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United States · Official source
5,049 records where Sen. Specter, Arlen [R-PA] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1993
Designates May 3 through 9, 1993, as Public Service Recognition Week.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: General Requirements for Leave Title II: Leave for Civil Service Employees Title III: Commission on Leave Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions Title V: Coverage of Congressional Employees Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 - Title I: General Requirements for Leave - Establishes requirements for unpaid family and medical leave for permanent employees. (Sec. 101) Makes employees eligible for such leave if they have been employed, by the employer from whom leave is sought, for at least: (1) a total of 12 months; and (2) 1,250 hours of service during the previous 12-month period. (Excludes: (1) employees at worksites at which the employer employs less than 50 persons, if the total number of employees of that employer within 75 miles of that worksite is less than 50; and (2) Federal officers and employees covered under title II of this Act.) (Sec. 102) Entitles employees to 12 workweeks of leave during any 12-month period because of: (1) the birth of their child; (2) the placement of a child for their adoption or foster care; (3) their care of a child, spouse, or parent who has a serious health condition; or (4) their own serious health condition which makes them unable to perform the functions of their position. Conditions such leave for the birth or placement of a child as follows: (1) the entitlement ends 12 months after the birth or placement; and (2) such leave may not be taken intermittently unless employee and employer agree otherwise. Allows intermittent leave for necessary medical treatment of an employee or family member. Allows the employer to require a temporary transfer to an equivalent alternative position that better accommodates such intermittent leave. Allows all leave under this title to: (1) be taken on a reduced leave schedule, upon agreement with the employer; and (2) consist of unpaid leave, except under specified conditions when substitution of certain types of paid leave may be elected or required. Does not require an employer to provide paid sick or medical leave in any situation in which the employer would not normally provide any such paid leave. Provides that such unpaid leave shall not affect an employee's exempt status for purpose of certain wage and hour requirements under the Fair Standards Act of 1938. Requires employees to: (1) give at least 30 days' notice of the need for leave to which they are entitled under this Act, when foreseeable; and (2) make a reasonable effort to schedule medical treatment or supervision so as not to disrupt unduly the employer's operations, subject to approval of the health care provider. Allows limitation of the dual aggregate leave entitlement to 12 weeks in any 12-month period, in the case of spouses employed by the same employer, if such leave is for the birth or placement of a child or for the care of a sick parent. (Sec. 103) Sets forth conditions of certification for leave entitlements under this Act. (Sec. 104) Requires restoration of the employee to his or her position or an equivalent position upon return from such leave. Allows an employer to deny such restoration to certain highly compensated employees, under specified conditions (the highest paid ten percent of the employer's employees within a 75-mile radius of a facility; the denial must be necessary to prevent substantial and grievous economic injury to the employer's operations). Requires maintenance of employee health benefits during such leave. (Sec. 105) Prohibits interference with or discrimination against employees exercising rights under this title. (Sec. 106) Sets forth the investigative authority of the Secretary of Labor under this title. (Sec. 107) Provides for enforcement of this Act. Provides for administrative and civil actions. Makes an employer who violates this title's prohibitions against interference or discrimination liable for damages in the amount of: (1) any wages, salary, employment benefits, or other compensation denied or lost; (2) (where such compensation has not been denied or lost) any actual monetary losses, such as the cost of providing care; (3) interest on such losses; and (4) liquidated damages under certain conditions. Makes such employers also liable for appropriate equitable relief, including, without limitation, employment, reinstatement, and promotion. Sets forth provisions for attorney's fees, limitation of actions, injunctions, other equitable relief, and the Solicitor of Labor's role in such litigation. (Sec. 108) Sets forth special rules concerning employees of local educational agencies and of private elementary and secondary schools. (Sec. 109) Sets forth requirements for posting notice and for fines. Title II: Leave for Civil Service Employees - (Sec. 201) Entitles eligible civil service employees to family and temporary medical leave for specified periods. Allows up to 12 administrative workweeks of leave without pay (or substituted paid leave) in any 12-month period for: (1) family leave (i.e., leave because of the birth or placement of a child or care of a sick spouse, child, or parent); or (2) temporary medical leave for a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the functions of their position. Sets forth: (1) requirements for employees to give prior notice; (2) certification provisions; (3) protections for job position and health insurance benefits; and (4) prohibitions against coercion. Requires the Office of Personnel Management to prescribe regulations for this title which are consistent with the regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Labor under title I of this Act. Title III: Commission on Leave - (Sec. 301) Establishes the Commission on Leave. (Sec. 302) Requires the Commission to conduct a comprehensive study of: (1) existing and proposed leave policies; (2) the potential costs, benefits, and impact on productivity of such policies on employers; and (3) alternative and equivalent State enforcement of this Act with respect to employees of local educational agencies and private schools. Requires the Commission to report on such study to the Congress within two years after the Commission first meets. (Sec. 306) Terminates the Commission within 30 days after its report to the Congress. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - (Sec. 401 and Sec. 402) Sets forth the effect of this Act on other laws and existing employment benefits. (Sec. 403) Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to discourage employers from adopting more generous leave policies. (Sec. 404) Directs the Secretary of Labor to prescribe regulations to carry out this title (except those provisions applicable to the Senate) within 60 days. Title V: Coverage of Congressional Employees - (Sec. 501) Applies the rights and protections established under specified provisions of title I of this Act to Senate employees. Makes specified provisions of the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991 applicable, with certain exceptions. Provides that allegations shall be considered by the Office of Senate Fair Employment Practices or another entity designated by the Senate. Requires such Office to ensure that Senate employees are informed of their rights under this Act. (Sec. 502) Applies the rights and protections under title I of this Act to employees of the House of Representatives, except for the exemption concerning highly compensated employees. Makes the remedies and procedures under the Fair Employment Practices Resolution applicable in administering such coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1993
Constitutional Amendment - Declares that the Congress has the power to set reasonable limits on campaign expenditures by, in support of, or in opposition to any candidate in any primary or other election for Federal office. Declares that the States have such power with respect to State or local elections.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1993
Constitutional Amendment - Requires a balanced Federal budget, unless a three-fifths roll call vote of both Houses of Congress provides for a specific excess of outlays over receipts. Requires the President to submit a balanced budget to the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1993
Equal Remedies Act of 1993 - Amends Federal law relating to damages in cases of intentional employment discrimination to remove provisions limiting the dollar amount of damages awarded for pecuniary and nonpecuniary losses and punitive damages.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 1992
John Heinz Senate Fellowship Program Resolution - Establishes the John Heinz Senate Fellowship Program to: (1) encourage identification and training of new leadership in issues affecting children; and (2) advance development of public policy with respect to such issues. Authorizes the Heinz Family Foundation to select such Senate fellowship participants. Sets forth requirements for such selection process. Authorizes the Secretary of the Senate to appoint and fix the compensation of each eligible participant selected, for a period determined by the Secretary. Limits to two the number of fellowship participants so employed. Directs the Secretary to place eligible participants in positions in the Senate that are, within practical considerations, supportive of the fellowship participants' areas of expertise. Requires that a limited amount of funds to compensate eligible participants for FY 1993 be paid from the Senate contingent fund. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 1992
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for treating qualified accident and health insurance contracts of small insurance companies in the same manner as group life insurance contracts for purposes of capitalization of certain policy acquisition expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 1992
