambient air quality standards for ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, fine particles, and acid aerosols based upon concentrations over different time periods and different conditions. Authorizes a substitution of standards for particulate matter. Requires the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee to advise the Administrator on high-altitude concentrations of carbon monoxide. Title V: Hazardous Air Pollutants - Requires the Administrator to promulgate, review, and revise emission standards for listed categories of pollutants every three years. Provides for the addition and deletion of substances to and from such list. Directs the Administrator to list categories of sources emitting listed toxic pollutants. Requires emission standards for such pollutants from such sources to be at least equivalent to the most stringent levels achieved in practice. Directs the Administrator to promulgate leak detection and correction requirements to protect human health and the environment which may require annual audits and safety inspections. Sets forth a schedule for promulgating such emission standards based upon quantities and toxicity. Requires the Administrator to list and report to the Congress on categories of area sources of air pollutants subject to control under these requirements to require reductions of emissions according to a prescribed schedule. Revises the national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants. Expands the scope of hazardous air pollutants to include air pollutants which may have adverse environmental as well as human health effects. Requires the Administrator's list of such pollutants to include categories of the source emitting such pollutants. Directs the Administrator to develop criteria to assess air pollutants or classes of pollutants for addition to such list. Requires that decisions to list or not to list a pollutant be subject to public comment. Requires a final determination within five years of an initial determination that insufficient information exists to judge a pollutant as hazardous or nonhazardous. States that the emitters of such pollutant may be required to finance the research to determine its status. Requires such standards to protect human health with an ample safety margin unless a more stringent standard is required to protect the environment. Prohibits consideration of cost and technological feasibility when setting such standards. Permits more stringent interim standards for suspected carcinogens. Grants existing sources up to three years to meet applicable standards (current law allows 90 days). Permits an exemption for up to eight years for a source emitting a pollutant for which there is no health effects threshold where the owners or operators would experience extraordinary economic hardship. Requires such sources to comply with an alternative emission limitation resulting from the application of the best available technology. Imposes emissions standards and other requirements for stationary sources through permits. Authorizes each State to develop and submit to the Administrator for approval programs for control of emissions of toxic and hazardous air pollutants from stationary sources or for the prevention and mitigation of releases of extremely hazardous air pollutants from facilities in such State. Authorizes States to assume the Administrator's authorities to control such pollutants, either in whole or in part. Directs the Administrator to publish guidance for such programs within one year. Includes procedures and standards for emissions control as well as registration of all facilities handling any listed extremely hazardous air pollutant. Directs the Administrator to establish an air toxics clearinghouse to provide information and assistance to States. Authorizes the Administrator to make grants to States to assist in program development. Offers States an opportunity to modify unapproved programs. Requires the Administrator to withdraw approval of any State program which is not administering or enforcing its program. Requires the Administrator to list extremely hazardous substances which may cause acute or chronic adverse human health effects as a result of non-sudden or episodic events. Requires owners or operators of facilities or devices where such releases might take place to carry out hazardous assessments. Establishes within EPA the Chemical Safety and Hazards Investigation Board, an independent safety board to investigate and report on chemical accidents, evaluate hazard assessment techniques, and make recommendations to the Administrator on the safety of chemical production, handling, and storage. Requires the Administrator to explain any refusal to implement such a recommendation. Authorizes the Board to hold hearings, secure data and written reports from any person handling chemicals, and conduct inspections where extremely hazardous substances are produced, handled, or stored. Grants the Board an independent budget. Requires that Board-collected information, other than trade secrets, be made available to the public. Requires the Board to report annually to the President and the Congress on accidents, recommendations, and priorities for research and investigations. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 through 1992. Authorizes the Administrator to promulgate release prevention, detection, and correction requirements for extemely hazardous air pollutant facilities. Includes monitoring, recordkeeping, and other design, equipment, and operational practices. Authorizes the Administrator to secure injunctive or other relief when an extremely hazardous air pollutant from a facility poses an imminent and substantial endangerment to the public health or welfare or the environment. Establishes per day civil penalties for violations of such orders. Directs the Administrator to publish guidance for the coordination of such authority with the relevant authorities under other Federal environmental laws. Authorizes the Administrator to require owners or operators of facilities emitting hazardous or toxic air pollutants or producing or handling extremely hazardous listed air pollutants to monitor emissions from the source and in the vicinity, maintaining records of the results. Directs the Administrator to assess and report to the Congress on hazards associated with emissions of hydrogen sulfide, benzene, and aromatic hydrocarbons.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 1987
Tax Rate Freeze Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the currently applicable individual income tax rates through 1990. (Under present law these rates apply only to tax year 1987.) Requires annual indexing of the rates to reflect inflation.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1987
Act for Better Child Care Services of 1987 - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 and such sums as necessary for FY 1989 through 1992 to carry out the purposes of this Act. Specifies the manner of making allotments for child care services. Requires the designation of a lead agency in each State which participates in the programs under this Act. Requires States to submit, in order to qualify for assistance under this Act, an application and plan to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Requires each plan to cover a five-year period and to meet specified requirements for providers of child care services. Authorizes the use of State allotments: (1) by contracts with or grants to eligible child care providers, or public or private nonprofit agencies, to enable such providers or agencies to operate programs directly or by subcontract; or (2) by distributing child care certificates that parents may use as payment for child care services. Requires that a percentage of funds be reserved to enable part-day programs to extend existing hours of operation and provide full-day child care services. Authorizes the Secretary to make planning grants to States which desire to participate under this Act but cannot fully satisfy the requirements of a State plan without financial assistance. Provides for a review of the operation of a State plan during the five-year period to determine the State's continued eligibility for funds. Requires the Governor of each participating State to establish: (1) a State interagency advisory committee on child care to assist the lead agency in carrying out its responsibilities; and (2) a State committee on licensing to review the licensing requirements, the law, and the policies regulating child care services and programs within State. Requires each participating State to recognize private nonprofit community-based organizations, or public organizations, as resources and referral agencies for particular geographic areas. Requires each participating State to require that all employed or self-employed persons providing licensed or regulated child care complete at least 15 hours per year of inservice, continuing education, or other training as described in this Act. Directs the Secretary to establish within the Department of Health and Human Services an Administrator of Child Care to carry out the provisions of this Act. Establishes enforcement provisions for review of State plans and monitoring of State compliance. Declares the Federal share of child care programs to be 80 percent and requires the State to demonstrate that the remaining 20 percent will be provided from other sources. Requires the Secretary to establish a National Advisory Committee on Child Care Standards to: (1) review Federal policies on child care services and such other data as appropriate; (2) submit to the Secretary proposed minimum standards for child care programs; and (3) develop and make available to lead agencies model regulations for resources and referral agencies. Terminates the committee 90 days after the date of publication of final minimum child care standards. Prohibits the use of funds under this Act for: (1) sectarian purposes or activities; (2) capital improvements to sectarian institutions; and (3) tuition.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1987
Designates the week of May 1 through May 7, 1988, as National Older Americans Abuse Prevention Week.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 1987
Dairy Farm Protection Act - Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 with respect to agricultural price supports for milk during the period 1989 through 1995. States that the price support rate during this period shall be the rate in effect immediately prior to this Act's enactment. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to increase the rate by 50 cents if the estimated level of purchases of milk and milk products does not exceed 2,500,000,000 pounds. Directs the Secretary to establish and carry out a regional dairy production stabilization program during this same period under which the Secretary: (1) designates between six and ten dairy production regions in the United States; and (2) establishes for each region an authorized purchase level for milk products, in accordance with a formula described in this Act. Requires any region that exceeds its authorized purchase level in a given year to pay an assessment. Sets forth administrative details with regard to this assessment. Directs the Secretary to establish regional dairy production boards to assist in carrying out the regional dairy production stabilization program. Describes responsibilities and membership criteria with respect to these boards. Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to require each person who sells milk or milk products to the Commodity Credit Corporation and each person required to collect assessments under this Act to keep records and make reports as required by the Secretary. Establishes marketing penalties for persons who fail either to remit assessments required under this Act or to carry out duties under any regional dairy program established in this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 November 1987
Designates March 25, 1988, as Greek Independence Day: A National Day of Celebration of Greek and American Democracy.
