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301 records in US in 1995
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1995
National Aquaculture Research Center Act of 1995 - Amends Federal law to transfer the fish research and experimentation program from the Department of the Interior to the Department of Agriculture. Designates the Southeastern Fish Culture Laboratory in Marion, Alabama, as the "Claude Harris National Aquaculture Research Center."
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Mineral Exploration and Development Title II: Environmental Considerations of Mineral Exploration and Development Title III: Abandoned Minerals Mine Reclamation Fund Title IV: Administrative and Miscellaneous Provisions Mineral Exploration and Development Act of 1995 - Title I: Mineral Exploration and Development - Sets forth guidelines for mineral exploration on public domain lands. Declares that holders of mining claims executed under this Act have the exclusive right of possession and use of the claimed land for mineral activities. (Sec. 103) Prescribes rules for mining claim location and use of public land surveys. Provides for administrative adjudication of conflicting claims. (Sec. 104) Sets forth: (1) an annual, graduated rental fee schedule based upon the number of diligence years following location of the claim; and (2) a forfeiture procedure for failure to pay. (Sec. 105) Establishes a civil penalty of $5,000 per violation of mining claim fraud. (Sec. 107) Prohibits the issuance after January 28, 1993, of patents for mining or mill site claims unless certain administrative requirements are met. (Sec. 108) Declares that the Multiple Minerals Development Act, and certain provisions of the Act of July 23, 1955, apply to all mining claims located or converted under this Act. (Sec. 109) Amends Federal law to subject all mineral materials deposits to disposal under the terms of the Materials Act of 1947 (eliminating the concept of uncommon varieties). Renames specified Federal laws: (1) the Surface Resources Act of 1955; and (2) the Materials Act of 1947. Repeals the Building Stone Act and the Saline Placer Act. Title II: Environmental Considerations of Mineral Exploration and Development - Prescribes surface management guidelines for mineral activities and reclamation, including a mandatory plan of operations. Mandates that lands subject to mineral activities be restored to a condition capable of supporting their prior uses. Requires the Secretary to establish reclamation standards. (Sec. 202) Requires the Secretary to inspect mineral activities to ensure compliance with statutory directives. Sets forth enforcement guidelines and civil penalties for non-compliance. Authorizes citizen suits to enforce compliance. (Sec. 203) Declares that State standards for reclamation, bonding, inspection, water or air quality, which either meet or exceed Federal standards, shall not be construed as inconsistent with this Act. Permits cooperative agreements between the States and the Secretary. Prohibits the Secretary from delegating authorities or responsibilities conferred under this Act to any State or its political subdivision. (Sec. 204) Requires the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture, in preparing land use plans, to determine those areas deemed unsuitable for certain mineral activities. Requires withdrawal of such areas from mineral exploration and development. Grants any person with an interest that may be adversely affected by potential mineral activities the right to petition the Secretary for a suitability review. (Sec. 205) Identifies categories of lands which are not open to the location of mining claims under this Act (including wilderness, wild and scenic rivers, and related lands). Title III: Abandoned Minerals Mine Reclamation Fund - Establishes the Abandoned Minerals Mine Reclamation Fund, composed of specified fees and collections, for the reclamation and restoration of land and water resources adversely affected by past minerals activities (other than coal and fluid minerals activities). (Sec. 303) Sets forth: (1) State eligibility requirements; and (2) Fund allocation and expenditure guidelines for grant distribution among eligible States. Authorizes appropriations. Title IV: Administrative and Miscellaneous Provisions - Amends the Mining and Minerals Policy Act of 1970 and the National Materials and Minerals Policy, Research and Development Act of 1980 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to implement specified minerals policy and actions to improve availability and analysis of mineral data in Federal land use decisionmaking for National Forest System lands. (Sec. 402) Authorizes the Secretaries of the Interior and of Agriculture to establish user fees to reimburse the United States for expenses incurred in administering this Act. (Sec. 404) Sets forth guidelines for a three-year transitional period during which the holder of an unpatented mining or mill site claim may elect to convert it or risk its forfeiture. (Sec. 406) Prescribes guidelines under which a mining claim may be challenged. (Sec. 410) Sets a minimum royalty amount of eight percent of the gross income from the production of locatable minerals or concentrates from any mining claim located under this Act, payable to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Commodity Distribution Title II: Simplification and Reform of Food Stamp Program Subtitle A: Simplified Food Stamp Program and State Assistance for Needy Families Subtitle B: Food Stamp Program Food Stamp Program and Commodity Distribution Act - Title I: Commodity Distribution - Commodity Distribution Act of 1995 - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to purchase and distribute food assistance commodities to the States. Authorizes appropriations. Establishes allocation guidelines. Obligates funds for a commodity supplemental food program for women, infants, and children or the elderly. Repeals specified food and commodity distribution programs. Title II: Simplification and Reform of Food Stamp Program - Food Stamp Simplification and Reform Act of 1995 - Subtitle A: Simplified Food Stamp Program and State Assistance for Needy Families - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to revise specified provisions (including disqualifications) of the food stamp program and the temporary assistance for needy families (TANF) block grant. Subtitle B: Food Stamp Program - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to: (1) limit certain deduction and benefit increases; (2) revise work requirements; (3) encourage electronic benefit transfer systems; (4) eliminate minimum allotment annual increases; and (5) permit work supplementation or support program funds to be used under TANF.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1995
