United States · United States Congress · 27 November 1991
Directs the Committee on Rules and Administration to report to the full Senate on or before June 30, 1992, on a plan to deal with Senators' perquisites with a view towards having Members of the Senate pay full market value for such perquisites or having the value of them included in the overall compensation of each Member of the Senate.
United States · United States Congress · 26 November 1991
Civil Tiltrotor Development Advisory Committee Act of 1991 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish in the Department of Transportation a Civil Tiltrotor Development Advisory Committee to evaluate and report to the Congress on the feasibility of developing civil tiltrotor aircraft and a national system of infrastructure to support the incorporation of tiltrotor aircraft technology into the national transportation system.
United States · United States Congress · 26 November 1991
Department of the Treasury Forfeiture Fund Act - Amends Federal law to establish the Department of the Treasury Forfeiture Fund for the deposit of proceeds from assets seized and forfeited for violations of Treasury laws. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to make funds available to the U.S. Coast Guard from such Fund for its seizure and law enforcement activities. Authorizes appropriations as necessary to administer such Fund. Sets forth the authorities of the Secretary with respect to forfeited property.
United States · United States Congress · 26 November 1991
Repeals the Assault Weapon Manufacturing Strict Liability Act of 1990, signed by the Mayor of the District of Columbia. Restores or revives any provisions of law amended or repealed by it.
United States · United States Congress · 26 November 1991
Congressional and Presidential Accountability Act of 1991 - Applies provisions of Federal civil rights and labor laws to Members of Congress and presidential appointees.
United States · United States Congress · 26 November 1991
Nuclear Testing Moratorium Act - Prohibits any funds made available under any law from being used to conduct any explosive nuclear weapons test during the one-year period following the enactment of this Act unless the President certifies to the Congress that the Soviet Union or a successor state has conducted such a test during such period.
United States · United States Congress · 26 November 1991
Equal Remedies Act of 1991 - 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 · 26 November 1991
Title I: General Provisions - Judicial Space and Facilities Management Act of 1991 - Sets forth definitions for purposes of this Act. Title II: Congressional Approval of Public Buildings for Federal Judiciary - Requires approval by specified congressional committees before an appropriation can be made to construct, alter, exchange, condemn, purchase, dispose of, or acquire any space or facility to be used as a court accommodation which involves a total expenditure that exceeds $1,650,000 (which may be adjusted annually by the Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts) (Director). Requires the Director to: (1) transmit a prospectus to the Congress of the proposed judicial space or facility to secure consideration for such approval; and (2) report to the Congress, within a 15-day period of the convening of each new Congress, a program for the two succeeding fiscal years of projects and actions which the Director determines necessary to carry out his duties. Requires the Director to: (1) certify in such program that a public hearing has been held or an opportunity for such hearing has been afforded in the locality or proposed locality of each major construction, renovation, or acquisition project included in the program; and (2) provide, along with each certification, the final environmental impact statement, a report indicating the consideration given to facts and issues concerning the project, and various alternatives which were raised during the hearing or which were otherwise considered. Authorizes the Director to contract for the acquisition, construction, alteration, purchase, exchange, condemnation, or disposition of any space or facility with the Administrator of the General Services Administration (Administrator) (GSA), the Secretary of the Army, the U.S. Postmaster General, or other officer of the executive branch of the Federal Government with similar expertise. Provides that title to space or facility approved pursuant to this Act shall be held by the Administrator. Amends the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 to require the Administrator of GSA to charge the Judiciary at rates to approximate the applicable cost incurred by GSA for providing space and services to the Judiciary. Title III: Judicial Buildings Fund - Establishes the Federal Judicial Building Fund in the Treasury. Authorizes the Director, subject to the approval of the U.S. Judicial Conference, to impose and collect such user charges and fees necessary for the purpose of financing the construction, purchase, acquisition, or alteration of facilities or space for the judicial branch of the Federal Government.
