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Bill· HRH.R. 3224 (103rd)open
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 1993
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to replace the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (System). Repeals the Helium Act. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) sell related property and helium reserves; and (2) transfer the proceeds to the Secretary of Agriculture to pay for replacement of the System.
Bill· HRH.R. 3233 (103rd)open
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 1993
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to take measures, including salvage harvesting of damaged timber stands, to control the southern pine beetle in specified Texas wilderness areas.
Bill· SS. 1520 (103rd)referred
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 1993
Ozark Heritage Conservation Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to establish a center for the conservation and interpretation of Ozark culture within the State of Missouri. Authorizes the Secretary, acting through the Director of the National Park Service, to construct a visitor center for the Ozark National Scenic Riverways on lands under the administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary of Agriculture at the site of the U.S. Forest Service Van Buren District Ranger Station within the Mark Twain National Forest. Requires the center to provide interpretive services for the Ozark National Scenic Riverways and the Mark Twain National Forest and to function as a regional cultural center for the study of Ozark folklife, history, and culture. Authorizes appropriations.
Law· SS. 1508 (103rd)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 1993
Amends the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to redefine "rural community" for purposes of assistance programs for forest-dependent rural communities.
Bill· HRH.R. 3172 (103rd)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 1993
Amends the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to redefine "rural community" for purposes of assistance programs for forest-dependent rural communities.
Bill· HRH.R. 3171 (103rd)open
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Farm and International Trade Services Title II: Rural Economic and Community Development Title III: Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Title IV: Natural Resources and Environment Title V: Marketing and Inspection Services Title VI: Research, Economics and Education Title VII: Ancillary Provisions Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1993 - Transfers to the Secretary of Agriculture all functions of the Department of Agriculture not already vested in the Secretary, with specified exceptions. Authorizes the Secretary to establish and utilize a National Appeals Division. Title I: Farm and International Trade Services - Establishes the position of Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and International Trade Services. Abolishes the position of Under Secretary of Agriculture for International Affairs and Commodity Programs. Authorizes the Secretary to establish: (1) the Farm Service Agency; and (2) the International Trade Service. Makes conforming amendments. Abolishes the Foreign Agricultural Service. Title II: Rural Economic and Community Development - Amends the Rural Development Policy Act of 1980 to establish the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Economic and Community Development. Abolishes the position of Under Secretary for Small Community and Rural Development. Establishes within the Department of Agriculture: (1) the Rural Utilities Services; (2) the Rural Community Development Service; and (3) the Rural Business and Cooperative Development Service. Abolishes the Rural Electrification Administration. Makes conforming amendments. Title III: Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services - Establishes within the Department of Agriculture: (1) the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services; (2) the Food and Consumer Service; and (3) the Nutrition and Education Service. Title IV: Natural Resources and Environment - Authorizes the Secretary to establish the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Abolishes the Soil Conservation Service. Title V: Marketing and Inspection Services - Authorizes the Secretary to establish the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration. Abolishes the Federal Grain Inspection Service. Title VI: Research, Economics and Education - Authorizes the Secretary to establish: (1) the Agricultural Research and Education Service; (2) the Agricultural Economic Service; and (3) the National Agricultural Statistics Service. Title VII: Ancillary Provisions - Establishes six Assistant Secretaries of Agriculture. Makes conforming amendments.
Bill· HRH.R. 3154 (103rd)open
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1993
Amends the United States Grain Standards Act to require that all grain imported into the United States be accompanied by a valid certification of grade and level of vomitoxin. Authorizes, upon request and on a fee basis, the weighing and inspection of uninspected grain.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 260 (103rd)passed
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1993
Sets forth the rule for the consideration of Senate amendments to House amendments to Senate amendments of H.R. 2493 (agricultural appropriations).
Law· HJRESH.J.Res. 267 (103rd)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 1993
Makes continuing appropriations for FY 1994 for projects or activities, including the costs of direct loans and loan guarantees, provided for in the following Acts: (1) the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1994; (2) the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1994; (3) the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 1994; (4) the District of Columbia Appropriations Act, 1994; (5) the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 1994; (6) the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1994; (7) the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1994; (8) the Military Construction Appropriations Act, 1994; (9) the Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1994; (10) the Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government Appropriations Act, 1994; and (11) the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1994. Sets forth limitations on the use of such funds. Requires the following functions to be maintained at the current rate of operations: (1) the Council on Environmental Quality and Office of Environmental Quality activities; and (2) activities funded by the Selective Service System salaries and expenses account.
Law· SS. 1490 (103rd)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 1993
United States Grain Standards Act Amendments of 1993 - Amends the United States Grain Standards Act and the United States Grain Standards Act Amendments of 1988 to extend: (1) Federal Grain Inspection Service authority to collect fees for administrative and supervisory costs; and (2) authorization of appropriations for grain inspection services. Authorizes inspection and weighing activities in Canadian ports. Authorizes a pilot program to permit more than one official agency to carry out inspections within a single geographical area. Prohibits, with specified exceptions, the addition of water to grain.