Makes amounts available for expenses, including expenses of staff salaries, consultant services, and staff training, of the following committees of the House of Representatives in the 104th Congress: (1) Agriculture; (2) Banking and Financial Services; (3) Budget; (4) Commerce; (5) Economic and Educational Opportunities; (6) Government Reform and Oversight; (7) House Oversight; (8) Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; (9) International Relations; (10) Judiciary; (11) National Security; (12) Resources; (13) Rules; (14) Science; (15) Small Business; (16) Standards of Official Conduct; (17) Transportation and Infrastructure; (18) Veterans' Affairs; and (19) Ways and Means. Sets forth first and second session limitations on such amounts.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1995
Amends the Clean Air Act to add specified definitions relating to agriculture-related facilities (grain elevators, grain, feed, or rice mills, or grain processing facilities). Defines "potential to emit" as the potential of a facility to emit during a one-year period under maximum realistic operation. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, in determining the maximum realistic operation of an agriculture-related facility, to consider: (1) the cyclical or seasonal nature of the facility; and (2) the maximum hours of operation of the facility that actually occurred during any of the preceding five years in the case of a facility in operation on the date of determination. Requires the Administrator to consider the effect of control equipment and techniques in lowering the potential to emit of an agriculture-related facility. Exempts a source from permitting requirements if the source is not a major source and is subject to emissions standards for new stationary sources or requirements for stationary sources of hazardous air pollutants.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1995
Interstate Compact - Grants congressional consent to the Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact entered into among the States of Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts to assure the viability of dairy farming in the northeast and to assure consumers of an adequate, local milk supply. Limits Compact regulatory authority to Class I milk. Authorizes Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia to join under specified conditions. Requires the Compact Commission to remove overproduction incentives. Sets forth Compact provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 1995
Amends the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act, 1930 to redefine "dealer" to include a person in the wholesale or jobbing business who resells at retail regardless of any invoice dollar amount floor (required by current law) for purchased perishable and agricultural commodities. Defines "collateral fees and expenses" and "producer."
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 1995
Food Stamp Fraud Prevention Act of 1995 - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to provide for forfeiture of food stamp benefits and property used in or resulting from food stamp trafficking.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Retailer Integrity Title II: Recipient Integrity Title III: Implementation and Effective Dates Title I: Retailer Integrity - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) to establish specific time periods for: (1) retail food stores and wholesale food concerns (stores) to apply for food stamp program (program) participation; and (2) prohibition of program participation based on lack of business integrity. (Sec. 103) Includes income and sales tax information among the types of eligibility verification information which may be requested. (Sec. 104) Establishes a six-month reapplication waiting period for a store that does not meet participation requirements. (Sec. 106) Authorizes suspension of a store pending administrative and judicial review. (States that the Secretary shall not be liable for lost sales during such period.) (Sec. 107) Provides for disqualification of a store that is disqualified from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). (Sec. 108) Provides for permanent disqualification of a store that knowingly submits a falsified application. (Sec. 109) Expands civil and criminal forfeiture for specified violations of the Act. (Sec. 110) Amends the Social Security Act as amended by the Social Security Administrative Reform Act of 1994, and the Internal Revenue Code as added to by the Social Security Administrative Reform Act of 1994, to authorize information sharing with State WIC enforcement instrumentalities. (Sec. 111) Amends the Act to expand the definition of "coupon." Title II: Recipient Integrity - Amends the Act to increase ineligibility penalties for program violations. (Sec. 202) Makes the collection of overissuance of coupons from Federal pay or Federal tax refunds (as authorized by this section) mandatory. Title III: Implementation and Effective Dates - Makes the provisions of this Act effective upon enactment unless otherwise provided for.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 1995
Requires the Secretary of Agriculture, when acquiring non-Federal land for the National Forest System, to make an annual property tax equivalent payment to the affected county.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1995
Amends Federal law to extend a specified nutrition assistance program to American Samoa.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Risk Assessment and Communication Title II: Analysis of Risk Reduction Benefits and Costs Title III: Peer Review Title IV: Judicial Review Title V: Plan Title VI: Priorities Risk Assessment and Cost-Benefit Act of 1995 - Declares that this Act shall not apply to: (1) an emergency situation, in which case the agency head shall comply with this Act within as reasonable a time as is practical; (2) activities necessary to maintain military readiness; (3) any individual food, drug, or other product label, or any risk characterization appearing on any such label, if the individual product label is required by law to be approved by a Federal department or agency prior to use; and (4) Federal agency approval of State programs or plans. Title I: Risk Assessment and Communication - Risk Assessment and Communication Act of 1995 - Applies this title generally to all significant risk assessment and risk characterization documents, except: (1) screening analyses; (2) health, safety, or environmental inspections; or (3) the sale or lease of Federal resources or regulatory activities that directly result in collection of Federal receipts. (Sec. 104) Requires each covered Federal agency head to apply specified principles in order to assure that significant risk assessment documents and all of their components distinguish scientific findings from other considerations and are, to the extent feasible, scientifically objective, unbiased, and inclusive of all relevant data and rely, to the extent available and practicable, on scientific findings. (Sec. 105) Specifies the requirements that each significant risk characterization document is required to meet. (Sec. 106) Prohibits any covered Federal agency from automatically incorporating or adopting any recommendation or classification made by a non-United States-based entity concerning the health effects value of a