Persian Gulf War Veterans' Health Status Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish and maintain a special record to be known as the Persian Gulf War Veterans Health Registry containing health status information with respect to individuals who served as members of the armed forces in the Persian Gulf theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War. Requires claims for compensation due to ill health to be included within such Registry. Requires the Registry's information to be collected and maintained so as to enable easy cross-reference with a Registry for the Department of Defense established under this Act. Directs the Secretary to notify individuals in the Registry from time to time on significant developments in research on the health consequences of such military service during such War. Directs the Secretary to provide a health examination, consultation, and counseling to any veterans eligible for listing or inclusion in the Registry. Authorizes the Secretary to provide such examination, consultation, and counseling to any veteran eligible for listing or inclusion in any other similar health-related registry administered by the Secretary. Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1992 and 1993 to direct the Secretary of Defense to establish a special record for members of the armed forces who served in Operation Desert Storm during the Persian Gulf War or who were exposed to the fumes of burning oil there. Requires such Secretary to establish such record with the advice of an independent scientific organization. Requires the Director of the Office of Technology Assessment to undertake a study making certain assessments with respect to the Registry and its utility and effectiveness in serving the needs of members serving in the Persian Gulf War. Directs each Secretary to provide the Director with access to required information in carying out such study. Requires reports to the Congress by the Director. Directs each Secretary to jointly seek to enter into an agreement with the Medical Follow-Up Agency (MFUA) of the National Academy of Sciences to review existing medical, scientific, and other information on the health consequences of military service in the Persian Gulf theater during such War. Permits MFUA, in conducting the review, to examine and evaluate the medical records of individuals included in the Registry and special record in order to identify illnesses. Requires such agreement to be entered into within 180 days after enactment of this Act. Requires the Academy to report to each Secretary and specified congressional committees on the results of the review carried out under the joint agreement. Requires each Secretary to provide amounts from their respective Department's FY 1993 funding to carry out the review. Provides that, if an agreement is reached with the Academy, each Secretary shall provide the Academy with funds in each of FY 1994 through 2003 for conducting epidemiological research with respect to military and veteran populations. Directs the President to designate (with authorized redesignation from time to time) the head of an appropriate Federal department or agency to coordinate all research activities undertaken by the executive branch on the health consequences of military service in the Persian Gulf theater of operations during such War. Requires the department or agency head so chosen to report annually to the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees on the status and results of all such research activities during the previous year.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 1992
Women in the Armed Forces Commemorative Coins Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) mint and issue coins to commemorate the women who have served in the armed forces of the United States; and (2) transfer the surcharges received from coin sales to the Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation to be used to create, endow, and dedicate the Women in the Armed Forces Memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 1992
Designates October 24, 1992, through November 1, 1992, as National Red Ribbon Week for a Drug Free America.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1992
Designates May 2 through 8, 1993, as National Walking Week.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 1992
Designates the week of February 14 through 20, 1993, as National Visiting Nurse Associations Week.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 1992
Authorizes the President, on behalf of the Congress, to present a gold medal to John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie in recognition of his accomplishments as a musician. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to provide for the sale of bronze duplicates of the medal.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 1992
Family Investment Act of 1992 - Title I: Family and Medical Leave - Subtitle A: Short Title; Findings and Purposes - Family and Medical Leave Act of 1992 - Sets forth the short title of this title I, along with findings and purposes. Subtitle B: General Requirements for Leave - Establishes certain requirements for family and medical leave for permanent employees. Makes employees eligible for such leave if they have been employed, by the employer from whom leave is sought, for at least: (1) a total of 12 months; and (2) 1,250 hours of service during the previous 12-month period. (Excludes from such coverage: (1) employees at worksites at which the employer employs less than 50 persons, if the total number of employees of that employer within 75 miles of that worksite is less than 50; and (2) Federal officers and employees covered under subtitle C of this title.) Entitles employees to 12 workweeks of leave during any 12-month period because of: (1) the birth and care of their child; (2) the placement of a child for their adoption or foster care; (3) their care of a child, spouse, or parent who has a serious health condition; or (4) their own serious health condition which makes them unable to perform the functions of their position. Conditions such leave for the birth or placement of a child as follows: (1) the entitlement ends 12 months after the birth or placement; and (2) such leave may not be taken intermittently unless employee and employer agree otherwise. Allows intermittent leave for necessary medical treatment of an employee or family member. Allows the employer to require a temporary transfer to an equivalent alternative position that better accommodates such intermittent leave. Allows all leave to which an employee is entitled under this subtitle: (1) to be taken on a reduced leave schedule, upon agreement with the employer; and (2) to consist of unpaid leave, except under specified conditions when substitution of certain types of paid leave may be elected or required. Declares that nothing in this Act shall require an employer to provide paid sick or medical leave in any situation in which the employer would not normally provide any such paid leave. Requires employees to: (1) give at least 30 days' notice of the need for leave to which they are entitled under this Act, when foreseeable; and (2) make a reasonable effort to schedule medical treatment or supervision so as not to disrupt unduly the employer's operations, subject to approval of the health care provider. Allows limitation of the dual aggregate leave entitlement to 12 weeks in any 12-month period, in the case of spouses employed by the same employer, if such leave is for the birth or placement of a child or for the care of a sick parent. Sets forth conditions of certification for leave entitlements under this title, including provisions relating to: (1) sufficient certification; (2) explanation of inability to perform job functions; (3) dates and duration of planned medical treatment in the case of intermittent leave; (4) second opinion; (5) resolution of conflicting opinions; and (6) subsequent recertification. Sets forth employment and benefits protections relating to leave entitlements under this title. Requires restoration of the employee to his or her position or an equivalent position upon return from such leave. Allows an employer to deny such restoration to certain highly compensated employees (i.e. those among the highest paid ten percent of the employer's employees within 75 miles of the facility at which the employee works), under specified conditions, if necessary to prevent substantial and grievous economic injury to the employer's operations. Requires maintenance of employee health benefits during such leave. Allows the employer to recover premiums paid for such coverage if the employee fails to return to work after the leave period has expired for reasons other than a certified serious health condition or other circumstances beyond the employee's control. Prohibits employers or other persons from: (1) interfering with employee rights under this title; or (2) from discriminating against any individual because of participation in proceedings or inquiries under this subtitle, or because the individual opposes any practice made unlawful by this subtitle. Sets forth the investigative authority of the Secretary of Labor (the Secretary) under this subtitle. Provides for enforcement of this title. Provides for administrative action by the Secretary to resolve complaints of violations under this subtitle in the same manner as under specified provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. Provides for civil actions by employees, and by the Secretary on their behalf. Makes an employer who violates this subtitle's prohibitions against interfering with employee exercise of rights or discriminating against employees liable for damages in the amount of: (1) any wages, salary, employment benefits, or other compensation denied or lost to the employee by reason of the violation; (2) (in any case where such compensation has not been denied or lost) any actual monetary losses sustained by the employee as a direct result of the violation, such as the cost of providing care, up to the amount of 12 weeks' wages or salary; (3) interest on such losses; and (4) an additional amount of liquidated damages equal to the sum of such losses and the interest (except that the court may reduce or eliminate such additional liquidated damages in cases where the employer can show good faith and reasonable grounds for believing that the act or omission was not a violation). Makes such employers also liable for appropriate equitable relief, including, without limitation, employment, reinstatement, and promotion. Requires the court to allow attorney's fees and other costs of the action to be paid by the defendant in addition to any judgment awarded to the plaintiff. Sets forth provisions for limitations of such civil actions. Sets forth provisions for action for injunction by the Secretary. Sets forth special rules concerning employees of local educational agencies and of private elementary and secondary schools, including provisions relating to intermittent leave for instructional employees, periods near the completion of an academic term, and reduction of liability. Requires employers to post notice of the pertinent provisions of this subtitle. Requires fines for willful violations of such requirement. Directs the Secretary of Labor to prescribe regulations to carry out this subtitle. Subtitle C: Leave for Civil Service Employees - Amends specified Federal law to entitle civil service employees to family and temporary medical leave for specified periods. Makes such employees eligible for such leave if they have been employed by an employing agency for at least 12 months on other than a temporary or intermittent basis. Allows such employees up to 12 administrative workweeks in any 12-month period for: (1) family leave (i.e., leave because of the birth or placement of a child or care of a sick spouse, child, or parent), but such leave may not be used at a time more than 12 months after such birth or placement; or (2) temporary medical leave for a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the functions of their position. Provides that such leave shall be without pay. Allows employees to substitute other types of paid leave for any part of such leave. Sets forth requirements for employees to give prior notice of the need for such leave, when foreseeable, and to schedule medical treatments, if possible, so as to not unduly disrupt the employing agency's operations. Sets forth certification provisions. Provides for protection for job position and health insurance benefits of employees using such leave. Sets forth prohibitions against coercion. Requires the Office of Personnel Management to prescribe regulations for administration of this title which are consistent with the regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Labor under subtitle B of this title. Subtitle D: Commission on Leave - Establishes the Commission on Leave. Requires the Commission to conduct a comprehensive study of: (1) existing and proposed policies relating to leave; (2) the potential costs, benefits, and impact on productivity of such policies on employers; and (3) alternative and equivalent State enforcement of this title with respect to employees of local educational agencies and private schools. Requires the Commission to report on such study to the Congress within two years after the Commission first meets. Terminates the Commission within 30 days after its report to the Congress. Subtitle E: Miscellaneous Provisions - Sets forth the effect of this title on other laws and existing employment benefits. Provides that nothing in this title shall be construed to discourage employers from adopting more generous leave policies. Directs the Secretary of Labor to prescribe regulations to carry out this subtitle within 60 days. Subtitle F: Coverage of Congressional Employees - Applies the rights and protections established under specified provisions of subtitle B of this title to Senate employees and any employing office of the Senate. Makes specified provisions of the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991 applicable, with certain exceptions including limitations on the period for requests for counseling. Provides that allegations shall be considered by the Office of Senate Fair Employment Practices or another entity designated by the Senate. Requires such Office to ensure that Senate employees are informed of their rights under this title. Applies the rights and protections under subtitle B of this title to employees of the House of Representatives, except for the exemption concerning highly compensated employees. Requires that the remedies and procedures under the Fair Employment Practices Resolution be applied in administering such coverage. Title II: Head Start, Child Immunization, and Other Assistance for Children - Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to treat as emergency funding requirements not subject to discretionary spending limits the costs of carrying out Head Start programs under the Head Start Act, child immunizations under the Public Health Service Act, and the special supplemental food program (WIC) under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966. Title III: Family Involvement in Education - Parents as Teachers: The Family Involvement in Education Act of 1992 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a Parents as Teachers program. Authorizes the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) to make grants to States for parents as teachers programs, with special consideration for hard-to-serve populations. Makes eligible for such a grant any State which operates a parents as teachers program associated with the Parents as Teachers National Center in Missouri. Sets forth program requirements, limiting services to families during the period from the last three months of a mother's pregnancy to the child's attaining age three. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a Parents as Teachers National Center for information dissemination and technical and training assistance for States with such programs; and (2) evaluate such programs within four years. Provides for a declining Federal share in such program from 100 percent in the first year to 25 percent in the fifth year. Authorizes appropriations. Title IV: Child Welfare - Subtitle A: Foster Care, Adoption, and Child Welfare Services - Amends part B (Child-Welfare Services) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to create a permanent capped entitlement program for innovative child and family services designed to preserve and strengthen families and prevent the need for unnecessary placement in foster care. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to authorize up to 15 States to conduct demonstration projects to improve the coordination of services and benefits provided by child and family services programs with others such as the women, infants, and children (WIC), the job opportunities and basic skills (JOBS) and Medicaid (SSA title XIX) programs which provide such services. Directs the Secretaries of HHS, of Agriculture, of Education, and the Attorney General to: (1) review department policies and regulations to determine whether changes can be made without statutory changes to improve the funding and delivery of such services; and (2) issue a report to the Congress that includes recommendations for both legislative and nonlegislative changes to improve the coordination of the funding and delivery of such services. Amends SSA title IV part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) to require that a court or administrative body conducting a periodic case review of a child who is legally eligible for adoption determine and document: (1) for the child the specific measures taken by the State child welfare agency to find an adoptive family; or (2) that adoption placement would be inappropriate for the child. Gives State part E plans the option of continuing foster care maintenance and adoption assistance payments to children whose adoptions have set aside by a court. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for a tax deduction of up to $3,000 for families who adopt a child with special needs. Directs the HHS Secretary to establish an Advisory Committee on Foster Care Placement to study and report to the Secretary and the Congress with respect to reasonable efforts requirements under State part E plan provisions. Revises the definition of case review system. Directs the HHS Secretary to provide for demonstration projects to test whether family reunification can be facilitated by allowing a family to receive assistance under SSA title IV part A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) (AFDC) for the month prior to the child's return home from a foster care placement. Provides for Federal payment of specified percentages of State costs in developing, installing, and operating statewide mechanized data collection and information retrieval systems which: (1) the Secretary determines are likely to enhance the administration of programs under parts B and E; and (2) meet other specified requirements. Modifies the independent living program to permit States to allow foster children making the transition from foster care to independent living to accumulate assets for the purpose of establishing a household while preserving such child's eligibility for Medicaid. Makes such program permanent. Directs the HHS Secretary to provide for: (1) child welfare traineeships under part B for the education and training of students in child welfare services programs; and (2) guidelines for States to use Federal funds for training State and local child welfare agency employees in order to improve agency capacity to administer programs under parts B and E and to provide services accordingly. Provides for an extension of the increase in reimbursement for foster and adoptive parent training made under the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989. Adds to the list of information comprising the health and education records of foster children: (1) the telephone numbers of the child's health and educational providers; and (2) a record that the foster care provider was advised of the child's eligibility for Medicaid services. Permits the HHS Secretary to authorize up to ten States to conduct and evaluate specified types of child welfare demonstration projects. Allows the State of New York, after its application has been approved by the HHS Secretary as meeting specified requirements, to conduct a demonstration project for the purpose of testing how to enhance the practices and procedures that will expedite the discharge of children from foster care or the adoption of children by suitable parents. Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989 to modify the prohibition against penalizing States before FY 1991 for noncompliance with foster care protections. Directs the HHS Secretary to submit to specified congressional committees recommendations for legislation to establish a system for the review of State child welfare programs and the provision of technical assistance to any such program. Requires the HHS Secretary to pay a State claim for foster care and adoption assistance within 90 days of its receipt unless the Secretary issues a deferral or a disallowance of such claim prior to the expiration of such 90 day period. Directs the HHS Secretary to appoint a Commission on the Evaluation of Disability in Children to study and report to the Congress on the effects of the definition of "disability" under the Supplemental Security Income program (SSA title XVI) as it applies to determining whether a child under age 18 is eligible to receive benefits under such program. Subtitle B: Provisions Relating to Comprehensive Substance Abuse Programs for Pregnant Women and Caretaker Parents with Children - Amends SSA title IV part B to authorize appropriations to enable States to establish comprehensive programs of substance abuse treatment for certain low-income pregnant women, caretaker parents, and their children. Title V: Safe Children and Communities - Safe Children and Communities Act of 1992 - Authorizes the Secretary to make grants for projects to improve the safety of families with children in low-income, violent communities. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 1992
Designates September 18, 1992, as National POW/MIA Recognition Day. Requires the POW/MIA flag to be flown on a flagstaff of the White House, the Departments of State, Defense, and Veterans Affairs, the Selective Service Commission, each national cemetery, and the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial on such day. Requires the flag to be flown on a flagstaff of each national cemetery and the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial on May 30, 1993 (Memorial Day), and on November 11, 1992 (Veterans Day). States that the flag shall be displayed as a symbol of national concern and commitment to resolving the fates of Americans still prisoner, missing, and unaccounted for.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 1992
Designates the U.S. courthouse to be constructed in Fargo, North Dakota, as the Quentin N. Burdick United States Courthouse.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 1992
Designates the week beginning November 8, 1992, as Hire a Veteran Week.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 1992
Expresses the profound sorrow of the Senate on the death of the Honorable Quentin N. Burdick of North Dakota.
United States · United States Congress · 12 August 1992
Requires the Secretary of Commerce to notify specified congressional committees of changes in the methodology used to develop any numbers used in a formula for distributing funds to States or political subdivisions if that change causes an increase or decrease of $5 million in the funds allocated to any State. Prohibits a number affected by such change from being published or designated as an official number or being used by any Federal agency to distribute funds until 60 days after such notification.
United States · United States Congress · 12 August 1992
Prohibits the Department of Commerce or the Census Bureau from using appropriated funds to adjust any current data on population development to reflect estimates of persons deemed to be undercounted or overcounted in the decennial census.
