United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1988
Federal Nuclear Facilities Environmental Restoration and Management Act - Title I: Federal Nuclear Facility Trust Fund - Establishes the Federal Nuclear Facilities Environmental Restoration and Management Trust Fund (the Fund). Authorizes appropriations for such fund for FY 1989 through 1991. Outlines a funding mechanism which includes transfers from general Treasury funds and penalties assessed under specified environmental statutes. Outlines Fund administration procedure. Authorizes Fund expenditures for specified hazardous waste response actions and other grant, research, and development programs under this Act. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to report to the Congress on an annual fiscal year basis regarding the Fund's financial condition. Requires the Secretary to: (1) develop within one year after enactment of this Act an allocation and cost recovery methodology; and (2) assess user fees on certain commercial and non-Federal entities. Title II: Compliance by DOE Facilities with Superfund and Solid Waste Disposal Act - Requires the Secretary of Energy (the Secretary) to enter into a compliance agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency Administrator (the Administrator) (or with certain State delegatees) with respect to Federal nuclear facility compliance with the Solid Waste Disposal Act and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). Amends CERCLA to include within the definition of "hazardous substance" byproduct, source, or special nuclear material generated, stored, or released as either a waste product or in connection with an atomic energy defense activity at a site under the Secretary's jurisdiction. Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to include within its purview any source, special nuclear, or byproduct material that is combined with certain hazardous waste. Places certain Federal nuclear sites under the concurrent authority of the Solid Waste Disposal Act and CERCLA. States that permits issued to contractors for the operation of Federal nuclear facilities shall be deemed to be issued and held jointly with the United States. Declares that no immunity applicable to the United States or its officers, employees, or agents shall apply to such contractors. Sets forth a mandatory notification and participation procedure under which the Secretary and the Administrator must consult with affected States and Indian tribes regarding Federal nuclear facility compliance with this Act. Requires the Administrator to make grants to such States and Indian tribes to participate in, and monitor, Federal activities under this Act. Title III: Compliance by DOE Facilities with Other Environmental Laws - Requires the Secretary to complete an environmental survey of each Federal nuclear facility site within one year of this Act's enactment. Requires the Administrator to review such surveys and issue environmental compliance plans for such sites within six months of survey completion. Outlines the compliance procedure. Requires the Administrator to report annually to the Congress regarding Federal nuclear facility site environmental compliance plans. Requires the Secretary to: (1) enter into an environmental compliance plan response agreement with the Administrator within six months of each Federal nuclear facility site's compliance plan completion; and (2) prepare a site management plan for each Federal nuclear facility within 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act. Outlines the contents of such plan. Title IV: Special Environmental Counsel - Requires the Administrator to appoint a Special Environmental Counsel, as an independent instrumentality within the Environmental Protection Agency, to investigate alleged violations of Federal environmental law by any Federal facility or facility operated by a contractor under contract with the Federal Government. Sets forth enforcement procedures, including the assessment of civil penalties and suspension of permits. Requires such Counsel to report annually to the Congress. Provides for the waiver of sovereign immunity for purposes of enforcing any substantive or procedural Federal environmental statutory requirement against a U.S. agency or instrumentality. Title V: Research and Development for Environmental Restoration and Management of Federal Nuclear Facilities - Requires the Administrator and the Secretary to enter into a joint agreement to coordinate research and development technologies for Federal nuclear site activities regarding: (1) application of and compliance with Federal environmental requirements; (2) facility decontamination and decommissioning; and (3) hazardous nuclear material characterization, treatment, and stabilization. Requires the Secretary and Administrator to: (1) submit to the Office of Management and Budget annual Federal nuclear facilities environmental research and development budget requests; (2) fund the jointly established research and development program from the Trust Fund; (3) jointly establish an information and technologies transfer program for commercial application. Authorizes the Secretary and the Administrator to enter into contracts and provide research grants.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1988
Firearms Detection Act of 1988 - Amends the Federal criminal code to make it unlawful for any person to manufacture, assemble, import, sell, possess, receive, ship, or deliver any firearm which is not: (1) as detectable as the Minimum Standard Security Exemplar, after removal of grips, stocks, and magazines, by walk-through metal detectors commonly used at U.S. airports; or (2) impregnated with barium sulfate, or a similar compound, to facilitate detectability by cabinet x-ray systems. Defines the term "Minimum Security Standard Exemplar" to mean a firearm substitute used for testing that resembles a revolver, is made of stainless steel, and weighs four ounces. States that nothing in this Act shall require the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to utilize the Minimum Security Standard Exemplar as an FAA detection standard. Prohibits the Secretary of the Treasury from authorizing the importation of undetectable firearms. Directs the Administrator of the FAA to conduct research to improve the effectiveness of airport security metal detectors and airport security x-ray systems. Allows the Secretary, when appropriate because of changed technology, to submit proposed legislation to amend the definition of Minimum Security Standard Exemplar. Directs the Administrator of the FAA, the Director of the Secret Service, and the Director of the Marshals Service to conduct a study to identify available equipment capable of detecting the Minimum Security Standard Exemplar while distinguishing innocuous metal objects. Provides increased criminal penalties for using or carrying an undetectable firearm during the commission of a crime of violence or a drug trafficking crime.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 1988