substance without an opportunity for notice and comment. Requires compliance with this title by any risk assessment document or risk characterization document adopted by a covered Federal agency on the basis of such a recommendation or classification. (Sec. 107) Directs the President to: (1) issue guidelines for Federal agencies consistent with specified risk assessment and characterization principles; and (2) provide a format for summarizing risk assessment results. Requires such guidelines to include guidance on such subjects such as the evaluation of benign tumors and the use of different types of dose-response models. Requires the President to periodically review and revise such guidelines as appropriate. (Sec. 108) Directs each covered Federal agency head to do the following for periodic reports to the Congress: (1) regularly and systematically evaluate risk assessment research and training needs of the agency; and (2) develop a strategy and schedule for carrying out research and training to meet certain such needs. (Sec. 109) Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to provide for a study using comparative risk analysis to rank health, safety, and environmental risks and to provide a common basis for evaluating strategies for reducing or preventing those risks. Requires the Director to submit to the Congress a report of the National Research Council with recommendations regarding the use of comparative risk analysis and ways to improve the use of comparative risk analysis for decision-making in appropriate Federal agencies. (Sec. 110) Limits covered Federal agencies to: (1) the Environmental Protection Agency; (2) the Occupational Safety and Health Administration; (3) the Food and Drug Administration; (4) the Consumer Product Safety Commission; (5) the Department of Transportation; (6) the Department of Energy; (7) the Department of Agriculture; (8) the Department of the Interior; (9) the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; (10) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; (11) the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; (12) the Mine Safety and Health Administration; and (13) other Federal agencies determined by the President, acting through the OMB Director. Title II: Analysis of Risk Reduction Benefits and Costs - Requires the President to require each Federal agency to prepare specified analyses for each new major rule within a program designed to protect human health, safety, or the environment. (Sec. 202) Requires that certain certifications be made in order for a final rule subject to this title to be promulgated. (Sec. 203) Directs OMB to issue guidance consistent with this title to: (1) assist the agencies, the public, and the regulated community in the implementation of this title, including any new requirements or procedures needed to supplement prior agency practice; and (2) govern the development and preparation of analyses of risk reduction benefits and costs. Title III: Peer Review - Requires each Federal agency head to develop a systematic program for independent and external peer review for regulatory programs designed to protect human health, safety, or the environment in connection with any risk assessment or cost analysis forming the basis of any rule likely to result in an annual increase in costs of $100 million or more. Exempts from such requirement any: (1) rule or other action taken by an agency to authorize or approve any individual substance or product; and (2) data or method which has been previously subjected to peer review or any component of any analysis or assessment previously subjected to peer review. Authorizes the OMB Director to order that peer review be provided for any major risk assessment or cost assessment likely to have a significant impact on public policy decisions. Directs the President to appoint National Peer Review Panels to review annually for a report to the Congress the risk and cost assessment practices of each Federal agency for programs designed to protect human health, safety, or the environment. Title IV: Judicial Review - Provides for judicial review under this Act. Title V: Plan - Requires each covered Federal agency to publish a plan to review and, where appropriate, revise significant risk assessment or characterization documents if the agency head determines that application of the appropriate specified principles for risk assessment and risk characterization and communication would be likely to alter significantly the results of the prior risk assessment or characterization. Provides for public participation and consultation in plan development. Title VI: Priorities - Directs the President, in order to assist in the public policy and regulation of risks to public health, to identify specified opportunities to reflect priorities within existing Federal regulatory programs designed to protect human health in a cost-effective and cost-reasonable manner. (Sec. 601) Requires the President to issue biennial reports to the Congress recommending priorities for modifications to, elimination of, or strategies for existing Federal regulatory programs designed to protect public health. Requires an agency to consider the priorities set forth in the report when preparing a budget or strategic plan for any such regulatory program.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 1995
Illinois Land Conservation Act of 1995 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) to establish the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie (MNP) to consist of portions of the Joliet Army Ammunition Plant (Arsenal) in Illinois and to be managed as part of the National Forest System. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) roads, utility rights-of-way, and access within the MNP; (2) agricultural leases and special use authorizations; (3) user fees; (4) salvage of improvements; (5) treatment of user fees and salvage receipts; and (6) cooperation with States, local governments, and other entities. Requires the Secretary of the Army to transfer the Arsenal property constituting the MNP, without reimbursement, to the Secretary. Permits the transfer of portions only for which no further action is required under environmental law and that have been eliminated from the areas to be studied further pursuant to the Defense Environmental Restoration Program for the Arsenal. Requires the Secretary of the Army to retain jurisdiction, authority, and control over real property at the Arsenal that is used for: (1) water treatment; (2) the treatment, storage, or disposal of hazardous substances or petroleum products or derivatives; and (3) response purposes or actions required under an environmental law to remediate contamination or noncompliance. Directs the Secretary of the Army to convey certain Arsenal property to: (1) the Department of Veterans Affairs to be used for a national cemetery; (2) the county of Will, Illinois, to be used for a landfill; and (3) the village of Elwood, Illinois, and the city of Wilmington, Illinois, to be used for industrial parks. Provides that use of such landfill by Federal agencies or additional acreage added for purposes of accommodating the disposal of materials from the restoration of the Arsenal shall be at no cost to the Federal Government. Requires such property to revert to the Secretary for inclusion in the MNP if the property is not operated as a landfill. Provides for the conveyance of specified other Arsenal property to be added to the MNP subject to the Secretary's acceptance. Directs the Secretary of the Army, with respect to the real property at the Arsenal, to remain liable for and continue to carry out all: (1) response actions required under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) and all remediation actions required under other environmental laws at or related to the property; and (2) actions required under other environmental laws to remediate petroleum products or their derivatives. Requires the Secretary of the Army to retain any obligation or liability at the Arsenal that he or she had under CERCLA and other environmental laws.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 1995