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 1987
Warren G. Magnuson Foundation and Margaret Chase Smith Foundation Assistance Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make grants to: (1) the Warren G. Magnuson Foundation, for the Warren G. Magnuson Health Services Center at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington; and (2) the Margaret Chase Smith Foundation, for the Margaret Chase Smith Library Center in Skowhegan, Maine.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 1987
National Historical Publications and Records Commission Amendment Act of 1987 - Provides for staggering the terms of certain appointees to the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Entitles all Commission members to transportation expenses and per diem in lieu of subsistence. Requires the chairman of the Commission to transmit to the President and the Congress from time to time, and at least biennially, the plans, estimates, and recommendations developed and approved by it. Authorizes the Commission to conduct institutes, training, and educational programs and to sponsor fellowships related to its activities. Authorizes the Commission to disseminate information about documentary sources through guides, directories, and other technical publications. Authorizes the Commission to recommend the expenditure of appropriated or donated funds for the collecting, describing, preserving, compiling, and publishing of significant documentary sources. Authorizes the Archivist of the United States to make allocations to Federal agencies and grants to State and local public and nonprofit entities after considering the advice and recommendations of the Commission. Authorizes appropriations to the Commission for FY 1989 and each of the four succeeding fiscal years.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 1987
Designates the week of May 8 through May 14, 1988, as National Tuberous Sclerosis Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 1987
Expresses the sense of the Congress that before November 18, 1987, the Secretary of State should inform the Soviet Government that the United States supports the right of the Latvian people to peacefully assemble to commemorate important dates in their history and should urge the Soviet Government to: (1) allow the Latvian people to publicly commemorate November 18, the anniversary of the founding of the independent Republic of Latvia, without reprisal; (2) allow the Western media access to Riga, Latvia, to report on that day's events; (3) halt harassment of Latvian human rights groups; and (4) release all Latvian prisoners of conscience, including human rights activists Linards Grantins and Gunars Astra, before such date. Urges the President to direct U.S. Government agencies to closely monitor the events of November 18, and to send an appropriate representative to observe that day's events. Urges the President and the Secretary to raise the issue of human rights and self-determination in the Baltic states during the next U.S.-Soviet summit.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 1987
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the ozone "hole" that forms over Antarctica poses a threat to public health and the world environment; (2) the United States should take steps toward ratification of the Montreal Protocol To Control Ozone Depleting Substances as soon as possible; (3) the President should immediately transmit the Protocol to the Senate for prompt ratification; and (4) the President should immediately call upon a sufficient number of countries to move toward ratification so that the Protocol will enter into force as soon as possible.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 1987
Declares that the Senate commends the organizers and participants of Justice For All Day and expresses gratitude to all persons who work to abolish poverty and ease the suffering of the poor.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 1987
Education Savings Act of 1987 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit an income tax exclusion to a taxpayer who transfers a qualified U.S. savings bond to an eligible institution of higher education or vocational school to pay the higher education expenses (tuition, fees, books, supplies, and equipment) of the taxpayer, spouse, or dependent. Excludes from gross income the lesser of: (1) the otherwise taxable amount involved in the transfer; or (2) the amount of the relevant higher education expenses. Phases out the permissible exclusion in the case of taxpayers having adjusted gross income of $75,000 or more, disallowing it entirely when income exceeds $150,000. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to advise the general public of the program established by this Act. Amends Federal law to permit: (1) the type of transfer of U.S. savings bonds that would be necessary to effect the tax exclusions described in this Act; and (2) redemption of such bonds by recipient institutions.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 1987
Prohibits the Administrator of Veterans Affairs from taking into consideration any payment to any person pursuant to the settlement in the case of In re: "Agent Orange" Product Liability Litigation in determining: (1) eligibility to receive a veterans' pension; (2) the amount of any such pension; or (3) the amount of such person's attributable income for purposes of eligibility for certain medical benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 1987
Veterans' Home Loan Program Improvements Act of 1987 - Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to increase to $36,000 the amount entitled to each qualifying veteran as a loan guaranteed by the Veterans Administration (VA) for the purchase or construction of a home for such veteran. Makes similar changes in the denominator of the ratio to be used in determining the amount of a direct loan to a veteran for the purchase or construction of a home. Exempts such veterans' home loan guaranty provisions from sequestration procedures under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act), and repeals a Federal provision requiring the President to make certain reports to congressional committees following a cancellation of such loan guarantee commitments. Removes the requirement that a veteran must own and occupy a dwelling or residence in order to qualify for a VA-guaranteed loan on such dwelling. Allows, instead, such dwelling or residence to qualify if the veteran concerned certifies that he or she has previously so occupied it. Prohibits the amount of any such VA-guaranteed loan from exceeding 90 percent of the appraised value of the dwelling or farm residence which will secure the loan. Makes identical changes to provisions providing VA-guaranteed loans to purchase manufactured homes and lots. Revises provisions relating to the procedures used for ascertaining the monthly income required by the veteran to meet the anticipated loan payment terms. Directs the Administrator of Veterans Affairs, within a reasonable time after receiving proper notice, to provide veterans with information and counseling regarding: (1) alternatives to foreclosure of a VA-guaranteed loan; (2) the VA's and the veteran's liabilities with respect to the loan in the event of foreclosure; and (3) the availability of counseling concerning such matters. Requires the Administrator to ensure sufficient personnel to provide such counseling. Revises the definition of "total indebtedness" for purposes of the liquidation of loans in default. Provides that, in any case where there is a substantial delay in the liquidation sale caused by the loan holder's exercising forbearance at the Administrator's request, the date for determining the total indebtedness of the veteran shall be a date specified by the Administrator between the date forbearance is requested and the date of actual liquidation sale (i.e., the veteran, and not the holder of the loan, shall be responsible for any extra charges or interest accrued on the loan because of such delayed liquidation date). Authorizes the Administrator to specify a sale liquidation date only if the Administrator is authorized to accept conveyance of the property on such date. Requires that, in any other case in which there is a delay in such liquidation sale beyond a reasonable period for such sale, the liquidation date (for purposes of determining