United States · United States Congress · 27 July 1989
Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act to authorize the distribution of a meat article or animal without charge to nonprofit private entities or to Federal, State, or local entities engaged in the distribution of food without charge to individuals, if the article: (1) was inspected and found wholesome and not adulterated; and (2) is marked "Not for Sale." Relieves the United States and the person from whom the meat was seized and condemned from legal responsibility for the article if it: (1) was inspected and found wholesome and not adulterated; and (2) is marked "Not for Sale." Amend the Poultry Products Inspection Act to authorize the distribution of a poultry article without charge to nonprofit private entities or to Federal, State, or local entities engaged in the distribution of food without charge to individuals, if the article: (1) is capable of use as a human food; (2) was inspected and found wholesome and not adulterated; and (3) is marked "Not for Sale." Relieves the United States and the person from whom the poultry was seized and condemned from legal responsibility for the article if it: (1) was inspected and found wholesome and not adulterated; and (2) is marked "Not for Sale."
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 1989
Claude Pepper Act for Amputees - Amends the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to authorize the Director of the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation to conduct a research program to finance development of advanced technology prosthetic and orthotic devices by Federal, State, and local government agencies and qualified private organizations. Requires such program to include research on: (1) the development of lower and upper limb devices; (2) useful applications of modern materials; and (3) new methods of utilizing body power. Directs the Secretary of Education to prescribe regulations for such program within 90 days of the enactment of this Act. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 and 1991 for such research program. Requires that at least ten percent of such funds be used to make grants to providers of prosthetic and orthotic services who are approved under agreement with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1989
Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Quality Assistance and Cost Effectiveness Act of 1989 - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) realign all medical facilities recommended for realignment by the Commission on Realignment and Major Mission Change in its report (required under this Act); (2) change the major mission of all medical facilities as recommended in such report; and (3) complete such realignments and mission changes within six years. Expresses the sense of the Congress that under no circumstances shall the Secretary revise the Commission's recommendations. Prohibits the Secretary from carrying out such realignment and major mission change of any medical facility without transmitting certain reports to specified congressional committees. Allows a four-month period for congressional disapproval, by joint resolution. Requires any disapproval to be for all Commission recommendations, prohibiting deletion or amendment of individual recommendations. Establishes the Commission, specifying its composition, duties, and reporting requirements, including reporting on estimated costs and savings related to each recommended realignment or mission change. Authorizes the Commission to employ support staff. Exempts all records, documents, and other materials generated by the Commission from the Freedom of Information Act. Authorizes the Secretary to take actions to implement realignment or major mission changes, including: (1) land acquisition, construction of replacement facilities, and disposal of property; (2) subject to the availability of funds, provision of economic adjustment and community planning assistance; and (3) environmental restoration, including reducing, removing, and recycling hazardous wastes and removing unsafe buildings and debris. Sets forth additional reporting requirements. Allows the Secretary to carry out this Act without regard to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Establishes a separate fund within the Treasury to carry out the purposes of this Act. Sets forth guidelines for congressional consideration of the Commission report.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 1989
Establishes the Joint Federal-State Commission on Policies and Programs Affecting Alaska Natives to: (1) conduct a study of the social and economic status of Alaska Natives and the effectiveness of State and Federal policies and programs that affect Alaska Natives; (2) conduct hearings on the subjects of such study; and (3) recommend specific actions to the Congress and the State of Alaska that address the opportunities and the economic, educational, and health needs of Alaska Natives. Directs the Commission to report on the study and recommendations to the President, the Congress, and the Governor and legislature of Alaska. Terminates the Commission 180 days after submitting such report. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 1989
Innovative Alternatives to Imprisonment Act of 1989 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize grants to States to carry out projects that demonstrate innovative alternatives to incarceration for individuals convicted of nonviolent offenses. Includes boot camp prisons as such alternatives, in conjunction with drug treatment, literacy education, vocational education, and job training programs. Makes drug treatment mandatory for drug offenders. Sets forth: (1) application procedures and requirements for grants; and (2) procedures for review of applications. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 1989
Establishes the Special Committee on National Drug Control Policy as a temporary special committee of the Senate. States that the duty of such committee is to provide oversight and guidance to the Director of National Drug Control Policy with respect to the Director's responsibility for: (1) the development and submission of a National Drug Control Strategy; and (2) the submission of a National Drug Control Program Budget. Terminates such Committee 30 days after November 18, 1993, and the submission of its final report.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 1989
Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facilities Realignment Act of 1989 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) issue a charter establishing the Commission on Medical Facility Realignment and Major Mission Change; (2) realign all medical facilities recommended for realignment by the Commission; (3) change the major missions of medical facilities as recommended by the Commission; (4) initiate all such realignments and major mission changes no later than one year after receipt of the Commission's report; and (5) complete all such realignments and major mission changes no later than three years after receipt of such report. Prohibits any such realignment or major mission change from occurring unless: (1) the Commission recommends such realignment or change to the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees; (2) the Secretary submits a report to such committees approving such recommendation or change; and (3) the Congress fails to enact a joint resolution disapproving such recommendation or change within 45 days after receiving the Secretary's report. Outlines membership requirements and other administrative provisions concerning the Commission. Requires the Commission to report its recommendations to the Secretary and the veterans' committees. Authorizes the Secretary, in realigning or changing the major mission of a medical facility as recommended by the Commission, to: (1) carry out all necessary actions to implement such realignment or major mission change; (2) provide economic adjustment and community planning assistance to communities located near a medical facility being realigned or being affected by a major mission change; and (3) carry out activities for the purpose of environmental restoration. Directs the Administrator of General Services to delegate certain authority to the Secretary, allowing the Secretary to manage and dispose of property for purposes under this Act. Directs the Secretary, before taking any action to dispose of any surplus real property at a medical facility in connection with a realignment, to consult with the Governor and heads of the local governments of the State affected to consider any plan for the use of such property by the local community concerned. Requires the Secretary to notify all other departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government of the availability of property to be disposed. Requires all proceeds from the transfer or disposal or surplus property to be deposited in the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facility Realignment Account. Requires the Secretary to reimburse the Administrator for any expenses involved in connection with the management or disposal or any surplus property under this Act. Requires the Secretary to make annual reports to the veterans' committees concerning realignments and major mission changes. Establishes the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facility Realignment Account and provides for deposits into, and expenditures from, such Account. Requires the Secretary to notify the veterans' committees and the Senate and House Appropriations Committees when a decision is made to use Account funds to carry out a major medical facility project, to report to such committees on deposits into and expenditures from the Account, to make a final accounting to such committees when all actions necessary for realignments and major mission changes are completed, and to certify to the Secretary of the Treasury that all such actions have been completed. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury, upon receipt of such certification, to transfer all funds remaining in the Account to the Treasury miscellaneous receipts account. Provides procedures for the consideration by the Congress of the recommendations of the Commission, including rules for the consideration of a joint resolution approving or disapproving such recommendations. Defines a "major mission change" as any substantive change in clinical programs or patterns of delivery of medical care at a medical facility.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 1989
Designates October 29, 1989, as Fire Safety at Home--Change Your Clock, and Change Your Battery Day. Directs the President to issue a proclamation to urge people to change the batteries in their smoke detectors when they reset their clocks from daylight savings time.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 1989
National Indian Forest and Woodland Enhancement Act - Title I: Administrative Provisions - Sets forth congressional findings, purposes, and definitions. Title II: Forest and Woodland Enhancement - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to manage commercial forest lands and woodlands, either directly or through self-determination contracts and grants under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, with the following objectives: (1) development, maintenance, and enhancement of such lands in a perpetually productive state by providing effective management and protection; (2) regulation of such lands through the establishment and development of forest and woodland product marketing programs in a manner that makes possible continuous production and perpetual forest and woodland business; (3) sale of such products on the open market when the quantity of such products available for harvest exceeds the quantity harvested by the landowner; (4) development of such lands by Indians to promote self-sustaining communities so that they may receive the labor and profit yielded by their property in addition to its stumpage value; (5) preservation of such lands in their natural state when authorized Indian representatives determine that recreational, aesthetic, or cultural values of such lands represent their best use to the Indians; and (6) management and protection of such lands and their resources to retain the beneficial effects to Indian trust lands of regulating water runoff and minimizing soil erosion and to maintain and improve timber productivity, grazing, wildlife, and fisheries and other traditional values. Directs the Secretary to withhold deductions from the gross sale proceeds of Indian forest and woodland products to cover timber sale administration or forest regeneration costs. Limits such administrative fee deductions to ten percent or the percentage of the gross sale proceeds of such products currently collected as forest management deductions, whichever