Bill· SJRESS.J.Res. 137 (103rd)referred
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 1993
Designates October 16, 1993, and October 16, 1994, as World Food Day.
Law· HRH.R. 3123 (103rd)open
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 1993
Rural Electrification Loan Restructuring Act of 1993 - Amends the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to prescribe guidelines under which the Rural Electrification Administrator (the Administrator) shall make insured electric and telephone loans (including hardship, municipal rate, and cost of money loans). Repeals authority for the current two-percent interest hardship loan, setting such rate at five percent. Repeals authority for the current five-percent interest direct electric and telephone loan program. Caps both electric and telephone interest rates at seven percent, depending on specified circumstances. Directs the Administrator to approve State telecommunications modernization plans if they meet specified requirements. Prescribes guidelines for loans made by the Governor of a telephone bank in the rural telephone bank loan program. Authorizes appropriations for: (1) electric hardship loans; (2) electric municipal rate loans; (3) telephone hardship loans; and (4) telephone cost-of-money loans. Amends the parameters of the rural telephone bank loan program. Prohibits the Administrator and the Governor of the telephone bank from imposing any charges not expressly provided for in this Act in connection with any loan or guarantee made under this Act. Specifies circumstances under which the Administrator may use consultants funded by the borrower. Redefines the size of a statutorily defined rural area. Prescribes guidelines for: (1) distribution borrower eligibility for loans, loan guarantees, and lien accommodations; and (2) administrative prohibitions applicable to electric borrowers. Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to make loans for water and waste disposal facilities serving certain rural residents to any borrower to whom a loan has been made under the Rural Electrification Act of 1936. States that a borrower of a loan or loan guarantee under the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 is eligible for assistance under all programs administered by the Rural Development Administration.
Bill· SS. 1478 (103rd)open
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Data Collection and Procedures to Ensure that Tolerances Safeguard the Health of Infants and Children Title II: Cancellation and Suspension Title III: Amendments to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act Food Quality Protection Act of 1993 - Title I: Data Collection and Procedures to Ensure that Tolerances Safeguard the Health of Infants and Children - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Secretaries of Agriculture and Health and Human Services to establish procedures to ensure that pesticide tolerances adequately safeguard the health of infants and children based on the recommendations of a specified report prepared by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences. (Sec. 102) Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to collect pesticide use data of statewide or regional significance for all the major crops and crops of dietary significance. (Sec. 103) Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to mandate research, development, and dissemination of integrated pest management techniques and other pest control methods that enable producers to reduce or eliminate application of pesticides which pose a greater than negligible dietary risk to humans. Title II: Cancellation and Suspension - Amends FIFRA provisions relating to cancellations, changes in classifications, or other terms of registration with respect to the authority of the Administrator. Requires that a rulemaking under such provisions be based on a validated test or other significant evidence raising prudent concerns of unreasonable adverse effects to the environment. Denies registration applications that are not in compliance with this Act. Title III: Amendments to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) to define, subject to exception, "pesticide chemical" as it is defined in FIFRA. (Sec. 304) Deems a food adulterated if it bears or contains: (1) a pesticide chemical residue that is unsafe; or (2) a new animal drug or conversion product that is unsafe. (Sec. 305) Sets forth requirements relating to tolerances and exemptions from tolerances for pesticide chemical residues in food, including residues of degradation products. Prohibits establishment of a tolerance higher than a level the Administrator determines is adequate to protect the public health. Allows a greater than negligible dietary risk if: (1) use protects from greater adverse health effects to humans or the environment; (2) use avoids greater risks from another pesticide; or (3) the unavailability of the pesticide would reduce the availability of an adequate, wholesome, and economical domestic supply of the food, and the adverse effects from the reduction would outweigh the risk posed by the residue. Allows the Administrator to issue an exemption from the requirement for a tolerance only if a tolerance is not needed to protect the public health, in view of the levels of dietary exposure that could reasonably be expected to occur. Prohibits a final rule that revokes, modifies, or suspends a tolerance or exemption until the Administrator has taken any necessary action under FIFRA with respect to the registration of the pesticide involved. Requires the Administrator, if the Administrator takes certain actions with respect to the registration of a pesticide, to revoke any tolerance or exemption that allows the presence of the chemical or chemical residue. Requires the suspension of any tolerance or exemption upon the suspension of the use of an associated registered pesticide. Provides for: (1) tolerances for unavoidable residues in the case of a residue of a canceled or suspended pesticide chemical that will unavoidably persist in the environment and be present in or on a food; and (2) residues resulting from an application which was lawful at the time of application. Prohibits, subject to exception, a State from enforcing any limit on a qualifying pesticide chemical residue in or on any food which is not identical to Federal requirements. Prohibits a State from enforcing a residue limit which was lawful at the time of application. (Sec. 306) Authorizes appropriations for increased monitoring of pesticide residues in imported and domestic food.