National Appliance Energy Conservation Amendments of 1988 - Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to include fluorescent lamp ballasts within the list of products covered by the Act. Directs the Secretary of Energy to prescribe by July 1, 1989, test procedures for such ballasts manufactured on or after January 1, 1990. Directs the Federal Trade Commission to prescribe labeling rules for such ballasts according to specified guidelines. Sets forth energy efficiency standards for such ballasts. Preempts State energy conservation standards for such ballasts unless such standards were prescribed or enacted before the date of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1988
Declares that the President should: (1) posthumously award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Charles E. Thornton, Lee Shapiro, and Jim Lindelof in honor of their efforts to document the Afghan struggle for freedom; and (2) present the award to those individuals' families on March 21, 1988, the start of the new year in Afghanistan.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1988
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt from the required application of uniform inventory cost capitalization rules any animal produced in a farming business, regardless of the animal's preproductive period.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 1988
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Construction Grants Program under the Clean Water Act should be fully funded and implemented as authorized and intended by the Water Quality Act of 1987.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1988
Air Travel Rights for Blind Individuals Act - Amends the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 to preclude an air carrier from establishing aircraft seating restrictions based upon a passenger's visual acuity or use of a white cane or dog guide or other such means of assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1988
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit an individual taxpayer who files a timely return to elect to pay part or all of his or her income tax liability in three equal installments. Makes the entire amount of unpaid tax due and payable upon the notice and demand of the Secretary of the Treasury when an installment is not timely paid. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into a written agreement with a taxpayer under which the taxpayer may pay any tax liability in installments when the Secretary determines that such an agreement will facilitate the collection of the tax. Invalidates any agreement based on inaccurate or incomplete taxpayer information. Permits the Secretary, after proper notice to the taxpayer, to modify or annul an agreement upon the finding that the financial condition of the affected taxpayer has significantly changed. Permits the modification or termination of an agreement if the taxpayer fails to comply with its terms or fails to pay any tax liability when due.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1988
Oil Shale Mining Claims Conversion Act - Prohibits the issuance of an oil shale mining claims patent after February 5, 1987, for any claim located prior to enactment of the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920. (Exempts patent applications which had been filed and fully complied with by such date.) Requires the owners of valid oil shale mining claims located pursuant to the General Mining Law of 1872 prior to enactment of the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, to make specified elections within 180 days after enactment of this act or be conclusively deemed to have abandoned the oil shale claim. States that claim holders who are required to make an election may elect to either: (1) convert such claim to a lease; or (2) maintain the claim by compliance with Federal mining laws and this Act. Outlines the requirements of each election. Requires lease or claim holders under either election to reclaim such sites and to post bond to guarantee such reclamation before the site is distributed. Includes within such requirement any person holding a lease issued or readjusted pursuant to specified law after the date of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 February 1988
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to issue regulations exempting the following from the excise tax on diesel and aviation fuels: (1) diesel fuel for use in a diesel-powered train (to the extent of 15 cents per gallon); (2) aviation fuel for use in commercial aviation; (3) fuel used other than as motor fuel; (4) fuel for use by a State or local government; and (5) fuel for use on a farm for farming purposes. (Under current law, the Secretary is authorized to issue such regulations with respect to all but the last item. Although fuel sold for farm use is already tax-exempt, provisions of the Revenue Act of 1987 require purchasers to pay the tax and subsequently apply for a refund.)
United States · United States Congress · 18 February 1988
Children's Television Advertising Practices Act of 1988 - Requires the Federal Communications Commission to prescribe standards for commercial television broadcast licensees with respect to advertising in programs for children. Requires the standards to: (1) limit the duration of advertising to a specified number of minutes per hour; (2) assure adequate separation between program content and commercial messages; and (3) eliminate the use of program characters to promote products. Directs the FCC to initiate rulemaking proceedings in conjunction with these standards within ten days of this Act's enactment and to promulgate the final standards within 120 days of the enactment date.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 1988
Designates March 18, 1988, as National Energy Education Day to promote and enhance energy education programs at all grade levels of public and private schools.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1988
Authorizes the Vietnam Women's Memorial Project, Inc., to construct a statue of a woman Vietnam veteran within the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site in Washington, D.C., to honor and recognize the women of the U.S. armed forces who served in the Vietnam conflict. Subjects the location and design of the statue to approval by the Secretary of the Interior, the Commission of Fine Arts, and the National Capital Planning Commission. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the addition of the statue is well within the intent of the law authorizing the establishment of the Memorial; and (2) after the addition of such statue, such Memorial will be complete and no further additions to the site should be authorized or undertaken.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1988