United States · United States Congress · 12 August 1992
Health Care Affordability and Quality Improvement Act of 1992 - Title I: Disclosure Of Certain Information To Beneficiaries Under The Medicare And Medicaid Programs - Amends part A (General Provisions) of title XI of the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue regulations requiring that each institutional health care provider receiving payment for services under SSA titles XVIII (Medicare) or XIX (Medicaid) make an annual report available to service recipients. Specifies the contents of such report, including information on mortality and infection rates and malpractice claims. Requires the Secretary to issue regulations requiring that each noninstitutional provider receiving payment for services under such titles make an annual report available to service recipients. Specifies the contents of such report, including information on provider qualifications and malpractice and other actions taken against the provider. Requires the Secretary to issue regulations requiring that each institutional and noninstitutional health care provider receiving payment for such services: (1) make available any forms required in connection with the receipt of such services which consist of any diagnostic, surgical, or other invasive procedure, before performance of such procedure; (2) disclose to any individual receiving any surgical, palliative, or other health care procedure or any drug therapy or other treatment, specified information before performance of such procedure or treatment; and (3) inform any individual receiving such services of that individual's right to refuse the information made available above and any procedure or treatment. Provides for penalties for failure to comply with the regulations issued above. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to nonprofit private entities for outreach activities to inform Medicare beneficiaries of the information made available above. Authorizes appropriations. Amends Medicare to require the annual notice of Medicare benefits to contain a description of the information made available above. Amends Medicaid to require State plans to provide for an outreach program informing Medicaid beneficiaries of the information made available above. Title II: Advisory Committee On Patient Self-Determination - Directs the Secretary to establish an advisory committee or committees for the purpose of issuing recommendations about various issues related to patient self-determination. Lists specific issues to be addressed by such committee or committees. Title III: Maternal and Infant Care Coordination - Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to States to implement coordinated, multidisciplinary, and comprehensive primary health care and social service programs targeted to pregnant woman and infants. Specifies grant eligibility criteria. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary, in conjunction with the Secretaries of Education and Agriculture, to award grants for the development of model health and nutrition education curricula for children. Authorizes appropriations. Title IV: Improved Access To Nursing And Physician Assistant Services - Amends Medicare to provide for increased payments for nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse midwives, and physician assistants. Provides for bonus payments for such practitioners who provide services in health professional shortage areas. Amends Medicaid to include coverage of physician assistant, nurse practitioner, and clinical nurse specialist services under the Medicaid program. Title V: Medicare Preferred Provider Demonstration Projects - Requires the Secretary to provide for demonstration projects to test the effectiveness of providing payment under Medicare for primary and specialty procedures and services furnished by preferred provider organizations. Title VI: Cost Containment - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Director of the National Institutes of Health to establish a program for the conduct of clinical trials with respect to promising new drugs and disease treatments. Authorizes appropriations. Reauthorizes research under the Public Health Service Act on cost-effective methods of health care. Requires amounts appropriated in excess of those appropriated for FY 1992 to be used for developing and disseminating new practice guidelines related to cost-effective methods of health care. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose on health insurance carriers an excise tax of .001 cent per dollar on health insurance policy premiums. Creates in the Treasury the Trust Fund for Medical Treatment Outcomes Research to hold the revenues generated from such tax to pay for research activities related to medical treatment outcomes. Requires the Secretary, after considering the recommendations of the Health Care Cost Control Advisory Committee established by this Act, to report to appropriate congressional committees on the establishment of national spending targets for health care and health care services.
United States · United States Congress · 11 August 1992
Amends the Federal Law Enforcement Pay Reform Act of 1990 to provide that Federal GS-083 series police officers be treated as Federal law enforcement officers for purposes of such Act (which grants such officers a pay raise).
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 1992
Designates March 1993 as Irish-American Heritage Month.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1992
Congratulates the citizens of Israel on concluding fair and open democratic elections. Welcomes Prime Minister Rabin to the United States. Applauds his statements and actions encouraging active participation in the search for peace. Calls upon all parties in the region to actively and seriously engage in the peace process.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1992
Designates February 4, 1993, and February 3, 1994, as National Women and Girls in Sports Day.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 1992
Declares that it is U.S. policy to seek international agreements prohibiting the sale, transfer, or export; limiting the use; and terminating the production, possession, or deployment of antipersonnel landmines. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should seek to negotiate an international agreement or a modification of the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or To Have Indiscriminate Effects to prohibit the sale, transfer, or export of antipersonnel landmines. Prohibits for a period of one year from this Act's enactment date: (1) sales, financing, transfers, and the issuance of licenses under the Arms Export Control with respect to antipersonnel landmines; and (2) assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 with respect to the provision of such landmines.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 1992
Declares that the Congress acknowledges and appreciates the commitment, devotion, and sacrifices of present and former military families. Designates November 23, 1992, as National Military Families Recognition Day.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1992
Amends the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act of 1991 (Public Law 102-164) to increase the number of weeks for which emergency unemployment compensation is payable.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1992
Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to revise content requirements with respect to countervailing and antidumping duty petitions and determinations. Prohibits an inference that there is no material injury from being made by the International Trade Commission (ITC) if the volume of imports has decreased after the initiation of a countervailing or antidumping duty investigation. Revises provisions regarding ITC determination of material injury with respect to: (1) price competition between imported merchandise and like U.S. products sold to the consumer; (2) the weighing of previous injurious dumping or subsidizations if a countervailing duty or antidumping duty petition is filed with respect to a product or like product which was the basis of a final affirmative determination during the three years preceding the filing of such petition; (3) treatment of negligible imports in subsequent countervailing duty and antidumping duty investigations; and (4) concentration of subsidized or dumped imports with respect to a market. Declares that in making a final determination with respect to the suspension or continuation of an antidumping duty investigation: (1) the ITC shall not consider as a factor supporting a negative determination any decrease in imports subject to such investigation or improvement in the condition of the domestic industry which occurred after the suspension agreement became effective; and (2) the administering authority shall not consider as a factor supporting a negative determination any decrease in foreign market value of imports subject to such investigation or any increase in U.S. prices which occurred after the suspension agreement became effective. Includes loans or loan guarantees by international development banks and the provision of capital and loans by a government for the expansion of production of an export within the definition of the term "subsidy." Requires the administering authority, when determining whether imported parts or components are circumventing an antidumping or countervailing duty order or finding, and whether to include such parts or components in such order or finding, to consider, among other things, the value and sources of supply of parts or components historically used in completion or assembly of the merchandise subject to such order. Authorizes the administering authority to include within the scope of such order or finding imported parts or components that are used in the completion or assembly of certain merchandise sold in the United States and subject to such order or finding, provided certain criteria are met, including that such merchandise is completed or assembled in the United States from parts or components supplied by the exporter or producer with respect to which such order or finding applies, from suppliers that have historically supplied the parts or components to that exporter or producer, or from any party in the exporting country supplying parts or components on behalf of such exporter or producer. Enables the administering authority to base such a decision on any of such factors by itself, rather than on all of them together. Sets forth similar provisions for merchandise completed or assembled in other foreign countries. Requires the administering authority to decide that a competitive benefit has been bestowed when the price for the input product is lower than the price that the manufacturer of merchandise which is the subject of a countervailing duty proceeding would otherwise pay for the product in obtaining it from an unsubsidized seller (currently any seller) in an arms-length transaction. Sets forth specified factors to be considered in the determination of such price. Declares diversionary input dumping to occur when: (1) a manufacturer incorporates into merchandise under an antidumping duty investigation a component which is the product of another country and which is the subject of an antidumping duty order or an international agreement to eliminate the effect of injurious imports (if entered into after an affirmative preliminary determination); and (2) the manufacturer under investigation purchased such component at a price which is less than the foreign market value. Declares that the foreign market value of imported merchandise may be the constructed value of such merchandise if the administering authority finds there is a reasonable basis to believe that diversionaly input dumping is occurring which has a significant effect on the cost of producing the merchandise under investigation. Requires the administering authority, if diversionary input dumping exists, to include the amount of such dumping when calculating the cost of such merchandise. Requires the administering authority to investigate whether such dumping is occurring whenever it has reasonable grounds to believe that: (1) it is occurring; (2) it has a significant effect on the cost of producing the merchandise under investigation; and (3) official Government or other reliable trade statistics indicate that subsequent to the imposition of an antidumping duty order or implementation of an international agreement regarding such imports, shipments of such imports to the United States have increased either in quantity or market share. Authorizes the administering authority to treat such investigation as an extraordinarily complicated case and extend the time period for making a preliminary determination with respect to such dumping. Requires the administering authority, with respect to receiving a petition, to monitor a downstream product to determine whether such merchandise is similar in description and use to merchandise that has been subject to at least one or more (currently, at least two) suspended countervailing duty or antidumping duty investigations or orders. Declares that amendments made by this Act shall apply to Canadian goods imported into the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1992
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend, through December 31, 1994, the duty on n-butylisocyanate (NBI).
