United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1991
Tropical Forest Consumer Information and Protection Act of 1991 - Prohibits manufacturing or distributing any tropical wood or tropical wood product unless: (1) it bears a label or mark indicating the country in which the wood was grown and the name of the wood; or (2) that information is provided to the buyer at the point of sale. Requires sellers through a catalog or communications media to disclose the country of origin and the name of the wood. Mandates: (1) an annual report on tropical hardwood importation; (2) a program to assess the progress of tropical countries in managing and conserving their forests; and (3) an annual report on the status of forests in each tropical country. Declares that: (1) policies, incentives, and education encouraging the sustainable management of tropical forests and labeling of country of origin should be supported; and (2) it should be U.S. policy to pursue adoption of such measures pursuant to its activities within the International Tropical Timber Organization. Provides for civil monetary penalties for violation of the labeling requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1991
Urges the Government of Iran to extend to the Baha'i community the rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international agreements to which Iran is a party. Calls upon the President to continue to: (1) urge the Government of Iran to emancipate the Baha'i community by granting such rights; (2) emphasize that the United States regards the human rights practices of such Government, particularly its treatment of the Baha'is and other religious minorities, as a significant element in the development of U.S.-Iranian relations; and (3) cooperate with other governments and international organizations in efforts to protect the religious rights of the Baha'is and other minorities in Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 1991
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct and report to the Congress on a demonstration project to examine whether having respiratory care practitioners provide services in home settings would improve the quality, and reduce the costs, of care under the Medicare program (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) for patients who use respiratory home care equipment. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 1991
Radiation Protection Act of 1991 - Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to require Federal agencies to comply with all Federal, State, and local requirements concerning the imposition of fees for the storage or disposal of low-level radioactive waste in the same manner as nongovernmental entities. Amends the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act Amendments of 1985 to apply requirements concerning the disposal of Federal low-level radioactive waste at non-Federal facilities to the storage of such waste at such facilities. Declares that no Federal law may be construed to prohibit or otherwise restrict the authority of a State to regulate, on the basis of radiological hazard, the disposal of low-level radioactive waste designated a State responsibility for which the Nuclear Regulatory Commission does not require disposal in a low-level radioactive waste disposal facility licensed by the Commission or by an Agreement State. Provides that no Federal law may be construed to preclude or otherwise restrict the authority of any State to impose standards for the protection from radiological hazards more stringent than the Commission's for such disposal. Revokes certain policy statements of the Commission relating to radioactive waste below regulatory concern. Prohibits the Commission or the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from issuing policies exempting radioactive materials or practices from regulation unless there is advance notice of the proposed regulatory action in the Federal Register and the public is provided an opportunity to comment or to participate in an adjudicatory hearing.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 1991
Condemns the murder of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and others in the bomb explosion on May 21, 1991. Expresses regret over the deaths of Gandhi and other victims of election violence in India. Offers condolences to Gandhi's widow and children and to the people of India. Stands in solidarity with the Indian people in their effort to sustain the most successful democratic tradition in the developing world.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1991
Youthbuild Act of 1991 - Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to provide grants for Youthbuild projects which shall employ economically and educationally disadvantaged youth to help construct or rehabilitate rental and transitional housing for homeless persons and low-income families. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1991
Condemns: (1) the attacks on innocent children, women, and men in Armenian areas and communities in and around Nagorno-Karabakh; and (2) the indiscriminate use of force, including the shelling of civilian areas, on Armenia's eastern and southern borders. Calls for: (1) the end to the blockades and use of force and intimidation directed against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh; (2) the withdrawal of Soviet forces newly deployed for the purpose of intimidation; and (3) dialogue among all parties involved as the only acceptable route to achieving a lasting resolution of the conflict. Reconfirms the U.S. commitment to the success of democracy and self-determination in the Soviet Union and its republics by expressing its deep concern about any Soviet retribution, intimidation, or leverage against such republics.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1991