total indebtedness) shall be the earliest date on which such "reasonable period for sale" expires. Amends the Deficit Reduction Act of 1984 and other Federal law to extend from October 1, 1987, through FY 1988 provisions which: (1) provide for determining whether the VA may acquire properties at liquidation sales; and (2) determine the proportion of such acquired properties that the VA may sell for cash. Prohibits the amount of a loan made by the Administrator to finance the purchase of real property from the VA (property acquired through default proceedings) from exceeding 90 percent of the purchase price. Authorizes the payment of a 2.5 percent loan fee to the Administrator by those purchasing real property from the Administrator which was acquired by default. Increases the authorized percentage of cash sales of properties acquired by the Administrator through foreclosures. Extends until October 1, 1999, the authorized period for such sales. Provides that, in the event of default of a loan, if the Administrator refuses to accept a voluntary offer by the veteran to accept the property securing the loan, the Administrator may not include in the amount of such veteran's liability in connection with the loan the cost of a foreclosure proceeding. Provides that a veteran's voluntary conveyance of the property securing the loan shall not release the veteran from any other liability to the Administrator. Prohibits any person from assuming a guaranteed, insured, or direct housing loan obtained by a veteran unless, prior to the assumption, the veteran notifies the holder of the loan in writing and the acceptability of the assumption is established under specified procedures. Provides that, if the acceptability of such loan assumption is established, the veteran shall be relieved of all further liability to the Administrator, unless the Administrator determines that such release would not be in the best interest of the solvency of the Loan Guaranty Revolving Fund and promptly so notifies the veteran. Provides that, in the case of a sale of the property securing a loan, unless the acceptability of an assumed loan is established, payment in full of all appropriate charges under the terms of the loan shall be immediately due from the veteran on the date of transfer of title by the veteran. Directs the Administrator, upon notification by the veteran of a loan assumption, to provide a written explanation of the veteran's rights and liabilities under such proposed assumption. Provides that if a veteran disposes of real property securing a VA-guaranteed loan and fails to notify the loan holder before the property is disposed of, payment in full shall be immediately due and payable to the holder by the veteran at any time beginning on the date of the transfer. Provides that if the holder has knowledge of a transfer of title by the veteran, the holder shall immediately notify the Administrator of such transfer. Provides that a holder with such knowledge who fails to notify the Administrator shall be liable to the Administrator for any damage sustained as a result of such failure. Requires that any legal papers concerning the VA-guaranteed loan shall include, in conspicuous letters, a statement to the effect that such loan is not assumable without the approval of the VA or its authorized agent. Requires (as a safeguard against transfers to non-creditworthy persons) that a VA-guaranteed loan include a provision that the loan is immediately due and payable upon transfer of the property to a transferee unless the acceptability of the assumption is established in accordance with earlier provisions of this Act. Authorizes the payment of a fee of one-half percent of the loan balance to be charged to any person assuming a VA-guaranteed loan. Requires the Administrator to promulgate regulations concerning maximum amounts a lender may charge for processing applications for creditworthiness determinations and loan assumptions. Limits to 95 percent of the purchase price of the property securing the loan the amount of any loan that is to be paid by the veteran purchasing a manufactured home. Authorizes the Administrator to contract for such supplementary services and equipment as is necessary to ensure the long-term stability of the Loan Guaranty Revolving Fund. Outlines the supplemental services involved, including the use of loan-service companies, accounting firms, real estate brokers, and other contractors. Directs the Administrator to use funds obtained through loan fees and loan assumption fees to procure such supplemental services. Adds additional funds to such available amounts for FY 1988 and 1989. Extends through FY 1989 the authority for the collection of a loan fee. Directs real estate appraisers appraising property for which a VA-guaranteed loan is being considered to forward an appraisal report to the Administrator for review. Directs the Administrator to then determine the reasonable value of the property, and any construction or alterations necessary, and notify the veteran. Authorizes the Administrator to allow a lender authorized to make loans which are automatically guaranteed by the VA to determine the reasonable value of such property. Requires the appraiser, in such a case, to submit the appraisal report directly to the lender for review, and the lender, as soon as practicable thereafter, to furnish a copy of such report to the veteran who is applying for the loan and to the Administrator. Directs the Administrator, prior to exercising such authority, to establish a random appraisal-review system, to be performed by contract personnel paid from the Loan Guaranty Revolving Fund. Directs the Administrator, in order to effect the most expeditious sale of property acquired as the result of a guaranteed loan default, and at the best possible price, to list such property with real estate brokers.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 1987
Designates April 8, 1988, as Dennis Chavez Day in recognition of the first American-born, Hispanic person elected to the Senate.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 1987
Recommends that the Government lend support to efforts to overturn United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3379 (XXX), which equates Zionism with racism.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 1987
Amends the Deficit Reduction Act of 1984 to permanently disregard in-kind assistance provided by nonprofit organizations to recipients of benefits under title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) or part A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) of title IV of the Social Security Act in determining the need or eligibility of such recipients for program benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 1987
Organotin Antifouling Paint Control Act of 1987 - Prohibits the use on a vessel 25 meters or less in length of organotin-based antifouling paint, except as specified. Prohibits the sale of antifouling paint containing organotin or its application to a vessel unless the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency certifies that the release rate of such paint is below a specified level. Prohibits the sale of organotin paint additives. Permits the use of existing stockpiles for no more than 180 days following enactment. Sets forth certification procedures. Directs the Administrator to monitor and report annually for seven years to specified congressional officials on the concentrations of organotin in representative estuaries. Requires the Secretary of the Navy to periodically test and report to the Administrator and the State Governor on organotin contamination in waters and harbors serving as the home port for any Navy vessel. Imposes civil penalties for violations of this Act. Requires the Administrator to study and report to specified congressional officials on alternative antifouling chemicals and systems. Requires sale and use prohibitions to continue until a final decision on the release of organotin into the aquatic environment through such paints takes effect.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 1987
Calls upon the Government of the Soviet Union to: (1) grant to all those who wish to join spouses in the United States permission to emigrate with their family members to the United States; and (2) give special consideration to such cases that have remained unresolved for many years.