Bill· SS. 1459 (103rd)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Beach Testing and Monitoring Title II: Coastal Protection Title III: Pollution from Ships Coastal Waters Improvement Act of 1993 - Title I: Beach Testing and Monitoring - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue water quality criteria for pathogens in coastal recreation waters. Requires States to adopt consistent water quality standards. (Sec. 103) Requires the Administrator to publish regulations specifying methods to be used by States to monitor coastal recreation waters, during periods of use by the public, for compliance with standards. Requires notification of local governments and the public of water quality standards violations. Requires the Administrator to: (1) issue guidance on uniform assessment and monitoring procedures for floatable materials in coastal recreation waters; and (2) specify the conditions under which the presence of floatable materials constitutes a threat to public health and safety. (Sec. 104) Requires an ongoing study and report to the Congress on developing better indicators for detecting harmful bacteria and viruses in coastal recreation waters. (Sec. 105) Authorizes the Administrator to make grants to States to fulfill requirements under this Act. (Sec. 107) Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Coastal Protection - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to direct the EPA Administrator to: (1) submit a coastal environment toxics release strategy to the Congress; and (2) prepare an annual assessment of the extent and environmental effect of certain industrial discharges into marine waters. (Sec. 204) Extends the authorization of appropriations for the National Estuary Program. (Sec. 205) Directs the Administrator to list each marine water that does not support the protection and propagation of a balanced, indigenous population of fish and wildlife and allow for recreational activities in and on the water. Requires the Administrator, with respect to such waters, to: (1) implement certain ocean discharge criteria requirements when issuing a permit for point source discharges; (2) consider prohibiting the use of such waters as disposal sites or restricting their use; (3) prohibit the discharge of sewage from vessels; (4) implement a management program for the watershed areas; and (5) enforce programs for the pretreatment of industrial waste discharges. Requires States to adopt standards for any pollutant for which the Administrator has established criteria if the pollutant is likely to be present in such waters. (Sec. 206) Directs the Administrator to establish a national program to provide information and technical assistance to owners of marine land. (Sec. 207) Makes it unlawful to discharge sewage: (1) into waters designated under this Act; and (2) that has not been treated by a marine sanitation device. Requires the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to provide for a public use pumpout station for marine sanitation devices at each Coast Guard installation. Waives such requirement under certain circumstances. (Sec. 208) Directs the Administrator to submit a five-year plan for the development, review, and revision of criteria for pollutants found in marine waters to the Congress. Requires each State that borders on marine waters to establish marine and numerical water quality standards. (Sec. 209) Conditions the issuance of permits for discharges into the territorial sea, the waters of the contiguous zone, the oceans, or waters designated under this Act on the protection of fish and wildlife and recreational activity and the attainment of marine water quality standards. (Sec. 210) Authorizes the Secretary of the Army to provide financial assistance to local governments for the construction of facilities for the control of overflows from combined storm and sanitary sewers to marine waters. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 212) Requires the Administrator to report to the Congress on Federal activities that may result in degradation of marine waters. Directs Federal agencies to minimize degradation and to consider alternative actions to avoid adverse effects on marine waters. Title III: Pollution From Ships - Amends the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships to authorize the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to issue a certificate attesting to the adequancy of garbage reception facilities at a port or terminal only if an onsite inspection has been conducted prior to the issuance of a certificate. Makes such certificates valid for a period of five years unless there is a change of operator. (Sec. 302) Directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations that require the operators of ports or terminals subject to MARPOL Protocol (the Protocol of 1978 relating to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships, 1973) requirements relating to reception facilities to post placards stating that users should report facility inadequacies to the Secretary. Requires all vessels to display placards and conduct briefings that notify the crew and passengers of requirements of Annex V of the Convention. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to refuse or revoke certain clearances or permits to proceed or depart of foreign vessels in violation of MARPOL requirements. Provides for a toll-free telephone number for reporting MARPOL violations. (Sec. 303) Amends the Marine Plastic Pollution Research and Control Act of 1987 to prohibit ports or terminals from charging a vessel a separate fee for the disposal of waste that is not regulated by the Secretary of Agriculture in carrying out the functions of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Expresses the sense of the Congress that certain shipper insurance policies should not provide for the payment of penalties under the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships. Requires persons in charge of vessels to include information on the disposal of onboard waste in the notice of arrival to the port. Directs the EPA Administrator to establish a Marine Debris Coordinating Committee.
Bill· HRH.R. 3083 (103rd)open
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 1993
Opal Creek Forest Preserve Act of 1993 - Establishes the Opal Creek Forest Preserve, consisting of specified Federal lands in the Detroit Ranger District of the Willamette National Forest, Oregon. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to develop a cooperative management plan for the Preserve to address suitable research, recreational, and educational uses for each drainage and subdrainage within the Preserve, consistent with specified standards (for timber harvesting, nonmotorized recreation, road construction, special use permits, and roads, structures, and utilities) and guidelines (for research, education, and preservation of historic assets). Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) withdrawal of lands from disposition under the public land, mining, and mineral leasing laws and from operation of the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970; and (2) management of private inholdings. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct an inventory of non-Federal lands and interests in the Preserve and acquire those that would be suitable for inclusion in it. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) the addition of lands within the Bornite Project Area to the Preserve; and (2) the use of access roads to inholdings within the Preserve.