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act of require States to extend Medicaid coverage to all pregnant women and infants up to age one whose family income falls below the Federal poverty level.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1988
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase from $45,000,000 to $60,000,000 the amount permissible in the Boat Safety Account in the Aquatic Resources Trust Fund without triggering a prohibition of transfers into the Account from the Highway Trust Fund for FY 1988 and thereafter. Extends from April 1, 1989, to October 1, 1999, the date before which expenditures may be made from the Boat Safety Account for recreational boating safety programs. Grants the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating liquidating contract authority with respect to State recreational boating safety programs in an amount equal to one-half (currently two-thirds) of the amount of motorboat fuel taxes transferred to the Boat Safety Account in FY 1988 and thereafter. Increases from one-third to one-half the portion of such funds available for Coast Guard services in connection with recreational boating safety services. Prohibits fiscal year expenditures for Coast Guard expenses from exceeding those for State boating safety programs generally. Amends Federal law to permit a State to use contributions of funds, materials, lands, and services to carry out certain fish restoration and management projects in lieu of paying its share of the activity.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1988
Expresses disapproval of the refusal of the U.S.S.R. to recognize the sovereignty of the Baltic Republics. Designates June 14, 1988, as Baltic Freedom Day. Authorizes and requests the President to submit the issue of the Baltic Republics to the United Nations.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 1988
Veterans' Home Loan Program Emergency Amendments of 1988 - Authorizes the Veterans Administration (VA) to require down payments of less than five percent of property value to finance the sales of properties acquired as the result of foreclosures of VA-guaranteed loans, if necessary to market such properties competitively.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 1988
Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a National Voluntary Reunion Registry system to facilitate, on a voluntary mutual request basis, the reunion of biological parents and adoptees, biological siblings, or other biological relatives of adoptees through a centralized computer network. Authorizes the Secretary to establish such system by contract with public or private nonprofit agencies or organizations. Directs the Secretary to report annually to the Congress on activities under this Act. Sets forth provisions for participation in the Registry and initiation of the matching process. Directs the Secretary to establish procedures to protect the confidentiality and privacy rights and interests of all participants. Provides for the collection of reasonable fees for Registry services. Allows the Registry to include similar State systems under specified conditions. Allows the Registry to include referral to existing programs that provide counseling services. Authorizes appropriations to carry out this Act for FY 1988 through 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 1988
Commends the President, Secretary of State, and Administrator of the Agency for International Development for their response to the drought and food emergency in Ethiopia and other nations of sub-Saharan Africa, and urges them to continue efforts to preclude the onset of famine and to ensure the timely delivery of medical and other emergency relief supplies. Declares that: (1) the Government response to these food emergencies should include initiatives to prevent the dislocation of large numbers of persons across national borders and/or into relief camps; and (2) the plight of the refugees or displaced should be addressed by emphasizing the provision of basic human needs, such as food, water, and shelter.
United States · United States Congress · 22 December 1987
Thanks the Honorable John C. Stennis, President pro tempore, for the manner in which he presided over the Senate during the first session of the 100th Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 21 December 1987
Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Amendments Act of 1987 - Amends the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978 to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to transfer permanently to the Secretary of Energy public lands under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management in the vicinity of certain processing sites. Prohibits such transfer until the Secretary of Energy complies with certain National Environmental Policy Act requirements regarding site selection for the permanent disposition and stabilization of residual radioactive materials. Requires the Secretary of Energy to obtain the appropriate State's consent before acquiring lands upon which there is no: (1) designated processing site; or (2) active uranium mill operation. Terminates the Secretary of Energy's authority to perform remedial action on September 30, 1994. Provides that the Secretary's authority to perform groundwater restoration activities is without limitation.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 1987
Indian Child Welfare Act Amendments of 1987 - Amends the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978. Declares the congressional intent to protect the right of Indian children to develop a tribal identity and to maintain ties to the Indian community. Redefines the term "Indian" to include any person of Indian or Alaska Native descent who is considered by an Indian or Alaska Native tribe to be a part of its community. Defines "family" to include extended family members. Grants Indian tribes exclusive jurisdiction over child custody proceedings involving Indian children domiciled or residing on the reservation, except where concurrent jurisdiction over voluntary child custody proceedings may be otherwise vested in the State by existing Federal law. Grants the parent of an Indian child the right to intervene at any point in child custody, and related judicial or administrative, proceedings. Permits the Indian child's tribe to authorize an Indian organization or other Indian tribe to intervene on its behalf. Provides for written notification of the tribe whenever a non-tribal social services agency determines that an Indian child is in any situation that could lead to a placement requiring the continued involvement of the agency with the child beyond a specified period. Grants the tribe the right to examine and copy all documents involving the child. Shields the State agency