United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1989
Infant Mortality and Childrens Health Act of 1989 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require States to cover children born after September 30, 1983, whose family income is below the Federal poverty level. Authorizes States to continue such coverage for one year after the family's income rises above the Federal poverty level. Phases in mandatory State coverage of pregnant women and infants whose family income is below 185 percent of the Federal poverty level. Deducts child and medical care costs from the income eligibility test. Requires the continuation of such coverage for women through the month in which the 60-day post-partum period expires, and for infants throughout their first year of life. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report to the Congress by July 1, 1990, on State error rates in determining the Medicaid eligibility of pregnant women and infants. Suspends error rate penalties attributable to such eligibility determinations made from July 1, 1989, until one year after the Secretary's report. Permits States to provide Medicaid coverage to all children whose family income is below the Federal poverty level. Requires that States make ambulatory prenatal care available to a pregnant woman during a presumptive eligibility period which ends when she is determined to be ineligible for Medicaid benefits or 14 days after she is determined to be eligible, but fails to apply. Amends title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) of the Act to require States to provide outreach services for Medicaid-eligible pregnant women and infants under such title. Amends the Medicaid program to reimburse States, at the Federal Medicaid assistance percentage, for outreach services identifying Medicaid-eligible pregnant women and infants and assisting them in applying for Medicaid coverage. Requires that States submit information to the Secretary, by April 1 of each year, pertaining to the supply of and demand for obstetrical and pediatric services and proposed Medicaid payment rates for such services so that the Secretary may determine whether such rates are sufficient to ensure that obstetrical and pediatric services will be at least as available to Medicaid beneficiaries as they are to the general population. Requires States to immediately revise rates determined to be insufficient. Increases, by 25 percent, the Federal share of Medicaid costs attributable to State demonstration projects to reduce infant mortality and childhood morbidity by improving the access of Medicaid-eligible pregnant women, infants, and children to obstetricians and pediatricians. Limits FY 1990 expenditures for such projects. Directs States to adjust Medicaid payments to disproportionate share hospitals to take into account exceptionally costly and lengthy inpatient hospital services for children. Requires States to: (1) coordinate Medicaid services with the special supplemental food program for women, infants, and children (WIC) under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966; and (2) notify Medicaid-eligible pregnant, breastfeeding, or postpartum women and children under age five of WIC program benefits. Directs the Secretary to develop, for use by January 1, 1990, a national toll-free phone number providing basic health information and health care referrals to pregnant women, new mothers, and other interested persons.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1989
Community Revitalization Tax Act of 1989 - Amends Internal Revenue Code income tax accounting rules to treat rehabilitation investment credits and low-income housing credits as credits not derived from passive activities. Revises the limitation on the general business credit to allow a maximum annual credit equal to the first $20,000 of an individual taxpayer's income tax liability plus 80 percent of any excess liability.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1989
Calls for: (1) continued support for the Cooperative Extension System; and (2) commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the enactment of the Smith-Lever Act of 1914 on May 8, 1989.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1989
Postal Service Budgetary Treatment Act of 1989 - Declares that the receipts and disbursements of the Postal Service Fund: (1) shall not be included in the totals of the Federal budget or the congressional budget; (2) shall be exempt from Federal budget limitations on expenditures and net lending; and (3) shall not be counted for purposes of calculating the Federal deficit. Makes the U.S. Postal Service an off-budget Federal entity.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1989
Protect Medicare 90 Concurrent Resolution - Expresses the sense of the Congress that Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) hospital payments for FY 1990 should not be reduced below levels set by current law for such fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
State Energy Conservation Programs Improvement Act of 1989 - Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to mandate that each State energy conservation plan which receives Federal assistance under the Act contain a specified reduction in energy consumption as one of its goals. Adds to Federal assistance eligibility prerequisites for proposed State energy conservation plans, including an emergency planning program for energy supply disruption and programs implementing all the functions currently performed by the Energy Extension Service. Repeals the National Energy Extension Service Act. Cites optional State energy conservation programs. Repeals the mandate for supplemental State energy conservation plans. Authorizes appropriations for energy conservation programs for FY 1990 through 1992. Establishes within the Department of Energy a State Energy Advisory Board to report annually to the Congress regarding recommended energy efficiency objectives, the technology transfer aspect of Federal research and development with respect to energy efficiency and renewable resources, and recommended changes with respect to State and Federal energy policies. Authorizes the use of loan programs and performance contracting for the non-Federal share of energy conservation project costs under the grant program. Cites conditions under which the Secretary is authorized to approve a State application for a waiver of: (1) the requirement that at least 40 percent of Federal weatherization assistance for low-income persons be used for weatherization materials; and (2) the limitations placed upon expenditures per dwelling unit for weatherization measures. Terminates the Performance Fund used for State weatherization assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
Deceptive Mailings Prevention Act of 1989 - Amends Federal law to declare nonmailable any mail matter which constitutes a solicitation by a non-governmental entity: (1) for the purchase of or payment for products or services and which contains a seal, insignia, trade or brand name, or any other term or symbol which reasonably could be interpreted or construed as implying Federal Government connection, approval, or endorsement; and (2) for the contribution of funds or membership fees and which contains a seal, insignia, trade or brand name, or any other term or symbol which could reasonably be interpreted or construed as implying Federal Government connection, approval, or endorsement. Allows the mailing of such matter if it contains a conspicuous disclaimer that it is not a Government document. Establishes penalties for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
AFDC Quality Control Improvement Act of 1989 - Amends part A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) of title IV of the Social Security Act to require, in order to establish and maintain improved AFDC quality control standards and procedures: (1) each State to collect and submit to the Secretary of Health and Human Services a statistically reliable sample of AFDC cases; (2) the Secretary to review the sample and notify the State of its error rates for overpayments and underpayments; and (3) the State to develop and submit to the Secretary a quality improvement plan for eliminating or reducing errors. Excuses a State from submitting a quality improvement plan if it has consistently had error rates below its error rate tolerance levels. Directs the Secretary to establish procedures for quality control review of AFDC cases and criteria for State quality improvement plans. Reduces Federal AFDC payments to a State to the extent the State's overpayments exceed its overpayment error rate tolerance level. Sets State overpayment tolerance levels pursuant to a formula which takes into account variations among States in population density and caseload volume and composition. Disregards State errors resulting from recent changes in Federal AFDC eligibility criteria or administrative policies. Permits a State to base a request for the waiver of this Act's sanctions upon a showing that it has made a good faith effort to reduce or eliminate overpayments or underpayments, or that the Secretary incorrectly calculated its overpayment or underpayment error rate. Directs the Secretary to grant such a waiver to a State which expends additional State or local funds, equal to or exceeding one-half of the sanctions which would otherwise be applied against such State, to reduce overpayments or underpayments. Defines "overpayments" as (1) payments to ineligible families; and (2) overpayments to eligible families. Defines "underpayments" as underpayments to eligible families. Makes the preceding quality control standards and procedures effective with respect to FY 1987 and thereafter. Eliminates the backlog of overpayment sanctions applicable to FY 1981 through 1986 by imposing such sanctions only against those States, in each such fiscal year, whose error rates are significantly outside the distribution of such rates among States. Directs the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees, three years after this Act's enactment, regarding the appropriateness of the error rate tolerance levels established pursuant to this Act. Sets State underpayment error rate tolerance levels, applicable beginning in FY 1989, considering the same factors used in determining overpayment tolerance levels. Requires that States set aside an amount equal to the amount by which its underpayments exceed its underpayment tolerance level and use such amount to increase AFDC payments or improve the administration of the AFDC program. Provides an incentive payment to States whose overpayment error rate is below three percent. Sets incentive payments at one-half of the reduction in Federal payments attributable to error rates being below three percent. Includes terminations and denials of AFDC eligibility in this Act's data collection and quality control review requirements. Directs the Secretary to develop and report to the Congress, within two years of this Act's enactment, on an improved methodology for measuring a State's performance with respect to inappropriate denials and terminations of AFDC eligibility. Includes, beginning on the first calendar quarter beginning one year or more after this Act's enactment, erroneous denials or terminations of AFDC eligibility within the definition of "underpayments" to which error rate tolerance levels apply.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