Bill· SS. 1453 (103rd)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 1993
Flood-Affected States Food Stamp Program Assistance Act of 1993 - Provides during a two-year period for full Federal payment of the State share of costs attributed to new households participating in the food stamp program (program) in States affected by the 1993 Midwest floods. Excludes any related financial assistance received by such households from program income determinations. Provides with respect to programs in such States for: (1) full Federal funding of employment and training activities; (2) extension of certain reporting deadlines; and (3) suspension of certain quality control requirements.
Bill· HRH.R. 3071 (103rd)open
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 1993
Lime Research, Promotion, and Consumer Information Act Amendments of 1993 - Amends the Lime Research, Promotion, and Consumer Information Act of 1990 to: (1) redefine lime; (2) revise Lime Board representation; and (3) change the initial referendum deadline.
Law· SS. 1406 (103rd)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 1993
Plant Variety Protection Act Amendments of 1993 - Amends the Plant Variety Protection Act to revise definitions and establish rules of construction concerning: (1) the sale and disposition of harvesting material, varieties, and hybrid seeds; (2) the filing of applications for the protection or entering of a variety in an official register; and (3) the basis of determining the distinctness of a variety or whether a variety is publicly known. Entitles breeders of sexually reproduced plant varieties (other than fungi or bacteria) (currently, other than fungi, bacteria, or first generation hybrids) who have reproduced a variety to plant variety protection if the variety is new, distinct, uniform, and stable. Provides that if two or more applicants for plant variety protection submit applications on the same filing date for indistinguishable varieties that fulfill the conditions for protection established by this Act, the applicant who first complies with this Act's requirements shall be entitled to protection to the exclusion of any other applicant. Issues a single protection certificate jointly to two or more applicants who comply with requirements on the same date for varieties that are indistinguishable. Lengthens the term of plant variety protection from 18 to 20 years from the date of issuance of the protection certificate (25 years for trees or vines). Adds the following activities to the list of actions which constitute infringement of an owner's right to plant variety protection if performed without an owner's authorization: (1) conditioning the variety for purposes of propagation; and (2) stocking the variety for any existing purpose which constitutes infringement. Permits owners to authorize the use of a variety subject to their own limitations. Provides that it shall not be an infringement of an owner's rights to perform any act: (1) concerning propagating material of a protected variety that has been marketed in the United States unless the act involves further propagation of the variety or involves an export into a country that does not protect such varieties of the plant genus or species (unless the export is for final consumption); or (2) done privately and for noncommercial purposes. Removes a provision that declares that it is not an infringement for a person whose primary farming occupation is the growing of crops for sale other than reproductive purposes to sell saved seed for reproductive purposes.
Bill· SS. 1424 (103rd)open
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 1993
National Police Pursuit Policy Act of 1993 - Prohibits the Secretary of Transportation from approving any State highway safety program which does not have in effect throughout the State: (1) a law that makes it unlawful for the driver of a motor vehicle to increase speed or take other evasive action if a law enforcement officer signals the driver to stop the vehicle, and that provides a minimum penalty of three months imprisonment and seizure of the driver's vehicle for any driver who commits such an unlawful act; and (2) a requirement that each public agency in the State which employs law enforcement officers (officers) who in the course of employment may conduct a motor vehicle pursuit shall have in effect a policy (meeting requirements set by the Secretary) concerning the manner and circumstances in which such a pursuit should be conducted, shall train all such officers in accordance with such policy, and shall transmit to the State in such fiscal year a report containing information on each such pursuit. Directs the Attorney General, the Secretaries of Agriculture, the Interior, and the Treasury, the Chief of the Capitol Police, and the Administrator of General Services to report to the Congress concerning: (1) the policy of the respective department or agency on motor vehicle pursuits by officers of the department or agency; and (2) a description of procedures being used to train their officers in implementing such policy.
Bill· SS. 1425 (103rd)referred
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 1993
USDA National Appeals Division Act of 1993 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) to establish and maintain a National Appeals Division within the Office of the Secretary to hear appeals of adverse decisions made by certain agencies within the Department of Agriculture. Requires the Secretary to develop a subject-matter index of all significant final determinations and make such index available to the public. Sets forth administrative appeal and transfer provisions. Authorizes appropriations.
Bill· SS. 1397 (103rd)referred
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 1993
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain lands in Austin, Nevada, to the Austin Historic Mining District Historical Society for use as a museum or other public purpose.
Law· HRH.R. 2942 (103rd)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 1993
Mount Pleasant National Scenic Area Act - Establishes in the George Washington National Forest, Virginia, the Mount Pleasant National Scenic Area. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) administration of the Area; (2) roads; (3) vegetation management; (4) motorized travel; (5) fire; (6) insects and disease; and (7) water. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to develop a management plan for the Area.