from liability arising out of its release of information to the tribe. Sets forth procedures for notification of the child's parent, custodian, and tribe, in any State court involuntary child custody proceeding where the court or the petitioner knows or has reason to know that an Indian child is involved, of the existence of, and conduct of, such proceeding. Grants an indigent parent or Indian custodian the right to court-appointed counsel, and allows the court to appoint counsel for the child if it believes it to be in the best interest of the child. Sets legal standards for the admissibility of evidence and the qualifications of expert witnesses in such proceedings. Directs that any order for placement or termination of parental rights protect the child's opportunity to learn his or her tribal identity and heritage, take advantage of the tribe's cultural resources, and provide for continued contacts between the child and the parents, family, and tribe. Establishes procedures to assure that any consent by the parent or Indian custodian to a foster care placement, termination of parental rights, or adoption under State law is voluntary and informed. Declares that such consent shall not be deemed an abandonment of the child by the parent or Indian custodian, nor shall it affect the rights of other Indian relatives to custody. Provides for the withdrawal of consent and the immediate return of the child unless such return would subject the child to a substantial and immediate danger of serious physical harm or threat of such harm. Permits challenges to child custody proceedings by any parent, Indian custodian, or the Indian child's tribe. Provides for Federal court review of any State court final decree alleged to be in violation of this Act, on an expedited basis. Sets placement goals in State court proceedings. Declares that all placements shall seek to protect the rights of Indian children as Indians, as well as the rights of the Indian community and tribe. Requires that adoptive placements be made in accordance with tribal preferences established by resolution or, in the absence of such resolution, according to a specified order of placement, with exceptions. Requires that any child accepted for foster care or preadoptive placement be placed within reasonable proximity to the child's home. Directs a State, as necessary to comply with the provision of this Act that the prevailing social and cultural standards of the Indian community be the standards to be applied in meeting placement requirements, to promulgate separate State licensing standards for foster homes servicing Indian children and place such children in homes licensed or approved by the Indian child's tribe or an Indian organization. Sets notification requirements. Sets requirements for subsequent placements or proceedings, and for the reassumption of exclusive tribal jurisdiction. Allows the parent or Indian custodian from whose custody a child has been removed or retained, and the child's tribe, to petition any court with jurisdiction for the return of the child. Prohibits an Indian parent or custodian from waiving any of the provisions of this Act. Sets forth procedures for authorizing continued physical custody, following the emergency removal of a child, and procedures for terminating such custody. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish Indian Child Welfare committees to monitor compliance with this Act. Requires States in which a federally-recognized Indian tribe is located or where there is an Indian population in excess of 10,000 to make compliance with this Act a condition for continued licensure for any private child placement agency, and to audit such agencies to ensure that they are in compliance. Applies provisions of this Act to the aboriginal peoples of Canada. Requires the Secretary to make grants to Indian tribes and organizations for preventive on- and off-reservation programs, in accordance with priorities established by the tribe. (Current law makes this discretionary, and not necessarily consistent with tribal priorities). Requires (currently, authorizes) the Secretary to enter into agreements with the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), and directs the latter to use funds appropriated for similar HHS programs. Authorizes the Congress to appropriate funds to provide Indian child welfare training to Federal, State, and tribal judges, court personnel, social workers, and child welfare workers, including those employed by agencies licensed by a State. Provides for the payment of indirect and administrative costs. Requires that the administrative body of each State court designate an individual to ensure State court compliance with this Act. Sets deadlines for the compilation and forwarding of information to the Secretary and the Indian child's tribe regarding placements. Makes conforming amendments to related Acts.
United States · United States Congress · 17 December 1987
Deplores the Soviet Government's active persecution of religious believers in the Ukraine and its forcible liquidation of the Ukrainian Orthodox and Ukrainian Catholic Churches. Discourages official participation by the U.S. Government in ceremonies of the Millennium of Christianity in Kievan Rus' so long as: (1) individuals are harassed and imprisoned for their religious beliefs and denied access to religious literature and instruction; and (2) the Ukrainian Catholic and Orthodox Churches remain outlawed. Sends greetings to the Ukrainian people on the Millennium. Urges the President, the Secretary of State, the U.S. delegation to the United Nations, and the U.S. delegation to the Vienna Review Meeting of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe to continue to speak out forcefully against violations of religious liberty throughout the Soviet Union and, specifically, in the Ukraine. Calls upon the Soviet Government to release all those imprisoned for their religious beliefs and legalize the Ukrainian Orthodox and Ukrainian Catholic Churches.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 1987
Requires the Architect of the Capitol to acquire the Old City Post Office building in the District of Columbia from the United States Postal Service for use as a Senate and House of Representatives office facility. Establishes the Commission for the Acquisition of the Old City Post Office to direct the Architect of the Capitol in such acquisition. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Architect of the Capitol to report to the Appropriations Committees of the House and the Senate on the status of renovations and repairs to the Old City Post Office building.
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 1987
Delays the imposition of sanctions under the Clean Air Act for eight months (until August 31, 1988). Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to designate nonattainment areas by such date.