Decennial Census Improvement Act of 1989 - Requires the Secretary of Commerce to adjust the population data of the decennial census to correct for any undercounts or overcounts and to report to the appropriate congressional committees on the proposed plan for making such adjustments. Declares that the use of the "sampling" statistical method shall be governed by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Care Improvement Act of 1989 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to create a new title on trauma care. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for the establishment and operation of a National Clearinghouse on Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Care. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1992 or for the first three fiscal years for which funds are appropriated. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants and enter into cooperative agreements and contracts with respect to emergency medical services and trauma care systems to: (1) conduct and support research, training, evaluations, and demonstration projects; (2) provide technical assistance to State and local agencies; and (3) establish guidelines for the development of uniform State data reporting systems. Directs the Secretary to make an allotment for each State for each fiscal year, mandating that at least 35 percent, subject to adjustment, be used for planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating the operation of county, regional, or State trauma care systems. Sets forth requirements for such systems. Requires States to use at least 35 percent of the amount available to them for a fiscal year to reimburse designated trauma centers for uncompensated trauma care expenditures. Requires non-Federal matching contributions (in cash or in kind) in a specified ratio for fiscal years after FY 1990. Requires each State, for each fiscal year beginning with FY 1990, to submit the trauma care component of the State emergency medical services plan (State plan) to the Secretary. Sets forth requirements for the State plan. Requires that hospital emergency departments, within their capability, if an individual appears and requests examination and treatment: (1) examine for the existence of an emergency medical condition or active labor and, if such a condition or labor exists, treat the individual until stable, subject to exception; and (2) transfer such individual to other facilities only according to stated criteria. Requires States to adopt guidelines for the designation of trauma centers, and for triage, transfer, and transportation policies, at least as stringent as the applicable guidelines developed by the American College of Surgeons and by the American College of Emergency Physicians. Mandates that States: (1) require each trauma center to provide certain information to the State central data reporting system annually; (2) submit, to the Secretary at least annually, the information it receives from its data reporting and analysis system; and (3) identify and submit to the Secretary a list of rural areas lacking certain emergency medical services. Sets forth restrictions on the use of State allotments. Requires an annual report from each State to the Secretary. Sets forth a formula for determination of the amount of allotments. Provides for: (1) repayment and offset for failure to use funds as agreed; (2) criminal penalties for certain false statements; (3) technical assistance and provision of supplies and services by the Secretary in lieu of grant funds; and (4) a report by the Secretary to the Congress. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1992. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct studies: (1) to determine the adequacy and appropriateness of the reimbursements provided to trauma centers under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act; and (2) of the long-term economic effects of trauma. Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise the application procedure for Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grants to provide the State officer responsible for the administration of the State highway safety program an opportunity to participate in the development of any plan relating to emergency medical services as such plan relates to highway safety. Allows the State official responsible for the provision of emergency medical services the opportunity to participate in the development of the State highway safety program as such program relates to emergency medical services. Amends the Public Health Service Act and the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to allow certain grant allotments to be used for the purchase of communications equipment. Requires the Federal Communications Commission to: (1) study the availability of radio frequency channels for emergency medical services communications; (2) establish a plan to ensure that the needs of emergency medical services communications are provided for in the allocations of frequencies for public safety; and (3) submit a report to committees of the Congress containing such study and plan.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
Family Planning Amendments of 1989 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to remove, from provisions relating to project grants and contracts for family planning services, provisions allowing the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary), at the request of a grant recipient, to reduce the amount of the grant by the value of supplies or equipment furnished by the Secretary. Authorizes appropriations for such grants and contracts for FY 1990 through 1992. Repeals existing formula grant provisions. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1992 for technical assistance and personnel training, including clinical training for obstetric-gynecologic nurse practitioners and training for educators and counselors. States that research grants and contracts may be made for evaluation as well as for development of contraceptives, and to improve clinical management and direct delivery of family planning services. Authorizes the Secretary to conduct, make grants, and enter into contracts for applied research into the development, evaluation, and bringing to the marketplace of contraceptive devices, drugs, and methods. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1992. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants or enter into contracts for community-based information and education programs regarding sexuality, pregnancy, parenthood, and sexually transmitted diseases. Directs the Secretary to make grants and enter into contracts for the development, evaluation, and dissemination of educational and informational materials consistent with the objectives of such programs. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1992. Directs the Secretary to collect data annually on: (1) the number of low-income and marginal-income individuals and adolescents at risk of unintended pregnancies; (2) the sources of funding available for family planning services in the United States; (3) the numbers and age, gender, race, and family income of persons who receive family planning services; and (4) the types of services chosen by individuals receiving services.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
Permits certain veterans with service-connected disabilities who are retired members of the uniformed services to receive compensation concurrently with retired pay, without a reduction in either. Prohibits retirement pay and compensation from being paid concurrently to a person if the payment of each is based upon the same disability.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
Hatch Act Reform Amendments of 1989 - 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 employee organization and the solicitation is for a contribution to the multicandidate political committee of such organization; or (3) run for the nomination or as a candidate for election to a partisan political office. 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. Includes U.S. Postal Service, Postal Rate Commission, and District of Columbia employees within the coverage of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
Act for Better Child Care Services of 1989 - Makes eligible for services under this Act children: (1) who are less than 16 years of age; (2) whose family income does not exceed the State median income for a family of the same size; and (3) who either reside with a parent or parents who are working, seeking employment, or enrolled in a job training or educational program, or reside with a parent or parents not thus described and receive or need to receive protective services. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1994. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) to make grants to applicant Indian tribes or tribal organizations for programs and activities under this Act for the benefit of Indian children. Requires the designation of a lead agency in each State which participates in the program under this Act. Requires States to submit, in order to qualify for assistance under this Act, an application and five-year plan to the Secretary. Requires the plan to specify that at least 75 percent of the State allotment will be used to provide qualified child care services to eligible children, on a sliding fee scale basis (according to specified funding methods) with priority given to services to children of families with very low incomes for their size. Requires that child care services provided out of a State allotment be provided by: (1) contracts directly with or direct grants to eligible child care providers; (2) grants to local governments to contract with such providers to provide such services directly; or (3) child care certificates distributed to parents of eligible children to enable them to purchase such services from such providers. Requires that a specified portion of State allotment funds be used to enable providers to extend the hours of operation of part-day programs to provide full-working-day child care services throughout the year. Prohibits financial assistance under this Act from being expended for the construction of a new facility, and sets forth limitations on such assistance for renovation or repair of existing facilities. Authorizes the Secretary to make planning grants, in the first year of their program participation, to States which desire to participate under this Act but cannot fully satisfy the requirements of a State plan without financial assistance. Provides for a review of the operation of a State plan during the five-year period to determine the State's continued eligibility for funds. Directs the Governors of each participating State to establish, and appoint members of, a State advisory committee on child care to assist the lead agency, review and evaluate services, make recommendations on standards and practices, and perform other functions to improve the quantity and quality of child care services. Requires the committee to have a subcommittee on licensing to review the laws applicable to, and the licensing requirements and policies of, each licensing agency regulating child care services and programs in the State (unless the State has done such a review during the four years before the establishment of the committee). Requires the subcommittee to report to the Governor on specified matters, and the Governor to report to the Secretary with comments and a plan for correcting or improving licensing, regulating, and monitoring of child care services and programs. Requires States receiving funds under this Act to designate private nonprofit community-based organizations or public organizations, including local governments, as resource and referral agencies for particular areas, and to provide assistance to such agencies. Requires each participating State to require that all employed or self-employed persons providing licensed or regulated child care complete at least 15 hours per year of specified training. Directs the State to make grants, and enter into contracts with, specified entities to provide such training to eligible providers, including family child care providers. Requires participating States to provide scholarship assistance to: (1) individuals who seek a nationally recognized child development associate credential for center-based or family child care and whose income is not more than 50 percent above the poverty line; and (2) caregivers who seek to obtain the 15-hour minimum annual training and whose income is not above the poverty line. Requires States to establish in the lead agency a clearinghouse to collect and disseminate training materials to resource and referral agencies and child care providers. Provides for child care public-private partnership. Requires participating States to carry out activities designed to encourage businesses to support or provide child care services to a reasonable mix of children of employees and nonemployees, including those from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Establishes the President's Award for Responsive Management Policy to honor public and private sector employers who have: (1) successfully implemented personnel programs and policies responsive to child care needs of working parents; or (2) made significant contributions to child care projects. Directs the Secretary of Labor to promulgate regulations for annual awards by the President. Establishes in the Department of Health and Human Services the position of Administrator of Child Care who shall: (1) coordinate all activities of the Department and of other Federal agencies relating to child care; (2) annually collect and publish State child care standards, including periodic modifications; (3) evaluate activities funded under this Act; (4) act as a clearinghouse for specified matters, including studies on salaries of child care workers; and (5) provide technical assistance to States to carry out this Act. Establishes enforcement provisions for review of State plans and monitoring of State compliance. Sets the Federal share for funding activities under a State plan at 80 percent, but raises it to 85 percent when the State demonstrates that all child care providers are appropriately licensed and regulated and that those receiving assistance meet certain requirements and minimum standards. Requires the Secretary to establish a National Advisory Committee on Minimum Child Care Standards to: (1) review Federal policies on child care services and such other data as appropriate; (2) submit to the Secretary proposed minimum standards for child care programs; and (3) develop and make available to lead agencies model regulations for resource and referral agencies. Terminates the Committee after the Secretary establishes such standards. Prohibits financial assistance under this Act from being used for: (1) any sectarian purpose or activity, including sectarian worship and instruction; and (2) with regard to services to students in grades one through 12, any services during the regular school day, or for which academic credit is given toward graduation, or which supplant or duplicate a public or private school academic program. States that financial assistance under this Act constitutes Federal financial assistance for purposes of various civil rights and nondiscrimination laws. Prohibits a child care provider from discriminating against any child on the basis of religion in providing child care services in return for a fee paid, reimbursement received, or certificate redeemed, in whole or in part with financial assistance provided under this Act. Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed or applied in any manner to infringe upon or usurp the the moral and legal rights and responsibilities of parents or legal guardians. Authorizes any State to assist in the establishment and operation of a child care liability risk retention group (i.e., a corporation or other limited liability association whose members are child care providers licensed or accredited pursuant to State and local law and standards, and which otherwise satisfies specified criteria for risk retention groups). Directs the Secretary to make allotments to each State for such child care liability risk retention groups, on the basis of a specified formula.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