United States · United States Congress · 22 November 1991
Women Veterans' Health Equity Act of 1991 - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish well-women care services to women veterans who: (1) have a service-connected disability; or (2) are eligible for veterans' hospital care and whose annual income does not exceed the maximum rate of pension that would be applicable if such a veteran were eligible for pension. Defines "well-women care services" as health care services provided outside the maternity cycle. Authorizes the Secretary to furnish such services, subject to certain conditions, to a woman veteran who is not eligible for services under the criteria of this Act, but who is otherwise eligible for hospital care. Sets forth requirements concerning personnel to provide such services. Directs the Secretary to initiate research and expand ongoing research into the health consequences for women veterans of the following matters: (1) breast cancer and cancer of the reproductive organs; (2) gynecological and hormonal matters; (3) Alzheimer's disease; (4) osteoporosis; and (5) post-traumatic stress disorder. Requires the Secretary to carry out a research study to determine: (1) the frequency of the diagnosis of psychotic illness as the basis for the admittance of female and male veterans to Department facilities; and (2) an explanation for the difference, if any, in such frequencies. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to conduct a ten-year study to determine the health-care needs of women veterans and, as part of such study, examine the medical, biopsychosocial, and demographic histories of women veterans and women members of the armed forces serving on active duty. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary, in carrying out any medical research based on population analyses, to ensure that: (1) the research reflects matters that are significant for the general population of women in the United States; and (2) the population analyzed in such research is representative of the incidence of the condition or illness in the general population of women in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 22 November 1991
Provides that up to one-half of the total amount collected or recovered in a fiscal year as reimbursement from third parties for care and services furnished by a Department of Veterans Affairs medical facility shall be available for the following three fiscal years for the provision of direct patient care at such facility.
United States · United States Congress · 22 November 1991
Urges the President to renew the Voluntary Restraint Agreement with Japan and Taiwan for an additional five years in order to continue to protect national security and ensure industrial competitiveness.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 1991
Urges and requests the President to require the Secretary of the appropriate military department to award the bronze star to each member of the Navy or Marine Corps who served under General Wainwright during the defense of Corregidor Island, the Philippines, during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an investment tax credit for mass transportation property which: (1) is a highspeed rail system, a magnetic levitation system, or other land transit system, or a water or air transit system; (2) is operated under franchise, license, or other regulatory approval; (3) charges a fare-for-hire; (4) is open to the general public with restriction (other than fares and times or service); and (5) does not directly use or consume fossil fuels or their derivatives for normal operation. Makes such credit application only for property produced in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 1991
Health Care Access and Affordability Act of 1991 - Title I: Access to Primary and Preventive Care - Amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize appropriations through FY 1996 for the following programs: (1) immunization programs; (2) tuberculosis prevention grants; (3) lead poisoning prevention; (4) prevention and control of sexually transmitted diseases; (5) migrant health centers; (6) community health centers; (7) health care services for the homeless; (8) substance abuse prevention program; (9) family planning project grants; (10) breast and cervical cancer prevention; (11) preventive health and health services block grant; and (12) HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) early intervention. Amends the Social Security Act to reauthorize appropriations for maternal and child health services block grants through FY 1997. Title II: Cost Containment - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish and implement a program for the conduct of clinical trials with respect to promising new drugs and disease treatments. Requires the Director to give priority to treatments targeted towards diseases determined: (1) to be the most costly to treat; (2) to have the highest mortality; or (3) to affect the greatest number of individuals. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1993 through 1997. Extends through FY 1996 authorized appropriations for: (1) drug abuse demonstration projects of national significance; and (2) the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to use excess appropriations over FY 1992 amounts to expand research to determine the most cost-effective methods of health care and for developing and disseminating new practice guidelines related to such methods. Requires that priority be given to diseases and disorders determined to be the most costly to the United States and that evidence a wide variation in current medical practice. Directs the Secretary, after considering the recommendations of the Health Care Cost Control Advisory Committee, to report to appropriate congressional committees on the establishment of national spending targets for health care and health care services. Establishes the Health Care Cost Control Advisory Committee.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1991