United States · United States Congress · 3 December 1987
Provides for the main post office in Denver, Colorado, located at 1823 Stout Street, to transfer its facilities to the property located at 20th and Curtis Streets in Denver. Provides for the property vacated by the post office to be used by the United States courts for the Tenth Circuit. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 1987
Financial Services Oversight Act - Title I: Financial Services Oversight Commission - Establishes the Financial Services Oversight Commission as an independent Federal agency. Sets forth the powers and duties of the Commission, which include: (1) promulgating regulations defining the types of activities in which bank holding companies, financial holding companies, and commercial holding companies may engage; (2) enforcing compliance with such regulations; (3) establishing minimum standards of capital adequacy for financial holding companies and their affiliates; and (4) promulgating regulations to assure that transactions between financial services subsidiaries of holding companies are conducted in a manner consistent with the purposes of this Act. Directs the Commission to establish an advisory committee. States that bank holding companies and financial holding companies may not control any commercial company or engage in any commercial activity. States that commercial holding companies may not control a bank or financial company which holds or offers transaction accounts. Directs the Commission to establish transition rules for the divestiture or other cessation of investments or activities made or engaged in prior to the date of enactment of this Act. Grants the Commission authority to issue rules and regulations to carry out the purposes of this Act. Directs the Commission to monitor the activities of bank, financial, and commercial holding companies to insure compliance with this Act and the rules and regulations promulgated hereunder. Allows the Commission to require reports to insure that the purposes of this Act are accomplished. Directs the Commission to refer violations of laws, rules, or regulations to the agency having primary regulatory responsibility. Describes the enforcement action to be taken by such agency. Title II: Amendments to Banking and Securities Laws - Amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 to terminate (effective January 1, 1998) the grandfather status of nonbank bank holding companies. Permits bank holding companies to own shares in any company which engages in activities which are: (1) closely related to banking (as determined by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve); or (2) described by the Commission as financial services. Requires the Board, when determining whether an activity is a proper incident to banking or managing or controlling banks, to consider whether the activity described would produce benefits to the public. Permits the expedited approval of holding company acquisition applications (with respect to acquiring interest in a nonbanking organization) under emergency situations. Amends the National Housing Act to terminate (effective January 1, 1998) the exemption (which permits certain thrift holding companies to engage in nonbanking activities) afforded to unitary thrift holding companies. Amends the National Housing Act to include within the definition of "depository institution" any organization holding transaction accounts which are subject to specified reserve requirements. Expands the definition of "transaction accounts" to include accounts from which balances can be drawn by the account holder at par within 24 hours without prior notice for payment to third parties (provided such accounts are not insured under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, the National Housing Act, or the Federal Credit Union Act). Allows the Board to require that reserves be maintained with respect to such transaction accounts. Requires each major direct user of large dollar electronic payment systems to maintain a reserve as specified by the Board. Directs the Board to pay interest on such reserves. Amends the Federal Reserve Act and the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to repeal certain provisions which prohibit the payment of interest on demand deposits. Amends the International Banking Act to allow the National Electronic Payments Corporation (established under this Act) to require foreign banks who are major users of such system to establish subsidiaries or affiliates under U.S. law. Makes conforming amendments to the Banking Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Title III: National Electronic Payments Corporation - National Electronic Payments Corporation Act - Establishes the National Electronic Payments Corporation. Sets forth the powers and duties of the Corporation, which include: (1) establishing, operating, and maintaining a national electronic payments system to facilitate large dollar transactions; (2) promulgating and enforcing policies governing standards for the utilization of such system; (3) providing for the development or improvement of telecommunications facilities to operate such system; and (4) prescribing procedures for the operation of such system. Requires the Board of Directors of the Corporation to establish a list of banking and other financial organizations which have transactions of a sufficient magnitude to make their participation as shareholders appropriate. Allows the Board of Directors, in order to encourage membership, to limit access to the payment system to those organizations which are shareholders and which have established adequate reserve balances in Federal Reserve banks. Requires the Board of Directors to establish a schedule of fees for use of the Corporation's facilities. States that the initial schedule and any modification shall be subject to approval by the Board of Governors. Requires the Corporation to submit annual reports to the Congress on its activities during the preceding fiscal year. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 1987
Clean Air Standards Attainment Act of 1987 - Title I: Requirement for Nonattainment Areas - Amends the Clean Air Act to authorize States to submit a revised implementation plan for nonattainment areas unable to attain the national primary ambient air quality standard for photochemical oxidants (ozone) and/or carbon monoxide, requiring compliance no later than the end of 1992. Requires such revised plan to include: (1) a vehicle emission control inspection and maintenance program; (2) gasoline vapor recovery of hydrocarbon emissions in certain ozone nonattainment areas; (3) a schedule for implementing the use of alternative fuels or power sources; (4) emissions reductions through the adoption of reasonably available control technology in ozone nonattainment areas; and (5) compliance with the lowest achievable emission rate by new or modified major stationary sources. Requires States to develop an implementation plan for nonattainment areas where ozone exceeds the national primary ambient air quality standard by more than 50 percent and the extended compliance schedule cannot be met by the implementation of the additional requirements. Requires this implementation plan to require the identification and adoption of specific enforceable strategies and transportation control measures, including: (1) restricted vehicle use in emission concentration areas; (2) high occupancy vehicle limitations; (3) improved public transit; (4) the use of cleaner fuels by fleet vehicles; and (5) other traffic flow and ridesharing measures. Requires such ozone nonattainment areas to achieve a specified percent total emissions reduction annually, including major stationary sources. Permits a State to substitute a percentage that will achieve the national primary ambient air quality standard within ten years. Requires per ton fees and excess emissions penalties. Requires monies collected to be used to fund air pollution control programs under this Act. Requires compliance reports at least every three years. Requires offsetting emission reductions in such area to be at least twice as great as the amount of allowable emissions from proposed sources. Requires that the use of technology or emission reduction methods in nonattainment areas should reflect the highest ten percent achieved for the same class or category of source when meeting the lowest achievable emission rate for new or modified sources. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to publish and revise control technique guidelines for specified categories of sources, including wood furniture coating and hazardous waste facilities. Establishes ozone transport regions and commissions within each region to facilitate the attainment of the national air quality standard for ozone in nonattainment areas affected by emissions in other areas. Requires such commissions to identify controllable sources and other measures to attain the ozone air quality standard. Prohibits the construction or modification of a major stationary source or the award of certain Department of Transportation grants in any nonattainment area which remains a nonattainment area or which is not in compliance with plan implementation requirements. Prohibits the introduction of any pollutant into a publicly owned sewage treatment works with a Clean Water Act permit by a source not utilizing such treatment works prior to a plan implementation violation in a nonattainment area, except when the applicable implementation plan provides for an offset. Permits ozone nonattainment areas to delay compliance with the primary national ambient air quality standard for up to three years if all good faith efforts to attain such standard have been made. Authorizes the Administrator to make grants to facilitate the implementation of revised standards and plans. Requires activities under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act performed on the Outer Continental Shelf to comply with the requirements of the Clean Air Act as they would apply to the adjacent State. Authorizes States to control emissions from vessels within their jurisdiction. Title II: Acid Deposition Control - Amends the Clean Air Act to require each State to adopt Administrator-approved enforceable measures to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions in three stages between 1993 and 2000, and to reduce oxides of nitrogen emissions by 1996. Requires covered stationary sources in each State to certify the means of compliance and to be in compliance by specified dates. Prohibits emission increases from newer sources without a corresponding net reduction not otherwise required. Authorizes States with actual utility emissions at specified levels to substitute other standards and enforceable measures. Requires States to submit to the Administrator electric load forecasts and emission reduction contingency plans. Sets emissions limitations for States without enforceable measures. Sets forth methods which may be used, including: (1) energy conservation as the first priority; (2) least emissions dispatch; (3) source retirement; (4) trading of reduction requirements within State; and (5) precombustion cleaning of fuels. Prohibits interstate trading of emissions reductions except in areas served by a utility service territory in more than one State. Directs the Secretary of Energy, acting jointly with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, to carry out a program of construction and operation of facilities to develop experience in the commercial deployment of clean coal technologies which significantly reduce air emissions of sulfur dioxide or oxides of nitrogen from the generation of electricity or industrial process steam. Includes within such program the solicitation, selection, supervision, monitoring, and dissemination of information about results of proposed projects to deploy such technologies. Requires project selection to be based on applicability to existing coal-fired sources of emission, reductions achievable, and cost-effectiveness, including the ability to use feedstock coal mined in the United States. Prohibits the application of reductions achieved through this program to reductions required under a State implementation plan. Limits Federal funds to 50 percent of costs over a two-year period. Directs the Secretary and the Administrator to establish a Clean Coal Technologies Advisory Committee to select projects. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 through 1992. Requires primary nonferrous smelters to be in compliance with applicable emission standards by 1988. Directs the President to negotiate with Canada and Mexico to establish cooperative efforts in controlling transboundary air pollution, including uniform standards of performing to control air pollutant emissions. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to study and report to the appropriate congressional committees on a system of tariffs on emissions to encourage reductions. Directs the National Academy of Sciences to evaluate and report to the Congress on research priorities for sources and the long-range transport of air emissions. Directs the Administrator to report to the appropriate congressional committees on the feasibility and effectiveness of acid deposition standards to protect sensitive and critically sensitive aquatic and terrestrial resources, including an identification of such resources and impediments to implementing such a control program. Title III: Mobile Source and Other Federal Controls - Sets emission standards for light-duty vehicles and engines: (1) for hydrocarbons after model year 1992; (2) for oxides of nitrogen after model year 1990; and (3) for particulates after model year 1989. Sets emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles and engines for oxides of nitrogen during and after model year 1991 and model year 1995. Sets standards for particulates from heavy-duty diesel vehicles and engines for model years 1991 and 1994. Sets emission standards for light-duty trucks and engines during and after model year 1990 for oxides of nitrogen, hydrocarbons, particulates, and carbon monoxide. Requires motorcycles and motorcycle engines to comply with the standards for light-duty vehicles during and after model year 1992. Requires onboard hydrocarbon control technology for light-duty vehicles during and after model year 1991. Requires the Administrator to regulate formaldehyde emissions. Directs the Administrator to prohibit the manufacture and sale of engines requiring leaded gas. Requires additional regulation of carbon monoxide emissions. Doubles the useful life of light-duty vehicles and engines for purposes of standards established by this Act. Requires each of a manufacturer's vehicles and engines, not the average, to meet each of the emission standards of this Act. Directs the Administrator to add an idle test mode to the Federal Test Procedure for light-duty vehicles. Requires certificates of conformity to be suspended or revoked if fewer than 90 percent of new vehicles or engines tested in a sampling period conform with applicable regulations. Requires the Administrator to use State information when making determinations of nonconformity. Requires the Administrator to establish a testing center for high altitude conditions. Prohibits the sale of devices designed to be installed in a motor vehicle to defeat pollution control and other devices required by this Act. Sets forth procedures for determining civil penalties. Requires States with vehicle inspection and maintenance programs to adopt quality control audits. Requires new vehicles to be