Social Security Administrative Reform Act of 1989 - Title I: Establishment of the Social Security Administration - Amends title VII (Administration) of the Social Security Act to establish as an independent executive agency a Social Security Administration, headed by a Social Security Board. Provides that it shall be the duty of the Administration to administer the programs established by titles II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) and XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act. Requires the Board to study and make recommendations as to the most effective methods of providing economic security through social insurance and supplemental security income, and as to legislation and matters of administrative policy. Establishes in the Administration: (1) an Executive Director; (2) a Deputy Director of Social Security; (3) a General Counsel; (4) an Inspector General; and (5) an Office of the Beneficiary Ombudsman, to be headed by a Beneficiary Ombudsman who shall represent the interests of beneficiaries under the OASDI and SSI programs within the Administration. Requires the annual report of the Board to include a description of the activities of the Beneficiary Ombudsman. Requires the Board to make annual budgetary recommendations relating to the Administration. Requires that appropriations requests by the Administration for staffing and personnel be based upon a comprehensive workforce plan as established by the Board. Provides for the apportionment of administrative costs. Requires the annual report of the Board to include a section reflecting the use of budget authority provided to the Administration. Requires that authority for automated data processing procurement and facilities construction be provided in the form of contract authority covering the total cost of such acquisitions. Makes amounts needed for the liquidation of contract authority so provided available from the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund to the extent that such amounts are not needed to meet current obligations for benefit payments. Requires the Board to cause a seal of office to be made and judicial notice taken thereof. Requires the establishment of demonstration projects involving the delegation of authority from the Office of Personnel Management and the General Services Administration to the Board. Provides for the transfer to the Administration of all functions carried out by the Secretary of Health and Human Services with respect to the programs and activities to be carried out by the Administration under this Act. Abolishes the position of Commissioner of Social Security in the Department of Health and Human Services. Title II: Conforming Amendments and Rules of Construction - Requires the Secretary and the Board to report to the Congress within 120 days after the beginning of each regular session on their administration under this Act. Requires the Secretary to study and make recommendations on the most effective methods of providing economic security and on the administrative policy for the programs. Directs the Board to appoint, quadrennially, an Advisory Council on the Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance Program and an Advisory Council on Health and Supplementary Medical Insurance to review the relation of the trust funds supporting the OASDI program and the Medicare program and the long-term commitments of those programs. Requires each council to submit a report to the Board for transmittal to the Congress and the Board of Trustees of each Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 - Separates the Office of Special Counsel from the Merit Systems Protection Board. Empowers the Special Counsel to represent and act as legal counsel on behalf of employees alleging prohibited personnel practices, especially whistleblowers. Revises current law with respect to the Special Counsel to reflect its advocate status. Authorizes the Board to grant protective orders to protect a witness or other individual from harassment either during a proceeding before the Board or during a Special Counsel investigation. Requires the Board, when it considers alternative places for conducting hearings or proceedings, to select the place closest to the location of the individual involved, unless the total administrative costs to the Government in conducting such hearings or proceedings would be less elsewhere. Authorizes the Special Counsel to file a petition to the Board against an official for: (1) engaging in prohibited personnel practices; (2) violating a law within the jurisdiction of the Special Counsel; or (3) failing to comply with an order of the Board. Sets forth procedures for disciplining such officials. Prohibits the Special Counsel from intervening in cases without the employee's consent, except: (1) where the employee is charged with a prohibited personnel practice; or (2) where the Special Counsel allows an agency to take disciplinary action against an employee under Special Counsel investigation. Prohibits the Special Counsel from providing information concerning any person making an allegation of a prohibited personnel practice, except in accordance with applicable law, without the consent of such person. Prescribes procedures for the Special Counsel when disclosures are made by persons other than an employee, former employee, applicant for employment, or employee who obtained information in connection with official duties. Requires the Special Counsel to report annually to the Congress on its activities. Establishes requirements for the Special Counsel to make public certain information, including noncriminal matters. Authorizes employees who have been adversely affected by a prohibited personnel practice to bring an action before the Board (instead of or in addition to taking such action to the Special Counsel). Prohibits reprisals against an employee for disclosing information to the Inspector General of an agency or to the Special Counsel, or for failing to follow orders to disobey a law. Authorizes Federal agencies to give preference in granting transfers to whistleblowers. Provides interim relief for certain appellants to the Board. Authorizes appropriations for the Merit Systems Protection Board for FY 1989 through 1993 and for the Office of Special Counsel for FY 1989 through 1991. Provides that the relevant agency shall be named respondent in employee appeals of Board decisions where the appeal involves the underlying personnel action or a request for attorney fees.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
Pay Equity Technical Assistance Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor to develop and implement a continuing program of information dissemination, research, and technical assistance to public and private entities with respect to correction of wage-setting practices, and a reduction or elimination of wage disparities, to the extent that they are based on the sex, race, or national origin of the employee, rather than on the work performed and other appropriate factors.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover, on a reasonable charge basis, clinical psychologist services which would otherwise be covered if furnished by a physician or as incident to a physician's service.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
Constitutional Amendment - Declares that equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) funding for Amtrak should be continued at a level that will enable it to continue to operate a national railway system and to improve its financial performance and service levels; and (2) the Secretary of Transportation and the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration should work with Amtrak management to lower Amtrak's dependence on public funding and to assign the highest priority possible to safety.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1989
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President's 1990 budget proposals for municipal sewage treatment should be rejected and that the Congress should assure the appropriation of the amount authorized for such program by the Water Quality Act of 1987.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 1988
Declares that the Congress urges the administration to refrain from submitting any proposal in the GATT negotiations that would consider maritime transportation activity as being within the scope of "trade in services" and to reject any proposals made by foreign nations which are similar or which would lead to a contraction of the merchant marine.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 1988
Commends Kenneth A. McLean for his service to his country and the Senate. (Kenneth McLean served as staff director of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.)
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 1988
Omnibus Anti-Substance Abuse Act of 1988 - Title I: Organization - Subtitle A: National Drug Control Program - National Narcotics Leadership Act of 1988 - Establishes within the Executive Office of the President the Office of National Drug Control Policy to prepare a national drug control strategy, to direct and coordinate Federal drug control efforts, and to be headed by a Director of National Drug Control Policy (DNDCP) and two Deputy Directors. Specifies the duties and responsibilities of the heads of executive branch departments and agencies. Authorizes the Director to designate certain areas of the country as high intensity drug areas and to reassign personnel on a temporary basis and provide funds for programs in such areas. Terminates the National Drug Enforcement Policy Board, the National Narcotics Border Interdiction System, and the White House Drug Abuse Policy Office. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle B: Department of Justice Civil Enforcement Enhancement - Justice Department Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Enhancement Act of 1988 - Directs the Attorney General to ensure that each component of the Department of Justice (DOJ) having criminal law enforcement responsibilities with respect to the prosecution of organized crime and controlled substances violations attaches a high priority to civil enforcement for such violations. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Crimes and Penalties and Law Enforcement - Subtitle A: Career Criminals - Sets a mandatory penalty of life imprisonment after two or more prior convictions for a felony drug offense. Subtitle B: Public Corruption - Makes it a felony for a public official to seek or accept (or an individual to offer or promise to give) anything of value in exchange for influence to commit an offense against the United States or any State (or with intent to influence such official). Subtitle C: Importation - Requires the U.S. Sentencing Commission (Commission) to promulgate guidelines providing for specified penalties for the importation by aircraft and other vessels of controlled substances. Subtitle D: Schools and Minors - Directs the Commission to promulgate guidelines providing for specified penalties for controlled substances offenses involving minors. Makes exception to the mandatory minimum penalty for first offenses involving five grams or less of marijuana. Subtitle E: Firearms - Increases penalties for the use of certain weapons in connection with a crime of violence or a drug trafficking crime. Sets penalties for the possession of firearms and dangerous weapons in a Federal facility. Subtitle F: Money Laundering - Sets limitations on civil and criminal forfeitures by domestic financial institutions and by defendants who handled but did not retain the property in the course of a money laundering offense. Establishes penalties for conducting financial transactions involving property represented to be the proceeds of specified unlawful activity with the intent to promote or conceal such activity or to avoid a State or Federal transaction reporting requirement. Amends the Bank Secrecy Act to cover businesses similar to financial institutions. Subtitle G: Juvenile Justice - Authorizes the U.S. attorney to forego prosecution of, and surrender to State authorities, a person under 21 years of age who has been arrested, charged, or is a delinquent unless such surrender is authorized by specified provisions of the Federal criminal code pertaining to delinquency proceedings. Subtitle I: Prisons (SIC) - Increases the maximum penalty for drug offenses within Federal prisons. Directs the Attorney General to study and, if appropriate, submit to the Congress proposed legislation which would require prisoners incarcerated in Federal facilities to pay the costs of confinement. Subtitle J: Drug Testing as a Condition of Probation and Supervised Release - Adds drug testing as a condition of probation and supervised release for specified offenses. Establishes procedures for such testing. Subtitle K: Minor and Technical Criminal Law Act Amendments - Minor and Technical Criminal Law Amendments Act of 1988 - Makes technical and conforming amendments to the Federal criminal code. Increases criminal penalties imposed in cases when a bodily injury results during the commission of the crime of deprivation of rights under color of law. Grants the Associate Attorney General authority to: (1) approve certain civil rights prosecutions; (2) approve prosecutions for flight to avoid service of process; (3) summon special grand juries; (4) request a judicial grant of immunity; and (5) object to the disclosure of classified information under the Classified Information Procedures Act. Grants specially designated Assistant Attorneys General authority to approve certain civil rights prosecutions. Grants the Deputy Assistant Attorney General authority to request judicial grants of immunity. Permits the transmission of information on sports betting from a State where such betting is legal to a foreign country where such betting is legal. Permits prosecutions for certain obstruction of justice offenses: (1) to be brought in the district where the official proceeding was intended to be effected or in the district in which the conduct constituting the alleged offense occurred and (2) where the culpable conduct is "corrupt persuasion." Authorizes governmental access to records concerning electronic communication service or remote computing service through the issuance of a trial subpoena. (Current law provides for such access only through the issuance of an administrative or grand jury subpoena.) Amends the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 to raise the maximum prison term for class B felonies from 20 to 25 years. Amends the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984 to establish conditions for the temporary release (furlough) of persons hospitalized following an acquittal by reason of insanity. Requires copies of certain periodic reports prepared by directors of psychiatric hospitals concerning persons hospitalized for threatening the President, the Vice President, or certain other persons protected by the Secret Service, to be submitted to the Director of the U.S. Secret Service. Extends the power to conduct certain psychiatric and psychological examinations under the Federal criminal code to all psychologists. (Current law extends such power to psychiatrists and clinical psychologists.) Makes conforming amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure permitting courts to designate psychologists to conduct mental examinations of parties in civil proceedings. Amends the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) to create three additional RICO predicates: (1) murder-for-hire; (2) sexual exploitation of children; and (3) fraud in connection with access devices (i.e., credit cards, electronic banking cards, etc.). Amends the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to subject all personal property used to facilitate a drug offense to forfeiture. (Currently, only certain types of personal property are subject to forfeiture.) Directs the Attorney General to ensure the equitable transfer of any forfeited property to the appropriate State or local law enforcement agency to reflect the contribution of such agency in the actions which led to the forfeiture. Specifies that a decision by the Attorney General under this authority is not subject to judicial review. Authorizes the U.S. Postal Service to: (1) investigate money laundering offenses where the offenses giving rise to the proceeds to be laundered are within the jurisdiction of the Service; and (2) conduct civil forfeiture proceedings in connection with such offenses. Provides that the Attorney General shall have sole responsibility for disposing of petitions for remission or mitigation with respect to property involved in a judicial forfeiture proceeding and that the authority of the Service shall apply only to property that has been administratively forfeited. Amends the Federal criminal code to authorize Federal Prison Industries, Incorporated (Corporation) to issue its obligations to the Secretary of the Treasury. Authorizes the Secretary to purchase such obligations. Allows the Secretary to: (1) sell such obligations as public debt transactions; and (2) upon the request of the Corporation, invest excess monies from the Prison Industries Fund. Permits Corporation funds to be used to acquire industrial buildings and equipment for corporate operations. Prohibits the use of corporate funds for the construction or acquisition of penal or correctional institutions or camps. Requires the board of directors of the Corporation to include in its annual report to the Congress: (1) a statement of the amount of obligations issued during the fiscal year; and (2) an estimate of the amount of obligations that will be issued in the following fiscal year. Requires the board of directors to employ the greatest possible number of inmates in U.S. penal institutions who are eligible to work. Directs the Corporation to: (1) produce products on an economic basis, but avoid capturing a reasonable share of the market among Federal departments; (2) concentrate on providing to the Federal Government only those products which permit employment of the greatest number of inmates; and (3) diversify products so that sales are broadly distributed among industries. Requires any decision to produce a new product or expand production significantly to be made by the board of directors. Directs the Corporation, before such decision is made, to prepare a written analysis of the plan's impact on industry and free labor. Requires the Corporation to provide notice of such plans to potentially affected private vendors or trade associations, allowing such parties to submit comments. Directs the Corporation to provide to the board of directors the analysis, comments, and recommendations for action. Requires the Corporation to publish the final decision of the board of directors and, after each six-month period, a list of sales by the Corporation. Amends the CSA and the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act to provide that all the penalties applicable to an underlying drug offense also apply to an attempt or conspiracy to commit such offense. Specifies that a provision providing for the forfeiture of property found within the United States that is derived from drug offenses that occur overseas applies to both real and personal property and to property derived from or traceable to the proceeds of an offense, as well as the proceeds themselves. Provides a mandatory minimum penalty for trafficking in a substantial quantity of methamphetamine and salts and isomers thereof. Subjects to a fine and imprisonment anyone who conducts a financial transaction involving the proceeds of criminal activity with intent to violate the tax laws. Establishes a misdemeanor penalty in connection with the criminal escape of a person being detained for the purpose of exclusion or deportation under the immigration laws. Authorizes the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to investigate killings of State or local law enforcement officers upon the request of the head of the agency employing such an officer. Increases the maximum prison term in connection with specified crimes of sexual abuse, murder for hire, involuntary manslaughter, attempted murder, being an accessory after the fact, and certain types of racketeering offenses. Increases the penalty for possessing an explosive in a Federal building. Expands such offenses to include airports that are subject to the regulatory authority of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) even though not owned by, or leased to, the United States. Amends the Interstate Agreement on Detainers Act to revise provisions applicable to transfers involving the United States when it obtains custody of a State prisoner on Federal charges. Revises the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure to require a Federal district court to advise a defendant concerning the effects of supervised release terms on the possible penalty before the court accepts a plea of guilty or nolo contendere. Permits the United States to bring an action to enjoin various types of fraud against the Government. Imposes criminal penalties for obstructing Federal audits and for using the term "Secret Service" without authorization. Amends Federal criminal code provisions governing the time for refiling an indictment or information after it is dismissed because it was found to be defective. Amends the Speedy Trial Act of 1974 to extend or restart the 70-day trial "clock" when the defendant absconds on the eve of trial. (Present law suspends such period during the time that the defendant is a fugitive). Authorizes the Government to refund bail which has been erroneously forfeited. Provides that special assessments shall not be imposed for any offense for which local rules or other Federal law allow a defendant to post collateral in lieu of appearance in court. Authorizes a court to impose conditions alternative to fines, restitution, or community service as conditions of probation for felons. Authorizes a judge or magistrate of the District of Columbia to issue an arrest warrant for a foreign fugitive whose location is unknown. Revises the definition of "petty offense" for purposes of the Federal criminal code, the Rules of Procedure for the Trial of Misdemeanors before United States Magistrates, and the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. Imposes criminal penalties on persons who mail locksmithing devices. Amends the Assimilative Crimes Act (which authorizes Federal judges to apply State criminal statutes for acts or omissions taking place within a State but on a Federal enclave) to define the various State-enacted sanctions as "punishments" in cases of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol (thus allowing the imposition of non-jail term sanctions). Provides that refusal to consent to a chemical test following arrest for driving under the influcence on a Federal enclave would result in suspension of driving privileges for one year and would be admissible as evidence in court. Amends provisions with respect to the setting of bail pending appeal. Authorizes the emergency installation of pen registers and trap and trace devices under specified circumstances. Subtitle L: Sentencing Amendments - Amends the Sentencing Act of 1987 to require that the Attorney General assign to the United States Parole Commission for supervision any offender on parole from a foreign country who is transferred to the United States. Requires such offender to serve a term of imprisonment applicable under U.S. sentencing guidelines and to serve any remainder of the term imposed by the foreign country under release supervised by the appropriate district court. Amends the Federal criminal code with respect to the standard of appellate review of sentences. Authorizes the United States Sentencing Commission to: (1) retain private attorneys to advise it; and (2) grant incentive awards to its employees. Requires a court to consider the need to protect the public from future crimes of a defendant when terminating or modifying conditions of supervised release. Amends the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure with respect to the time for filing a notice of appeal of a sentence. Subtitle M: Miscellaneous - Authorizes the Attorney General to waive immigrant admission requirements with respect