Tobacco Product Education and Health Protection Act of 1991 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to add a new title establishing a Center on Tobacco and Health within the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to conduct and coordinate Federal education, research, and law enforcement with regard to tobacco products and to monitor and restrict the use of tobacco additives. Authorizes contracts and cooperative agreements to carry out the title. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the CDC Director, to: (1) conduct certain educational and research activities; and (2) make grants and enter into contracts and cooperative agreements to conduct public information campaigns concerning the use of tobacco products, using any mode of conveying information the Secretary considers appropriate. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary, through the CDC Director, to designate between ten and 20 model States and make grants to them to assist in improving State leadership in activities that prevent initial tobacco use among minors, encourage cessation among youth and others, and enforce a prohibition of tobacco product sales to minors. Declares eligible for the grants those States which have and enforce laws prohibiting sales to minors, laws reducing use of or access to cigarette vending machines by minors, and prohibit (or seek to prohibit) the provision of free tobacco product samples. Mandates that the Secretary, through the Director and on request, provide certain types of assistance with regard to retail establishments, including printed materials, assistance in planning events to educate the establishments, assistance in developing systems to report establishments that consistently sell tobacco products to minors, and assistance in developing systems to notify such establishments. Authorizes appropriations for grants to model States. Directs the Secretary to make grants and enter into contracts and cooperative agreements for educational activities to reduce the incidence of tobacco use among workers with high prevalences of tobacco use. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to carry out a program to inform the public of the health dangers presented by cigarette smoking including, with regard to the health effects of cigarette smoking and passive smoke: (1) conducting and supporting research; (2) coordinating all activities of the Department of Health and Human Services; (3) maintaining liaison with private and public agencies; (4) collecting, compiling, and disseminating information; and (5) establishing an outreach program to youth under the age of 18. Directs the Secretary to establish an Interagency Committee on Smoking and Health. Directs the Secretary to carry out a program to inform the public of health dangers from the use of smokeless tobacco, including educational programs, research, and dissemination of information. Authorizes the Secretary to provide technical assistance and make grants to States to assist in the development and distribution of educational programs and materials, and to assist States in enacting laws and regulations establishing 18 as the minimum age for purchasing smokeless tobacco. Prohibits certain acts, including: (1) acts relating to adulterated or misbranded tobacco products; (2) subject to exception, the using or revealing of any trade secret acquired under these provisions; (3) the false representation or suggestion that an approval of any tobacco product is in effect under certain provisions; and (4) failure to transmit certain product information to any individual on request. Directs the Secretary, in order to carry out the prohibitions, to establish within the Public Health Service, or designate an existing entity within the Service, as an Office of Regulatory Affairs. Provides, with respect to a State designated under this Act as a model State, for denial of delivery and a ban on shipping tobacco products to a retail establishment with a pattern or practice of selling tobacco products to minors. Authorizes U.S. district courts to enforce the prohibitions as described under specified provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Allows an individual, or a class or organization on behalf of an individual, to bring a civil action for injunctive relief, monetary damages, and attorney's fees. Requires manufacturers, importers, or packagers of any tobacco product brand name to provide to the Secretary: (1) a complete list of the levels of tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide for each brand and each tobacco additive used and the range of quantities of the additive used in all names manufactured, imported, or packaged by the person; and (2) on request of the Secretary, information regarding the health impact of the additives. Directs the Secretary to prescribe requirements for manufacturers to place information in packages of tobacco products regarding tar, nicotine, carbon monoxide, and additives. Allows spices, flavorings, fragrances, and colorings to be so designated without specifically naming each. Considers a tobacco product misbranded unless it is labeled as required in these provisions. Authorizes the Secretary, if an additive, by itself or in conjunction with any other additive, significantly increases the human health risk of the product, to require the levels of the additive to be reduced, or to prohibit its use. Makes it unlawful to manufacture, import, or package any tobacco product brand name unless the warning labels required by the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act meet certain requirements. Considers a tobacco product adulterated if an additive level exceeds the limit set, or if other conditions are met. Authorizes the Office of Regulatory Affairs to conduct examinations and investigations under these provisions through officers and employees of the Department of Health and Human Services or through any health officer or employee of any State duly commissioned as an officer of the Department. Requires the Center, when a sample of a tobacco product is collected for analysis and on request, to provide a part of the official sample for examination or analysis by any person named on the label of the product, or the owner, or their agent. Considers any product that contains nicotine but is not a tobacco product to be a drug under specified provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Prohibits interpreting anything in the title added by this Act, the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act, or the Comprehensive Smoking Education Act of 1984 to relieve any person from liability under common law or State statutory law to any other person. Declares that nothing in the title added by this Act, the Cigarette Labeling Advertising Act, or the Comprehensive Smokeless Tobacco Health Education Act shall prevent a State or local government from enacting additional restrictions on the sale or distribution of tobacco products or on the placement or location of stationary outdoor or transit advertising of tobacco products. Directs the Secretary, through the CDC Director, to assist schools in the implementation of effective programs and policies to prevent tobacco use. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants or enter into contracts to assist in such implementation. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act to: (1) change the contents of required label warnings; (2) remove certain requirements regarding warning presentation; and (3) remove provisions protecting the confidentiality of information submitted to the Secretary regarding the ingredients added to tobacco. Amends the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1986 to add tobacco use prevention, intervention, and education to the types of activities which may be carried out under State programs. Adds references to tobacco use to provisions specifying the uses of funds for local drug abuse education and prevention programs. Allows materials on drug abuse education and prevention to be disseminated under specified provisions of this Act. Adds references to tobacco to provisions relating to drug use and alcohol abuse education and prevention activities directed to students at all educational levels. Authorizes appropriations to enable the Secretary of Education to make incentive grants to State education agencies to establish smoke free schools, with the grant funds used to disseminate materials to school personnel and students, and to hold conferences and meetings, concerning the health hazards of tobacco uses by students. Repeals provisions of the Comprehensive Smoking Education Act relating to smoking research, education, and information. Repeals specified provisions of the Comprehensive Smokeless Tobacco Health Education Act of 1986. Mandates a study of pesticides in tobacco products and their effect on human health.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1991
Foreign Bank Supervision Enhancement Act of 1991 - Amends the International Banking Act of 1978 to prohibit a foreign bank from either establishing a State branch or agency, or acquiring ownership or control of a commercial lending company, without obtaining prior approval of the Federal Reserve Board (the Board). Sets forth approval standards. Empowers the Board to order the termination of foreign banking activities if it finds certain violations or unsound banking practices in the United States. Prescribes enforcement and judicial procedures. Authorizes the Board to recommend to the Comptroller of the Currency (the Comptroller) the termination of a foreign bank's Federal license based upon the same standards as apply to the State branches of a foreign bank. Provides for judicial review of disapproval or termination orders. Provides that, with respect to the granting of Federal licenses for foreign bank operations, the Comptroller shall apply the same approval standards as apply to State licensure of foreign bank activities. Directs the Comptroller to provide the Board with notice and opportunity to comment on any application to establish a Federal branch or agency. Amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 to authorize the Board to disapprove acquisition applications: (1) by bank holding companies if they fail to provide adequate assurances that they will furnish certain Board-requested information; or (2) by a foreign bank if it is not subject to comprehensive regulation on a consolidated basis in its home country. Amends the International Banking Act of 1978 to authorize the Board to conduct examinations of foreign banking operations in the United States (including their holding companies and lending companies). Provides that the cost of such examinations shall be assessed against such banks or their holding or lending companies. Mandates that such examinations be coordinated among the appropriate State agencies, the Comptroller, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Subjects the establishment of representative offices of foreign banks to the same regulatory scheme as applies to their establishment of State and Federal branches and agencies. Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to mandate that if a foreign bank or its affiliate extends credit secured by specified percentages of the shares of an insured depository institution, it shall file a consolidated report with the appropriate Federal banking agency. Amends the International Banking Act of 1978 to authorize the Board and specified regulatory agencies to disclose to their foreign counterparts information obtained in the exercise of their authority (subject to confidentiality guidelines). Sets forth civil money penalties for banking law violations by a foreign banking entity, and for its failure to make requisite reports. Empowers the Board, the Comptroller, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to implement rulemaking and enforcement procedures to implement this Act. Amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 and the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to increase from $1,000 to $10,000 the penalty for failure to comply with agency subpoenas. Amends the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975, and certain related consumer protection statutes, to subject foreign bank branches and agencies in the United States to the same supervisory and enforcement agencies as apply to their domestic counterparts.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1991
Enterprise Zone Jobs-Creation Act of 1991 - Title I: Designation of Enterprise Zones - Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (Secretary) to designate enterprise zones for purposes of providing tax and regulatory relief and improving local services. Limits choices to areas nominated by States and local governments. Limits the total number of areas that may be designated, and the time period of the designation. Authorizes the Secretary to designate a zone only if the area meets certain locational, demographic, unemployment, and poverty criteria. Requires nominating local governments, as a condition of the Secretary's designation, to agree in writing to follow a course of action that may include reducing tax rates, improving local services, simplifying or streamlining regulation of business, and providing job training to area residents. Describes areas to which the Secretary must give preference in selecting areas for designation. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress every four years on the effects of such enterprise zones' designation in accomplishing the purposes of this Act. Title II: Federal Income Tax Incentives - Allows a nonrefundable income tax credit to enterprise zone employees for five percent of any wages earned as do not exceed a specified amount. Phases out such credit. Provides for the nonrecognition of capital gain on the sale of enterprise zone property. Allows a taxpayer a deduction on the aggregate amount paid for the purchase of enterprise stock on its original issue by a qualified issuer. Requires any gain from the disposition of the stock to be treated as ordinary income. Title III: Regulatory Flexibility - Amends Federal law to revise the definition of "small entity" for purposes of the analysis of regulatory functions to include qualified business, government, and nonprofit enterprises operating within enterprise zones. Authorizes Federal agencies, upon request by a designating government, to waive or modify rules and regulations pertaining to the implementation of projects or activities within an enterprise zone. Requires agencies to approve the request if the resulting benefits of job creation, community development, or economic revitalization outweigh the public interest in retaining the rule unchanged. Disallows waiver or modification of a rule that would directly violate a statutory requirement or present a danger to the public health and safety. Title IV: Establishment of Foreign-Trade Zones in Enterprise Zones - Requires the Foreign-Trade Zone Board to consider on a priority basis and to expedite the processing of applications for the establishment of foreign-trade zones within enterprise zones. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to give priority to, and expedite applications for, the establishment of ports of entry necessary to establish such zones. Title V: Repeal of Title VII of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987 - Repeals title VII (enterprise zone development) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1991
International Voluntary Family Planning Assistance Act of 1991 - Authorizes appropriations for international population planning assistance. Urges the President to use a specified amount of funds to carry out provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 relating to the Development Fund for Africa. Earmarks a specified amount of such funds for the United Nations Population Fund if: (1) the Fund maintains such funds in a separate account, without commingling; (2) none of the funds are made available for China; and (3) any agreement to obligate such funds expressly states that the full amount granted by the agreement will be refunded to the United States if U.S. funds are used for family planning in China or abortions in any country. Requires a specified amount of population planning assistance to be used to increase family planning service delivery in countries with large population growth. Prohibits any funds appropriated under this Act from being used for abortions.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1991
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Government of Kuwait, Kuwaiti firms, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and any other U.S. agency or entity should: (1) award contracts for the rebuilding of Kuwait with a preference given to supplies or goods mined, produced, or manufactured in the United States and engineering, consulting, and construction services of firms established and doing business in the United States; and (2) encourage the participation of U.S. small and disadvantaged businesses, including minority- and women-owned businesses, in such contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1991
Designates the week beginning July 21, 1991, as Korean War Veterans Remembrance Week. Requires the President to urge that the American flag be flown at half staff on July 27, 1991, in honor of those Americans who died as a result of their service in Korea.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 1991
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the U.S. Government should: (1) immediately recognize the Government of the Republic of Lithuania; (2) discuss with the charge d'affaires of Lithuania upgrading the status of the Lithuanian legation in Washington, D.C. to that of an embassy; (3) enter into negotiations with the Lithuanian Government over establishment of an official U.S. Representative Office in Vilnius; (4) enter into negotiations with such Government and private U.S. corporate and philanthropic entities over establishment and funding of a U.S. Foundation for Lithuania with offices in Vilnius, Kaunas, and Klaipeda, to provide library facilities, language courses, and economic and business and municipal management instruction for Lithuanian citizens and residents; (5) enter into negotiations with such Government and interested third-party states over the provision of direct assistance to such Government and the establishment of a Baltic Bank for Reconstruction and Development; and (6) stress in such negotiations that Foundation and Bank services will be made available to Baltic citizens and residents without regard to linguistic ability, sex, race, or ethnicity.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1991
Horn of Africa Recovery and Food Security Act of 1991 - Sets forth U.S. policy with respect to the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan). Requires the President to consult with other nations, armed and unarmed parties in the Horn of Africa, and the United Nations Secretary General to bring about negotiated settlements of the wars in the region. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should: (1) direct the U.S. representative to the United Nations to take specified steps with respect to peace and the implementation of an arms embargo in the region; (2) play an active role in other fora in pressing for settlements to such wars; and (3) participate in regional and international peace consultations. Sets forth U.S. policy with respect to the equitable distribution of relief and rehabilitation aid in the Horn of Africa. Declares that development assistance in the Horn of Africa should be targeted to aid the poor. States that U.S. Government aid institutions should seek to: (1) build upon the capabilities and experiences of organizations active in local grassroots relief, rehabilitation, and development efforts; (2) consult with such organizations and incorporate their views into the policymaking process; and (3) support the expansion of their activities without compromising their private nature. Declares that current legislative provisions that restrict assistance to Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan should be retained until concrete steps toward peace, democracy, and human rights are achieved. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize emergency assistance for relief and rehabilitation in the Horn of Africa. Makes available a percentage of assistance for management support activities of the Agency for International Development. Authorizes the President to transfer funds from unobligated economic support fund and military assistance to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1991