is less, unless the recognized tribal government consents to an increase in such deductions. Declares that such deductions are not intended to cover the costs that are paid from funds appropriated specifically for fire suppression or pest control. Directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations that: (1) establish penalties for the commission of forest and woodland trespass; (2) designate the agency officials who will be responsible for detecting forest and woodland trespass and assessing and collecting penalties; and (3) set forth procedures for the assessment and collection of such penalties. Directs the Secretary to submit a report to the Congress that: (1) describes and evaluates the nature and extent of forest and woodland trespass that is occurring; and (2) describes any legal or practical impediments to the curbing of forest and woodland trespass and the enforcement of regulations prescribing penalties for such trespass. Allows restitution to the landowner out of the penalties collected for such trespass. Title III: Indian Forestry Education Assistance Programs - Establishes the Forester Intern Program to provide financial assistance to Indian students who are pursuing a bachelor's or post-graduate degree in forestry or a forestry-related field while attending an approved post-secondary school in a full-time forestry-related curriculum and who have been appointed to forester intern positions. Directs the Secretary to establish and maintain at least ten salaried forester intern positions for Indian students in the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Requires forester interns to enter into an agreement obligating them to serve two years as a professional forester with either BIA or a tribal government for each year of education for which they received financial assistance. Requires the Secretary to maintain, through BIA, a cooperative education program to recruit Indian students who are enrolled in secondary or post-secondary schools for employment as professional foresters in BIA. Directs the Secretary to provide financial assistance to students who: (1) are enrolled in a course of study at an educational institution with which the Secretary has entered into a cooperative agreement; and (2) are interested in a career with BIA in commercial forest land and woodland management. Authorizes the Secretary to grant forestry scholarships to Indians enrolled as full-time students in schools with accredited programs for post-secondary forestry and forestry-related programs of study. Requires scholarship recipients to enter into an obligated service agreement with the Secretary in which they agree to accept employment, following their course of study, with: (1) BIA; (2) a forestry program conducted under a contract, grant, or cooperative agreement entered into under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act; or (3) an Indian enterprise engaged in a forestry or forestry-related business. Requires the Secretary to administer the programs described under this title until a sufficient number of Indians are trained to ensure that there is an adequate number of qualified, professional Indian foresters to manage BIA forestry programs and forestry programs maintained by or for Indian tribes. Title IV: Authorization of Appropriations - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 and each succeeding fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1989
Revises the eligibility requirements for veterans' readjustment employment within the Government to entitle to such employment any veteran who has a compensable service-connected disability and who was discharged or released from active duty within ten years before his or her appointment or job advancement. (Currently, such readjustment employment is limited to qualified disabled veterans and veterans of the Vietnam era.) States that service on active duty during the Vietnam era is not required for eligibility. Extends the veterans' readjustment employment program through December 31, 1991.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1989
Amends the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to competitively award at least ten mental health demonstration grants of no more than $1,000,000 each to assist Indian tribes and tribal organizations in meeting the costs of planning, developing, and implementing mental health care programs. Requires the Secretary to prescribe regulations for the awarding of such grants to ensure the consideration of the extent to which such programs would provide Indians with access to a mental health service delivery system that combines clinical approaches with traditional cultural approaches. Requires grant recipients to furnish certain information and to report to the Secretary at the close of the grant term. Requires the Secretary to report periodically to the Congress. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1993. Directs the Secretary to establish within the Office of Research and Development of the Indian Health Service a technical assistance section to act as an information center for Indian tribes and tribal organizations regarding on-going mental health activities, programs, and services within Indian country. Terminates such section after submission of a final report to the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1989
Urges the Government of Iran to extend to the Bahai community the rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other human rights accords. Calls upon the President to: (1) emphasize the need for improvements in Iran's treatment of the Bahais and other religious minorities as an important factor in the development of U.S.-Iranian relations; (2) encourage other governments to appeal to Iran concerning the situation of the Bahais; (3) cooperate with other governments and international organizations in appealing for the protection of the religious rights of the Bahais; and (4) provide, and urge others to provide, refugee and humanitarian assistance for the those Bahais fleeing their homelands because of religious repression.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1989
Expresses the sense of the Congress that science, mathematics, and technology education should be a national priority (with emphasis on an educated citizenry, curriculum planning, teacher preparation, and service to traditionally underserved students, including those from inner cities and remote areas).