Consumer Confidence and Financial Flexibility Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow penalty-free withdrawals from qualified retirement plans beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act and ending on December 31, 1992, to purchase or improve real property or to purchase durable goods. Restricts such withdrawals to individuals whose adjusted gross income for 1991 does not exceed: (1) $100,000 in the case of married individuals filing a joint return; (2) $50,000 in the case of a married individual filing a separate return; and (3) $75,000 in the case of any other taxpayer. Limits the aggregate amount which may be treated as qualified withdrawals with respect to all plans of an individual to $10,000. Requires the inclusion of withdrawn amounts in gross income ratably over a four-year period. Provides for one-year extensions of the following: (1) rules governing the allocation of research and experimental expenditures; (2) the low-income housing credit; (3) the authority to issue mortgage revenue bonds and mortgage credit certificates; and (4) the targeted jobs credit.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1991
Coal Industry Retiree Health Benefit Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish the Coal Industry Retiree Health Benefit Corporation to administer a program for the provision of retiree health benefits in the coal industry. Establishes the Coal Industry Retiree Benefit Fund for the deposit of all amounts received by the Corporation. Requires the following payments to the Corporation: (1) an hourly premium on each hour worked in coal production by employees by each person that produces coal for use or for sale; (2) a per-ton premium obligation on the importer of coal; and (3) an annual per beneficiary premium by each last signatory operator and each other employer. Sets forth the eligibility requirements for benefits for orphan miners, and spouses and dependents or orphan miners or deceased coal miners. Requires the Corporation to provide medical and death benefits to such persons. Directs the Corporation to develop managed care rules applicable to the payment of benefits. Establishes the United Mine Workers of America 1991 Benefit Fund as an employee welfare benefit plan consisting of the merger of excess assets from certain closed plans. Sets forth eligibility requirements for benefits from such Fund. Requires the last signatory operator of any individual receiving retiree health care benefits as of February 1, 1993 from an individual employer plan maintained pursuant to a coal wage agreement to provide retiree health care benefits to such individual. Provides for the determination and disposition of excess pension assets to the Corporation or the 1991 Benefit Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1991
Quality in Medical Equipment and Supplies Act of 1991 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require suppliers of items of durable medical equipment, prosthetics and orthotics, and prosthetic devices to submit claims for payment under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) only to the carrier having jurisdiction over the geographic area in which the patient resides. Provides exceptions to this requirement if the patient to whom such an item is furnished resides within 60 miles of the border of the carrier jurisdiction or if the patient is temporarily residing in another carrier's jurisdiction. Gives the Secretary of Health and Human Services the authority to provide for further exceptions to ensure patient access or administrative efficiency. Requires the Secretary to: (1) consolidate the number of carriers processing claims for such items to no more than five regional carriers; (2) develop and implement, in consultation with private sector groups, criteria providing for uniform coverage and utilization among all carriers for such items; (3) establish national uniform standards that suppliers of such items must meet in order to obtain and renew provider numbers; (4) establish requirements for disclosure by applicants for provider numbers; (5) require the renewal of provider numbers every three years; (6) develop a standard provider number application form; and (7) establish procedures to be used by carriers to verify supplier applications for provider numbers. Modifies the current prohibition against suppliers of items of durable medical equipment distributing forms documenting medical necessity to make such prohibition applicable instead to suppliers of items included on the Secretary's list of potentially overused items. Increases the monetary penalty for violation of such prohibition with respect to suppliers of items included on the Secretary's list of potentially overused items. Requires a standardized form of medical necessity to be developed by the Secretary for suppliers of items of durable medical equipment. Requires the form to include a statement that knowing and willful misrepresentations on it by the supplier will result in imposition of monetary penalties. Extends the prohibition against physicians referring patients to clinical labs in which the physician has certain financial interests to referrals of patients to suppliers of items of durable medical equipment. Requires the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on whether payments made for items of durable medical equipment, prosthetics and orthotics, and prosthetic devices adequately reflect the services provided by the suppliers to ensure quality of care. Requires the Comptroller General to study and make recommendations to the Congress on whether payments made for such items adequately reflect variations in the quality of equipment or supplies provided.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 1991
Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish the Eligible Dislocated Workers Educational Training Demonstration Program. Directs the Secretary of Education to award grants to States to pay the Federal share (50 percent) of the cost of establishing and operating eligible dislocated workers educational training demonstration programs. Requires that such programs: (1) be designed to provide such workers with new skills through a variety of educational opportunities offered by institutions of higher education which are suited to such workers' goals, educational background, aptitude, and skills; (2) lead to entry level job skills that assist such workers to return to the work force; (3) only pay program participation costs not paid by other Federal, State, or local grant programs; and (4) provide educational opportunities in programs that either do not provide academic credit and which include academic skills improvement, job skills, and career and personal development or provide academic credit in one-year certificate or two-year associate degree granting programs. Makes eligible dislocated workers (as defined under the Job Training Partnership Act) eligible to participate in such a program if they: (1) have applied for all Federal, State, and local grant assistance available to such workers; and (2) are eligible for unemployment compensation payments under Federal or State law. Makes individuals ineligible for such program participation if they: (1) complete their education goal; or (2) return to employment of at least 20 hours per week. Provides that the amount of such workers' unemployment insurance payments under Federal or State law shall not be increased or decreased as a result of assistance received under this Act. Sets forth State application requirements. Requires the Secretary to evaluate such program annually. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1993 through 1995 to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 1991