Food Stamp Trafficking Prevention and Penalty Act of 1995 - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to provide for: (1) food stamp program biennial reauthorization of retail food stores and wholesale food concerns; and (2) civil and criminal forfeiture of property for certain food stamp trafficking and use violations.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Research and Related Programs Title II: Construction Grants Title III: Standards and Enforcement Title IV: Permits and Licenses Title V: General Provisions Title VI: State Water Pollution Control Revolving Funds Title VII: Miscellaneous Provisions Title VIII: Wetlands Conservation and Management Clean Water Amendments of 1995 - Title I: Research and Related Programs - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (the Clean Water Act or CWA) to add national goal and policy provisions with respect to water quality programs. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to assess and document alternative regulatory approaches for protecting water quality and to develop regulations and guidance based upon the best obtainable information, including risk reduction benefits achievable by alternatives. (Sec. 102) Authorizes appropriations through FY 2000 for grants to States and interstate agencies for assistance in administering pollution control programs. Title II: Construction Grants - Removes limitations on the use of grants for the construction of publicly owned treatment works and authorizes the use of such grants for purposes for which grants may be made under nonpoint source management and groundwater quality programs. (Sec. 201) Requires grant applicants to demonstrate, along with other existing requirements, that wastewater reduction and other water use efficiency options have been studied and evaluated and, if cost-effective, implemented. (Sec. 202) Authorizes the Administrator to negotiate an annual budget with a State for purposes of administering a closeout of the State's construction grants program. (Sec. 205) Requires value engineering reviews to be conducted for any treatment works construction projected in excess of $25 million (currently, $10 million). Title III: Standards and Enforcement - Revises provisions concerning the use of innovative technology to comply with effluent reduction requirements to authorize the Administrator, if a facility achieves reductions with an innovative system that has the potential for reducing the release of pollutants to other media, to extend the date of compliance for such facility for up to three (currently, two) years if the system has industry-wide application potential. (Sec. 301) Prohibits discharges from, or affected by, remining operations from exceeding State water quality standards except where monitoring demonstrates that the receiving waters do not meet such standards prior to commencement of remining and where the water quality of the receiving stream is projected to be improved by remining. (Current law provides no exception.) (Sec. 302) Directs the Administrator to publish guidance for States on the development and adoption of water quality standards applicable to navigable waters that contain little or no water during low flow periods. Allows city, county, or local government employees or officials to be members of boards that approve discharge permit applications notwithstanding a prohibition on membership for persons who have received a significant portion of income from permit holders or applicants. (Sec. 303) Directs the Administrator or the Secretary responsible for a regulatory requirement, in developing standards, effluent limitations, or other regulatory requirements (other than permit or procedural requirements), to perform risk assessments consistent with guidelines issued by the Administrator. Requires such assessments to be performed in conjunction with any proposed regulation. Prohibits the issuance of any regulatory requirement or guidance where the social, environmental, and economic benefits are not reasonably related to anticipated costs. Provides that such guidelines shall require: (1) use of all relevant and available scientific data and information; (2) identification and discussion of assumptions and models used in the risk assessment as well as alternatives and sensitivity of results to such assumptions and models; (3) a quantitative estimate of the uncertainty inherent in the risk assessment; (4) a comparison of the risk with other risks to human health or the environment; (5) an estimate of the incremental risk avoided by the standard, effluent limitation, or requirement and the anticipated social, environmental, and economic benefits; and (6) an estimate of the social, environmental, and economic costs of complying with the standard, limitation, or requirement. Exempts standards, effluent limitations, or other regulatory requirements that are issued in final form within one year of this Act's enactment date from risk assessment requirements. (Sec. 304) Requires effluent standards for toxic pollutants to take into account the bioaccumulation potential of, and magnitude and risk of exposure to, a pollutant. Directs State Governors or water pollution control agencies to hold public hearings for purposes of reviewing, modifying, or adopting water quality standards at least once every five (currently, three years). Authorizes the Administrator to develop and issue guidance that States may use in: (1) issuing fish consumption advisories and scientific protocols for testing contamination levels of fish; (2) developing a monitoring program for contaminants in fish and shellfish; and (3) monitoring water quality at beaches and issuing health advisories with respect to beaches. (Sec. 305) Permits (currently, requires) a State to be joined as a party to a civil action brought by the United States under the CWA against a municipality located in such State. (Sec. 306) Revises provisions regarding water pollution control at Federal facilities to waive the sovereign immunity of the United States with respect to any requirement, administrative