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1992
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend, through December 31, 1994, the duty on: (1) 3,5-dichloro-N-(1,1-dimethyl-2-propynyl)-benzamide (pronamide); and (2) mixtures of 3,5-dichloro-N-(1,1-dimethyl-2-propynyl)-benzamide (pronamide) with application adjuvants.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1992
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend, through December 31, 1994, the duty on cyclohexylisocyanate (CHI).
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1992
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend, through December 31, 1994, the duty on p-nitrobenzyl alcohol.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1992
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend, through December 31, 1994, the duty on mounted lenses for use in, and presented separately from, closed circuit television cameras, with or without attached electrical or nonelectrical closed circuit television camera connectors, and with or without attached motors.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1992
Trade Expansion and Enforcement Act of 1992 - Title I: Market Access Provisions - Subtitle A: Enforcement of United States Rights Under Trade Agreements and Response to Certain Foreign Trade Practices - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to extend through calendar year 1997 the requirement that the United States Trade Representative (USTR) identify U.S. trade liberalization priorities. Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to authorize any interested person to request the USTR to review to determine whether a foreign country is in material compliance with the terms of a trade agreement. (Defines an "interested person" as any person with a significant economic interest that is being or has been adversely affected by a foreign country's failure to comply materially with terms of a trade agreements.) Requires the USTR to determine what action to take if a foreign country is found not in material compliance with such agreement. Directs the USTR to initiate an investigation of all acts, policies, and practices of Japan, Korea, and Taiwan that affect the access of U.S. rice to their markets. Requires the USTR to negotiate the elimination of such acts, policies, and practices, and report to the Congress on the progress of such negotiations. Requires the USTR, if he determines that a certain act, policy, or practice of a foreign country does not currently burden or restrict U.S. commerce but is likely to if such country either continues to apply, or implement an unexecuted aspect of, such act, policy, or practice, to request consultations with the country to prevent circumstances that may lead to renewed allegations that such act, policy, or practice burdens or restricts U.S. commerce. Provides for expediting such consultations. Requires the USTR to report annually to the Congress on a foreign country's response or progress made with respect to such consultation. Requires the USTR to identify those foreign countries that deny adequate substantive standards for intellectual property rights protection. Requires the USTR, if he determines that a foreign country is priority country and that its denial of adequate protection of intellectual property rights is an act, policy, or practice that is unreasonable and burdens or restricts U.S. commerce, to identify each reciprocal product that is manufactured by such country and is related to such denial. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) deny entry to each reciprocal product, with specified exceptions; and (2) destroy such product unless it is exported from the United States. Subtitle B: International Trade in Motor Vehicles and Motor Vehicle Parts - Directs the USTR to initiate an investigation of all acts, policies, and practices of Japan that affect the access of U.S. motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts to its market, including but not limited to: (1) acts, policies, and practices utilized in the Japanese automotive distribution system; (2) toleration of anticompetitive activities by private Japanese firms (including "Keiretsu"); (3) exclusionary business practices; and (4) testing requirements and other government regulations. Requires the USTR to negotiate with Japan for a comprehensive trade agreement affecting the automotive sector, or, if appropriate, two or more trade agreements that: (1) eliminate or modify such acts, policies, and practices; (2) provide enforcement of Japan's commitments under the Structural Impediments Initiative, the Market-Oriented Sector Specific agreements, and the Action Plan announced at the Tokyo Summit in January 1992 with respect to trade in, and purchase of, motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts; (3) establish long term goals for the purchase by Japanese motor vehicle manufacturers of high value-added motor vehicle parts and accessories from U.S. manufacturers; (4) establish procedures for the exchange of information between the United States and Japan that will permit the accurate assessment of the bilateral trade in motor vehicle parts; and (5) offset any detrimental impact of the European Community-Japan Automobile Agreement on the U.S. motor vehicle industry. Requires specified reports. Requires the President to direct the appropriate Federal agency to monitor implementation of the commitments in the Action Plan to achieve fair trade in motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts. Amends the Fair Trade in Auto Parts Act of 1988 to extend through December 31, 1998, the authority of the Secretary of Commerce to increase the sale of U.S.-made auto parts and accessories to Japanese markets. Requires the Board established by the Foreign-Trade Zones Act to: (1) review the operations of U.S. and foreign motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts producers to determine any positive economic effect on the United States of such Act; and (2) take appropriate action, including revocation or modification of a foreign-trade zone or subzone grant, with respect to any producer whose operations in such zone are determined not to have a net positive effect on the U.S. economy. Title II: Customs Modernization - Customs Modernization and Informed Compliance Act - Subtitle A: Improvements in Customs Enforcement - Amends the Tariff Act of 1980 to revise customs procedures with respect to: (1) electronic transmission of forged, altered, or false data to the United States Customs Service with regard to the entry of imported merchandise; (2) penalties for failure to declare imported controlled substances; (3) examination and detention of imported merchandise; (4) certain recordkeeping requirements; (5) examination of books and witnesses; (6) review of protests by the Customs Service; (7) a repeal of a provision relating to the reliquidation on account of fraud; (8) penalties relating to manifests, false drawback or refund claims, and for fraud, gross negligence, and negligence; (9) unlawful unloading or transshipment; (10) public access to Customs Service interpretative rulings and decisions; and (11) seizure of imported merchandise. Creates a private right of action for customs fraud. Authorizes injunctive and other equitable relief and recovery of damages and costs, including attorney's fees. Grants the district courts original jurisdiction over any such action. Directs the court to permit the United States to intervene in any such action as a matter of right. Specifies that court orders under this Act are subject to nullification by the President pursuant to presidential authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the provisions of this Act are consistent with, and in accord with, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Subtitle B: National Customs Automation Program - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury (Secretary) to establish the National Customs Automation Program which shall be an automated and electronic system for the processing of commercial imports. Provides for electronic data transmission relating to: (1) remote location filing; (2) effective date of rates of duty on imported merchandise; (3) merchandise manifests; (4) imported merchandise invoices; (5) entry and release of imported merchandise; (6) admissibility in administrative and judicial proceedings of electronically transmitted information; (7) appraisement and liquidations of imported merchandise; (8) the payment of duties; (9) abandonment and damage to imported merchandise; (10) protests of Customs Service decisions; (11) refunds and errors; (12) bonds and other security; and (13) customs house brokers. Requires a refund (drawback) of duties (less one per cent of such duties) on articles produced in the United States with imported merchandise that have been destroyed under Customs Service supervision, provided such articles have not been used prior to such destruction. Sets forth provisions with respect to customs officer's immunity in regard to the appraisement of or collection of duties on imported merchandise. Title III: Customs and Trade Agency Authorizations for Fiscal Years 1993 and 1994 - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to authorize appropriations to the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) for FY 1993 and 1994. Earmarks a specified amount for reception and entertainment expenses. Prohibits use of such funds for any special study, investigation, or report requested by an agency of the executive branch unless such agency reimburses the ITC for its costs. Amends the Customs Procedural Reform and Simplification Act of 1978 to authorize appropriations to the United States Customs Service for FY 1993 and 1994 for: (1) noncommercial operations; (2) commercial operations; and (3) the air interdiction program. Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to authorize appropriations to the Office of the United States Trade Representative for FY 1993 and 1994. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to authorize appropriations for FY 1993 and 1994 for certain expenditures from the Customs Forfeiture Fund relating to purchases by the Customs Service of evidence of smuggling of controlled substances. Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to eliminate the East-West Trade Statistics Monitoring System. Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 to revise the formula for certain reimbursements and payments to be made to the Customs Service with respect to the processing of merchandise informally entered or released at a centralized hub facility. Repeals specified provisions regarding the work shifts of customs personnel at airports. Title IV: Other Trade Provisions - Subtitle A: Nontariff Provisions - Chapter 1: Miscellaneous Nontariff Provisions - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to require the ITC, upon the filing of a petition, request of the President or the USTR, resolution of specified congressional committees, or its own motion, to investigate whether market disruption exists in a domestic industry with respect to imports of products from a country with a state-controlled economy. Authorizes the President, with respect to an affirmative determination of market disruption, to alter the form of relief recommended by the ITC if such alternative relief is equivalent to the one recommended. Requires the President to provide such relief unless it would seriously impair U.S. national security. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to implement a program requiring that end-use certificates be included in the documentation covering the entry into, or the withdrawal from warehouse for consumption in, the customs territory of the United of any wheat or barley that is a product of a foreign country that requires end-use certificates for imports of U.S. wheat or barley. Directs the President to: (1) negotiate trade agreements that eliminate the adverse effects of anticompetitive practices on international trade; and (2) report to the Congress on the status of such negotiations. Amends the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 to require the Secretary of the Treasury, at the request of the Secretary of Commerce (current law authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to request the Secretary of the Treasury): (1) to take necessary action to ensure the attainment of the objectives of the machine tool decision of the President on May 20, 1986, and on December 27, 1991; and (2) to enforce any imported machine tool quantitative limitations, restrictions, or other terms contained in related bilateral arrangements. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to enforce the quantitative limitations and other provisions of bilateral arrangements negotiated with Taiwan on December 31, 1991, pursuant to the President's machine tool decision of May 20, 1986, until bilateral agreements are negotiated with such countries pursuant to the President's December 27, 1991, decision. Expresses the sense of the Congress that any bilateral agreement negotiated with Taiwan pursuant to the President's December 27, 1991, decision be effective for two years from the date it is signed. Directs the ITC to report to the Congress proposals for consolidating and simplifying U.S. international trade laws. Requires the Director of the Congressional Research Service to make recommendations to the Congress about establishment of a special unit that would: (1) integrate the resources of the Service, the ITC, and other appropriate agencies; and (2) serve as a central and objective source of information for the Congress on data and trends in trade between the United States and foreign countries. Expresses the sense of the Congress that boycotts imposed by foreign countries against countries friendly to the United States or against any U.S. person are discriminatory barriers to international trade. Commends the USTR for including the Arab boycott in the 1992 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Barriers, but urges expansion of such report to: (1) include country-by-country analysis on the extent to which each government permits companies in its country to comply with the secondary Arab boycott of U.S. companies; (2) identify the activities of specific governments to enforce the boycott; and (3) discuss the differences in how countries blacklist companies and enforce the boycott. Chapter 2 - Import Sanctions to Control Nuclear Proliferation - Omnibus Nuclear Proliferation Control Act of 1992 - Requires the President to impose sanctions upon any foreign person that has materially and with requisite knowledge contributed, through the exports of goods or technology, to the efforts by any individual, group, or non-nuclear weapon state to acquire unsafeguarded special nuclear material or to use, develop, stockpile, or acquire any nuclear explosive device. Prohibits the importation into the United States of products produced by such foreign person or any parent, subsidiary, affiliate, or successor entity. Sets forth specified exceptions. Urges the President to initiate consultations with foreign governments with jurisdiction over such foreign persons with respect to the imposition of the sanctions. Requires the President to impose such sanctions unless he certifies to the Congress that a government has taken actions to terminate the involvement of a person in such activities. Applies sanctions for at least 12 months and terminates sanctions only if the President certifies to the Congress that a person has ceased to, and will not in the future, aid individuals or non-nuclear weapon states in efforts to acquire unsafeguarded special nuclear material or nuclear explosive devices. Permits the President to waive sanctions after the 12-month period if he certifies to the Congress that the continued imposition of sanctions would have a serious adverse effect on U.S. interests. Subtitle B: Foreign Subsidies and Countervailing and Antidumping Duty Amendments - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to require completion of reviews by the administering authority of the amount of duty with respect to countervailing and antidumping duty orders by the 270th day after the day on which a request for review was received. (Currently, there is no such deadline for completion of such a review.) Requires the ITC to consider contracts with long lead time as a factor when making material injury determinations with respect to an affected domestic industry in countervailing and antidumping duty investigations. Declares that the presence or absence of any factor the ITC is required to consider shall not give decisive guidance with respect to any threat of material injury determinations. Provides that, with respect to the determination of foreign market value of imported merchandise under investigation, no allowance shall be made to account for differences in input costs that are based on whether the end product made from the input is sold in the home market or exported. Requires the United States Customs Service to report annually to the administering authority on the amount of duties collected during each year under each countervailing and antidumping duty order. Requires the administering authority to make such data available to interested parties. Requires the administering authority, when determining whether imported parts or components are circumventing an antidumping or countervailing duty order or finding, and whether to include such parts or components in such order or finding, to consider: (1) the pattern of trade; (2) the value and sources of supply of parts or components historically used in completion or assembly of the merchandise subject to such order; (3) whether the manufacturer or exporter of such parts or components is related to the person who assembles or completes the merchandise sold in the United States from the parts or components produced in the foreign country with respect to which the order or finding applies; and (4) whether imports into the United States of the parts or components produced in such foreign country have increased after the issuance of such order or finding. Authorizes the administering authority to include within the scope of such order or finding imported parts or components that are used in the completion or assembly of certain merchandise sold in the United States and subject to such order or finding, provided: (1) such merchandise is completed or assembled in the United States from parts or components supplied by the exporter or producer with respect to which such order or finding applies, from suppliers that have historically supplied the parts or components to that exporter or producer, or from any party in the exporting country supplying parts or components on behalf of such exporter or producer; (2) the value of such imported parts and components is significant in relation to the total value of all parts and components used in the assembly or completion operation, excluding packing, of the imported merchandise covered by such order or finding; or (3) consideration of specified factors establishes a pattern of circumvention of a countervailing and antidumping duty order or finding. Enables the administering authority to base such a decision on any of such factors by itself, rather than on all of them together. Sets forth similar provisions for merchandise completed or assembled in other foreign countries. Directs the Secretary of Commerce and the ITC to study and report to the Congress on modification of standards applicable to the initiation of countervailing and antidumping duty actions in order to make petitioning for such initiations less costly and more accessible for domestic petitioners. Requires the USTR to report to the Congress on the operation of the Agreement Concerning the Application of the GATT Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft between the United States and the European Community. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should not enter into any international trade agreement on antidumping requiring changes in U.S. antidumping laws that would reduce the effectiveness of such laws as a remedy against injurious dumped imports. Urges the President to review antidumping provisions contained in the Draft Final Act Embodying the Results of the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations dated December 21, 1991, and seek changes to strengthen the effectiveness of U.S. antidumping laws, including, but not limited to, changes in provisions dealing with cumulation of injury and dispute settlement. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the U.S. Government should not condone the use by foreign governments of trade distorting subsidies, including development subsidies, that cause material injury to U.S. industries. Requires the administering authority in antidumping proceedings involving merchandise from a nonmarket economy country to determine, if certain conditions exist, the foreign market value of such merchandise on the basis of the value of all factors of production in such country, if such information is available. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to revise factors used by the ITC for purposes of material injury determinations in antidumping and countervailing duty investigations. Requires the ITC, in determining whether a U.S. industry is threatened with material injury from imports, to consider, among other factors, the: (1) actual and potential decline in order backlog of the domestic industry; and (2) monthly and quarterly trend information through the month of the filing of the antidumping duty petition. Amends the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 (OTCA), with respect to principal trade negotiating objectives, to declare that dispute settlement mechanisms and procedures, with respect to review of countervailing duty and antidumping duty actions taken by a signatory to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, shall not allow review of certain issues in certain procedural circumstances. Applies certain OTCA provisions only to antidumping and countervailing duty reviews initiated with respect to merchandise which: (1) is the product of a party-country to a free trade agreement entered into force and effect before January 1, 1987; and (2) was the subject of an investigation initiated on or after enactment of the United States - Israel Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act. Amends Federal law to revise the prohibition against the dumping of articles into the United States to prohibit a person from importing or selling within the United States articles manufactured in a foreign country if: (1) such articles are imported or sold at a U.S. price less than the foreign market value or constructed value of the article; and (2) the importation or sale causes or threatens material injury to U.S. industry or labor, or prevents, in whole or in part, the establishment or modernization of any U.S. industry. (Removes the requirement of a specific intent to do such harm.) Authorizes an interested party whose business or property is injured by such importation or sale to bring a civil action in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia or in the Court of International Trade. Sets forth guidelines for such civil actions. Expresses the sense of the Congress that this is consistent with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Subtitle C: Extension of Steel Stabilization Act - Specialty Steel Voluntary Restraint Agreement Extension Act - Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should extend the specialty steel voluntary restraint agreement program for three more years. Amends the Steel Import Stabilization Act to extend it through March 31, 1995, unless the President submits a specified affirmative determination to specified congressional committees.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1992
Designates October 8, 1992, as National Firefighters Day.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 1992
Urges: (1) the Government of the Yemen Arab Republic to cease its obstruction and allow unlimited Yemeni-Jewish emigration and free travel for family reunification, medical treatment, and educational purposes; (2) that the provision of the free and unlimited exchange of letters and phone calls be extended to Yemeni Jews; (3) that the issue of the emigration and family reunification of such Jews be part of any equation of U.S. aid to such Government; and (4) the President to discuss with U.S. allies and trading partners making similar pleas to such Republic on behalf of Yemeni Jews' freedom of travel and emigration.