National Child Protection Act of 1991 - Establishes a national criminal background check system to which a designated agency in each State is required to report child abuse crime information, for purposes of background checks of child care providers. Directs the Attorney General to establish: (1) guidelines for the reporting of such information; and (2) timetables for each State to report such information to such system (with a three-year deadline for all States to be reporting at a specified level of currency). Requires State agencies to maintain close liason for information exchange and technical assistance in cases of child abuse with the National Centers: (1) on Child Abuse and Neglect; (2) for Missing and Exploited Children; and (3) for the Prosecution of Child Abuse. Directs the Attorney General to publish annually: (1) a Statistical summary of the child abuse crime information reported under this Act; and (2) a summary of each State's progress in reporting child abuse crime information to the national criminal background check system. Requires the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to conduct a study to determine various factors relating to potential child abuse crimes and offenders, based on a statistically significant sample of convicted child abuse offenders and other relevant information. Requires a report on such study to be submitted to specified congressional committee officials. Provides for background check procedures. Allows entities that provide child care or child care placement services (including business or organizations that license or certify others to provide such services) to request State agencies to review State and Federal records through the national system, and other criminal justice recordkeeping systems, to determine if a child care provider is under indictment for, or has been convicted of, a background check crime. (Defines "provider" as one who is now or seeks to be: (1) employed by, or a volunteer with, a qualified entity; (2) an owner or operator of a qualified entity; or (3) having unsupervised access to any child to whom the qualified entity provides child care.) Directs the Attorney General to establish guidelines for such State background check procedures, permitting equivalent procedures under specified conditions. Authorizes the Attorney General to: (1) exchange Federal Bureau of Investigation identification records with authorized agencies for purposes of such background checks; and (2) authorize by regulation further dissemination of such records by authorized agencies for such purposes. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) prescribe by regulation any other measures necessary to carry out this Act; and (2) encourage use of the best technology available in conducting background checks. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to provide for use of certain formula grants to improve State record systems and the sharing of records of child abuse crime information to implement this Act. Directs the Attorney General to make additional grants to States to improve specified aspects of the child abuse crime information system, subject to appropriations and with preference to States having the lowest percent currency of case dispositions in computerized criminal history files. Authorizes appropriations for such additional grants. Authorizes the Attorney General, beginning one year after enactment of this Act, to reduce by up to ten percent the allocation to a State for a fiscal year under title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 if the State is not in compliance with the child abuse crime information timetable established for it under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 1991
Global Clean Water Incentive Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to direct the Secretary of Commerce to implement a schedule of fees that would be: (1) imposed on any product imported into the United States that has been subject to processing, or manufactured from a process, that does not comply with water quality standards prescribed under the Clean Water Act; and (2) in an amount adjusted annually equal to the differential between the cost incurred by businesses located in the United States in meeting such water quality standards and any expenditures made by foreign businesses to reduce water-polluting discharges. Requires the Secretary to make revenues derived from such fees available to fund programs that enhance the export of U.S. products, the costs of which are increased by the Clean Water Act. Directs the U.S. Trade Representative to negotiate an amendment to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade that would allow any country to impose additional duties on the importation of products of a foreign country that does not comply with water quality standards comparable to those prescribed under the Clean Water Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 1991
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the President should pursue the apprehension for trial in the United States of Lamen Khalifa Fhimah and Abdel Basset Ali Megrahi, by force, if necessary, for their roles in the December 21, 1988, bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 and should offer rewards for information leading to their arrest and return to the United States; and (2) notwithstanding their indictments, the investigation must continue to be vigorously pursued to bring to justice those who ordered, directed, and paid for such bombing.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 1991
Authorizes the U.S. Postal Service to issue and sell a postage stamp to honor the Women's Army Corps and to commemorate the date it officially became a part of the U.S. Army.