United States · United States Congress · 13 October 1987
Designates the week of November 8 through November 14, 1987, as National Food Bank Week.
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 1987
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require that the amount of the charitable deduction permitted to a donor of a debt instrument evidencing a loan to a developing nation be no less than the donor's basis in the relevant debt instrument in certain cases. Applies this provision when: (1) the contribution is a debt instrument in connection with a loan to a country eligible for World Bank or International Development Association financing; (2) the donation is made to a governmental unit or to a tax-exempt charitable, religious, literary, scientific, or educational entity (a 501(c)(3) organization); and (3) the instrument or its proceeds will be used for one or more international conservation purposes, such as preservation of open spaces, protection of natural habitat, support of conservation education programs, and appropriate research and experimentation.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 1987
Omnibus Taxpayers' Bill of Rights Act - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury (Secretary) to prepare a statement setting forth in nontechnical terms: (1) the rights and obligations of a taxpayer and of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) during a tax audit; (2) the procedures by which a taxpayer may appeal adverse decisions, prosecute refund claims, and file complaints; and (3) the procedures that the IRS may use in enforcing revenue laws. Directs the Secretary to transmit drafts of such statement to specified congressional committees and to distribute the final statement to all taxpayers receiving annual tax filing forms from the IRS. Requires the IRS, upon taxpayer request, to conduct any interview regarding the determination or collection of any tax at a reasonable time and place convenient to the taxpayer and to the IRS, and to permit the taxpayer, at his or her own expense, to record the interview. Authorizes the IRS interviewer to record such interview if the taxpayer has been given prior notice and is provided, upon request and payment of reproduction costs, with a transcript of the recording. Requires the interviewer to explain to the taxpayer the audit process, including the taxpayer's rights with respect to the process. Requires the Secretary to abate any penalty or interest imposed on any deficiency attributable to erroneous advice in writing given to a taxpayer by an IRS officer or employee in response to such taxpayer's specific inquiry. Authorizes the IRS Ombudsman, upon application filed by a taxpayer, to issue a Taxpayer Assistance Order if, in the determination of the Ombudsman: (1) the taxpayer is suffering or is about to suffer from an unusual or irreparable loss as a result of the manner in which the internal revenue laws are being administered by the Secretary; and (2) the Secretary has failed to carry out any of his or her duties or has violated any provision of law. Allows the terms of a Taxpayer Assistance Order to require the Secretary to release property of the taxpayer levied upon or to cease or refrain from certain actions. Requires the Secretary to obey any Taxpayer Assistance Order issued by the Ombudsman. Directs the Secretary, within 90 days of this Act's enactment, to issue regulations with respect to Taxpayer Assistance Orders, including provisions to assure full, fair, and impartial due process for affected taxpayers. Amends the Inspector General Act of 1978 and other Federal law to establish within the Department of the Treasury an Office of Inspector General. Transfers to such Office the existing audit and investigation units of the Department. Sets forth criteria with respect to: (1) the authority of the Inspector General to conduct an investigation; and (2) the authority of the Secretary in cases of audits or investigations requiring access to information of a sensitive or confidential nature. Allows the Secretary to prohibit investigations under specified circumstances. Restricts disclosure by the Inspector General of tax returns and return information. Prohibits records of tax enforcement results from being used to evaluate certain IRS personnel or to impose or suggest production quotas. Requires district directors to certify compliance with this mandate on a monthly basis. Requires the Secretary to certify that a rule proposed by the IRS is substantially the only alternative that meets the mandate of the relevant statute in order for the rule to be considered an interpretative rule (and thereby not subject to analyses under the Regulatory Flexibility Act). Amends the Regulatory Flexibility Act to require regulatory flexibility analyses to include consideration of both the direct and indirect beneficial and negative effects of a proposed or final rule. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to direct the Secretary, with limited exceptions, to send a preliminary letter of deficiency to a taxpayer prior to the mailing of a deficiency notice. Specifies required contents for tax due notices and deficiency notices, including the basis of the deficiency and a breakdown of the total amount into tax, interest, and penalty. Directs the Secretary, within 90 days of this Act's enactment, to issue regulations requiring all IRS personnel to explain and support their position in assessing any penalties or additions to tax. Requires the Comptroller General to study IRS procedures with respect to such assessments and to present findings to specified congressional committees no later than December 31, 1988. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into a binding agreement with a taxpayer under which the taxpayer may pay tax liability in installments if the Secretary determines that such an agreement will facilitate collection of the liability. Permits the Secretary, after proper notice and a hearing, to modify or annul the agreement upon the finding that the financial condition of the affected taxpayer has significantly changed. Renders such an agreement nonbinding if the taxpayer fails to pay any installment or any other tax liability when due. Extends from ten to 30 days the period between the required notice to a person who neglects or refuses to pay tax liability and a levy on such person's salary, wages, or other property. Specifies information that must be incorporated in such notice, including possible alternative actions and the appropriate appeals procedures. Adds to the circumstances triggering termination of such a levy: (1) an agreement between the taxpayer and the Secretary for payment of the liability; and (2) the Secretary's determination that the taxpayer's financial condition precludes enforceability of the liability. Revises the list of property exempt from levy to: (1) increase the exempt amount permitted for certain personal effects, the property of a business, and wages; (2) add an exemption for certain deposits in qualified institutions; and (3) provide an express exemption, except under limited circumstances specified in this Act, for the taxpayer's principal residence, a motor vehicle used by the taxpayer as the primary means of transportation to work, and any tangible personal property essential to the operation of the taxpayer's business in cases when a levy would prevent the taxpayer from carrrying on such business. Prohibits a levy on any property when levy and sales expenses would exceed either the liability for which the levy is made or the fair market value of the levied property. Permits the Secretary to demand surrender of bank accounts only after 21 days in escrow have passed since service of the notice of levy on the accounts. Sets forth situations in which the Secretary must release a levy. Applies to jeopardy levies the administrative and judicial review procedures currently applicable to jeopardy assessments. Permits a taxpayer to bring a civil action against the United States in the Tax Court for judicial review of jeopardy levies and assessments. (Under current law an action for judicial review of jeopardy assessments may be filed only in district court.) Increases the time during which a taxpayer may petition for such review. Describes the jurisdictional requirements to be applied to such actions. Allows an administrative appeal of tax liens. Grants to the Tax Court exclusive jurisdiction to enjoin premature assessments if the taxpayer has filed a timely petition for review. Provides for review of such injunctive orders by the U.S. Court of Appeals. Grants to the Tax Court jurisdiction to enforce payment by the Secretary of refunds of overpayment and interest to taxpayers. Places on the Secretary the burden of proof of justifying any failure to refund, credit, or offset relevant amounts with respect to a taxpayer. Entitles a prevailing taxpayer to: (1) an interest rate of 120 percent of the overpayment rate with respect to refunds; and (2) reasonable litigation costs. Grants to the Tax Court jurisdiction to: (1) review jeopardy assessment sales of assets; and (2) redetermine interest under certain circumstances when a taxpayer claims an overpayment of the interest. Vests in the Tax Court original jurisdiction over any civil action against the Secretary for the recovery of any tax, additions to tax, and penalties with respect to income, estate, gift, and certain excise taxes. Authorizes an award of reasonable litigation costs to the prevailing party in proceedings by taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service. Permits a taxpayer to bring a civil action in district court for actual damages resulting from the failure of any Federal officer or employee to release a tax lien on the taxpayer's property. Permits a civil cause of action in district court for damages resulting from the careless, reckless, or intentional disregard of internal revenue laws by any Federal officer or employee. Denies damage awards in cases of contributory negligence. Authorizes a damage award, to a $10,000 maximum, to the United States in cases of frivolous or groundless claims by a taxpayer. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to prescribe criminal penalties for: (1) any investigation or surveillance authorized or conducted by an officer or employee of the United States in connection with Federal tax laws that inquires into the beliefs, associations, or activities of any individual or organization; or (2) the maintenance of any records containing information derived from such an investigation. Establishes in the Internal Revenue Service the Office for Taxpayers Services, under the supervision of an Assistant Commissioner of Internal Revenue. Directs this Assistant Commissioner to: (1) be responsible for telephone, walk-in, and educational services, and for the design and production of tax and information forms; and (2) prepare annually, for presentation to specified congressional committees, a joint report (with the Chief Problem Resolution Officer for the IRS) on the quality of taxpayer services.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 1987
Designates February 4, 1988, as National Women in Sports Day.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 1987
Nursing Manpower Shortage Act of 1987 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for payment of the reasonable costs of hospitals for approved postgraduate nurse clinical training programs. Sets forth formulae for determining the amount to be paid and related amounts. Directs the Secretary to enter into an agreement with no fewer than seven eligible organizations to conduct three-year demonstration projects to provide payment on a prepaid, capitated basis for community nursing and ambulatory care furnished to any individual, other than individuals with end-stage renal disease, entitled to benefits under part A (Hospital Insurance) and enrolled under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of Medicare. Directs the Secretary to determine, for each 12-month period in which a demonstration project is conducted, a per capita payment rate for each class of qualified individuals, according to a specified formula. Directs the Secretary to develop alternate capitation-based reimbursement rates to be applied in determining per capita rates for at least one eligible organization conducting a project. Requires payments relating to the demonstration projects to be made from the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund. Restricts the premium rate and the actuarial value of deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments charged in connection with the demonstration projects. Requires that coverage for additional services, if any, be optional for the members of the eligible organization. Restricts the premium rate and the actuarial value of the deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments charged for additional services. Directs the Secretary to contract with a private, nonprofit entity to assist in designing, implementing, and evaluating the projects. Amends title XVIII and title XIX (Medicaid) to authorize, in addition to physicians, a nurse practitioner or clinical nurse specialist working in collaboration with a physician to: (1) certify or recertify certain services under the Medicare or Medicaid programs; and (2) fulfill, for skilled nursing facilities, requirements regarding the supervision of the health care of every patient and the provision of emergency medical care. Amends the definition of "medical and other health services" under Medicare to include institutional nursing services. Defines "qualified institutional nursing services" for Medicare to include items and services furnished by a nurse practitioner or clinical nurse specialist in a skilled nursing facility. Authorizes payments under Medicare from the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund for qualified institutional nursing services in the amount of 80 percent of the reasonable charge. Includes qualified institutional nursing services in the definition of "medical assistance" under the Medicaid program. Defines "qualified institutional nursing services" for Medicaid purposes to include items and services furnished by a nurse practitioner or clinical nurse specialist in a skilled nursing facility, including an intermediate care facility. Amends the definition of "medical and other health services" under Medicare to include certified nurse-midwife services and certified pediatric nurse practitioner services. Authorizes payments under Medicare from the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund for certified nurse-midwife services and certified pediatric nurse practitioner services. Directs the Secretary to contract with a private, nonprofit entity to study: (1) the effect on the supply of nurses in hospitals and nursing homes of the current reimbursement system under Medicare and regulations issued under Medicare and Medicaid; and (2) the case mix of patients for whom nurses provide services as compared to the case mix of patients at the same site for whom physicians provide the same services. Sets forth reporting requirements. Authorizes payments for the contract from the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 1987
Establishes the Commission on the Effects of Deregulation on Air Travel to study and make recommendations concerning the impact of a deregulated airline industry on the Federal Government's goal of promoting development of an air transportation industry that provides quality service to all regions of the country. Requires study in particular of the effectiveness of the essential air service program and rural service alternatives. Requires the Commission to submit a detailed final report to the Congress and the President. Terminates the Commission following its submission of such report. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 1987
Recognizes the accomplishments of the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act in enhancing, during the past 50 years, the knowledge, conservation, management, and habitat of U.S. wildlife resources, as well as hunter education. Commends hunters and shooters for their contributions to such Act's success.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 1987
Directs the Office of Personnel Management to arrange for the conversion of a portion of a Government employee's life insurance policy to long-term care insurance.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 1987
Rural Economy Act of 1987 - Title I: General Provisions - Establishes in the Department of Agriculture a Rural Development Financing Authority, headed by an Assistant Secretary of Agriculture appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate. Authorizes appropriations for the Authority for FY 1988 and subsequent fiscal years. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 and subsequent fiscal years for: (1) the Rural Development Financing Authority; (2) the Rural Development Loan Fund; (3) rural infrastructure grants; (4) basic community facility needs grants; (5) local capacity building grants; (6) rural technology development; (7) one-stop rural financial and technical assistance centers; and (8) State incentive grants. Title II: Business Development - Subtitle A: General Provisions - Directs the Assistant Secretary to develop a program to provide interest rate subsidies to lenders for loans to private business enterprises in rural areas. Prescribes eligibility requirements for such subsidies. Sets forth a program of rural industrialization assistance, including: (1) direct and insured loans for private business enterprises encompassing economic and environmental improvement, aquaculture, and solar energy systems; (2) joint loans for such enterprises from specified Federal departments and agencies, State agencies, and private and quasi-public financial institutions; and (3) insured and guaranteed loans for the construction or improvement of subterminal facilities. Subtitle B: Rural Development Loan Fund - Establishes in the Treasury a Rural Development Loan Fund as a revolving fund to be used for making rural development loans and rural opportunity grants. Title III: Community Development Assistance for Smaller Communities - Subtitle A: Rural Infrastructure Grants - Directs the Assistant Secretary to make grants to States, territories, and Indian tribes to provide funds for the development of local infrastructure in eligible rural communities. Sets forth allocation and program requirements. Subtitle B: Basic Community Facility Needs Grants - Directs the Assistant Secretary, in cooperation with the Administrator of the Farmers Home Administration, to make grants to specified associations to test cost-effective methods of meeting the basic needs of residents of rural areas who do not have and cannot afford safe drinking water and wastewater disposal. Title IV: Capacity Building for Local Development - Directs the Assistant Secretary to make grants to public and nonprofit private institutions: (1) to stimulate local businesses in rural areas affected by recent declines or chronic underdevelopment in basic economic sectors like agriculture; (2) to establish and operate centers of rural technology development in order to promote new processes and products that can be produced in rural areas; and (3) to establish three one-stop rural financial and technical assistance centers. Title V: State Incentive Grants - Directs the Assistant Secretary to make grants to States to fund the Federal matching contribution for State programs to promote rural development. Title VI: Administration - Sets forth nondiscrimination provisions and procedures for ensuring compliance and sanctioning noncompliance (including civil actions by the Attorney General). Sets forth remedies for noncompliance with any provision of this Act, including civil actions by the Attorney General. Provides for judicial review of any termination, reduction, or limitation of payments under this Act. Requires annual reports to the Congress on progress made in carrying out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1987
Designates the month of October 1987 as National AIDS Awareness and Prevention Month.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 1987
Intelligence Oversight Act of 1987 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to repeal provisions prohibiting the use of funds by or on behalf of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for covert action (special activities) in the absence of a presidential finding that such action is important for national security. Amends the National Security Act of 1947 to require the President to ensure that the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (intelligence committees) are kept fully and currently informed of special activities. (Current law imposes such duties on the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) and agency heads but not on the President himself.) Declares that such activities shall ordinarily be conducted pursuant to consultations between the President and the intelligence committees prior to implementation of special activities. Requires the President to ensure that any illegal intelligence activity or significant intelligence failure is reported to the intelligence committees, as well as any corrective action taken or planned in connection with such illegal activity or failure. (Current law imposes this duty only on the DCI and agency heads, subject to certain conditions.) Provides statutory authority for the President to authorize special activities when necessary to support U.S. foreign policy objectives and when important to U.S. national security. (Current law does not provide express statutory authorization for special activities, nor does it require that the activities be necessary to support U.S. foreign policy objectives.) Requires that this determination be set forth in a finding that meets specified conditions: (1) that each finding be in writing, unless immediate action is required and time does not permit a written finding (in which case a written record of the President's decision would have to be contemporaneously made and reduced to a written finding as soon as possible but not later than 48 hours after the decision is made); (2) that each finding specify each U.S. Government entity authorized to fund or otherwise participate in such special activities; and (3) that each finding specify any third party, including any third country, whom it is contemplated will be used to fund or otherwise participate in the special activity. Prohibits a finding from authorizing any action inconsistent with or contrary to any U.S. statute. Requires the President to ensure that any such finding be reported to the intelligence committees as soon as possible, but no later than 48 hours after it has been signed. Allows the President to limit access in extraordinary circumstances to the chairmen and ranking minority members of the intelligence committees, the Speaker and minority leader of the House of Representatives, and the majority and minority leaders of the Senate, but requires that he provide a statement of the reasons for limiting access. Requires the President to promptly notify the intelligence committees or, if applicable, the Members of Congress specified, of any significant change in any previously-approved special activities. Defines special activities to mean any activity conducted in support of national foreign policy objectives abroad which is planned and executed so that the role of the United States is not apparent or acknowledged publicly. Prohibits the use of U.S. funds for any special activity unless and until a presidential finding has been signed or otherwise issued in accordance with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 1987
Amends part A (General Provisions) of title XI of the Social Security Act to establish a National Commission on Children which is to serve as a forum on behalf of children and report to the Congress and the President by September 30, 1988, regarding questions relating to: (1) the health of children; (2) social and support services for children and their parents; (3) education; and (4) poverty among children.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 1987
Requests and authorizes the President to designate June 6 through June 12, 1988, as National Fishing Week.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 1987
Medicaid Home and Community Quality Services Act of 1987 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require States to provide Medicaid coverage of community and family support services for severely disabled individuals who became disabled before age 22 and are living in a family home, foster family home, or community living facility. Requires that such services be provided in accordance with a written habilitation plan developed by an interdisciplinary team on the basis of a comprehensive assessment of the individual's strengths and the services and support necessary to: (1) enable such individual to attain or retain capabilities for independence or self-care; (2) promote interaction between disabled and nondisabled individuals within the community; and (3) enable disabled individuals who are over age 18 to engage in paid employment. Increases the age at which newly disabled individuals will be eligible for this Act's coverage so that eventually individuals who become disabled between age 22 and 50 will be covered. Lists the services which may comprise community and family support services, requiring that such services include at a minimum: (1) case management services; (2) individual and family support services; (3) specialized vocational services; and (4) protective intervention services. Excludes from such services: (1) room and board, other than room and board provided for less than six consecutive weeks and less than 12 weeks per year; (2) cash payments as a service; (3) aversive behavior intervention, management, or therapies; (4) services provided to a disabled individual living in a hospital, or skilled nursing or intermediate care facility; (5) educational services which the State makes generally available to its residents without cost and without regard to their income; and (6) services for which payment is made under title XVIII (Medicare), or part A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) or B (Child Welfare Services) of title IV of the Act. Requires each State to make certain assurances regarding their provision of community and family support services and submit an implementation strategy to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Requires that such implementation strategies: (1) describe the extent and scope of community and family support services provided to the severely disabled and the extent and scope of services provided to the severely disabled who are institutionalized; (2) set forth the objectives and a five-year strategy for expanding community