United States · United States Congress · 2 July 1992
Small Business Innovation Development Amendment Act of 1992 - Amends the Small Business Innovation Development Act of 1982 to extend the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program from October 1, 1993, to October 1, 2000. Amends the Small Business Act regarding small business eligibility for Federal agency research and development awards to include in the three-phase evaluation process determining the technological feasibility of ideas those ideas which appear to have commercial potential. Prescribes minimum SBIR expenditure amounts for FY 1992 through 1997 and after. Requires each Federal agency that is required to establish an SBIR program to: (1) determine unilaterally research topics within its SBIR solicitations, giving special consideration to topics which permit substantial applicant participation in research project formulation; and (2) make payments in full to SBIR funding agreement recipients, subject to specified audit deadlines. Directs the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (the Administrator) to modify directives for the conduct of general SBIR policy to provide for: (1) rights to data; (2) continued use of agency property; (3) follow-on contracts; and (4) increased amounts of Phase 1 awards. Repeals the requirement for an annual report by the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Provides that if a Federal agency required to establish an SBIR program makes an SBIR solicitation award for which it shall provide written justification of such award in its next annual report. Requires the Comptroller General to report to the Congress on specified aspects of SBIR program implementation. Includes Department of Defense (DOD) activities in the extension of programs under this Act and requires the evaluation process for research and development awards to consider the commercial potential of ideas. Revises the definition of "extramural budget" to remove an exclusion that provides that such definition shall not include amounts of DOD obligated solely for operational systems development. Increases the amount required to be expended by DOD for SBIR. Establishes a maximum amount for SBIR contracts awarded by DOD in the first phase.
United States · United States Congress · 2 July 1992
Grants the consent of the Congress to an amendment to the Delaware River Joint Commission compact between the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of New Jersey continuing such commission under the name of the Delaware River Port Authority.
United States · United States Congress · 2 July 1992
Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1992 - Prohibits any agency, department, or official of the United States or any State (the government) from burdening a person's exercise of religion even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability, except that the government may burden a person's exercise of religion only if it demonstrates that application of the burden to the person is: (1) essential to further a compelling governmental interest; and (2) the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest. Sets forth provisions pertaining to judicial relief, attorney's fees, and applicability.
United States · United States Congress · 2 July 1992
Expands the boundaries of Fort Necessity National Battlefield, Pennsylvania, to include the Boundary Expansion, Jumonville Glen Unit, Fort Necessity National Battlefield. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to modify the boundaries of the Jumonville Glen Unit (the Unit) to exclude lands (not to exceed two acres) on which principal structures are located that are actively used by the owner as of July 1, 1991. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the National Park Service, to investigate and report to specified congressional committees on archaeological sites in the vicinity of the Unit in order to locate and identify Dunbar's Camp. Authorizes the Secretary to further modify the boundaries of such Unit (to include additional lands within the battlefield, but not to exceed 30 acres), if necessary to preserve and interpret historic resources associated with the Camp.
United States · United States Congress · 2 July 1992
Open Space Preservation Act of 1992 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the gross estate tax the value of land subject to a qualified conservation easement (less the amount of any indebtedness secured by such land). Includes in the gross estate tax the value of each development right retained by the donor in the conveyance of the easement. Makes such tax due upon the disposition of the property. Provides that such land subject to the exclusion will have a carryover basis for purposes of determining gain or loss. Excludes from the gift tax transfers by gift of land subject to a conservation easement (other than development rights retained by the donor of such easement). Removes the allowance for a tax deduction in the case of a contribution of property where mining rights are retained if the surface estate and mining interests were separated before June 13, 1976, and remain separated.
United States · United States Congress · 2 July 1992
Minor Crop Protection Assistance Act of 1992 - Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to define "minor use" as the use of a pesticide on a commercial agricultural crop or site where: (1) the total U.S. acreage for the crop is less than 300,000 acres; (2) the acreage expected to be treated as a result of that use is less than 300,000 acres annually or the agricultural crop represents production from less than 300,000 acres annually; (3) the use does not provide sufficient economic incentive to support initial or continuing registration; and (4) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not determined that the use presents an unreasonable adverse environmental effect. Permits the Administrator, in handling the registration of a pesticide for a minor use, to waive applicable data requirements if determined that the absence of data will not prevent the Administrator from determining the incremental risk presented by the minor use and that such risk would have an unreasonable adverse environmental effect. Prohibits data that relates solely to a minor use, without the permission of the original data submitter, from being considered by the Administrator to support a minor use application by another person for ten years following the submission of the data. Terminates the exclusive use of such data if the registration is voluntarily cancelled or if the data are used to support a nonminor use. Provides for expedited review (within six months of submission) of applications to support minor use pesticide registrations. Grants registrants who make good faith requests for minor use waivers regarding required data and whose requests are denied a full time period for providing such data. Requires the Administrator, upon the request of a registrant, to extend the deadline for the production of data required solely to support a minor use pesticide up to four years if the registrant provides data to support other uses of the pesticide and a schedule to assure that the data production will be completed before the expiration of the extension. Applies the same extension conditions to data for reregistrations. Requires the Administrator to conditionally amend a registration to permit additional minor uses even if data is insufficient if the applicant has submitted satisfactory data pertaining to the proposed minor use and amending such registration would not increase environmental risks. Prohibits amendments if the pesticide meets or exceeds risk criteria associated with human dietary exposure and other specified conditions. Provides for extensions of minor use registration and data submission deadlines in cases where a registrant is not providing data to support a minor use but is providing data in a timely fashion to support other uses. Requires the Administrator, when a minor use registration application is filed no later than two years after another registrant voluntarily cancels registration for a similar use, to evaluate such application as if the voluntary cancellation had not yet taken place for purposes of data use, subject to environmental risk considerations. Directs the Administrator to assure coordination of minor use issues through the establishment of a minor use program within the Office of Pesticide Programs. Establishes and authorizes funding for a Department of Agriculture matching fund minor use program. Requires the program to be used to ensure the continued availability of minor use crop protection chemicals, including the data to support minor use pesticide registrations.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1992
States that the criminal act of stalking other persons is of deep concern. Directs the Attorney General, acting through the Director of the National Institute of Justice, to: (1) evaluate anti-stalking legislation and proposed legislation in the States; (2) develop model anti-stalking legislation that is constitutional and enforceable; (3) prepare and disseminate to State authorities the findings made as a result of the evaluation; and (4) report to the Congress on the need for further Federal action.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1992