Heinz Elder Life Program Act - Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to modify the definition of "information and referral" to include services for older individuals that: (1) assess their problems and capacities; (2) link older individuals to available opportunities and needed services; and (3) benefit the entire older community. Elevates the status of the Commissioner on Aging to Assistant Secretary. Directs the Assistant Secretary to establish a Commission to study existing reporting requirements and related programs and make legislative and regulatory recommendations to achieve specified objectives. Includes as functions of the Assistant Secretary the: (1) establishment of information and assistance services as priority services for the aged and aging; and (2) development of guidelines for choosing legal assistance providers and developers. Requires area agencies on aging: (1) to establish an informal grievance procedure for older individuals who are dissatisfied with, or denied, services with further appeal to the appropriate area agency on aging; and (2) in providing legal assistance, to give priority to legal problems related to income, health care, long-term care, nutrition, housing and utilities, defense of guardianship, abuse and neglect, and age discrimination. Requires State plans to also provide priority legal assistance in such areas. Requires technical assistance and training to State long-term care ombudsman programs to include assistance in recruiting and retaining volunteers for ombudsman programs by establishing a national program for recruitment efforts. Requires State agencies on aging to encourage adoption of memoranda of understanding between legal assistance providers and long-term care ombudsman providers that will ensure that the providers will coordinate services to the greatest extent possible. Requires the program for the prevention of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of older individuals to require that State agencies make all reasonable efforts to resolve any conflicts with other public agencies with respect to the confidentiality of information in complaints and other reports of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of older individuals by entering into memoranda of understanding that limit information disclosure according to current guidelines. Establishes a program to provide transportation services to older individuals. Authorizes appropriations. Makes legal assistance agencies eligible to participate in demonstration projects for developmental disabilities and mental illness established under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act and under the Protection and Advocacy for Mentally Ill Individuals Act of 1986. Reauthorizes and extends such demonstration projects through FY 1993. Adds a new section to provide for demonstration projects to determine the feasibility of using the aging network as the infrastructure for a comprehensive long-term care system. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Assistant Secretary to establish a program of grants to State agencies to support and assist older individuals by providing legal assistance in areas such as living wills, durable powers of attorney, and other life planning areas. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1991
Designates May 22, 1991, as National Desert Storm Reservists Day to commemorate the accomplishments of the men and women of the reserve components of the U.S. Armed Forces who proudly served the United States during Operation Desert Storm.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1991
Authorizes the director of each national cemetery to display a prisoner of war/missing in action flag on a flagstaff at that cemetery. Prohibits any officer or employee of the Government from obligating appropriated funds for the purchase of such a flag at a national cemetery.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1991
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the accession of Taiwan to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is in the best interest of the United States and of the world trading system and should be achieved in an expeditious manner; and (2) the United States should take the necessary steps to assure such country's membership in the GATT.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1991
Hatch Act Reform Amendments of 1991 - Declares that a Federal employee may take an active part in political management or in political campaigns, except that an employee may not: (1) use official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the result of an election; (2) knowingly solicit, accept, or receive a political contribution from any person, unless such person is a member of the same Federal labor organization or a Federal employee organization with a multicandidate political committee (PAC), such person is not a subordinate employee, and the solicitation is for a contribution to the organization's PAC; (3) run for nomination or election to a partisan political office; or (4) knowingly solicit or discourage the participation in any political activity of any person who has an application for any compensation, grant, contract, ruling, license, permit, or certificate pending before the employing office of such employee or who is the subject of, or a participant in, an ongoing audit, investigation, or enforcement action carried out by the employing office of such employee. Prohibits the employees of the Federal Election Commission (FEC) from: (1) giving a political contribution to another FEC employee, Member of Congress, or an officer of a uniformed service; (2) requesting or receiving such a contribution from any such individuals; or (3) taking an active part in political management or political campaigns. Excludes presidential appointees employed by the FEC from such prohibition. Prohibits an employee from engaging in political activity: (1) while on duty; (2) in any room or building occupied in the discharge of official duties by a Federal employee or official; (3) while wearing a uniform or official insignia identifying the office or position of the employee; or (4) while using any vehicle owned or leased by the Government. Exempts certain high level political appointees from such prohibitions if the costs associated with the political activity are not paid for by money derived from the Treasury. Authorizes the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to prescribe regulations permitting employees residing in