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1989
Court of Veterans Appeals Judges Retirement Act - Title I: Judges Retirement and Survivor Annuity Program - Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions concerning the U.S. Court of Veterans Appeals (Court) to outline the age and service requirements for full retirement benefits. Requires a judge who is unable to perform the duties of office due to permanent disability to retire. Provides that a judge serving for less than ten years who retires due to permanent disability shall receive retired pay of one-half of the rate of pay in effect at retirement. Requires an election to retire under such retirement provisions to be made while the judge is still an active judge. Prohibits revocation of such an election after the retired pay begins to accrue. Requires such election to be in writing and sent to the chief judge or, in the case of the chief judge, to the Director of the Office of Personnel Management. Outlines provisions concerning: (1) forfeiture of rights to retired pay while accepting employment with the United States; (2) the lack of an annuity payable under civil service retirement laws, as well as the lack of a deduction from retired pay for the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund; and (3) notice to the President in writing when a judge is unable to perform the duties of office due to a permanent disability. Allows an individual who has elected to receive retired pay under these provisions to revoke such election at any time before the first day on which retired pay would begin to accrue. Requires notice of such revocation to be in writing and sent to the Director of OPM. Outlines the ramifications of such revocation (basically, reinclusion under Federal civil service retirement provisions). Requires the Director of OPM to begin withholding one percent of the salary of a judge under this Act after proper notice of the election to receive retirement coverage under this Act. Requires withheld amounts to be credited to the Court of Veterans Appeals Judges Retirement Fund. Allows a judge to deposit into such Fund amounts for up to 15 years of service prior to the date on which contributions may be made under this Act. Authorizes a judge to become a participant in the annuity program by filing a written notice of such election under this Act while in office in a manner prescribed by the Court. Provides for a deduction of 3.5 percent of the judge's pay to provide coverage for the annuity. Requires amounts so withheld to be deposited into the Fund. Requires a judge to deposit into the Fund, for annuity coverage, 3.5 percent of the judge's pay or other compensation for service as a member of Congress or any other civilian Federal service. Allows such payments for prior years of service to be made in installments. Provides that if the service of a judge who makes an election to be covered under the annuity provisions is terminated, or if any judge ceases to be married after making the election and revokes the election, the amount in the judge's individual account shall be returned to the judge. Allows an annuity to be paid to the surviving spouse and dependent child of a judge under this Act if the judge dies after having rendered at least five years of civilian service and has made payments into the Fund for at least five years. Terminates the annuity to the surviving spouse upon his or her death or remarriage before age 55. Terminates the annuity payable to the child at the child's death. Recomputes the annuity payable to the child at the child's death. Recomputes the annuity payable to a dependent child after the death of a surviving spouse and after the death of another dependent child. Terminates any annuity payments if a judge making an election to be covered for annuity purposes dies before having rendered at least five years of civilian service or dies without a survivor entitled to such benefits. Provides, in such case, that the full amount of deposits made by the judge before his or her death, plus interest, shall be returned to the persons surviving on the date that title to the payment arises, in a specified order of priority. Provides for payment of the unpaid remaining annuity of a survivor or dependent upon the termination (other than by death) of the annuity of any individual based upon the service of a judge, in a specified order of preference. Provides for alternative measures to be taken for the payment of annuities to minors or mentally incompetent persons. Outlines administrative provisions concerning the time and amounts of annuity payments (determined on the basis of a judge's average annual pay). Requires the years of service for determining the amount of a surviving spouse's annuity rights to include years of service as a judge of the Court, as a Member of Congress, and as a member of the armed forces (within a specified limit) and any other Federal civilian service. Requires a judge making an election to provide an annuity under this Act to waive all benefits under the civil service retirement laws. Requires annuity payments to be increased whenever a judge's salary is increased as long as the deceased judge rendered some portion of his or her final 18 months as a judge of the Court. Establishes in the Treasury the Court of Veterans Appeals Retirement Fund. Requires the chief judge of the Court to submit to the President an annual estimate of the expenditures and appropriations necessary for maintenance and operation of the Fund. Provides for periodic examinations of the Fund by an actuary. Requires deposits into the Fund as necessary to reduce to zero its unfunded liability. Title II: Provisions Relating to Establishment of Court of Veterans Appeals - Directs the Secretary to transfer to the Court such funds as the chief judge of the Court certifies to be required for the initial startup and operational costs of the Court, until funds for the operation of the Court are first appropriated. Requires that, upon appropriation, the chief judge must reimburse the Secretary for the total sum transferred to the Court. Provides for facilities for the Court to be provided through the Administrator of General Services. Extends the date by which an appeal must be filed with the Court with regard to Board of Veterans Appeals decisions made before the Court commences operations. Provides for interim rules and employment authority of the Court. Title III: Technical Corrections - Makes technical corrections to current Federal law concerning the Board of Veterans Appeals. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - Excludes certain noncareer appointments and competitive service-excepted positions in the Department of Veterans Affairs from a requirement prohibiting political affiliation or activity from being taken into account in connection with the appointment of personnel to certain positions. Provides for an acting chief judge of the Court in the event of a vacancy. Authorizes the Court to procure the services of experts and consultants.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1989