United States · United States Congress · 12 November 1991
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend for one year the following expiring provisions: (1) the credit for increasing research activities; (2) the targeted jobs credit; (3) the tax exclusion for employer-provided educational assistance; (4) the authority to issue qualified small issue bonds to finance manufacturing facilities and farm property; (5) the itemized deduction for health insurance costs of self-employed individuals; (6) the authority to issue mortgage revenue bonds and mortgage credit certificates; (7) the rules on allocating research and experimental expenditures in determining income from sources within or without the United States; (8) the low-income housing credit; (9) the energy investment credit for solar and geothermal property; (10) the credit for clinical testing expenses for certain drugs for rare diseases or conditions; and (11) the minimum tax exception for gifts of appreciated tangible property.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 1991
Enterprise Capital Formation Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a deduction for gain on investments in new small business stock (seed capital) held for at least five years. Establishes special rules for such investments. Provides for determining the maximum capital gains rate for small business net capital gain or seed capital gain. Treats capital gains on the sale of such stock as a preference item for purposes of the minimum tax.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 1991
Authorizes the Air Force Association to establish a commemorative work on Federal land in the District of Columbia and its environs to honor the men and women who have served in the U.S. Air Force.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 1991
Health Equity and Access Improvement Act of 1991 - Title I: Tax Incentives for Health Care Access - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide a tax credit of up to $600 for an individual ($1,200 for a family) for qualified health expenses. Provides that in the case of a taxpayer whose adjusted gross income exceeds $10,000 ($20,000 for a family) the credit shall be reduced by an amount equal to ten percent of the excess. Permits a tax deduction, for both itemizers and nonitemizers, for the cost of health insurance premiums for which no other compensation is received. Provides an employer health insurance credit for small businesses equal to 25 percent of the qualified health care costs of the employer in the first year the employer offers health coverage to employees and which is then reduced five percentage points annually. Raises from 25 percent to 100 percent the deduction allowed to self-employed individuals for health insurance premiums and makes the deduction permanent. Provides a credit for a qualified primary health services provider who practices in a rural health professional shortage area. Sets forth a formula for determining such credit. Excludes from gross income any payment made on behalf of a taxpayer by the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program. Permits a physician in a rural health professional shortage area to expense up to $25,000 worth of rural health care property. Provides that interest on student loan payments by medical professionals practicing in rural areas shall not be treated as personal interest and will therefore qualify as a tax deduction. Title II: Health Care Reform Provisions - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) to request the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) to develop a model health care insurance benefits plan that shall contain standards that entities offering health care insurance policies should meet with respect to the benefits and coverage provided under such policies and report on such standards to the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to develop such a plan if the NAIC fails to develop such a plan or if the NAIC plan does not meet specified requirements. Sets forth such requirements. Requires the Secretary, taking into account recommendations of the Managed Care Advisory Committee, to develop recommended standards that insurers offering managed care plans should meet with respect to the benefits, coverage, and delivery systems provided under such plans. Establishes the Managed Care Advisory Committee. Provides that, in the case of a managed care plan meeting recommended standards, specified provision of State law will be preempted and will not be enforced against the managed care plan with respect to an insurer offering such plan. Permits a qualified small employer purchasing group, upon application to and approval by the Secretary, to enter into contracts with carriers to provide health insurance coverage to eligible employees. Establishes standards which health care insurers must meet in a contract with a small business. Requires such insurers, among other things, to: (1) provide coverage and benefits consistent with the model health care insurance benefits plan; (2) meet specified registration and disclosure requirements; (3) not exclude from coverage any eligible employee; (4) not extend beyond six months any limitation on any preexisting condition and, with respect to such limitation, apply it only to preexisting conditions which manifested themselves or for which medical care was sought during the three months preceding coverage; (5) guarantee renewability of the contract at the employer's election, unless the contract is terminated for cause; and (6) establish premiums that meet specified standards. Title III: Medical Liability Reform - Sets forth provisions concerning settlement offers in medical malpractice cases. Establishes an Alternative Dispute Resolution Board of Advisers to make recommendations to the Secretary concerning the establishment of a model voluntary alternative dispute resolution program for medical malpractice cases. Sets caps on the payment of future losses, non-economic damages, and attorneys' fees. Prohibits joint liability in a civil action for non-economic damages. Establishes a statute of limitations for a medical malpractice civil action. Requires each State to: (1) allocate its medical licensing fees to the State agency responsible for licensing and disciplinary actions; (2) require