Bill· HRH.R. 2937 (103rd)open
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 1993
Occupational Safety and Health Reform Act - Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA) to include coverage of Federal, State, and local public employees. Exempts public agencies which primarily rely upon volunteers to operate or provide services to the public. (Sec. 2) Directs the Secretary of Labor to study and report on the potential costs of extending OSHA to public agencies, with a separate estimate for extending OSHA to public agencies which primarily rely upon volunteers. Sets forth separate requirements for OSHA coverage of the House of Representatives and instrumentalities of the Congress. (Sec. 3) Requires the following criteria in development of OSHA standards: (1) significant risk; (2) feasibility; (3) reasonable cost-benefit relationship; (4) cost-effective and minimal job loss; and (5) where practicable, expressed in objective criteria and desired performance. Revises standard priorities based on toxicity and numbers exposed. Revises rulemaking procedures. Requires a regulatory flexibility analysis for each standard promulgated. (Sec. 4) Requires an annual report on the number and nature of complaints to which the Secretary does not respond under OSHA because Federal or State agency has jurisdiction, with recommendations on achieving coordination. Provides that employee safety and health participation committees are not prohibited under the National Labor Relations Act or the Railway Labor Act. Provides a nondisclosure privilege for voluntary safety and health audits and reviews. (Sec. 5) Prohibits citation for violation of a standard for which the employer has a variance pending for at least 90 days. (Sec. 6) Revises inspection provisions. Requires inspections to be conducted by at least one individual trained in and knowledgeable of the industry or the types of hazards. Provides for fire hazard inspection training and referral. Prohibits routine inspections of employers of ten or fewer employees if such employers are: (1) farming operations which do not maintain a temporary labor camp; or (2) in a category of employers having an occupational injury or a lost day rate which is less than the national average. Grants the Secretary discretion in determining which employer complaints must receive formal inspection responses. (Sec. 7) Directs the Secretary to establish a voluntary compliance program granting partial exemption from OSHA general inspections for employers who either retain certain consultation or certification programs or have an exemplary safety record and a safety and health program meeting specified criteria. (Sec. 8) Adds employer defenses of employee misconduct or alternative safer methods. (Sec. 9) Extends the period for employer contests of citations by the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Requires deference to be given the Commission's reasonable conclusions with respect to questions of law. (Sec. 10) Revises procedures for discrimination protection for whistle-blowers under OSHA, including extending the time for filing complaints, and providing for reviews, appeals, and mediation. (Sec. 11) Revises enforcement, including special conditions and practices, a mandatory special emphasis program, investigations of deaths and serious incidents, and enforcement against State and local governments. (Sec. 12) Revises penalties in general, and with respect to special assessments, citations, knowing violations, and victim's rights. (Sec. 13) Requires States to make their applicable labeling, content, and hazard information requirements identical to OSHA standards. Authorizes waivers to State safety and health programs. (Sec. 14) Repeals authority for the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), thus abolishing it. Transfers to the Secretary of Labor functions and authorities of NIOSH and of the Secretary of Health and Human Services under OSHA. (Sec. 15) Authorizes employers to establish alcohol and substance abuse testing programs where there is a reasonable probability that any employee's safety or health could be endangered because of use of alcohol or a controlled substance in the workplace. Directs the Secretary to establish standards for such programs. (Sec. 16) Establishes small business assistance and training programs, including: (1) model injury prevention programs completion of which qualifies employers for certain exemptions and reductions in penalties; (2) technical assistance and consultative services for employers and employees, targeted at small businesses and the most hazardous industries; and (3) certain consultative services to employers provided under cooperative agreements between the States and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (Sec. 17) Directs the Secretary to periodically make an award to companies and other organizations which have exemplary safety and health programs. (Sec. 18) Directs the Secretary to conduct a continuing economic impact analysis of each OSHA standard, and report biennially to the Congress.
Bill· HRH.R. 2987 (103rd)referred
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Repeal of Tax Increase on Social Security Benefits Title II: Reductions in Spending Title I: Repeal of Tax Increase on Social Security Benefits - Repeals the tax increase on social security benefits made under the Revenue Reconciliation Act of 1993. Title II: Reductions in Spending - Directs the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to terminate the Space Station Freedom program. Directs the Secretary of Defense to: (1) terminate the procurement of new production F-16 aircraft; (2) extend current procurement schedules for procurement of the F-22 aircraft; (3) reduce the number of attack submarines by the end of FY 1998; (4) terminate procurement of Trident II (D-5) sea-launched ballistic missiles and reduce the number of Trident ballistic missile submarines; and (5) delay procurement of the Tri-Service Stand-Off Attack Missile but continue research, development, test, and evaluation at the FY 1993 level. Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to eliminate the honey price support program. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to issue rules to eliminate below-cost timber sales. Provides for increasing fees charged for grazing on public lands to fair market value. Subjects production of locatable minerals from a claim located on lands open to mineral entry under the Mining Law of 1872 to an annual royalty of at least eight percent of the gross income from production. Voids claims for failures to pay royalties and prohibits a claimant from locating a new claim on lands included in the abandoned claim for one year.