the immediate vicinity of the District of Columbia in Maryland or Virginia, or in a municipality where the majority of voters are Federal employees, to participate in political management and political campaigns involving their area of residence, if OPM determines that such political participation is in their domestic interest. Requires any employee who has been determined by the Merit Systems Protection Board to have twice violated political activity prohibitions to be removed from his or her position. Prohibits such an employee from holding any position of Federal employment other than an elected position. Amends the Federal criminal code to make it unlawful for any person to coerce or attempt to coerce any Federal employee to engage or not engage in any political activity, including: (1) voting; (2) making any political contribution; or (3) working on behalf of any candidate. Includes U.S. Postal Service, Postal Rate Commission, and District of Columbia employees within the coverage of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1991
Tax Exempt Bond Simplification Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to raise from $5,000,000 to $25,000,000 the threshold amount of tax-exempt bonds that a small governmental unit may issue and still remain within the exception from arbitrage rebate requirements. Makes the exception from such rebate for construction bonds effective as if included under the Tax Reform Act of 1986. Permits elections concerning such bonds to be made until 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act. States that any rebates paid shall not be refunded. Increases from $10,000,000 to $25,000,000 the amount of tax-exempt obligations excepted from the pro rata allocation of interest expense of financial institutions to tax-exempt interest for qualified small issuers. Repeals the five percent unrelated and disproportionate private use rules for private activity bonds. Provides that a bond shall not be treated as an arbitrage bond by reason of any failure to meet any requirements of temporary period investments if all earnings which would cause such bond to be an arbitrage bond are paid to the United States by the issuer by the required due dates. Reduces from 100 percent to 90 percent the amount of arbitrage to be rebated to the United States if certain State and local bonds are not to be treated as arbitrage bonds. Provides that an advance refunding bond will not be tax-exempt if it results in amounts becoming available which are invested in substantially guaranteed higher yielding investments.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1991
Driftnet Moratorium Enforcement Act of 1991 - Directs the President to certify to the Congress each country (defining "country" as the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Taiwan) that: (1) has not notified the United States that it will cease large-scale driftnet fishing by a certain date; and (2) has not, by that date, ceased such fishing. Deems certification that a country has failed to give notice of its intent to cease driftnet fishing to be a certification under the Fishermen's Protective Act of 1967 (allowing banning importation of fish products). Directs the President, if a country fails to cease driftnet fishing by the deadline, to prohibit the bringing or importation of fish and fish products from the country. Authorizes the President to impose additional economic sanctions (including duties, import bans, or restrictions, and fees or restrictions on services) if: (1) the U.S. ban on fish imports is insufficient to stop large-scale driftnet fishing; (2) the country engages in such fishing after the deadline; or (3) a country retaliates as a result of a U.S. ban on fish imports. Continues the fish import ban or additional sanctions until the country completely ceases large-scale driftnet fishing.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the tax-exempt status of a cooperative telephone company to provide for the tax treatment of income received from a nonmember telephone company for services by the cooperative which are indirectly paid for by members of the cooperative. Includes billing and collection services for a nonmember telephone company under such treatment.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1991
Changes the rules of the Senate with respect to the "fast track" procedures for the consideration of implementing bills submitted relating to trade agreements.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1991
Changes the rules of the House of Representatives and the Senate with respect to the "fast track" procedures for the consideration of implementing bills submitted relating to trade agreements.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1991
Veterans Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment Act of 1991 - Directs that a veteran diagnosed by the Department of Veterans Affairs as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) be furnished care and services for such disorder by the Department, even if such disorder has not been determined to be service-connected. Makes eligible for such care and services a veteran who served on active duty in a theater of combat operations during World War II, the Korean conflict, the Vietnam era, the Persian Gulf War, or in any other area during a period in which hostilities occurred in such area. Requires a veteran who is referred by a Vet Center to a Department general health-care facility for a determination regarding such veteran's eligibility for PTSD care and services to be evaluated for diagnostic purposes within seven days of such referral. Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, upon request of any eligible veteran, to furnish counseling to assist the veteran in overcoming any psychological problems associated with such service. Directs the Secretary, no later than December 1, 1991, to devise and initiate a plan to: (1) increase the availability of treatment of veterans suffering from PTSD to levels commensurate with their needs; and (2) enhance outreach activities to inform combat veterans (and their families) of the availability of such treatment and to encourage such veterans to participate in such treatment. Directs the Secretary to report to the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees on the description and implementation of such plan. Directs the Secretary, in preparing such report, to consult with the Special Committee on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and the Advisory Committee on Readjustment of Vietnam Veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1991