Degradable Commodity Plastics Procurement and Standards Act of 1989 - Directs the Administrator of the General Services Administration to encourage the development and use of degradable agricultural commodity-based plastics through a system of preferential Government procurement. Authorizes FY 1991 through 1995 appropriations to carry out this Act. Directs the Administrator to establish an Interagency Council to coordinate activities under this Act and to develop uniform definitions, standards, and testing methods for degradable plastic products. Requires the Council to report on its activities to specified congressional committees. Directs the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration to assess the safety of indirect food additives intended to increase the degradability of plastic food-packaging materials. Directs the Commissioner to report annually to the Congress on such assessment.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1989
Designates the period of September 16 through October 9, 1989, as Coastweeks '89, recognizing the importance of coastal zones. Designates September 16, 1989, as National Estuaries Day and September 23, 1989, as National Beach Cleanup Day.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1989
Constitutional Amendment - Declares that the Congress and the States have the power to prohibit the desecrating, mutilating, defacing, defiling, or burning of the U.S. flag.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1989
Declares that the Senate: (1) expresses its disappointment that the Texas statute prohibiting the desecration of the flag was found to be unconstitutional; (2) expresses its commitment to preserving the honor and integrity of the flag; (3) intends to make a study of the impact of the Supreme Court decision on Federal and State laws and to seek ways to restore sanctions against such conduct; and (4) urges the American people to continue to display proudly the American flag.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 1989
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit the exclusion based on health status of a noncitizen U.S. armed forces veteran with a service-connected disability. Permits a noncitizen U.S. armed forces veteran to qualify for naturalization with less than three years service if such person was discharged early because of a service-connected disability.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 1989
Democracy in Eastern Europe Act of 1989 - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to remove Poland from the list of countries ineligible for designation as beneficiary developing countries. Requires the Overseas Private Investment Corporation to support projects in Poland and Hungary to enhance the nongovernmental sector and reduce state involvement in the economy. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 and 1991 to implement the 1987 United States-Polish science and technology agreement. Authorizes additional appropriations for FY 1990 and 1991 to carry out the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to be available only for: (1) the provision of medical supplies and hospital equipment to Poland and for training of Polish medical personnel; and (2) unconditional support of democratic institutions in Poland and Hungary. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should: (1) encourage privately administered educational and cultural exchanges between the United States and Poland and the United States and Hungary through the International Research and Exchanges Board, the National Academy of Sciences, the Fulbright Educational Exchange Program, and the United States Information Agency; (2) consider establishing reciprocal cultural centers in the United States and such countries to facilitate government and privately funded educational exchanges; and (3) consult with western allies and Japan on establishing a comprehensive economic recovery program in Hungary and Poland in the context of binding commitments by such countries to establish democracies and free economies.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 1989
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit disclosure to the Department of Veterans Affairs (Department) of income-related tax return information for the purpose of determining eligibility for specified veterans' pension and benefit programs. Amends Federal law to prohibit the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from using this tax return information to terminate, deny, suspend, or reduce a person's benefits or services without first: (1) taking appropriate steps to verify independently the amount and accessibility of the income in question; and (2) providing the affected individual with notice and an opportunity to respond to the findings. Restricts the Secretary's right to verify or act upon information relating to disability compensation. Directs the Secretary, in furnishing hospital or nursing home care to a veteran who furnishes income information, to notify the veteran that the Secretary may verify such information through the Commissioner of Social Security or the Secretary of the Treasury. Requires the veteran to agree to pay to the United States the applicable amount as payment for such care if it is determined that the veteran is not entitled to such care through the Department in whole or in part. Directs the Secretary to notify applicants for, and recipients of, Department benefits that income information they provide may be compared with tax return data.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 1989