to an alien and his immediate family for furnishing specified information to authorities or cooperating with Federal authorities as a witness. Establishes procedures for notice of a defense based upon the defendant's actual or believed exercise of public authority on behalf of a law enforcement or Federal intelligence agency. Establishes: (1) a U.S. Marshals Service within DOJ; and (2) a National Advisory Commission on Law Enforcement within the legislative branch. Subtitle N: State and Local Narcotics Control and Justice Assistance Improvements - Chapter 1: State and Local Narcotics Control and Justice Assistance Improvements - Establishes within DOJ a Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). Sets up a drug control and system improvement grant program. Authorizes appropriations. Chapter 2: Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Programs - Provides for grants for prevention and treatment programs relating to juvenile gangs, drug abuse, and drug trafficking. Authorizes appropriations. Provides for the confidentiality of program records. Chapter 3: Runaway and Homeless Youth - Reauthorizes the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act. Authorizes: (1) a transitional living grant program to promote a transition to self-sufficient living and to prevent long-term dependency on social services; and (2) grants for runaway and homeless youth centers. Chapter 4: Missing Children's Assistance Act - Reauthorizes the Missing Children's Assistance Act. Amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to require that certain grants or contracts be made by a competitive process. Chapter 5: Family Violence Prevention Act of 1988 - Family Violence Prevention Act of 1988 - Provides for family violence reporting and a national survey of the extent of domestic violence in America. Authorizes appropriations. Chapter 6: Regional Information Sharing Systems Grants - Authorizes the Director of BJA to make grants and enter into contracts for the purpose of identifying, targeting, and removing criminal activities spanning jurisdictional boundaries. Chapter 7: Public Safety Officers' Death Benefits Improvement - Increases the basic level of death benefits payable to beneficiaries of a public safety officer. Authorizes and directs the use of appropriations to establish national programs to assist the families of public safety officers who die in the line of duty. Chapter 8: Criminal History Record, Arrest Warrant, and Stolen Vehicle Record Information Improvement - Criminal History Record Information Improvement Act of 1988 - Provides for grants to improve criminal history record, arrest warrant, and stolen vehicle record information. Chapter 9: College and Railroad Police Information - Makes railroad, private college, and university police departments subject to Federal provisions relating to the acquisition, preservation, and exchange of criminal and related records. Chapter 10: Assistance to State and Local Courts - Amends the State Justice Institute Act of 1984 to reauthorize the State Justice Institute. Chapter 11: Victim Compensation and Assistance - Subchapter A: Victims of Crime Act of 1984 Reauthorization - Reauthorizes the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (VCA). Amends such Act to make funds available to previously underserved victims populations. Subchapter B: Establishment of Office for Victims of Crime - Establishes within DOJ an Office for Victims of Crime. Specifies the duties of the Director. Amends the VCA to provide authority for grants to the States for the handling, investigations, and prosecution of cases of child abuse, particularly sexual abuse. Specifies eligibility requirements for States to qualify for such assistance. Provides for: (1) the establishment or designation of a State multidisciplinary task force on children's justice; (2) the adoption of State task force recommendations; and (3) grants for Native American Indian tribes to improve the handling, investigation, and prosecution of child abuse cases. Subchapter C: Other Amendments to Victims of Crime Act of 1984 - Amends the VCA to: (1) add victims of drunk driving and domestic violence to those eligible for compensation under such Act; and (2) provide compensation to victims of Federal crimes occurring within the State on the same basis that such program provides compensation to victims of State crimes. Subtitle O: Chemical Diversion and Trafficking Act of 1988 - Chemical Diversion and Trafficking Act of 1988 - Amends the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to establish recordkeeping and reporting requirements for persons who engage in specified regulated transactions with respect to a listed precursor or essential chemical, a tableting machine, or an encapsulating machine. Makes it the responsibility of each regulated person who engages in such a transaction to identify each other party to the transaction. Directs the Attorney General to specify by regulation the types of documents or other evidence that constitute proof of identity. Requires each regulated person to report specified transactions to the Attorney General. Sets forth provisions with respect to the confidentiality of records. Amends the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act to require importers and exporters of listed chemicals to notify the Attorney General of importations or exportations within 15 days before the transaction in question. Provides for exceptions with respect to transactions with regular business customers of the regulated person. Authorizes the Attorney General to order the suspension of a transaction. Requires written notice justifying such an order. Entitles the affected regulated person to a hearing, if requested. Establishes criminal penalties for persons who knowingly or intentionally import or export a listed chemical with intent to manufacture a controlled substance or with reasonable cause to believe that the chemical will be used for such a purpose. Applies civil penalties to persons who fail to meet notification requirements, unless the failure is intentional, in which case criminal penalties apply. Lists the precursor chemicals and essential chemicals regulated under this Act. Describes transactions exempted from reporting and recordkeeping requirements, including certain lawful distributions in the usual course of business between agents or employees of a single regulated person and transactions involving listed chemicals contained in a drug lawfully marketable under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Amends the CSA to apply criminal penalties to persons who knowingly or intentionally: (1) possess a listed chemical with intent to manufacture a controlled substance; (2) possess or distribute a chemical having reasonable cause to believe that it will be used for such a purpose; (3) receive or distribute reportable amounts of chemicals in de minimis amounts so as to evade reporting and recordkeeping requirements; (4) distribute a listed chemical unlawfully; or (5) possess listed chemicals with knowledge that recordkeeping or reporting requirements have not been met and fail to remedy the violation. Authorizes as an additional penalty an injunction preventing any person convicted of a felony violation of controlled substances laws regarding listed chemicals from engaging in any regulated transaction involving a listed chemical for up to ten years. Amends sections of the Controlled Substances Act that describe prohibited acts and penalties to account expressly for new violations instituted in this subtitle. Grants the Attorney General subpoena power with respect to precursor and essential chemicals. Subjects all listed precursor and essential chemicals, drug manufacturing equipment, tableting and encapsulating machines, and gelatin capsules which have been imported, exported, manufactured, possessed, or distributed in violations of such Act (as well as all conveyances and equipment) to forfeiture to the United States. Subtitle P: Application of United States Immigration Laws and Deportation of Aliens Committing Aggravated Felonies - Violent Criminal Alien Deportation Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit the release from custody or conditional parole of any alien arrested pending a determination of whether such alien is deportable for having been convicted of an aggravated felony. Sets forth criminal penalties for: (1) reentry of certain deported aliens; (2) aiding or assisting certain aliens to enter the United States; and (3) refusal of certain aliens to appear and testify after being subpoenaed. Provides for special deportation proceedings and expedited procedures for the deportation of aliens convicted of aggravated felonies. Bars reentry of such aliens for ten years. Provides for forfeiture of instrumentalities used in bringing in and harboring certain aliens. Subtitle Q: Forfeiture and Customs - Chapter 1: Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund - Establishes within the U.S. Treasury the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund for: (1) the payment of expenses necessary to seize, maintain, or sell property under seizure, detention, or forfeiture; (2) the payment of awards for information or assistance leading to a civil or criminal forfeiture; or (3) related purposes. Sets forth reporting requirements by the Attorney General to the Congress concerning property seized. Chapter 2: Customs Forfeiture Fund - Establishes within the Treasury the Customs Forfeiture Fund for: (1) the payment of expenses of seizures; (2) awards of compensation to informers; (3) satisfaction of liens and claims of parties in interest to property disposed of under the Tariff Act of 1930 (Tariff Act); and (4) related purposes. Makes available the proceeds of such seizures by the U.S. Coast Guard to the Coast Guard for specified purposes. Requires the Commissioner of Customs to submit annual reports to the Congress. Authorizes appropriations. Chapter 4: Miscellaneous Forfeiture Provisions (SIC) - Amends the CSA to provide for the transfer by the Attorney General of forfeited personal property or the proceeds of the sale of such property. Requires the Attorney General to prescribe regulations for expedited administrative procedures for property seizures for violations involving the possession of personal use quantities of a controlled substance that provide for the immediate return of the property if the owner or interested party did not know of, or consent to, the violation and took reasonable steps to prevent the illegal use of the property. Sets forth provisions relating to: (1) the obtaining of warrants; (2) the powers of U.S. postal personnel to serve warrants and subpoenas, make arrests and seizures, and carry firearms; and (3) the transfer of foreign property by the Treasury. Chapter 5: Administrative Forfeiture - Increases the value of seized vessels or merchandise which requires written and published notice of seizure and forfeiture under the Tariff Act. Subtitle R: United States Magistrates and Court Reforms - Authorizes any U.S. magistrate to: (1) accept a guilty plea for any offense against the United States; and (2) enter a sentence for a misdemeanor or infraction with the consent of the parties involved. Provides for the designation of certain days in which the courts within a circuit shall conduct only proceedings relating to drug offenses. Subtitle S: Military Institutions - Makes the Bureau of Prisons responsible for: (1) administering the confinement facilities located on military installations; and (2) establishing and regulating drug treatment programs and establishing and managing work programs for inmates held in such facilities. Subtitle T: Customs Enforcement Amendments - Amends the Tariff Act to require the pilot of any aircraft, prior to departing the United States, to comply with advance notification and reporting requirements. Sets penalties for violation of such provision. Grants the same force and effect to a declaration of forfeiture by the appropriate customs officer of a vessel, a vehicle, aircraft, merchandise, or baggage as a final decree and order in a judicial forfeiture proceeding. Subjects persons convicted of specified criminal offenses to fines for the reasonable costs of the investigation and prosecution of the offense, unless the court determines that the defendant lacks the ability to pay. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to administer oaths, subpoena witnesses, take evidence, and compel the production of records in the course of investigating the enforcement of any law that prohibits the importation or exportation of any merchandise. Establishes procedures regarding claims for, and judicial condemnation of, seized vessels or merchandise, forfeiture proceedings, and summary sales of such vessels or merchandise. Amends the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 (Aviation Act) to subject violators to: (1) a civil penalty for failure to report a transfer of ownership of an interest in any aircraft for which a certificate of registration has been issued under such Act; and (2) to seizure and forfeiture in the case of materially false statements or omissions. Subtitle U: Authorization of Additional Appropriations for Drug Enforcement and Interdiction - Chapter 1: Authorization of Additional Appropriations for Drug Enforcement Personnel, Fiscal Year 1989 - Authorizes appropriations for salaries and expenses for the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) for FY 1989. Earmarks a specified sum to increase the number of INS inspectors. Authorizes appropriations to the INS for FY 1989 for the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, for additional special agent and support positions, training and equipment, and operations. Specifies that such positions, under the supervision of a director for the pilot project, shall be used exclusively to assist in combatting illegal alien involvement in drug trafficking and crimes of violence. Spells out the authority and responsibility of the director. Requires the Attorney General to set up a pilot program in four cities to establish or improve the capabilities of the local offices of the INS and local law enforcement agencies to respond to inquiries concerning aliens arrested or convicted for, or subject to criminal investigation relating to, a violation of any law relating to controlled substances. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 for: (1) salaries, expenses, and increased personnel for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshalls Service, U.S. Attorney, and the Federal Judiciary; (2) support of United States prisoners in non-Federal institutions; and (3) the Federal Prison System. Chapter 2: Drug Interdiction Asset and Personnel Enhancement - National Drug Interdiction Asset and Personnel Enhancement Act of 1988 - Subchapter A: Coast Guard - Authorizes appropriations to the Coast Guard for FY 1989 for acquisition, construction, improvement, and operating expenses (including personnel). Subchapter B: United States Customs Service - Authorizes appropriations to the U.S. Customs Service for FY 1989 for the air interdiction program and salaries and expenses of the Service (including increasing the number of Customs inspectors). Subchapter C: Drug Enforcement Administration - Authorizes appropriations for salaries and expenses of DEA for FY 1989. Subchapter D: Immigration and Naturalization Service/Border Patrol - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 for the border patrol within DOJ, for increased equipment and personnel, for design improvements for the border patrol station of San Clemente, California, and to establish an INS drug education officers program. Subchapter E: Research and Development Programs to Assist Federal Enforcement Agencies - Provides for the use of existing Federal research and development facilities for civilian law enforcement. Authorizes appropriations to the Customs Service for FY 1989 for cargo container drug detection research and development. Directs the Commissioner of Customs to report his findings to the appropriate congressional committees. Subchapter F: Drug Enforcement Training Improvement - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center for expanded training, salaries, and expenses. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to report to the appropriate congressional committees. Authorizes the Department of Defense, Department of State, DEA, Customs Service, and INS to provide foreign language training to special agent personnel. Authorizes appropriations. Subchapter G: United States-Bahamas Drug Interdiction Task Force - Authorizes appropriations for salaries and expenses of DEA for FY 1989 for the U.S.-Bahamas Drug Interdiction Task Force. Subchapter H: Standards of Care in Discovering Contraband - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) prescribe regulations for discovering whether controlled substances imported into the United States are aboard a conveyance; and (2) issue controlled substances regulations for a two-year demonstration program to prevent air carrier smuggling. Subchapter I: Interpol-United States National Central Bureau - Authorizes appropriations for the U.S. National Central Bureau for FY 1989, including increases in personnel. Subchapter J: Civil Air Patrol - Directs the Secretary of the Air Force to: (1) issue regulations to ensure that the Civil Air Patrol plays an integral role in drug interdiction and eradiction activities; and (2) submit quarterly reports to specified congressional committees regarding such activities. Title III: Prevention, Education, and Treatment - Subtitle A: Alcohol and Drug Abuse and Mental Health Services Block Grants - Comprehensive Alcohol Abuse, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Amendments Act of 1988 - Amends title XIX (Block Grants) of the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations for FY 1988 through 1991 for block grant allotments to States for prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation projects with respect to alcohol and drug abuse and for mental health services. Changes the formula for determining the amount by which State allotments shall be reduced for failure to implement a State comprehensive mental health services plan. Sets forth requirements regarding a report by the Comptroller General of the General Accounting Office with respect to plan implementations. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary) to use not to exceed one percent of the amounts appropriated for the allotments in each of FY 1988 through 1991 to conduct evaluations and prepare reports concerning the effectiveness of the block grant programs. Revises the formula for determination and distribution of the allotments. Sets forth requirements for allotment applications, including requirements that the chief executive officer of each State certify: (1) that the funds will be used for comprehensive mental health services and community mental health centers; (2) that the State will establish reasonable evaluation criteria; (3) the specific purposes for which the funds will be used; (4) that the State will use the funds for specified alcohol and drug abuse activities; (5) that the State will use certain funds to provide new mental health services and programs; and (6) other matters. Requires States, in order to receive allotment payments, to agree to coordinate among mental health services institutions the establishment of a State comprehensive community mental health system. Requires the chief executive officer of a State to establish a State mental health services planning council. Directs the Secretary to report annually to specified committees of the Congress regarding the new State mental health services. Amends title V of the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary to collect data on mental health and on alcohol and drug abuse treatment. Directs the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees every two years on drug and alcohol and mental health services. Directs the Secretary, through the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, to develop a model plan for a community-based system of care for seriously mentally ill individuals. Authorizes appropriations and makes allotments to States based on population and need. Sets forth procedures for applications by the States, reporting, and evaluation. Specifies appropriate and prohibited uses of such funds. Provides for training, technical assistance, and data collection. Subtitle B: National Institutes of Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health - Establishes an Office for Substance Abuse Prevention within the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration. Specifies the duties and authority of the Administrator of such agency. Renames the Administration the National Institutes of Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health. Directs the Secretary to make grants to States, political subdivisions, and nonprofit entities for specified types of mental health services demonstration projects, subject to certain restrictions. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988-90 for specified projects. Directs the Administrator to establish and implement a public information program of fetal alcohol syndrome and to report to specified congressional committees. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988-91 for the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989-91 for the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Provides for the dissemination of drug treatment information and for the evaluation of the Veterans Administration's inpatient and outpatient drug and alcohol treatment programs. Requires the Director of NIDA to conduct annual surveys of households and high school seniors nationwide. Directs the Secretary to establish demonstration projects providing grants to States to provide treatment and referrals to individuals who abuse drugs. Sets forth provisions governing procedures for awarding grants, criteria for such awards, applications, and preferences to projects demonstrating a comprehensive approach to the problem. Requires, as a condition of awarding grants, a systematic evaluation of the projects funded. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989-93. Directs the Secretary to develop and maintain an ongoing program of research and evaluation of alcohol and drug abuse treatment programs to determine the most effective treatment methods and to assess the comparative efficacy and cost-effectiveness of different methods. Directs the Secretary to: (1) make grants to States for community youth activity programs, giving priority to projects such as those seeking to reinvolve dropouts in educational programs and providing outreach to individuals at high risk of substance abuse; and (2) develop and conduct a structural evaluation of the different approaches utilized across the nation to reduce substance abuse. Subtitle C: Institute of Medicine - Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a study concerning the appropriate treatment, rehabilitation, and continuing use of persons suffering from severe and disabling mental illnesses; and (2) report to specified congressional committees on the results of such study. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle D: Alternative Utilization of Military Facilities - Requires the Director of NIDA to: (1) coordinate with the agencies represented on the Commission on Alternative Utilization of Military Facilities the utilization of military facilities that could house nonviolent persons for drug treatment purposes; (2) notify State agencies responsible for the oversight of drug abuse treatment programs of the availability of space at such installations; and (3) assist such agencies in developing methods for adapting such installations into residential treatment centers. Sets forth the duties of such State agencies. Allows the Director to reserve space at such facilities to conduct research or demonstration projects. Amends the Federal Property and Administrative Procedures Act of 1979 to allow surplus property under the control of an executive agency to be donated for drug abuse treatment centers. Subtitle E: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Block Grants - Amends the PHSA to authorize appropriations to make grants to public and nonprofit private entities for programs seeking to reduce the transmission of the acquired immunodeficiency virus in and by users of illegal intravenous drugs. Specifies: (1) allotments of funds appropriated to the States and U.S. territories; (2) information and assurances required concerning the implementation of programs; and (3) appropriate uses of allotments and unexpended sums. Subtitle F: Miscellaneous - Provides for the: (1) establishment of the Office of Associate Director for Special Populations to develop and coordinate prevention, treatment, research, and administrative policies and programs to assure increased emphasis on the needs of women and minorities for the prevention and treatment of alcoholism, alcohol abuse, and related problems; and (2) development of a model insurance benefit plan to be considered for adoption by the Administrator of the Office of Personnel Management and the Congress, including a consideration of the costs and benefits of alternative coverage designs. Requires the Secretary to submit a report containing recommendations concerning the latter to the appropriate congressional committees and to make such report available to members of the insurance industry and business community. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 for National Research Service Awards. Authorizes the Secretary to make funds available for the training of personnel to treat substance abuse. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989. Establishes drug testing certification program requirements. Directs the Secretary of Labor to make funds available to enable employers to develop employee drug and alcohol abuse assistance programs. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the Domestic Volunteer Service Act to authorize appropriations for FY 1989-91. Requires the Secretary to: (1) report to specified congressional committees concerning the range of treatment programs for drug abuse utilized with funds provided under the PHSA and other such programs utilized by State and local governments and private organizations; and (2) identify those programs that demonstrate effective treatment for drug abuse. Amends the PHSA to grant the Public Helath Service authority to enter into certain lease-purchase contracts for the acquisition by lease of buildings and facilities needed to carry out its mission. Subtitle G: Drug Education - Drug-Free Schools Amendments of 1988 - Amends the Drug Free Schools and Communities Act of 1986 to increase appropriations authorized for FY 1989-93. Authorizes State regional drug and alcohol abuse education and prevention centers. Grants priority for the use of funds to training activities concerning drug abuse education and prevention for individuals such as teachers, counselors, parents, and community leaders. Includes within the definition of "high risk youth" individuals who have experienced chronic failure in school. Revises requirements for State applications to include: (1) a detailed comprehensive plan describing how money allocated to the chief executive officer is to be used; and (2) a description of any applicable State teacher certification requirements regarding training in drug and alcohol abuse education and prevention, including a description of the extent to which substance abuse education and prevention is included in teacher training curricula in the State. Authorizes the use of local drug abuse education and prevention program funds for: (1) outreach activities, abuse prevention programs, and referral services for school dropouts; and (2) counseling programs and referral services for parents and siblings of drug and alcohol abusers. Requires State and local reports to be submitted biennially to the Secretary of Education and the appropriate State educational agency, respectively, containing information on the conduct and progress of such programs. Directs such Secretary to make grants to State and local educational agencies and institutions of higher education for teacher training programs. Sets forth application procedures. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989-93. Directs such Secretary to: (1) conduct an independent evaluation of a representative sample of programs assisted under this subtitle and identify successful projects which may be replicated by other local education agencies throughout the country, and transmit an interim and final report concerning the results of such evaluation; (2) develop model criteria and forms for the collection of data and information with respect to programs under this subtitle, and to disseminate such criteria and forms to regional centers as a resource to States and local educational programs; and (3) provide for the development and dissemination of early childhood education drug abuse prevention curriculum materials and reserve a specified sum for such purpose. Subtitle H: Effective Date - Sets forth the effective date of this title. Title IV: International Narcotics Control and Assistance to Foreign Countries - Subtitle A: Authorization of Appropriations; Allocation of Funds - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA) to authorize appropriations for FY 1989 for international narcotic control activities, multilateral and regional drug abuse control programs, and the development and implementation of a machine-readable document border security program. Directs the Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics Matters to give greater attention to those countries which are drug-transit countries but not major drug-transit countries, and which are cooperating fully with the United States in its international narcotics control efforts. Earmarks appropriations for narcotics control assistance to such countries. Amends the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (SDBAA) to provide additional funds for rewards for information relating to international terrorism. Provides for the reallocation of funds withheld from countries which failed to take adequate steps to halt illicit drug production or trafficking. Earmarks funds for FY 1989 for: (1) education and training of, and the expenses of deploying, training teams in foreign countries for narcotics control purposes; and (2) procurement of weapons to defend aircraft involved in narcotics control efforts. Sets forth congressional notification requirements. Subtitle B: Restriction on Foreign Assistance and Trade Benefits - Revises certification procedures for drug producing and drug-transit countries under the Trade Act of 1974 and the FAA to take into account actions by foreign governments to stem the flow of illicit drugs into the United States. Authorizes assistance under the FAA for narcotics education and awareness activities. Subtitle C: Reporting Requirements - Subjects any transfer by the Government to a foreign country for narcotics control purposes of any property seized by, or otherwise forfeited to, the Government in connection with narcotics-related criminal activity to the regular reprogramming procedures under the FAA. Requires the President to submit a report to the Congress of all such transfers during that fiscal year. Requires the President to submit annual reports to the Congress describing: (1) the assistance provided, or to be provided, to certain countries by the DEA, Customs Service, and Coast Guard; and (2) U.S. assistance for the previous fiscal year which was denied and the identities of officials whose activities caused such government to be evaluated. Requires specified determinations by the President to be expressed in numerical terms of maximum achievable reductions in illicit drug production. Requires the President to include in the first report required under the FAA what, if any, incentives may be appropriately provided to encourage each country's further cooperation. Provides for additional notification and reporting requirements on drug producing and drug-transit countries. Subtitle D: Latin American Anti-Drug Strike Force - Requires the President to direct the U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS) to initiate discussions with OAS members aimed at securing agreement on the formation of a multinational strike force to conduct operations against international illegal drug smuggling organizations in the Western Hemisphere. Directs the Secretary of State to report to specified congressional committees on progress toward achieving establishment of such strike force. Provides for the submissions to the Congress of a supplemental budget request for FY 1989 and 1990 covering the U.S. share of its operation, if progress is made or an agreement reached. Subtitle E: Miscellaneous Provisions - Urges: (1) the Secretary of the Treasury to negotiate with finance ministers of foreign countries to establish an international currency control agency; and (2) the United States to seek to curb international money laundering on the domestic front. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should: (1) convene an International Conference on Combatting Illegal Drug Production, Trafficking, and Use in the Western Hemisphere; and (2) call for negotiations on the establishment of an international drug force to pursue and apprehend major international drug traffickers. Directs the President to conduct a review of U.S. reliance on narcotics raw material from foreign sources. Places restrictions on presidential certifications under the FAA with respect to any major drug producing or drug-transit country which is also a producer of licit narcotics and raw materials. Title V: User Accountability - Subtitle A: Opposition to Legalization and Public Awareness - Expresses the sense of the Congress opposing legalization of illicit drugs. Requires the Drug Control Director to develop a public awareness campaign pertaining to penalties for the use or possession of illegal drugs. Subtitle B: National Commission on Drug-Free Schools - Establishes a National Commission on Drug-Free Schools. Specifies the composition, duties, compensation of members, and powers of the Commission. Requires the Commission to report its findings and recommendations to the President and the Congress. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle C: Preventing Drug Abuse in Public Housing - Chapter 1: Regulatory and Enforcement Provisions - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 (Housing Act) to permit the termination of a tenancy in public housing where any member of the tenant's household, guest, or a person under the tenant's control engages in specified criminal activity. Authorizes a public housing agency to hire investigators of drug crimes. Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to: (1) conduct a study of the extent to which security activities in public housing projects are funded under the Performance Funding System; and (2) transmit to the Congress a report on such study. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize grants under the BJA block grant program to address the problems of drug trafficking and the manufacture of controlled substances in public housing. Includes a leasehold interest in property as subject to forfeiture under the CSA. Chapter 2: Public Housing Drug Elimination Pilot Program - Public Housing Drug Elimination Act of 1988 - Authorizes the Secretary of HUD to make grants to public housing agencies to eliminate drug-related crime in public housing projects. Includes among the authorized uses of such funds: (1) employment of security personnel; (2) reimbursement of local law enforcement agencies for additional protective services; and (3) security-enhancing physical improvements. Requires such Secretary to report to the Congress on the success of the program. Authorizes FY 1989 appropriations. Chapter 3: Report on Impact of Public Housing Lease and Grievance Regulation on the Ability of PHAS to Take Action Against Tenants Engaging in Criminal Activity - Directs the Secretary of HUD to submit to the Congress a report on the impact of the implementation of specified provisions of the Housing Act on the ability of public housing agencies to evict or take other appropriate action against tenants engaging in criminal activity. Subtitle D: Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 - Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 - Sets forth drug-free workplace requirements for Federal grantees and contractors. Sets forth grounds for suspension, termination, or debarment of grantees or contractors who have violated such requirements. Sets forth rules for such proceedings and the effect of such debarment. Requires grantees or contractors, within 30 days after receiving notice from an employee of a conviction for a drug law violation in the workplace, to: (1) take appropriate personnel action against such employee up to and including termination; or (2) require such employee to participate satisfactorily in an approved drug rehabilitation program. Provides for waiver of the requirements of this Act in the interest of the Federal Government or the general public. Sets forth the authority of boards of contract appeals under this Act. Subtitle E: Transportation Industry Alcohol and Controlled Substances Testing Program - Amends the Aviation Act to establish an alcohol and controlled substances testing program for air carriers and Federal Aviation Administration employees in safety-sensitive positions. Prohibits continued service by individuals in such positions following use of alcohol or a controlled substance without lawful authorization. Directs each air carrier to establish and maintain a rehabilitation program providing for the identification, and opportunity for treatment, of employees and Federal Aviation Administration employees in safety-sensitive positions. Provides for the establishment of procedures for testing, including the setting of standards for testing and confirmation of results. Specifies the relationship between this and other laws and regulations. Amends: (1) the Federal Railroad Safety Act of 1970 to provide analogous treatment for the railroad industry; and (2) the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986 to set up a pilot program for the random testing of commercial motor vehicles to determine illicit alcohol or drug use. Requires the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) establish a program of testing and screening of urban mass transportation employees in safety-sensitive positions upon a reasonable suspicion of illicit alcohol or drug use; and (2) promulgate regulations, including requirements for a rehabilitation program for such employees. Subtitle F: Federal Privileges and Benefits - Requires the DNDCP to submit to the Congress a list of Federal privileges, benefits, grants, and loans which, if withheld from individuals convicted of a Federal or State drug offense, would significantly