World Summit for Children Implementation Act of 1991 - Provides for assistance in implementing the plan of action adopted by the World Summit for Children. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the U.S. Government should commit to increasing participation in the special supplemental food program for women, infants, and children under the Child Nutrition Act (the WIC program) by 20 percent per year in FY 1992 through 1996, to reach full participation by the end of FY 1996; and (2) specified amounts should be appropriated for the WIC program in FY 1992 and 1993 to reach such full participation goal. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the commitment to provide full funding for the Head Start Program, contained in the Human Services Reauthorization Act of 1990, should be implemented in order that the goal of full participation of all eligible three- to five- year-old children can be reached by FY 1994; and (2) specified amounts should be authorized for such funding in FY 1992 through 1994. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to undertake a Children's Vaccine Initiative. Requires that the Director of the National Vaccine Program: (1) plan and coordinate the Initiative; and (2) ensure that the Public Health Service conducts vaccine research, production, and delivery activities under the Initiative in collaboration with non-governmental institutions and with other Federal agencies to ensure the full use of U.S. scientific and industrial capacity to prevent infectious disease. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 and 1993. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 and 1993 for contributions to the United Nations Children's Fund for activities to promote child health and other assistance programs for children (to carry out specified provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961). Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (the Act) to authorize appropriations for FY 1992 and 1993 for special health needs of children and mothers under the Child Survival Fund. Requires that specified amounts of funds under various provisions for FY 1992 and 1993 be reserved only for such specified child survival activities. Expresses the sense of the Congress that authorization, in such amounts as may be required, should be granted to the President to exercise the (Public Law 480) debt authority with respect to least developed countries that are pursuing reforms to promote long-term economic development (as provided in specified provisions of the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954, as amended by the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990). Amends the Act to establish a Vitamin A Deficiency Program. Reserves for such Program specified amounts in FY 1992 and 1993 from funds for development assistance for agriculture, rural development, and nutrition. Requires that specified amounts from certain funds authorized for health-related activities under the Act in FY 1992 and 1993 be reserved for replicable community-based comprehensive reproductive health service programs that broaden other health programs by including strategies that specifically address women's reproductive health needs. Sets forth examples of such strategies, as well as congressional intent that such programs be planned and designed in consultation and participation with those whose needs they serve, and congressional encouragement for using international private voluntary organizations in building such programs. Amends the Act to direct the President, in carrying out provisions for development assistance for health-related activities to promote, encourage, and undertake activities relating to research on, and treatment and control of, acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in developing countries. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 and 1993, for such purpose, to the International AIDS Prevention and Control Fund. Provides that such amounts shall be in addition to other amounts available for such purpose. Amends the Act to reserve specified amounts in FY 1992 and 1993, from funds for development assistance for education and under the provisions of the Act, for international basic education, including early childhood education, primary education, teacher training, other support activities, and adult literacy training. Expresses the sense of the Congress that at least specified minimum amounts should be appropriated for the Migration and Refugee Assistance account, and that at least specified minimum portions of such funds should be reserved for programs of refugee assistance overseas (in addition to amounts available for programs for Soviet, Eastern European, and other refugees resettling in Israel). Amends the Act to replace provisions for certain disadvantaged children in Asia with provisions for assistance to children in exceptionally difficult circumstances. Includes among such children street children, AIDS orphans, other orphaned and abandoned children, and children displaced by armed conflict, poverty, famine, or other disasters. Reserves specified minimum portions of certain funds under the Act in FY 1992 and 1993 for assistance for such children. Requires that such assistance be made available in accordance with policies and general authorities under certain disaster assistance provisions. Directs the President to report annually to the Congress on U.S. contributions to the achievement of the goals of the World Summit for Children, including U.S. efforts to achieve such goals in the United States and in other countries, with an analysis of past, current, and planned funding levels.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1991
Declares that it is U.S. policy to: (1) support democratization within the Soviet Union and support self-determination and independence for all Soviet republics which seek such status; (2) support restoration of independence for Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania; (3) shape foreign assistance, trade, and other programs to support republics whose governments are democratically elected; and (4) support peaceful resolution of conflicts within the Soviet Union and between the central Soviet Government and the Baltic States and Soviet republics, condemn the use of force to suppress democracy and self-determination, and view the use of force for such purposes as an obstacle to fully normalized U.S.-Soviet relations. Directs the Secretary of State to report to the Congress on actual and threatened uses of force against the Baltic States, the Soviet republics, and autonomous regions within the Soviet Union. Requires such report to be included in the Department of State's annual country reports on human rights practices.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1991