and family support services for the severely disabled; (3) include certain procedures for transferring severely disabled, institutionalized individuals to family homes, foster family homes, or community living facilities; (4) set forth standards for the provision of community and family support services and a program for licensing and certifying all facilities and programs providing such services; (5) provide for assessments of the provision and affect of community and family support services and the correction of service deficiencies; (6) provide the public with an adequate opportunity to comment on the strategies; (7) set forth methods ensuring that the personnel providing community and family support services receive adequate training and are competent to provide such services; (8) provide that the State has in effect a management information system capable of collecting, storing, and retrieving data on the severely disabled who receive community and family support services; (9) provide an opportunity for an appeal and hearing before a hearing officer to individuals who believe themselves to be inappropriately served or denied an appropriate service, or who are being scheduled for an involuntary transfer from one living arrangement to another; (10) describe the methods to be used in administering community and family support services; and (11) set forth procedures to protect the interests of public employees who will be affected by the transfer of the severely disabled from public institutions. Allows States to provide any new community and family support service for up to three years without meeting the Medicaid requirements that it provide a service on a statewide basis and that the service be comparable in all parts of the State. Requires that intermediate care facility services for the mentally retarded include the ascertainment of the individual needs of each newly admitted individual by an interdisciplinary team within 30 days and the development of a written habilitation plan for each individual. Limits Medicaid payments to States for skilled nursing and intermediate care facility services furnished to individuals under age 65 who became disabled before age 22 to the amount payable for such services in the fiscal year ending after the enactment of this Act, increased if and by the extent to which the percentage increase in the consumer price index exceeds six percent. Makes such limitation inapplicable to facilities which have less than 16 beds or meet the size and location requirements for a community living facility. Requires States to have in effect a system to protect and advocate those rights of the severely disabled who are eligible for medical assistance which relate to the provision of such assistance. Provides Federal Medicaid matching funds for such system. Gives individuals who are adversely affected by a violation of this Act's requirements the right to bring an action to enjoin such violation. Allows States to set payment rates for community and family support services for the severely disabled. Authorizes States to treat severely disabled individuals under age 19 who are not in a medical institution as receiving benefits under title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Act for Medicaid eligibility purposes if they would be eligible for SSI benefits if institutionalized. Requires States to establish a uniform income standard for the severely disabled regardless of whether or not they are in a medical institution. Authorizes States to provide Medicaid coverage of disabled spouses and children who, except for the resources deemed to them, would be eligible for SSI benefits. Removes certain limitations on the Secretary's approval of reduction and correction plans for deficient intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded. Makes individuals who are severely disabled and receiving or deemed to be receiving SSI benefits eligible for Medicaid as long as such qualifications continue to be satisfied. Directs the Secretary to establish, within the Health Care Financing Administration, a Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services responsible for administering Medicaid programs for the severely disabled. Requires the Secretary to: (1) develop standards and a program for training Federal and State personnel who perform surveys of skilled nursing and intermediate care facilities to determine whether such facilities meet Medicaid participation requirements; and (2) periodically conduct studies of the reliability of such surveys and make the changes necessary to improve such reliability. Directs the Secretary to support the development of: (1) instruments to assess outcomes in the provision of this Act's services; and (2) competency-based personnel standards for agencies and organizations providing services to the severely disabled pursuant to this Act. Requires the Secretary to: (1) conduct an annual assessment of each State's compliance with this Act's requirements; and (2) issue final regulations regarding this Act's amendments prior to the first fiscal year beginning after this Act's enactment. Sets forth reporting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 7 August 1987
Former Presidents Act of 1987 - Title I: Former Presidents - Changes the amount of the annual allowance to which the surviving spouse of a deceased former President is entitled from $20,000 to two-thirds of the allowance to which a former President is entitled. Repeals the requirement that the spouse must waive the right to any other Government annuity or pension to qualify for such allowance. Authorizes the Administrator of General Services to provide to each former President, upon request: (1) one office; (2) compensation, without an aggregate ceiling, for members of an office staff who shall be subject to certain provisions of civil service laws; (3) payment for the travel and subsistence allowances for specified office employees; (4) communications services; (5) printing and binding expenses; and (6) appropriate equipment for such office. Allows any Federal employee to be detailed to the office staff of a former President with the consent of the employee's agency head. Declares that the cost of providing transportation by Government aircraft to former Presidents shall be paid from appropriations for such purpose. Authorizes the Administrator to provide a former Vice President with necessary services and facilities for concluding his or her office affairs which are similar to the services and facilities provided to a former President under this title. Prohibits the use of funds provided for necessary services and facilities of a former President or Vice President for partisan political activities or income generating activities. Prohibits the expenditure of such funds for a former President any time beyond 90 days after the former President dies. Requires each former President to submit to the Congress an annual report concerning activities carried out with the assistance of such funds. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the provisions of this title concerning the services and facilities to be provided for former Presidents and Vice Presidents. Repeals specified provisions of the Presidential Transition Act of 1963. Title II: Protection of Former Presidents and Former Vice Presidents - Prohibits the United States Secret Service from protecting a former President, former Vice President, or the spouse, widow, widower, or child of a former President, except as authorized under this title. Authorizes the Secret Service to protect: (1) a former President for five years after the individual becomes a former President; (2) the spouse or child of a former President for two years after the individual becomes a former President, and after such period to the extent that such protection is incidental to the protection of the former President; and (3) the widow or widower and each child of a former President for six months after the former President dies, or for any time remaining in the two-year period, if applicable. Permits the Secretary of the Treasury to reinstate the Secret Service protection of a former President for one year and of a spouse or minor child for six months after the original protection has been terminated upon finding that a threat warranting such protection exists. Authorizes additional extensions of such periods of protection if the Secretary has submitted a request for an extension to the Congress and 60 days of continuous session have expired after the date of such request. Authorizes the President to direct the Secret Service to protect a former President, or a spouse or child of a former President, if a threat warrants emergency action. Permits the Secretary to authorize Secret Service protection for a former Vice President for a period beginning on the last day of the individual's term and ending on the last day of the fiscal year in which the term expires, and upon finding that a threat exists which warrants such protection.