Cuban Democracy Act of 1992 - Sets forth U.S. policy with respect to Cuba. Declares that the President should encourage countries that conduct trade with Cuba to restrict their trade and credit regulations with Cuba in a manner consistent with this Act. Authorizes the President to impose the following sanctions against countries that provide assistance to Cuba: (1) ineligibility for assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 or the Arms Export Control Act; (2) a prohibition on agreements with the United States for the establishment of free trade areas; and (3) ineligibility for forgiveness or reduction of debt owed to the U.S. Government. Terminates such sanctions if the President reports to the Congress that Cuba has met conditions established under this Act concerning democracy, human rights, and a free market economy. Prohibits restrictions on the export to Cuba of medicines, subject to specified conditions and inspection requirements. Permits telecommunications services between the United States and Cuba. Requires the U.S. Postal Service to provide direct mail service to and from Cuba. Authorizes the President to provide assistance to promote nonviolent democratic change in Cuba. Prohibits the issuance of licenses for certain transactions between U.S.-controlled firms in third countries and Cuba. Bars domestic concerns from receiving a tax deduction for the portion of the deductible expenses of such concerns which are allocated or apportioned to income derived from Cuba. Prohibits vessels which enter Cuba to engage in trade from loading or unloading any freight in the United States within 180 days after departure from Cuba. Prohibits: (1) vessels carrying goods or passengers to or from Cuba or carrying goods in which a Cuban national has an interest from entering a U.S. port, except as authorized by the Secretary of the Treasury; and (2) specified commodities authorized to be exported under a general license from being exported under such a license to any such vessels. Directs the President to establish strict limits on remittances to Cuba by U.S. persons for purposes of financing the travel of Cubans to the United States to assure that such remittances are not used by the Cuban Government as a means of gaining access to U.S. currency. Declares that food, medicine, and medical supplies for humanitarian purposes should be made available to Cuba under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 if the President certifies to the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the Government of Cuba: (1) has made a commitment to hold free and fair elections for a new government within six months and is proceeding to implement that decision; (2) has made a commitment to respect and is respecting human rights and basic democratic freedoms; and (3) is not providing weapons or funds to any group in any other country that seeks the violent overthrow of the government of such country. Waives sanctions against Cuba under this Act if the President reports to the Congress that Cuba: (1) has held free and fair elections conducted under internationally recognized observers; (2) has permitted opposition parties ample time to campaign for such elections and has permitted full access to the media to all candidates; (3) is showing respect for basic civil liberties and human rights; (4) is moving toward establishing a free market economic system; and (5) has committed itself to constitutional change that would ensure regular free and fair elections. Requires the President, if he makes such report, to take the following actions with respect to a freely-elected Cuban Government: (1) encourage the admission of such government to international organizations and financial institutions; (2) provide emergency relief during Cuba's transition to a viable economic system; (3) take steps to end the U.S. trade embargo of Cuba; and (4) enter into negotiations for a trade agreement with Cuba. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to exercise the authorities of the Trading With the Enemy Act in enforcing this Act. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the Trading With the Enemy Act to authorize the Secretary to impose a civil penalty on violators of such Act. Provides for forfeiture of any property or vessel that is the subject of a violation. Requires the Department of the Treasury to establish a branch of the Office of Foreign Assets Control in Miami, Florida.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1992
Minority and Women Capital Formation Act of 1992 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide incentives for investments in disadvantaged and women-owned enterprises. Allows a tax deduction for investments in qualified minority fund interests and qualified women's fund interests (domestic corporations or partnerships). Limits investment in such venture capital funds to $300,000 ($150,000 in the case of a separate return by a married individual). Allows a deduction for amounts invested through stock in small minority business corporations and small women's business corporations. Limits the amounts of such deduction for corporate and noncorporate taxpayers. Allows taxpayers to elect a credit, in lieu of a deduction, equal to 15 percent of the aggregate bases of investments in minority fund interests and women's fund interests, with limitations. Allows taxpayers to elect a credit, in lieu of a deduction, equal to ten percent of investments in small minority business corporations and small women's business corporations, with limitations. Sets forth recapture provisions for instances in which such businesses fail to remain qualified. Requires the imposition of an interest charge if investments are disposed of within five years. Excludes from gross income 50 percent of the gain on the sale or exchange of property by a qualified minority or women's fund if such property was acquired after the date of the enactment of this Act and was held for at least five years. Defers capital gain reinvested in qualified disadvantaged and women-owned businesses. Terminates such deferral where the property is disposed of within five years of its purchase. Establishes a three-year statutory period for the assessment of any deficiency with respect to such gain. Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to provide that private capital of a licensed small business investment company includes: (1) any funds invested in the company by a State or local government business development fund or bank or by a public or private pension fund; and (2) commitments from institutional investors that meet the criteria established by the Small Business Administration based on such commitments.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1992
Hazardous Waste Facilities Siting Act of 1992 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to require permit applications submitted by persons who plan to construct a hazardous waste treatment, storage, or disposal facility to contain assurances that the following procedures have been carried out: (1) an announcement of the intent to apply for the permit to site a hazardous waste disposal facility and the location of any property to be purchased has been published in a newspaper of general circulation before the filing of the application; (2) the applicant requested the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish an advisory committee; (3) the applicant submitted to the Administrator and to the appropriate official of the host community a prospectus that details the criteria for the selection of a site and the nature of the planned facility; (4) the applicant submitted to the Administrator and the host community advisory committee a compliance history; (5) the host community advisory committee conducted at least one public meeting and hearing on the planned facility and the applicant paid the expenses associated with the hearing; (6) the applicant submitted to the Administrator a detailed analysis of the proposed site, the technologies and treatment to be used at the site, and the annual capacity of the facility; (7) the applicant submitted to the Administrator a finding by the State that requirements under State law concerning the necessity for hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal in the State require the siting of additional facilities; and (8) the applicant requested the appropriate official of the host community for written consent to site the facility. Directs the Administrator, upon the request of an applicant, to establish a host community advisory committee. Requires permit applications to: (1) contain a statement by the appropriate official as to whether the consent for the facility was issued; and (2) contain assurances that the State will provide grants to the host community advisory committee until a final decision is made concerning the application. Directs the Administrator to establish a host community advisory committee assistance grant program. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Administrator, prior to issuing a permit for a new hazardous waste disposal facility or for any such facility that has not received an operating permit as of January 1, 1992, to: (1) receive assurances that the permit application procedures have been completed; and (2) determine whether a facility would conform with applicable capacity assurance plans submitted in accordance with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). Prohibits the issuance of a permit if the Administrator determines that the facility could cause the State to exceed its capacity needs, unless the State cannot fulfill capacity requirements under capacity assurance plans submitted under CERCLA. Prohibits a facility, as a permit condition, from managing hazardous waste generated outside of the State unless the owner or operator enters into an agreement with the host community authorizing the treatment, storage, or disposal of such waste. Bars the Administrator from authorizing a State hazardous waste program unless the State program provides for appointment of host community committees and review procedures for permit applicants. Amends CERCLA to direct the Administrator to: (1) establish guidelines for the biennial gathering of capacity assurance reporting data; and (2) promulgate regulations that require any State that documented a capacity shortfall in a quantity exceeding 50,000 tons per year or that is a net exporter of hazardous waste to submit specified information. Prescribes civil penalties for failures to submit such information. Requires the Administrator to: (1) establish guidelines for the inclusion of toxic chemical release information required to be submitted under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 in the capacity assurance data required under CERCLA; (2) develop a model capacity assurance plan to assist States in complying with the data gathering process required to prepare a capacity assurance plan; and (3) publish in the Federal Register a statement concerning whether the United States has adequate capacity to treat and dispose of hazardous waste during the 20-year period following the statement's publication.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1992
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to repeal the prohibition against separate billing for electrocardiogram interpretations. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make separate payment under the Medicare fee schedule for any such interpretations performed or ordered to be performed as part of or in conjunction with a visit to or a consultation with a physician. Provides for adjustment of medical visit and consultation relative values so as not to include relative value units for electrocardiogram interpretation in the relative value for medical visits and consultations. Sets forth guidelines for the adjustment of Medicare fee schedule amounts to reflect the separate payment for electrocardiogram interpretations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 1992
Designates October 30, 1992, as Refugee Day.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1992
Designates the week beginning March 21, 1993, as National Endometriosis Awareness Week.