Declares that the Senate expresses its: (1) regret that Senator Pryor's illness will require his absence from the Senate Chamber; and (2) heartfelt wishes to him for a speedy and complete recovery, and that he return to his duties, serving the people of Arkansas, in the near future.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1991
Long-Term Care Insurance Consumer Protection Act of 1991 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to afford Federal consumer protection to purchasers of long-term care insurance policies by requiring that before such policies may be issued or sold they must have been either certified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services as meeting the minimum Federal standards and requirements outlined below or approved by the State commissioner or superintendent of insurance under a regulatory program each State may establish that: (1) incorporates such standards and requirements; (2) provides consumers with access to basic information on issuers and policies; and (3) provides for an approval process for proposed premium increases. Outlines Federal standards for long-term care insurance policies, including requirements that such policies: (1) offer optional inflation protection features, nonforfeitable benefits after a certain vesting period should the policy lapse, and limited premium increases; (2) be guaranteed renewable except for nonpayment of premiums or material misrepresentation; (3) use standard language and uniform format with certain variations in language permitted; (4) disclose a detailed outline of coverage; (5) allow purchasers 30 days to rescind their purchase of the policy and to have the premium refunded; (6) not condition or limit eligibility for benefits, including non-institutional benefits, except in cases of preexisting conditions; (7) use functional assessment tools for determining home care eligibility; (8) provide a right to appeal denials for home care eligibility; (9) provide a six-month period of contestability after issuance of the policy; (10) prohibit discrimination in cases of individuals with Alzheimer's disease; and (11) provide benefits over a period of at least 12 consecutive months. Regulates the marketing of long-term care insurance policies by establishing prohibitions on certain sales practices, such as high pressure tactics, and on sales to Medicaid beneficiaries and sales of duplicate service benefit policies. Imposes additional requirements on issuers of long-term care insurance policies with respect to: (1) the prompt mailing of new policies after approval; (2) the furnishing of information to policyholders regarding denied claims and to the Secretary and appropriate State officials regarding policies, premiums, denied claims, lapse, replacement, and rescission rates; and (3) the obtaining of medical assessments for elderly applicants if the policy is not guaranteed to be issued. Sets forth civil penalties for issuing unapproved or uncertified policies and for violating prohibited sales practices and the requirements imposed on issuers of long-term care insurance policies. Requires reports on functional ability assessment tools and on solvency protections for such issuers. Requires a study to develop a standard measure of value for long-term care insurance policies. Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 to increase funding for long-term care insurance information, counseling, and assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1991
Day Care Provider Tax Simplification Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide a revised allocation formula for determining deductions allowable to home day care providers for the business use of their homes.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 1991
Great Lakes Sediment Reduction Act of 1991 - Directs the Secretary of the Army (acting through the Army Corps of Engineers), for each major river system or set of river systems depositing sediment into a Great Lakes federally authorized commercial harbor, channel maintenance project site, or area of concern, to develop a Materials Balance Model which: (1) includes all subwatershed areas of such river systems that contribute significant upstream loadings of sediment and related pollutants to such regions; (2) measures the stream discharge rate, total suspended solids loadings, and bedload transport; (3) measures additional parameters, such as nitrate, phosphate, persistent toxic substances, and heavy metals on a river-by-river basis; (4) estimates the percent of total sediment loadings in such regions; and (5) characterizes the physical nature of the sediment materials. Establishes a schedule requiring the development of: (1) models for river systems feeding ports with high levels of sediment within 36 months of this Act's enactment; and (2) models for river systems feeding all remaining federally authorized commercial harbors and channel maintenance project sites within 72 months of this Act's enactment. Requires evaluations of additional modeling parameters to be carried out on a 50 percent cost share basis with a non-Federal entity. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop an analytical method to project the effectiveness and efficiency of sediment source reduction approaches in reducing upstream sediment loadings into specific Great Lakes federally authorized commercial harbors, channel maintenance project sites, and areas of concern; and (2) utilize such method to conduct sediment load reduction analyses in conjunction with each model to estimate the effectiveness and efficiency of such approaches. Requires the Secretary to make grants available to States for projects to reduce erosion and runoff that leads to sedimentation of federally authorized commercial harbors, channel maintenance project sites, and areas of concern. Lists requirements for funded projects. Provides that in making such grants, priority shall be placed on projects that: (1) will reduce sedimentation of materials containing persistent toxic pollutants; and (2) are located in watersheds of areas of concern. Requires the Secretary to enter into a memorandum of agreement with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding the coordination of Corps of Engineers and EPA activities pursuant to this Act. Authorizes appropriations.
![Official portrait of Sen. Riegle, Donald W., Jr. [D-MI]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/r000249_200.jpg)