United States · United States Congress · 7 August 1987
Indoor Air Quality Act of 1987 - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a national research, development, and demonstration program to assure the quality of indoor air, including coordinating and accelerating efforts related to the causes, detection, and correction of contaminated air. Requires such program to include information collection and dissemination, cooperative research, grants, studies, development of techniques, facility construction, and conferences. Requires that research focus on human health effects and the identification of types and levels of contaminants likely to cause harm, including the development of methodology and techniques for detection and control. Authorizes the Administrator to assist technology demonstration activities based on a technology's potential to cost effectively control sources of contaminants which pose the greatest risk. Limits Federal funding to 75 percent of costs. Directs the Administrator to report to the Congress by the start of FY 1989 on activities conducted under this Act. Directs the Administrator to publish and biennially revise a list of contaminants known to occur in indoor air. Provides for additions to such list upon application of a State Governor. Requires the Administrator to publish advisory materials addressing the human health effects of listed contaminants which describe the properties, effects, risks, and concentrations of such contaminants. Directs the Indoor Air Panel of the EPA Science Advisory Board to assist in the listing and advisories. Requires that advisories be updated every five years. Directs the Administrator to develop and publish a national indoor air quality response plan to meet applicable clean air standards, including the dissemination of information and education and the provision of technical assistance. Requires the response plan to identify the contaminant, the basis for the action, the nature of the response, the responsible Federal authority, and the necessary financial resources. Requires such plan to include a specific response plan for Federal buildings which lists buildings and the reduction and response actions to be taken, and identifies those buildings likely to exceed applicable standards. Exempts specified buildings for national security, demolition, or special use purposes. Requires response plans to be submitted to the Congress on a biennial basis. Authorizes grants to States for the development of management strategies and indoor air quality assessment and response programs similar to those of the Federal program. Directs the Administrator to establish the Office of Indoor Air Quality within EPA's Office of Air and Radiation to implement agency responsibilities of this Act. Directs the President to establish a National Indoor Air Quality Council within the Executive Office to coordinate Federal activities and advise the President. Requires that the Council report to the Congress on a biennial basis. Directs the Administrator to conduct an indoor air contaminant reduction demonstration program in new Federal buildings, including the development of design, purchasing, and management guidelines. Requires the Administrator to establish a national indoor air quality clearinghouse. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 through 1992.
United States · United States Congress · 7 August 1987
Peer Review Organization Reform Act of 1987 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report to the Congress, within one year of this Act's enactment, on improved procedures for imposing sanctions against Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) providers which furnish items or services which are not medically necessary or do not meet professionally recognized health care standards. Amends part B (Peer Review) of title XI of the Social Security Act to require peer review organizations (PROs) to give providers whose services are denied Medicare coverage an opportunity for discussion and review of the determination before patients and organizations responsible for paying claims are notified of such determination. Amends the Medicare program to require that the Secretary's budget separately state the amount of budget authority for inpatient hospital services and the amount of budget authority for the PRO program. (Currently, PRO costs are included as costs incurred by hospitals in providing inpatient hospital services.) Amends part B of title XI of the Act to require the Secretary to publish in the Federal Register: (1) any new policy or procedure affecting PRO performance of contract obligations within 45 days prior to the effective date of such policy or procedure; and (2) the general criteria and standards used in evaluating PRO performance of contract obligations. Directs the Secretary to: (1) regularly furnish each PRO with a report that documents its performance in relation to other PROs; and (2) negotiate necessary contractual modifications with PROs before requiring them to perform additional functions. Provides that the Secretary's contracts with PRO shall be renewable for a two-year period and for three-year periods thereafter. Requires the Secretary to give preference to contract with PROs which have their primary place of business in the State in which review will be conducted when choosing from among proposed contracts for peer review. Requires a PRO to perform 50 percent of its review activities each year on the sites where items or services are provided, including on-site review of each hospital in its area. Includes within PRO review the determination as to whether individuals enrolled with a health maintenance organization (HMO) have adequate access to services provided by or through such HMO. Requires a PRO to: (1) apprise HMO enrollees regarding the peer review system and the method of contacting the PRO; (2) conduct several educational sessions each year at hospitals to acquaint providers and hospital personnel with the criteria the PRO uses in making its determinations; (3) make arrangements for the initial review of psychiatric and physical rehabilitation services to be made by a physician who is trained in psychiatry or physiatry; and (4) consider, in developing norms of care, the special problems associated with delivering care in remote rural areas, the availability of service alternatives to inpatient hospitalization and social factors affecting the safety and efficacy of service delivery. Directs the Secretary to establish a Quality of Care Research and Education Center to enhance the performance of PROs.
United States · United States Congress · 7 August 1987
Designates the week of May 2 through May 8, 1988, as National Drinking Water Week to enhance awareness of drinking water issues and recognition of the difference that drinking water makes to health, safety, and quality of life.
United States · United States Congress · 7 August 1987
Declares that the Congress strongly urges that the Free Trade Area Agreement being negotiated by the United States and Canada not contain any changes in the maritime policy and laws of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 1987
Federal Aviation Administration Independent Establishment Act of 1987 - Establishes the Federal Aviation Administration as an independent Federal agency to succeed the Federal Aviation Administration of the Department of Transportation. Transfers to such independent agency all functions vested in the Federal Aviation Administration currently in the Department of Transportation, and all functions vested in such Department which are administered through the Federal Aviation Administration or are related to it. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 1987
Amerasian Homecoming Act - Provides for the admission as an immigrant into the United States (for two years beginning 90 days after enactment of this Act) of an alien residing in Vietnam who: (1) was born in Vietnam after January 1, 1962, and before January 1, 1976, and whose father was a U.S. citizen; or (2) is the spouse, child, or mother, or has acted as the next of kin (with specified limitations) of such an alien. Requires on-site consular interviews in making such determinations. Provides for an eight-month period of visa validity. Provides, with regard to such aliens, for: (1) the waiver of specified exclusionary grounds under the Immigration and Nationality Act; and (2) specified (refugee) assistance under such Act. Directs the Attorney General, in cooperation with the Secretary of State, to submit program reports to the Congress annually for three years.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 1987
Recognizes the contributions of Rachel Carson to public awareness and understanding of environmental issues on the 25th anniversary of her book, "Silent Spring."
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1987
Expresses the sense of the Senate: (1) supporting the President's efforts to gain Pakistan's compliance with its past commitments not to produce weapon-grade nuclear material; (2) urging the President to inform Pakistan that its verifiable compliance with such past commitments is vital to any further U.S. military assistance; and (3) urging the President to pursue an agreement by India and Pakistan to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, accept International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards, allow mutual inspection of one another's nuclear installations, renounce nuclear weapons through a joint declaration, and establish a nuclear weapons free zone in the Subcontinent.