Designates June 23, 1989, as United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Day. Authorizes the President to: (1) issue a proclamation commemorating the 50 years of Coast Guard volunteer service to enhance the safety of water-related activities; and (2) call for the observation of such day with appropriate ceremonies, educational activities, and boating safety achievement programs.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1989
Directs the Secretary of the Army to set aside an appropriate area within Arlington National Cemetery for the unmarked burial of cremated remains of persons entitled to burial in such cemetery.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1989
Designates August 1, 1989, as Helsinki Human Rights Day. 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, in particular, the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Romania; (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) convey to U.S. allies the necessity of unity regarding such Accords.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 1989
Condemns the use of force by the People's Republic of China against unarmed advocates of democracy and human rights in China. Supports the President's actions, including suspension of all Government sales and commercial exports of arms to China. Praises the actions of American diplomatic personnel in China in seeking to insure the safety of American citizens there. Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) certain Chinese students studying in the United States should be granted permission to extend their stay; (2) applications to the Overseas Private Investment Corporation for the protection of investments in China and to the U.S. Export-Import Bank for the financing of trade with China should be reviewed; (3) U.S. departments charged with and considering liberalization of regulations relating to export licenses for sales to China should take into account the current situation; (4) the President should consult major U.S. allies to determine whether multilateral sanctions are necessary; (5) the President should inform the Congress of the results of his planned review of U.S.-Chinese relations and consult with the Congress on further actions to be taken; and (6) the Voice of America should increase its broadcasts to China.
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 1989
United States Coast Guard Bicentennial Medal Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to design, strike, and sell a medal in commemoration of the bicentennial of the U.S. Coast Guard in 1990. Requires the design of the medal to be selected by the Secretary of the Treasury after consultation with the Secretary of Transportation and the Commission of Fine Arts.
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 1989
Amends the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to permit Rural Electrification Administration borrowers to prepay Federal Financing Bank loans without penalties if: (1) private capital is used to replace or prepay such loans; and (2) any savings will be used to mitigate future rate increases, passed on to customers, or used to improve the borrower's financial strength. Permits such borrowers to refinance outstanding long-term Federal Financing Bank loans for a specified fee. Requires the borrower to obtain a change in the interest rate on such loan from its present level to the rate then in effect for new Federal Financing Bank loans.
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 1989
Veterans Education Policy Improvements Act - Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to revise the hourly minimum wage to be paid to veteran-students who are pursuing full-time programs of rehabilitation, education, or training under programs administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Defines the hourly minimum wage to be paid to such veteran-students as the applicable Federal or State hourly minimum wage. Authorizes the payment of an identical work-study allowance for veterans' survivors and dependents who are pursuing a full-time program of education in a State in return for such person's agreement to perform such services. Authorizes the Secretary to discontinue an educational assistance allowance if a person's attendance is unsatisfactory. (Currently, only poor conduct or progress are causes for such discontinuance.) Requires certain attendance performance to be taken into consideration in the approval (or disapproval) of accredited courses having no attendance standards. Revises the standards under which an educational or subsistence allowance need not be paid to include those periods when a person's attendance, conduct, or progress is unsatisfactory or such person is not pursuing the course in accordance with the standards as prescribed by the Secretary. Repeals a limitation on the number of changes of programs of education allowed for veterans and other eligible persons, instead allowing any number of such changes as long as each change is approved by the Secretary. Authorizes the Secretary to approve a program change necessitated by circumstances beyond the control of the eligible veteran or person. Limits the circumstances under which the Secretary may approve a second or subsequent change of program of education. Authorizes the Secretary to withhold the payment of educational assistance benefits until the required proof is received that the person is satisfactorily pursuing the program of education. Provides that "mitigating circumstances" authorizing the withdrawal of a student from a program of education shall include withdrawal to furnish care for the veteran's or person's child due to difficulties in making or changing child-care arrangements. Authorizes the Secretary to approve the enrollment of an eligible member of the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve under contracts with the Department of Defense for a program of education. Authorizes the Secretary to utilize the services of those members of the armed forces receiving assistance under applicable Federal armed forces' educational assistance programs.