labeled with pollution control warranty costs. Sets standards for sulfur content in diesel fuel after July 1, 1990. Sets standards for Reid vapor pressure of gasoline sold during warm weather months following April 1, 1990. Requires the sale of oxygenated fuels in nonattainment areas. Directs the Administrator to report to the appropriate congressional committees on the use of such fuels. Sets forth procedures for determining civil penalties. Prohibits the use of fuels or additives in a motor vehicle not designed for such fuels or additives. Requires the Administrator to establish emission limitations, or standards of performance, composition, or application for hydrocarbon emissions associated with specified categories of sources, including solvents, coatings, and pesticide application. Increases criminal penalties for the knowing violation of certain provisions of this Act, including provisions relating to applicable implementation plans, and for the making of false statements. Directs the Administrator to promulgate performance standards for emission of specified air pollutants, including particulate matter, oxides of sulfur, and lead, from new or modified municipal waste incineration units. Requires such standards to reflect the best level of emission limitation achieved in practice by similar units under optimal conditions. Makes available specified technologies, including dry and wet scrubbing, fabric filtration, and source reduction and source separation. Establishes specific, minimum requirements for degree of thermal destruction of combustibles, reductions of emissions of certain pollutants, and outlet gas concentrations of certain pollutants. Requires jurisdictions served by a municipal incineration unit to have an enforceable solid waste management plan before a State program may issue a permit for a new or modified unit. Requires such plan to reflect the operation of the new or modified unit. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations requiring existing units to meet the emissions standards promulgated under this Act according to a timetable which requires compliance within six years. Requires the shutdown of units which fail to meet certain outlet gas concentration limitations by specified dates. Requires owners or operators of municipal waste incineration units to monitor emissions at the point such emissions move into the ambient air and at other points as necessary to protect human health and the environment. Requires such owners or operators to pay for a program to detect impacts of the unit on humans or the environment, including the testing for and reporting of significant levels of contaminants. Requires such owners or operators to comply with certain reporting requirements under Superfund. Sets monitoring standards, including continuous and periodic monitoring. Requires unit permits to be reviewed every five years after their issuance for compliance with emissions and other requirements of this Act. Permits States to submit for Administrator approval a State program of enforcement, treating the State as an enforcing entity under this Act. Authorizes the Administrator to withdraw such authority if the State is not adequately enforcing these requirements. Directs the Administrator to establish a model State program for the training and certification of municipal waste incinerator personnel. Requires operating personnel to pass such training or be certified by an authorized State program. Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to direct the Administrator to develop and promulgate criteria and testing procedures for managing municipal incinerator bottom and fly ash controlled by flue gas emissions control equipment which presents a substantial hazard to human health or the environment. Requires the installation of liners, a leachate collection system, and groundwater monitoring. Requires such criteria and procedures to determine leaching, total chemical analysis, respirability, and toxicity. Requires owners or operators of each such unit to separately test the bottom and fly ash, if possible. Authorizes corrective action for releases of hazardous constituents from such facilities, including post-closure monitoring. Title IV: Ambient Air Quality Standards - Amends the Clean Air Act to require the Administrator to periodically review and revise criteria and standards for each pollutant to reflect the latest available research. Directs the Administrator to report annually to the appropriate congressional committees on such review process. Directs the Administrator to promulgate additional national primary ambient air quality standards for ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, fine particles, and acid aerosols based upon concentrations over different time periods and different conditions. Authorizes a substitution of standards for particulate matter. Requires the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee to advise the Administrator on high-altitude concentrations of carbon monoxide. Title V: Hazardous Air Pollutants - Requires the Administrator to promulgate, review, and revise emission standards for listed categories of pollutants every three years. Provides for the addition and deletion of substances to and from such list. Directs the Administrator to list categories of sources emitting listed toxic pollutants. Requires emission standards for such pollutants from such sources to be at least equivalent to the most stringent levels achieved in practice. Directs the Administrator to promulgate leak detection and correction requirements to protect human health and the environment which may require annual audits and safety inspections. Sets forth a schedule for promulgating such emission standards based upon quantities and toxicity. Requires the Administrator to list and report to the Congress on categories of area sources of air pollutants subject to control under these requirements to require reductions of emissions according to a prescribed schedule. Revises the national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants. Expands the scope of hazardous air pollutants to include air pollutants which may have adverse environmental as well as human health effects. Requires the Administrator's list of such pollutants to include categories of the source emitting such pollutants. Directs the Administrator to develop criteria to assess air pollutants or classes of pollutants for addition to such list. Requires that decisions to list or not to list a pollutant be subject to public comment. Requires a final determination within five years of an initial determination that insufficient information exists to judge a pollutant as hazardous or nonhazardous. States that the emitters of such pollutant may be required to finance the research to determine its status. Requires such standards to protect human health with an ample safety margin unless a more stringent standard is required to protect the environment. Prohibits consideration of cost and technological feasibility when setting such standards. Permits more stringent interim standards for suspected carcinogens. Grants existing sources up to three years to meet applicable standards (current law allows 90 days). Permits an exemption for up to eight years for a source emitting a pollutant for which there is no health effects threshold where the owners or operators would experience extraordinary economic hardship. Requires such sources to comply with an alternative emission limitation resulting from the application of the best available technology. Imposes emissions standards and other requirements for stationary sources through permits. Authorizes each State to develop and submit to the Administrator for approval programs for control of emissions of toxic and hazardous air pollutants from stationary sources or for the