authority, or sanctions that may be imposed for violations. Provides that Federal employees may be subject to criminal sanctions, but exempts Federal agencies from such sanctions. Authorizes the Administrator to commence administrative enforcement actions against Federal agencies under this Act. Includes Federal agencies in the definition of "person." (Sec. 307) Authorizes appropriations for FY 1996 through 2000 for the clean lakes program. (Sec. 308) Revises the required elements of nonpoint source management programs and includes within such programs: (1) a schedule containing interim goals and milestones for making reasonable progress toward the attainment of standards; (2) a description of monitoring or assessment of program effectiveness; and (3) an identification of activities on Federal lands that are inconsistent with such programs. Grants States six (currently, three) months to submit revised programs in cases where modifications are required for approval. Requires the Administrator to prepare nonpoint source management programs for States that fail to do so or whose plans are not approved. Authorizes (currently, requires) the Administrator to make grants to States for preparing and implementing such management programs and preparing assessment reports. Increases the maximum Federal share of the cost of such programs to 75 (currently, 60) percent of the cost incurred by a State in preparing and implementing such reports and programs. Directs the Administrator to establish maximum and minimum grants for any fiscal year to promote equity between States and effective nonpoint source management. Sets forth limitations on the use of such grants. Requires the Administrator to study and report to the Congress on whether the allocation of funds for such grants reflects the costs of nonpoint source control measures for different nonpoint source categories and on options for better reflecting such costs in the allotment of funds. Increases the maximum amount of Federal assistance for grants to States for groundwater quality protection. Extends the authorization of appropriations for grants for assessment reports, nonpoint source management programs, and groundwater protection programs through FY 2000. Directs the Administrator to publish guidance to identify model management practices and measures which may be undertaken under such management programs. Requires compliance deadlines for nonpoint source management requirements to be postponed for one year for each fiscal year for which amounts appropriated to carry out grant programs for nonpoint source pollution and groundwater quality are less than the total amounts authorized to be appropriated. (Sec. 310) Authorizes States to submit watershed management programs to the Administrator for approval. Sets forth minimum requirements for such programs and lists activities that are eligible for assistance under the CWA. Permits States to adopt watershed management plans to be effective for up to ten years and to include planning and implementation schedules with milestones. Authorizes the issuance of pollutant discharge permits with limitations that do not meet applicable water quality standards if: (1) the receiving water is in a watershed with an approved plan; (2) the plan includes enforceable requirements under a State or local law for nonpoint source pollutant load reductions that will meet applicable water quality standards before the plan's expiration date; and (3) the point source does not have a history of significant noncompliance with its effluent limitations under a permit. Sets forth provisions regarding permit terms. Provides that if a State with an approved watershed management program makes a showing satisfactory to the Administrator that the State watershed and nonpoint source management programs will provide for the protection of coastal waters generally and contain other specified elements, such watershed program shall be deemed to be in compliance with the CWA and the Coastal Zone Act Reauthorization Amendments of 1990. Authorizes the Administrator to provide multipurpose grants to States with approved watershed management programs. Permits point source dischargers, as part of an approved watershed management program, to offset the impact of a pollutant discharge by entering into arrangements, including the payment of funds, for the implementation of source controls by another discharger through a pollution reduction credits trading program so long as safeguards are included to ensure compliance with technology based controls and to protect the quality of receiving waters. Directs the Administrator to allocate sums to carry out pollution reduction credits trading programs in selected areas of the country. Title IV: Permits and Licenses - Provides that, for purposes of provisions regarding pollutant discharge permits, waste treatment systems, including retention ponds or lagoons used to meet CWA requirements for concentrated animal feeding operations, are not waters of the United States. Authorizes an existing concentrated animal feeding operation that uses a natural topographic impoundment or structure, which is not hydrologically connected to any other U.S. waters, to continue to use the natural topographic feature for waste storage regardless of its size, capacity, or previous use. (Sec. 402) Revises stormwater discharge permitting provisions. Lists discharges composed entirely of stormwater for which permits are required under this section. Makes other such discharges subject to requirements for nonpoint source management programs. Establishes additional requirements for permits for municipal separate storm sewer systems, including that they: (1) require reasonable progress toward attainment of water quality standards; and (2) have additional requirements for the implementation of cost-effective controls for the control of discharges to attain or maintain such standards if they are renewed after this Act's enactment. Directs the Administrator to issue a consolidated permit for discharges from a storm sewer system owned by a municipality and the stormwater discharges from industrial sources owned by the same municipality. Authorizes the issuance of general or group permits for any discharges, other than those from municipal separate storm sewer systems, if the discharges are similar in nature and application of similar management measures will reduce pollution occurring from such discharges or if the Administrator finds that the issuance of general permits is appropriate. Prohibits the Administrator from requiring, as a permit condition for a discharge from a municipal separate storm sewer system, compliance with a numeric effluent limitation or an applicable water quality standard before December 31, 2009, except to implement management measures under regulations for municipal separate storm sewer systems. Sets forth requirements for regulations regarding permit application requirements for industrial and specified municipal stormwater discharges. Authorizes the Administrator to make grants to operators of municipal storm sewer systems for which permits