deter the use of illegal drugs in the United States. Subtitle G: Restrictions on Passports for Violators of Controlled Substance Laws and Other Laws - Amends the SDBAA to place restrictions on passports for violators of controlled substance laws. Subtitle H: Authorization of Appropriations for President's Media Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention - Authorizes appropriations for the President's Media Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention for FY 1989-91. Title VI: Sense of the Congress on Drug Funding - Expresses the sense of the Congress with respect to the funding of authorizations in this Act, the handling of subsequent obligations that might arise, and the raising of additional funds from an Internal Revenue Service enforcement and collection initiative and increased receipts arising out of the assets forfeiture fund. Title VII: Death Penalty for Drug-Related Killings - Amends the CSA to establish criteria for the imposition of the death penalty where any person: (1) engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise intentionally, or with reckless indifference to human life, kills or participates in the killing of any individual; or (2) intentionally, or with reckless indifference to human life, kills or participates in the killing of a law enforcement officer during the commission of, in furtherance of, or while attempting to avoid apprehension, prosecution, or service of a prison term for a felony violation of such Act. Requires the Government, for such offense, to serve notice upon the defendant a reasonable time before trial or acceptance of a plea, disclosing the factors it will seek to prove as a basis for the death penalty. Requires a separate sentencing hearing before a jury, or the court upon motion by the defendant, when the defendant is found guilty or pleads guilty to the offense. Allows the defendant and the Government to present any information relevant to sentencing, without regard to the rules of evidence, but permits information to be excluded if its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice, confusion of the issues, or misleading of the jury. Directs the court, or the jury by unanimous vote, to impose the death penalty upon finding that such sentence is justified based on consideration of both aggravating and mitigating factors. Prohibits the death sentence with respect to any person who: (1) was under 18 years of age at the time the crime was committed; or (2) by reason of mental disease or defect is unable to understand his or her impending death or its reasons. Sets forth both mitigating and aggravating factors to be considered by the jury or the court when imposing its sentence. Includes among the latter: (1) the intentional nature of the act that resulted in the victim's death; (2) previous convictions for CSA violations; and (3) the especially heinous, cruel, or depraved nature of the offense. Requires the court to instruct the jury not to consider the race, color, national origin, or sex of the defendant in its consideration of the sentence. Requires each juror to return a signed certificate stating that these features were not considerations in determining the sentence. Directs the Comptroller General to: (1) conduct a study of the procedures used by States in determining whether to impose the death penalty; and (2) report to the Congress on any factors that may account for the evidence that the race of the defendant or victim influences the likelihood that defendants will be sentenced to death. Allows the court to impose a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole if the death penalty is not imposed. Establishes procedures for appeal from a death sentence. Requires the Court of Appeals, upon consideration of the record and the information and procedures of the sentencing hearing, to affirm the decision if: (1) the sentence was not imposed under the influence of passion, prejudice, or arbitrariness; and (2) the information supports the finding of aggravating factors or the absence of mitigating factors. Requires the court to provide a written explanation of its determination. States that no employee shall be required to participate in or attend any execution carried out under this Act if such participation is contrary to the employee's moral and religious convictions.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 1988
Commends the Honorable Robert C. Byrd, Majority Leader of the Senate, for his dedication to the ideals of representative democracy and for his outstanding service to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 1988
Federal Crop Insurance Commission Act of 1988 - States that the purpose of this Act is: (1) to ensure the review of the Federal crop insurance program; and (2) to recommend changes necessary to lessen or eliminate the need for additional disaster payment programs in order to reduce Federal costs and provide farmers with equitable and predictable natural disaster protection. Establishes the Commission for the Improvement of the Federal Crop Insurance Program. Sets forth membership and operating provisions. Directs the Commission to: (1) determine why crop insurance program participation is lower than anticipated; (2) identify States and commodities with low participation; and (3) recommend program improvements. Sets forth particular areas to be examined, including: (1) program insurance coverage; (2) use of crop field information; (3) related government subsidies; (4) sales commission rates; (5) claims adjustment services; (6) information collection; (7) compliance efforts; and (8) premium pools. Requires the Commission to submit: (1) an interim report to the appropriate congressional committees by April 1, 1989; (2) a final report to such committees by July 1, 1989; and (3) monthly reports to such committees from the period beginning July 1, 1989, through December 31, 1990. Terminates the Commission as of December 31, 1990, except that the Secretary of Agriculture may extend the Commission's life beyond such date. Directs the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation to make specified FY 1989 funds available to the Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 1988
Amends the United States Institute of Peace Act to provide a permanent authorization of appropriations for the United States Institute of Peace. Repeals a provision prohibiting the use of Federal funds to pay for private fringe benefit programs.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 1988
Congratulates Israel and Egypt for a decade of peace based upon the Camp David accords. Calls upon other Arab states and Palestinians to join in the peace process, renounce the state of war and acts of violence, and enter into direct negotiations with Israel to achieve a lasting peace.
United States · United States Congress · 11 August 1988
Directs the American Battle Monuments Commission to construct a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia or its environs to honor World War II veterans and commemorate U.S. participation in that conflict. Requires the Commission to plan, design, and oversee such construction. Establishes the World War II Memorial Advisory Board to: (1) promote and encourage donation of private funds for the construction of such memorial; and (2) recommend the site and assist the Commission in selecting the design for such memorial. Authorizes the Commission to solicit private contributions for the construction of such memorial. Authorizes assistance from specified Federal departments and agencies. Authorizes Federal property to be transferred to the Commission and authorizes the Commission to purchase suitable property within the District of Columbia for the establishment of such memorial. Absolves the United States from any liability for any expense incurred for the construction of such memorial. Provides that the maintenance of such memorial and the surrounding grounds shall be the responsibility of the Secretary of the Interior. Provides that all requirements and authority established in this Act shall lapse unless: (1) the construction of the memorial is commenced within five years after enactment of this Act; and (2) funds are certified to be available, prior to such construction, to insure completion of the memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 11 August 1988
Declares that, on the return of Joseph Biden to the Senate after a six-month absence to recuperate from surgery, the Members of the Senate extend their warmest welcome and personal happiness as well as their best wishes for his continued good health.
United States · United States Congress · 11 August 1988
Recognizes the violence and denial of human rights in the Socialist Republic of Burma. Condemns killings and mass arrests by the Burmese army. Calls for a return to democracy. Calls upon the President and U.S. officials to raise the issues of human rights and national reconciliation in their meetings with Burmese officials.
United States · United States Congress · 10 August 1988
Designates January 28, 1989, as National Challenger Center Day. (The Challenger Center is an institution offering children and teachers activities and information derived from American space research.)
United States · United States Congress · 10 August 1988
Condemns the Romanian Government's systematic violation of human rights of its citizens. Protests the planned program of destruction of traditional settlements in violation of human rights, minority cultural rights, and property rights. Urges reforms by the Romanian Government to comply with international agreements. Urges continued presidential and Secretary of State action to bring about reforms. Urges the President to make clear to the Romanian Government that restoration of Most Favored Nation status or other favorable trading privileges to Romania should not be considered until a thorough human rights reform is implemented, including substantial improvement in the right of emigration, the rights of national minorities, and freedom of religion.
United States · United States Congress · 9 August 1988
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Act of 1988 - Directs the Secretary of Education to provide financial assistance to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (a private non-profit organization) for research and development relating to teacher assessment and certification procedures. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 through 1991 for such purpose. Sets forth terms and conditions for such assistance. Requires the Board to: (1) establish a Research and Development Advisory Committee; and (2) consult with the Secretary and other specified entities in appointing the ten Committee members (with the Secretary selecting two of those). Requires funds under this Act to be used only for research and development of teacher assessment and certification procedures for elementary and secondary school teachers. Requires that priority be given to activities relating to teaching: (1) the subject areas of mathematics, the sciences, foreign languages, and literacy (including reading, writing, and analytical ability); and (2) special educational populations, including limited English proficient children, gifted and talented children, handicapped children, and economically and educationally disadvantaged children. Sets forth application requirements. Sets the Federal share of the cost of such Board activities at 50 percent. Requires the Board to report annually to the appropriate committees of Congress. Requires the Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, and the National Research Council to review and comment on the Board's report and to report to such committees on the Board's compliance with this Act. Sets forth auditing provisions. Sets forth limitations on the ways this Act may be construed.
United States · United States Congress · 8 August 1988
Atlantic Marine Fisheries Act of 1988 - Amends the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act to direct the Secretary of Commerce, when State regulations or a Federal moratorium on fishing for Atlantic striped bass within the coastal waters of a coastal State are in effect, to promulgate regulations governing fishing for such fish in the exclusive economic zone. Authorizes the appropriate Regional Fishery Management Councils to prepare a fishery management plan on Atlantic striped bass. Provides that such plan, if approved and implemented by the Secretary, shall supersede any regulations promulgated under this Act. Terminates provisions of this Act relating to fishing regulations and authorization of a fishery management plan on September 30, 1991. Amends the Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act to authorize appropriations for 1988 through 1991. Extends the termination date for such Act to September 30, 1991. Amends the Anadromous Fish Conservation Act to authorize appropriations for FY 1988 through 1991.
![Official portrait of Sen. Sarbanes, Paul S. [D-MD]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s000064_200.jpg)