United States · United States Congress · 31 May 1989
Constitutional Amendment - Declares that nothing in the Constitution shall be construed to prohibit individual or group silent prayer or reflection in public schools. Prohibits the United States or any State from requiring any person to participate in such prayer or encouraging any particular prayer.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1989
National Environmental Education Act - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish an Office of Environmental Education within the Office of External Affairs to carry out this Act. Establishes an Environmental Education and Training Program to train educational professionals in the development and delivery of environmental education and training programs and studies. Directs the Administrator to make an annual grant to an institution of higher education or nonprofit research institution to establish and operate such program. Sets forth application and eligibility requirements and criteria to be considered in awarding such grants. Authorizes the Administrator to enter into cooperative agreements or provide grants to support projects to design, demonstrate, and disseminate practices related to environmental education and training. Outlines activities eligible for grant support and priorities in awarding such grants. Requires the Administrator to publish an annual solicitation for environmental education grants. Authorizes local education agencies, colleges or universities, State education or environmental agencies, or nonprofit agencies to apply for such grants. Limits Federal funds for demonstration projects to 75 percent of the total cost, except in specified instances. Limits such grants to $100,000 and requires 25 percent of all funds obligated to be for grants of no more than $5,000. Requires the Administrator to provide for internships by postsecondary students with Federal agencies involved in environmental issues. Directs the Administrator, to the extent practicable, to support at least 150 internships annually. Makes eligible for participation in such program students enrolled at accredited colleges or universities who have successfully completed at least four courses or the equivalent in environmental sciences. Requires the Administrator to provide for a series of national awards recognizing outstanding contributions to environmental education to include: (1) the Theodore Roosevelt Award for environmental teaching or administration; (2) the Henry David Thoreau Award for literature on the environment and pollution problems; and (3) the Rachel Carson Award for film or print media for public education and information on environmental issues or problems. Provides that recipients of such awards shall be nominated by the Environmental Education Advisory Council. Requires the regional administrator of each EPA office to present an "Outstanding Environmental Educator Award" annually to a teacher or faculty member from a local education agency, college or university, or nonprofit organization in recognition of an outstanding contribution to environmental education. Establishes a National Environmental Education Advisory Council. Requires the Council to report biennially to the Congress on: (1) the extent and quality of environmental education in the Nation's schools; (2) activities conducted pursuant to this Act; (3) obstacles to improving environmental education; and (4) training and skills needed to respond to environmental problems. Establishes the Environmental Education Trust Fund to carry out this Act. Allocates funding for this Act's activities and authorizes 50 percent of penalties received under specified environmental Acts to be appropriated to the Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1989
National Environmental Policy on International Financing Act of 1989 - Amends the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to require that before casting the U.S. vote on a proposed action by an international financial institution significantly affecting the quality of the environment, the appropriate Federal official request such institution to furnish an environmental impact statement. Requires such official to identify: (1) any minimum criteria not met; and (2) any pertinent information absent from the statement but available elsewhere. Requires such official to: (1) inform the management of such institutions of the expected nature of such statements; and (2) begin negotiations with their personnel to facilitate the conduct of environmental impact assessments. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) make Federal personnel available upon request to assist an institution in making such assessments; (2) take steps with both donor and borrower nations to expand international consensus on environmental needs; and (3) file a detailed status report with specified congressional committees on the institution's implementation of procedures for systematically assessing the environmental impact of its activities. Directs the Council on Environmental Quality to report to certain congressional committees on the efficacy of U.S. efforts to encourage timely environmental impact assessment within international financial institutions.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1989
Directs the Secretary of Defense, no later than 15 days after the enactment of this Act, to establish an Anti-Drug Task Force composed of personnel from the armed forces, the Coast Guard, and the U.S. Customs Service. Requires the Task Force, in cooperation with the Director of National Drug Control Policy, to develop a plan for the support of the drug interdiction activities of Federal law enforcement agencies, providing for the assignment of military personnel and the use of equipment and resources of the Department of Defense. Directs the Secretary and the Director, within 30 days after enactment of this Act, to report to the Congress on the activities of the Task Force.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1989
Amends rule XXVIII of the Standing Rules of the Senate to provide a point of order against provisions of a conference report alleged to be unconstitutional.
![Official portrait of Sen. Murkowski, Frank H. [R-AK]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m001085_200.jpg)