Bill· HRH.R. 2932 (103rd)referred
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 1993
Ozark Heritage Conservation Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to establish a center for the conservation and interpretation of Ozark culture within the State of Missouri. Authorizes the Secretary, acting through the Director of the National Park Service, to construct a visitor center for the Ozark National Scenic Riverways on lands under the administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary of Agriculture at the site of the U.S. Forest Service Van Buren District Ranger Station within the Mark Twain National Forest. Requires the center to provide interpretive services for the Ozark National Scenic Riverways and the Mark Twain National Forest and to function as a regional cultural center for the study of Ozark folklife, history, and culture. Authorizes appropriations.
Bill· HRH.R. 2956 (103rd)referred
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 1993
School Lunch Protection Act of 1993 - Amends the National School Lunch Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) to provide training and other assistance to State representatives, contracting entities, and school food service authorities to identify and prevent anticompetitive activities in the school lunch, school breakfast, special milk, and summer food service programs. Directs the Secretary to bar a company for at least one year (three years for a repeat conviction) from program participation upon conviction for anticompetitive or specified related activities. Directs the Secretary, upon request, to provide the appropriate congressional committees with information about prevention and control of such anticompetitive activities.
Bill· HRH.R. 2950 (103rd)open
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 1993
USDA National Appeals Division Act of 1993 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) to establish and maintain a National Appeals Division within the Office of the Secretary to hear appeals of adverse decisions made by certain agencies within the Department of Agriculture. Requires the Secretary to develop a subject-matter index of all significant final determinations and make such index available to the public. Sets forth administrative appeal and transfer provisions. Authorizes appropriations.
Bill· HRH.R. 2927 (103rd)open
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 1993
Plant Variety Protection Act Amendments of 1993 - Amends the Plant Variety Protection Act to revise definitions and establish rules of construction concerning: (1) the sale and disposition of harvesting material, varieties, and hybrid seeds; (2) the filing of applications for the protection or entering of a variety in an official register; and (3) the basis of determining the distinctness of a variety or whether a variety is publicly known. Entitles breeders of sexually reproduced plant varieties (other than fungi or bacteria) (currently, other that fungi, bacteria, or first generation hybrids) who have reproduced a variety to plant variety protection if the variety is new, distinct, uniform, and stable. Provides that if two or more applicants for plant variety protection submit applications on the same filing date for indistinguishable varieties that fulfill the conditions for protection established by this Act, the applicant who first complies with this Act's requirements shall be entitled to protection to the exclusion of any other applicant. Issues a single protection certificate jointly to two or more applicants who comply with requirements on the same date for varieties that are indistinguishable. Lengthens the term of plant variety protection from 18 to 20 years from the date of issuance of the protection certificate (25 years for trees or vines). Adds the following activities to the list of actions which constitute infringement of an owner's right to plant variety protection if performed without an owner's authorization: (1) conditioning the variety for purposes of propagation; and (2) stocking the variety for any existing purpose which constitutes infringement. Permits owners to authorize the use of a variety subject to their own limitations. Provides that it shall not be an infringement of an owner's rights to perform any act: (1) concerning propagating material of a protected variety that has been marketed in the United States unless the act involves further propagation of the variety or involves an export into a country that does not protect such varieties of the plant genus or species (unless the export is for final consumption); or (2) done privately and for noncommercial purposes. Removes a provision that declares that it is not an infringement for a person whose primary farming occupation is the growing of crops for sale other than reproductive purposes to sell saved seed for reproductive purposes.
Bill· HRH.R. 2923 (103rd)open
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 1993
Dietary Supplement Consumer Protection Act of 1993 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to define the terms "dietary supplement" and "dietary ingredient." Includes dietary supplement within the definition and standards for food. Provides for the establishment of an advisory committee to assist in the implementation of this Act. Directs the Director of the National Institutes of Health to expand research programs related to dietary supplements. Authorizes appropriations.
Bill· SS. 1372 (103rd)referred
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1993
Tobacco Price Support Elimination Act of 1993 - Amends specified agricultural Acts to eliminate price supports and other production and marketing assistance for tobacco.
Law· HRH.R. 2900 (103rd)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1993
Nutrition Labeling and Education Act Amendments of 1993 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to provide more time for qualifying small businesses to achieve compliance with the labeling requirements of the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990.
Bill· HRH.R. 2893 (103rd)referred
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 1993
Nutritional Advertising Coordination Act of 1993 - Amends the Federal Trade Commission Act to direct such Commission to prescribe rules prohibiting unfair and deceptive acts and practices in food advertising. Requires such rules to require that claims in advertising for food characterizing the level of any nutrient in food or the relationship of any such nutrient to a disease be consistent with specified provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act concerning misbranded food. Authorizes a State to bring a civil action when it believes that such rules have been violated.
Bill· SS. 1359 (103rd)referred
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1993
National Food Stamp Anti-Counterfeiting Act of 1993 - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to require the domestic production of food stamp coupons.