are required for projects for the assessment of cost-effective controls. Extends compliance deadlines with respect to numeric effluent limitations or water quality standards required for specified municipal separate storm sewer systems if such grants total less than $20 million in any fiscal year. (Sec. 403) Requires each permit issued for a discharge from a combined storm and sanitary sewer to conform with the combined sewer overflow control policy signed by the Administrator on April 11, 1994. Authorizes the Administrator, notwithstanding specified compliance schedules and permit limitations, to issue a permit for discharges from such sewers that includes a schedule for compliance with a long-term control plan for a term of up to 15 years. Provides for extensions of such term, as appropriate. Modifies any consent decree or court order issued before this Act's enactment date by a district court that establishes any deadlines or timetables for the construction of treatment works for control of discharges from a municipal combined sewer system to make deadlines or timetables conform with this section's requirements. (Sec. 404) Requires the discharge permit program to provide that an owner or operator of a point source subject to a permit will not be required to remove or reduce the level of pollutants in a discharge if such pollutants are present in or caused by the intake waters for such source. (Sec. 405) Requires the Administrator to issue guidance on the beneficial use of sewage sludge. Title V: General Provisions - Directs the Administrator to involve State, tribal, and local governments in EPA decisionmaking, priority setting, policy and guidance development, and implementation under the CWA. (Sec. 502) Requires the President or head of any agency, in promulgating rules or establishing interpretations, guidelines, standards, or criteria for oil and grease under the CWA or the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, to: (1) differentiate animal fats and vegetable oils from other oils, including petroleum-based oils; and (2) consider differences in the physical, chemical, biological, or other properties and environmental effects of animal fats and vegetable oils from those other oils. (Sec. 503) Requires a CWA cost and needs estimate to be submitted quadrennially (currently, biennially) to the Congress. (Sec. 504) Reauthorizes the CWA through FY 2000. (Sec. 505) Directs the Administrator, prior to issuing any proposed or final regulation or other requirement pursuant to the CWA, to conduct: (1) an analysis of the direct and indirect costs for State and local governments to comply with the requirement in the five-year period following implementation; (2) an estimate of the amounts that will be authorized for providing Federal financial assistance for implementation of and compliance with the requirement for such period; (3) an estimate of the amounts that will be appropriated for such assistance for such period based on funding levels adopted as part of a concurrent resolution setting forth the congressional budget; (4) an assessment of the availability of other sources of funding for State and local governments to comply with such requirement; (5) an estimate of the amounts that will be authorized and appropriated for providing Federal assistance for the requirement for the fiscal year during which the requirement is to be implemented and the two preceding fiscal years; and (6) a certification that the amounts that will be appropriated exceed 90 percent of the costs for State and local governments to comply with the requirement. Requires the Administrator, if such certification is not made, to transmit to specified congressional committees a report explaining the reasons for not making such certification and the likely impacts of not adequately funding State and local governmental efforts to comply with the requirement. Title VI: State Water Pollution Control Revolving Funds - Authorizes State revolving funds (SRFs) to be used for water use efficiency measures whose principal purpose is improving or protecting water quality. (Sec. 602) Requires the Administrator to establish simplified procedures for small systems to obtain assistance from SRFs. (Sec. 603) Provides for an extended repayment period for loans made from SRFs to disadvantaged communities. Authorizes negative interest rates for such loans. Permits SRFs to be used to provide technical, planning, and other specified assistance to small systems. (Sec. 604) Authorizes and allocates appropriations for the SRF program through FY 2000. Title VII: Miscellaneous Provisions - Requires the Administrator to study and report to the Congress on future funding options for financing infrastructure projects under the CWA. Authorizes appropriations. Title VIII: Wetlands Conservation and Management - Comprehensive Wetlands Conservation and Management Act of 1995 - Prohibits, unless such activity is undertaken pursuant to a permit issued by the Secretary of the Army: (1) the discharge of dredged or fill material into U.S. waters; or (2) the draining, channelization, or excavation of wetlands. (Sec. 803) Requires the Secretary, upon receiving permit applications, to: (1) classify as Type A wetlands wetlands that are of critical significance to the long-term conservation of an ecosystem; (2) classify as Type B wetlands wetlands that provide habitat for a significant population of wildlife or provide other significant wetlands functions; and (3) classify as Type C wetlands wetlands that serve marginal functions but exist in such abundance that regulation of activities is not necessary to conserve wetlands values and functions, or are lands that do not serve significant wetlands functions. Permits owners of interests in Type A wetlands to seek compensation for the fair market value of such lands. Provides that title for such lands shall pass to the United States upon acceptance of an offer for compensation. Requires the Secretary to deny a permit authorizing activities in Type A wetlands unless: (1) such activities can be undertaken with minimal alteration or disturbance; (2) there are public interest concerns that require use of the lands for purposes other than conservation; or (3) the proposed use of the land will result in overall environmental benefits. Authorizes the Secretary to issue a permit for activities in Type B wetlands subject to conditions that ensure that the wetland ecosystem does not suffer loss or degradation. Imposes requirements for mitigation when such activities result in permanent wetland loss or degradation. Directs the Secretary to establish a mitigation banking program in each State to ensure compensation for loss and degradation of wetlands. Requires the primary objective of such programs to be to provide for the restoration, enhancement, or creation of ecologically significant wetlands on an ecosystem basis. Exempts specified activities from this Act's requirements. Prohibits more than 20 percent of any county, parish, or borough from being classified as Type A wetlands. Requires wetlands located on agricultural and associated nonagricultural