that at least 25 percent of a disciplinary board's membership shall be from the general public; (3) have in effect a Statewide risk management program; and (4) establish a health care disciplinary trust fund consisting of all punitive damage awards resulting from medical malpractice and medical product civil actions. Protects a health care producer of a drug or device from punitive damages if the drug or device was subject to approval or premarket approval under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary to make a grant to an entity representing recipients of assistance at migrant and community health centers to develop a business plan and establish a nationwide risk retention group as provided for in the Liability Risk Retention Act of 1986. Authorizes appropriations. Title IV: Public Health Provisions - Amends the Social Security Act to add a new title, Title XXI: BASICARE. Authorizes appropriations under title XXI for the purpose of providing basic health care benefits to low-income uninsured individuals who are not eligible for Medicaid (title XIX of the Social Security Act) coverage. Requires a State, in order to receive funding under title XXI, to submit and have approved by the Secretary a BasiCare assistance plan. Sets forth plan requirements. Requires, for BasiCare eligibility, that: (1) family income be below 200 percent of the poverty line; (2) an individual not be eligible for Medicaid; and (3) an individual not be otherwise covered under a health plan by the individual's employer. Permits the imposition of deductibles, copayments, and premiums if income is between 100 to 200 percent of the poverty line. Establishes the Federal Medical Waiver Demonstration Board to review applications submitted by States to conduct health care-related demonstration projects. Requires the Board to develop at least three different model health care delivery plans. Permits the Board, upon approval of a State's demonstration project, to waive the following provisions of Federal law: (1) the Public Health Service Act; (2) title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act; (3) titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (BASICARE) of the Social Security Act; (4) all health care programs administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; and (5) the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. Title V: Medically Underserved Areas - Authorizes appropriations for the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program and the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program. Directs the Secretary to establish and administer a program to provide allotments to States to enable such States to provide grants for the creation or enhancement of community based primary health care entities that provide services to pregnant women and children up to age three. Requires grant recipients to substantially target populations of pregnant women and children who: (1) lack health care coverage or ability to pay for health care services; or (2) reside in medically underserved or health professional shortage areas. Directs the Secretary to award grants to federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and other entities submitting applications for the purpose of providing access to services for medically underserved populations or in high impact areas not currently served by a FQHC. Limits the expenditure of funds awarded an FQHC to the provision of those services provided under the Medicaid program and any unreimbursed costs of providing services under the community based primary health care grant program. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive grants to eligible entities to enable such entities to develop and implement a plan for mental health outreach programs in rural areas. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary, in awarding grants under the Public Health Service Act relating to the research, teaching, and training activities of health personnel educational entities, to give priority to those entities that have a high permanent rate for placing graduates in settings serving residents of medically underserved communities and that otherwise demonstrate a commitment to serving such communities. Directs the Secretary to award grants to health professions institutions to expand training programs that are targeted at those individuals desiring to practice in or serve the needs of medically underserved communities. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to award grants to eligible regional consortia to enhance and expand coordination among various health professions programs, particularly in medically underserved rural areas. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants, under the area health education center provisions of the Act, to rural communities to enable such communities to provide stipends to physicians, nurses, or other health professional trainees to encourage such individuals to continue to provide health care services in such rural communities. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive grants to eligible entities to enable such entities to facilitate the development of networks among rural and urban health care providers to preserve and share health care resources and enhance the quality and availability of health care in rural areas. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive grants to eligible entities to enable such entities to develop and administer cooperatives in rural areas that will establish an effective case management and reimbursement system designed to support the economic viability of essential public or private health services, facilities, health care systems, and health care resources in such rural areas. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the: (1) Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 to authorize appropriations for the Rural Health Care Transition Grant Program; and (2) Medicare program to authorize appropriations for the Essential Access Community Hospital Program. Title VI: Incentives to Encourage Preventive Services - Provides a tax credit for qualified preventive services of up to $250. Includes on a list of preventive services: (1) cancer screening tests; (2) childhood immunizations; (3) mammograms; (4) pap tests for uterine cancer; and (5) other specified examinations and tests. Authorizes appropriations, under the Public Health Service Act, for grants for preventive health service programs for the provision, without charge, of immunizations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 1991