Bill· HRH.R. 2866 (103rd)referred
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1993
Headwaters Forest Act - Extends the boundaries of the Six Rivers National Forest, California, to include certain lands to be referred to as the Six Rivers National Forest Addition. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to: (1) acquire land within the boundaries of the Addition by donation, by purchase, or by exchange for other lands owned by any department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States; and (2) develop and implement a land acquisition plan giving priority to the acquisition of lands within the boundaries of the Headwaters Forest Wilderness. Authorizes appropriations. Designates the Headwaters Forest Wilderness as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Requires the Secretary to develop a comprehensive management plan detailing measures for the preservation of the existing old growth redwood ecosystems in the Addition, including: (1) a prohibition on timber sales from lands within the old growth redwood groves; and (2) measures to restore lands affected by previous timber harvests to mitigate watershed degradation and impairment of habitat for the marbled murrelet, spotted owl, native salmon stocks, and other old-growth forest dependent species. Sets forth provisions regarding payments to local governments in lieu of taxes for lands acquired under this Act. Directs the Secretary to study specified lands in the Addition, analyzing the area's potential for addition to the Headwaters Forest and identifying the area's natural resources.
Bill· SS. 1349 (103rd)referred
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Food Safety and Inspection Agency Title II: Transfer of Food Safety and Inspection Functions Title III: Commission on Food Safety and Inspection Title IV: General Provisions Food Safety and Inspection Agency Act of 1993 - Title I: Food Safety and Inspection Agency - Establishes the Food Safety and Inspection Agency (Agency), which shall include a Bureau of Food Safety and Inspection Statistics. Title II: Transfer of Food Safety and Inspection Functions - Transfers to the Agency specified functions relating to food safety and inspection carried out by the Secretaries of Agriculture, Health and Human Services, Commerce, and the Interior. Title III: Commission on Food Safety and Inspection - Establishes a Commission on Food Safety and Inspection which shall develop a uniform system of risk-based food safety and inspection. Title IV: General Provisions - Sets forth reporting requirements and authorizations of appropriations.
Bill· SS. 1340 (103rd)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1993
National Community Garden Grant Program Act of 1993 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to award up to 100 community garden program grants. Authorizes appropriations.
Bill· HRH.R. 2825 (103rd)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1993
Training for Future Jobs Act of 1993 - Establishes a five-year demonstration of centralizing Federal job training programs. Establishes the Job Training Council, composed of the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Health and Human Services, and Labor, and the Director of the Office of Management and the Budget as Chairperson. Authorizes the Council to make matching grants to: (1) nonprofit organizations for retraining dislocated workers; and (2) nonprofit educational telecommunications organizations for developing, producing, and distributing instructional telecommunications materials and services for local vocational and technical educational schools and colleges. Sets forth priorities for persons to be served and for areas of high labor unemployment rates. Authorizes the Council to waive for a nonprofit organization inconsistent requirements of different Federal job training assistance programs for adults and out-of-school youth under specified conditions, including local government certification. Directs the Council to disseminate information on successful retraining models developed by any grant recipient under this Act. Authorizes appropriations.
Bill· SS. 1326 (103rd)open
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 1993
Federal Forage Fee Act of 1993 - Subjects grazing operations on Federal land to applicable Federal, State, and local environmental and land use requirements. Sets forth a forage fee formula for lands under the jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior.
Bill· SS. 1336 (103rd)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 1993
Amends the Tea Importation Act to prohibit examination of tea for importation into the United States, or its release by the Customs Services, unless the importer or consignee has paid a fee equal to the lesser of: (1) ten cents for each hundred weight or fraction thereof of the tea; or (2) the cost of the examination.
Bill· HRH.R. 2818 (103rd)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 1993
Amends the Tea Importation Act to prohibit the examination of tea for importation into the United States, or its release by the Collector of Customs, unless the importer or consignee has paid a fee of ten cents for each hundred weight or fraction thereof of such tea.
Bill· HRH.R. 2809 (103rd)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 1993
Sweet Potato Research and Production Improvement Act of 1993 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a national research program to improve sweet potato production and marketing. Authorizes appropriations.
Bill· SS. 1288 (103rd)open
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 1993
National Aquaculture Development, Commercialization, and Promotion Act of 1993 - Amends the National Aquaculture Act of 1980 to establish the Department of Agriculture as the lead Federal agency for the development of national policy and programs for private aquaculture. (Sec. 5) Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to: (1) establish within the National Agricultural Library a National Aquaculture Information Center; (2) assign new aquaculture programs to the appropriate Federal agencies; and (3) use specified funds for aquaculture development, research and marketing, and export promotion programs. (Sec. 7) Authorizes the Secretary to pay the Federal share of grants and contracts for aquaculture commercialization research. (Sec. 8) Directs the Secretary to: (1) implement a national policy for private aquaculture; (2) implement a Department Aquaculture Plan; (3) revise the National Aquaculture Development Plan; and (4) treat private aquaculture as a form of agriculture. (Sec. 9) Authorizes the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out grant and cooperative agreement programs to demonstrate aquaculture's application to environmental enhancement, including a pollution assessment program. (Sec. 10) Authorizes the Secretary to carry out grant and cooperative agreement programs for Native American fishpond revitalization. (Sec. 11) Directs the Secretary to provide disaster assistance to eligible aquaculture farmers for weather-related losses. (Secs. 12 and 13) Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) establish aquaculture education programs in secondary and postsecondary vocational schools; and (2) support international aquaculture scientific exchanges. (Sec. 14) Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 15) Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to make aquaculture farmers eligible for farm credit assistance. (Sec. 16) Amends the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to direct the Administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service to establish an international aquaculture information and data collection program. (Sec. 17) Amends the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to make aquaculture farms eligible for the emergency conservation program.