prevention and mitigation of releases of extremely hazardous air pollutants from facilities in such State. Authorizes States to assume the Administrator's authorities to control such pollutants, either in whole or in part. Directs the Administrator to publish guidance for such programs within one year. Includes procedures and standards for emissions control as well as registration of all facilities handling any listed extremely hazardous air pollutant. Directs the Administrator to establish an air toxics clearinghouse to provide information and assistance to States. Authorizes the Administrator to make grants to States to assist in program development. Offers States an opportunity to modify unapproved programs. Requires the Administrator to withdraw approval of any State program which is not administering or enforcing its program. Requires the Administrator to list extremely hazardous substances which may cause acute or chronic adverse human health effects as a result of non-sudden or episodic events. Requires owners or operators of facilities or devices where such releases might take place to carry out hazardous assessments. Establishes within EPA the Chemical Safety and Hazards Investigation Board, an independent safety board to investigate and report on chemical accidents, evaluate hazard assessment techniques, and make recommendations to the Administrator on the safety of chemical production, handling, and storage. Requires the Administrator to explain any refusal to implement such a recommendation. Authorizes the Board to hold hearings, secure data and written reports from any person handling chemicals, and conduct inspections where extremely hazardous substances are produced, handled, or stored. Grants the Board an independent budget. Requires that Board-collected information, other than trade secrets, be made available to the public. Requires the Board to report annually to the President and the Congress on accidents, recommendations, and priorities for research and investigations. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 through 1992. Authorizes the Administrator to promulgate release prevention, detection, and correction requirements for extemely hazardous air pollutant facilities. Includes monitoring, recordkeeping, and other design, equipment, and operational practices. Authorizes the Administrator to secure injunctive or other relief when an extremely hazardous air pollutant from a facility poses an imminent and substantial endangerment to the public health or welfare or the environment. Establishes per day civil penalties for violations of such orders. Directs the Administrator to publish guidance for the coordination of such authority with the relevant authorities under other Federal environmental laws. Authorizes the Administrator to require owners or operators of facilities emitting hazardous or toxic air pollutants or producing or handling extremely hazardous listed air pollutants to monitor emissions from the source and in the vicinity, maintaining records of the results. Directs the Administrator to assess and report to the Congress on hazards associated with emissions of hydrogen sulfide, benzene, and aromatic hydrocarbons.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 1987
Recommends that a one-year across the board freeze of all Federal spending and existing Federal tax rates be adopted at the earliest possible date to help restore national and international confidence in the U.S. economy. Urges that such freeze encompass: (1) all appropriated accounts for defense and nondefense discretionary spending with spending maintained at FY 1987 budget authority levels; (2) inflation adjustments for all Federal entitlement beneficiaries limited to two percent, except for supplemental security income; and (3) existing Federal tax rates for individuals and corporations. Provides for the automatic implementation of inflation adjustments and tax rate reductions immediately following the one-year freeze. Urges that such a one-year freeze be considered as the minimum acceptable step toward deficit reduction and that asset sales, improved tax compliance, and other deficit reduction measures be seriously considered.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 1987
Expresses the sincere condolences of the Senate to the injured victims of the aircraft crash at the Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado, and to the families and friends of those who died.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1987
Act for Better Child Care Services of 1987 - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 and such sums as necessary for FY 1989 through 1992 to carry out the purposes of this Act. Specifies the manner of making allotments for child care services. Requires the designation of a lead agency in each State which participates in the programs under this Act. Requires States to submit, in order to qualify for assistance under this Act, an application and plan to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Requires each plan to cover a five-year period and to meet specified requirements for providers of child care services. Authorizes the use of State allotments: (1) by contracts with or grants to eligible child care providers, or public or private nonprofit agencies, to enable such providers or agencies to operate programs directly or by subcontract; or (2) by distributing child care certificates that parents may use as payment for child care services. Requires that a percentage of funds be reserved to enable part-day programs to extend existing hours of operation and provide full-day child care services. Authorizes the Secretary to make planning grants to States which desire to participate under this Act but cannot fully satisfy the requirements of a State plan without financial assistance. Provides for a review of the operation of a State plan during the five-year period to determine the State's continued eligibility for funds. Requires the Governor of each participating State to establish: (1) a State interagency advisory committee on child care to assist the lead agency in carrying out its responsibilities; and (2) a State committee on licensing to review the licensing requirements, the law, and the policies regulating child care services and programs within State. Requires each participating State to recognize private nonprofit community-based organizations, or public organizations, as resources and referral agencies for particular geographic areas. Requires each participating State to require that all employed or self-employed persons providing licensed or regulated child care complete at least 15 hours per year of inservice, continuing education, or other training as described in this Act. Directs the Secretary to establish within the Department of Health and Human Services an Administrator of Child Care to carry out the provisions of this Act. Establishes enforcement provisions for review of State plans and monitoring of State compliance. Declares the Federal share of child care programs to be 80 percent and requires the State to demonstrate that the remaining 20 percent will be provided from other sources. Requires the Secretary to establish a National Advisory Committee on Child Care Standards to: (1) review Federal policies on child care services and such other data as appropriate; (2) submit to the Secretary proposed minimum standards for child care programs; and (3) develop and make available to lead agencies model regulations for resources and referral agencies. Terminates the committee 90 days after the date of publication of final minimum child care standards. Prohibits the use of funds under this Act for: (1) sectarian purposes or activities; (2) capital improvements to sectarian institutions; and (3) tuition.
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