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Byelorussia (a.k.a. Belarus), Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan (a.k.a. Kirghizia), Moldavia (a.k.a. Moldova), Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan should accept and implement all commitments on human rights, fundamental freedoms, and humanitarian cooperation contained in the Helsinki Final Act, the Charter of Paris for a New Europe, or any other document of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe; and (2) the President should convey to the leaders of these republics that respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is a vital element in achieving genuine security and cooperation in Europe and should keep the Congress informed of the status of human rights and fundamental freedoms in each of these republics.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 1991
Expresses the sense of the Senate that, unless the authorities and military forces conducting military operations against the Republic of Croatia immediately comply with the terms of the ceasefires previously negotiated by the European Community, United States policy should be to: (1) recognize the Republics of Slovenia and Croatia as independent states; (2) freeze all assets in the United States in which the Republic of Serbia has any interest and break off all commerce or any form of assistance or cooperation between the United States and Serbia; (3) offer humanitarian assistance to Croatia; (4) place Serbia on notice that continued military action will cause the United States to place this issue on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council as an international act of aggression and call for sanctions; and (5) require of Croatian authorities a clear commitment to protect the rights of Serbs living within Croatia and demand a formal commitment on their part to accept international inspection and, if necessary, arbitration to protect those rights.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 1991
Medicaid Moratorium Amendments of 1991 - Amends the Technical and Miscellaneous Revenues Act of 1988 to: (1) delay until September 30, 1992, the issuance of regulations changing the treatment under the Medicaid program (title XIX of the Social Security Act) of voluntary contributions and provider-specific taxes; and (2) maintain current regulations that allow intergovernmental transfers as a source of a State's expenditures for which Federal matching funds are available under the Medicaid program. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to submit to specified congressional committees a report on: (1) regulations to limit the use of voluntary contributions and provider-specific taxes to obtain Federal financial participation; (2) specific types of voluntary contributions and provider-specific taxes that may be used as sources of a State's expenditures for which Federal financial participation is available; and (3) any legislation that the Secretary believes is appropriate. Sets forth budget compliance provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 1991
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, to conduct inspections of garbage from Canada and to assess fees for such inspections.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 1991
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) it should be U.S. policy to pursue discussions regarding Syria and terrorism at the Middle East peace conference in Madrid, Spain, in October and November of 1991; and (2) Syria should renounce all forms of terrorism, cease all support of terrorism, and close all terrorist training bases on Syrian territory and Syrian-controlled Lebanese territory.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 1991
Declares that the Congress supports the presentation of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor on January 1, 1992, to initiate the centennial celebration of the opening of the Island.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 1991
Directs all Members of Congress to pay full market value for all medical services, medical tests, and medications provided by the Office of the Attending Physician. Establishes the Office of Attending Physician Revolving Fund in the Treasury (within the contingent fund of the Senate) for deposit of such payments and monies received from any other source.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 1991
Amends the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act to provide temporary extended railroad unemployment insurance benefits, to railroad employees who have less than ten years of service, for periods of high national unemployment of six percent or greater. Provides for such extended benefits for up to 13 weeks, through July 4, 1992. Sets forth transition and reachback provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 1991
White House Commemorative Coin Act of 1991 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) issue up to 500,000 silver one-dollar coins to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone of the White House; and (2) obtain silver for such coins from stockpiles established under the Strategic and Critical Mineral Stock Piling Act. Specifies that: (1) all amounts received from the sale of coins issued under this Act shall be deposited in the coinage profit fund; and (2) the Secretary shall pay amounts from a ten-dollar surcharge per coin into the White House Endowment Fund. Directs the Secretary to take such actions as necessary to ensure that the minting and issuance of such coins do not result in any net cost to the Government. Bars the issuance of such coins unless the Secretary has received full payment or adequate security for payment. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 1991