Bill· HRH.R. 2731 (103rd)referred
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1993
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Space Launch and Launch Support Facilities Title II: Purchase of Space Transportation Services Title III: Intellectual Property Disposition Title IV: Tax Incentives for Commercial Space Activities Title V: Miscellaneous Omnibus Space Commercialization Act of 1993 - Title I: Space Launch and Launch Support Facilities - Directs the Comptroller General to conduct a comprehensive inventory of all U.S. space launch and launch support facilities. Requires all facilities identified as surplus to be referred to the General Services Administration for disposition. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish criteria for and designate launch facilities as Commercial Space Centers. Exempts all Centers and associated property, services, and products from Federal corporate income and other taxes and excises, imports, duties, and all other Federal tariffs. Directs the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to make public land available for new space launch and launch support facilities. Title II: Purchase of Space Transportation Services - Space Transportation Services Purchase Act of 1993 - Amends the Launch Services Purchase Act of 1990 to require the Federal Government to purchase space transportation services from commercial providers, unless the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) or the Secretary of Defense determines: (1) the payload requires the unique capabilities of the space shuttle; (2) commercial services are not available; or (3) the use of commercial services poses an unacceptable risk of loss of a unique scientific opportunity. Title III: Intellectual Property Disposition - Requires that a commercial provider making an invention under contract with the Government have the same rights as would a small business firm under specified provisions of Federal patent law. Amends the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 to require (current law permits) each Federal agency to permit the director of any of its Government-operated Federal laboratories and, in certain circumstances, the director of any of its Government-owned, contractor-operated laboratories to enter into cooperative research and development agreements and to negotiate licensing agreements. Title IV: Tax Incentives for Commercial Space Activities - Space Business Incentives Act of 1993 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a deduction for the amount of the purchase of Commercial Space Center stock. Excludes from gross income gain on the sale or exchange of common stock of a corporation that is substantially engaged in space-related activities. Adds space launch and launch support facilities to the list of exempt facility bonds. Excludes from gross income: (1) income from the commercial sale of any product manufactured in space and returned to Earth; and (2) income from services performed in space in a commercial space activity. Excludes products manufactured in space and returned to Earth from all Federal excises, imposts, duties, and other Federal tariffs. Directs the President to encourage State and local governments to offer tax and other incentives for commercial space activities. Title V: Miscellaneous - Declares that, notwithstanding specified provisions of the Clayton Act and the National Cooperative Research Act of 1984, standing to conduct litigation arising from activities carried out under this Act is reserved to the Department of Justice. Establishes in the Department of Commerce the Office of Space Commerce. Requires NASA to purchase space science data from the private sector. Requires the Administrator to establish within the Office of Advanced Concepts and Technology a procurement demonstration program. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture and the Administrator to provide specified farmers with grants to purchase land remote sensing information.
Bill· SS. 1277 (103rd)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 1993
Dairy Equity Act - Amends the Agricultural Adjustment Act, reenacted with amendments by the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, to equalize the minimum fluid milk price adjustments for all marketing areas. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to study the desirability and feasibility of fortifying fluid milk with additional nonfat solids, including consumer acceptance of such action.
Bill· HRH.R. 2705 (103rd)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 1993
Amends the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to: (1) reduce loan subsidies available from the Rural Electrification Administration (REA); and (2) eliminate the REA. Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to authorize loans to electric generation and transmission cooperatives unable to otherwise obtain credit.
Bill· HRH.R. 2708 (103rd)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 1993
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow taxpayers primarily engaged in a farming-related business an investment tax credit for a percentage of: (1) the costs of agricultural environmental property; and (2) the amount allowed as a deduction for soil and water conservation expenditures.
Bill· HRH.R. 2689 (103rd)open
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 1993
Amends Public Law 100-518 and the United States Grain Standards Act to extend Federal Grain Inspection Service administrative fee (and fee limitation) authority.
Bill· HRH.R. 2693 (103rd)open
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 1993
Amends the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 to limit civil money penalties for violations of marketing allotments for sugar and crystalline fructose to those violations that are knowingly committed.
Bill· HRH.R. 2688 (103rd)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 1993
Amends the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 to revise the Burley tobacco reserve stock level.
Bill· SS. 1269 (103rd)reported
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 1993
School Lunch Protection Act of 1993 - Amends the National School Lunch Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) to provide training and other assistance to State representatives, contracting entities, and school food service authorities to identify and prevent anti-competitive activities in the school lunch, school breakfast, special milk, and summer food service programs. Directs the Secretary to bar a company for at least one year (three years for a repeat conviction) from program participation upon conviction of anti-competitive or specified related activities. Directs the Secretary to provide financial assistance to States, law enforcement organizations, and school food contracting agents and food service authorities for prevention and control of food program anti-competitive activities.