Medicare Physician Payment Reform Implementation Act of 1991 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to increase the conversion factor for physicians' services for each of the years after 1993 through 1996 by one-fourth of the percentage by which the conversion factor may have been decreased due to an adjustment for asymmetry in 1992; (2) prohibit the Secretary, in determining the conversion factor for 1992, from assuming that changes in the volume and intensity of physician services in response to the implementation of the new payment system for such services would increase the estimated aggregate physician expenditures by more than one percent; (3) make any reduction to the conversion factor due to assumed volume and intensity changes equally applicable to the adjusted historical payment base; (4) permit separate payment to physicians for interpretation of electrocardiograms (EKGs) provided during office vists; (5) direct the Secretary to: (a) establish separate fee schedule amounts for the interpretation of EKGs; (b) adjust the relative values in the fee schedule for physician visits to reflect separate payments for EKG interpretation; (c) establish EKG practice guidelines for dissemination to physicians along with other educational information relating to EKG use; (d) develop a profile for EKG use by physicians; and (e) study EKG utilization and costs for a report to the Congress; and (6) make the new payment system for physicians nonapplicable to services furnished on or after January 1, 1992, by a physician who was in his or her first, second, or third year of practice in 1991 and to whom the payment rules under the new system did not apply in that year. Prohibits the Secretary from issuing final regulations before July 1, 1993, which change the methodology for determining: (1) the amount of time that may be billed for anesthesia services; and (2) the amount paid for drugs and biologicals furnished incident to physicians' services. Requires the Director of the Office of Technology Assessment to conduct a study and report to the Congress on whether payments for anesthesia services should be based on a particular unit of time according to the medical procedure with respect to which the service is furnished. Requires the Secretary to: (1) conduct a study and report to the Congress with respect to payment for drugs and biologicals furnished incident to physicians' services and payment for multiple surgical procedures; and (2) provide for pilot projects for developing Medicare volume performance standards other than at the national level. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the pilot projects.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 1991
Provides, unless specified conditions are met relating to Serbia's armed conflict with the other ethnic peoples of Yugoslavia, for the: (1) restriction of U.S. assistance to Serbia or any part of Yugoslavia controlled by it; (2) suspension of U.S. air travel to and from such locations; (3) suspension of multinational assistance; and (4) imposition of a U.S. trade embargo.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 1991
Breast Cancer Screening Safety Act of 1991 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require certification in order for a facility to perform or interpret mammograms, inspect equipment, perform needle localizations or other procedures using mammography equipment, or conduct quality assurance oversight related to mammography. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue and renew certificates for up to two years. Allows the Secretary to approve a private nonprofit organization to be an accreditation body which meets certain requirements, including inspecting facilities. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish standards for facilities to assure the safety and accuracy of mammography; (2) specify organizations eligible to certify individuals to perform radiological procedures; (3) specify boards eligible to certify individuals to interpret screening mammograms; (4) establish standards regarding the qualifications for individuals to interpret screening mammograms; and (5) specify boards eligible to certify individuals to inspect screening mammography equipment and oversee quality assurance practices. Directs the Secretary to conduct annual announced and unannounced inspections of certified facilities. Provides for: (1) intermediate sanctions for certain violations; (2) suspension, revocation, and limitation of certificates; and (3) injunctions. Requires fees for certificate issuance and renewal, and for inspections, sufficient to cover costs. Requires annual publication of a list of facilities convicted of fraud and abuse, false billings, or kickbacks, facilities that have had certificates revoked, suspended, or limited, and facilities that have been the subject of a sanction or other similar matters. Allows the Secretary to exempt facilities in a State or locality with more stringent requirements from compliance with this Act. Directs the Secretary to: (1) make grants for research on new methods of establishing a Mammography Registry; and (2) based on the research, establish the Registry. Authorizes grants to enhance the capacity of health personnel in the area of breast cancer mortality prevention. Allows grant funds to be used to establish a breast cancer mortality prevention regional training center and develop a training curriculum. Authorizes appropriations. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require that screening mammographies paid for under Medicare be performed by a facility: (1) certified under this Act; and (2) in compliance with specified provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 1991
Semiconductor Investment Act of 1991 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to classify the depreciable life for semiconductor manufacturing equipment as three-year property.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 1991
National Air and Space Museum Expansion Site Selection Act of 1991 - Establishes the National Air and Space Museum Expansion Site Advisory Panel to conduct a national competition for the evaluation of possible expansion sites for the National Air and Space Museum. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution to select the site after considering the recommendation of the Panel. Terminates the Panel 30 days after such selection. Requires the General Accounting Office to review and evaluate the selection by the Board of Regents and report to the Congress.
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