lands to be delineated by the Secretary of Agriculture in accordance with the Food Security Act of 1985. Requires the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to undertake a project to identify and classify U.S. wetlands. Directs the Secretary to establish procedures pursuant to which: (1) landowners may appeal determinations of regulatory jurisdiction over a parcel of property, wetlands classifications with respect to property, or determinations that an activity is not regulated under a general permit; (2) any person may appeal a determination that a proposed activity is not exempt (non-exempt activities require permits); (3) permit applicants may appeal determinations to deny issuance of a permit or to impose a requirement under the permit; and (4) landowners or others required to restore or alter property may appeal an order to do so. Provides that persons who have filed appeals shall not be required to pay penalties or perform mitigation or restoration until the appeal has been decided. Authorizes civil actions and prescribes penalties for permit violations. Authorizes States to administer permit programs for activities covered by this Act, subject to the Secretary's approval. Directs the Secretary, in implementing responsibilities under the regulatory program, to balance the objective of conserving functioning wetlands with the objectives of ensuring continued economic growth, providing essential infrastructure, maintaining strong State and local tax bases, and protecting against the diminishment and value of private property. Requires the Secretary and the heads of Federal agencies to seek to minimize the effects of the regulatory program on the use and value of private property.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 1995
Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 with respect to wetlands mitigation, penalties, and enrollment in the conservation reserve program.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 1995
Conservation Reserve Program Extension Act of 1995 - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to: (1) reauthorize the conservation reserve program; and (2) revise contract acceptance criteria.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 1995
Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 with respect to wetlands mitigation, penalties, and enrollment in the conservation reserve program.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 1995
Prohibits the Secretary of Agriculture from transferring any Angeles National Forest lands in California out of Federal ownership for use as a solid waste landfill.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 1995
Federal Lands Forest Health Protection and Restoration Act - Directs the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to: (1) review the forest health conditions on Federal lands under their respective jurisdictions at least annually; and (2) designate forest health emergency or high risk areas and select and authorize the forest health management activities to be undertaken. Designates conditions under which an area of Federal lands shall be designated as either a forest health emergency or high risk area. Requires the prioritization of such areas by the Secretary concerned. Requires the appropriate forest health management activities to be those which the Secretary concerned determines to most specifically address the specific site conditions of the area using the combination of management practices, treatment, and protection needed to arrest the decline in, and to restore, forest health to a condition capable of supporting and sustaining the uses within the historic range of the area. Requires a statement of necessity by the Secretary concerned whenever the harvest of live trees is expected to occur in a forest health management activity. Provides a petition process under which any interested person may petition either Secretary to designate a specific area of at least 100 acres as a forest health emergency or high risk area. (Sec. 4) Directs each Secretary to publish in the Federal Register notice of the prospective decision to designate a forest health emergency or high risk area and to select appropriate forest health management activities for such area. Requires compliance with certain Federal laws. Provides for public comment and administrative and judicial review of such decisions (prohibiting administrative review of the designation of a forest health emergency area). Excludes certain Federal lands from any designations or management activities under this Act. (Sec. 6) Directs the Secretaries to jointly prepare and submit to specified congressional leaders and committees an annual Forest Health Report to evaluate forest health on Federal lands. (Sec. 7) Requires summaries of forest health conditions, activities, and expenditures to be included in annual requests from the President to the Congress governing activities of the Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, or Forest Service. (Sec. 8) Authorizes appropriations for FY 1996 through 2006.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 1995
Prohibits the Secretary of Agriculture from transferring any Angeles National Forest lands in California out of Federal ownership for use as a solid waste landfill.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 1995
Provides amounts for the expenses of the House Committee on Agriculture for the 104th Congress. Limits amounts available for consultant services and staff training.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1995
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that installment sales of certain farmers not be treated as a preference item for purposes of computing the alternative minimum tax.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1995
Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act of 1995 - Designates the following lands in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming as wilderness and components of the National Wilderness Preservation System (System): (1) Greater Glacier-Continental Divide Ecosystem; (2) Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem; (3) Greater Salmon-Selway Ecosystem; (4) Greater Cabinet-Yaak-Selkirk Ecosystem; (5) Islands in the Sky Wilderness; (6) Rattlesnake Wilderness; and (7) Rattlesnake Wilderness Area. Adds specified lands to the Rattlesnake National Recreation Area. Designates: (1) specified wild land areas as Biological Connecting Corridors (Corridors) to protect the life flow of the Northern Rockies Bioregion; (2) the inventoried roadless areas identified as part of the Corridors as components of the System; and (3) certain biological connecting corridors as special corridor management areas. Exempts specified roads and highways from the provisions of this Act. Directs the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to study the feasibility of: (1) creating a Hells Canyon-Chief Joseph National Park and Preserve; (2) creating a Flathead National Park and Preserve; and (3) designating such areas as units of the National Park System (NPS). Requires the national park and preserve study areas to be administered by the Secretary of Agriculture. Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate segments of specified rivers and creeks in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System (NWSRS). Establishes the National Wildland Restoration and Recovery System. Specifies component recovery areas. Authorizes appropriations to establish the National Wildland Recovery Corps (a special unit of the U.S. Forest Service) to carry out land recovery responsibilities. Requires the Corps to develop a wildland recovery plan for each area of the Recovery System, requiring each plan to take into account the specific conditions of the area. Provides that when recovery is achieved for a component of the Recovery System, the Forest Service shall evaluate and make recommendations to the Congress on its suitability for inclusion within the System. Designates certain lands within the Lewis and Clark National Forest known as Badger-Two Medicine Area as the Blackfeet Wilderness Area. Declares that the Congress recognizes that the Blackfeet Nation retains treaty rights in this area as provided in the 1896 treaty with the Federal Government. Requires a review and other considerations with respect to such area. Withdraws the Badger-Two Medicine Wilderness Area from all forms of entry, appropriation, or disposal under the mining laws and disposition under the geothermal and mineral leasing laws. Requires the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to: (1) report to the Congress on implementation of this Act; (2) establish an interagency team to monitor, evaluate, and make recommendations to ensure long-term results required by this Act and to develop a geographic information system for monitoring the Northern Rockies Bioregion; and (3) establish a governmental review board to make recommendations to the Congress on legally restating and unifying the natural resource management mandates of Federal agencies. Requires the Secretaries to assure nonexclusive access to Wilderness areas, National Park and Preserve Study areas, Wildland Recovery areas, and Biological Corridors designated by this Act by Native Americans for traditional cultural and religious purposes. Requires the Forest Service to enter into cooperative management agreements with the appropriate Indian tribes to assure protection of religious, burial, and gathering sites, and to work cooperatively on the management of all uses in the protected areas that affect Indian lands and people. Requires the Secretaries to give particular emphasis to the preservation and protection of cultural resources located within the areas. Reserves, with respect to each wilderness area designated by this Act, a sufficient quantity of water to fulfill the area's designated purpose.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1995
Establishes a pilot program under which county-based rural development boards may apply to the Secretary of Agriculture for specified rural development project grants. Requires project cooperation with State rural development councils, substate regional organizations, and land grant institutions. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to: (1) create a national training and information system; and (2) publish a statement of national rural development goals.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1995
Agricultural Lands Protection Act of 1995 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and the Food Security Act of 1985 to exempt from certain conservation requirements privately-owned crop, range, or pasture lands that have been used for crop production or livestock grazing for at least five of the preceding ten years.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 1995
Agricultural Irrigation and Deficit Reduction Act of 1995 - Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to require producers under an acreage limitation program to pay certain irrigation costs.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 1995
Tax Fairness for Agriculture Act of 1995 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit agricultural or horticultural organization member dues (limited to a specified amount) from being treated as unrelated business taxable income for purposes of the tax on unrelated business income.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Regulatory Analysis and Review Title II: Risk-Based Priorities Title III: Regulatory Accounting Title IV: Market Incentives and Economically Efficient Regulation Regulatory Reform Act of 1995 - Title I: Regulatory Analysis and Review - Amends Federal law to define "major rule" as a rule or a group of closely related rules that the proposing agency, the President, or an officer with presidentially delegated authority determines is likely to have an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more in reasonably quantifiable direct and indirect costs, or has a significant impact on a subsector of the economy. (Sec. 101) Authorizes an agency, the President, or an officer with presidentially delegated authority to designate as a major rule also any rule or group of closely related rules which is likely to result in: (1) a substantial increase in costs or prices for wage earners, consumers, individual industries, nonprofit organizations, Federal, State, or local government agencies, or geographic regions; or (2) significant adverse effects on wages, economic growth, investment, productivity, innovation, the environment, public health or safety, or the ability of enterprises whose principal places of business are in the United States to compete in domestic or export markets. Excludes from the meaning of major rule under this Act any rule: (1) involving Federal taxes; (2) authorizing the introduction into commerce or recognizing the marketable status of a product under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act; (3) exempting from notice and public procedure; or (4) relating to specified aspects of depository institutions with federally insured deposits or accounts. Requires each Federal agency, before publishing notice of proposed rulemaking for any rule, to determine whether the rule is or should be designated major. Provides for such determination by the President or by an officer with presidentially delegated authority. Requires the agency to issue at the time of the notice of proposed rulemaking a preliminary regulatory cost-benefit analysis, summarized in such notice, with specified contents. Requires issuance of a final regulatory analysis with the publication of a final major rule. Allows judicial review of an agency determination of major rule status, but not of such a determination by the President or by an officer with presidentially delegated authority. Prescribes executive oversight requirements and authority. Requires the President to require the heads of certain covered agencies to prepare: (1) a risk assessment for each proposed major rule relating to human health, safety, or the environment; and (2) for each such proposed or final rule, an assessment of incremental risk reduction or other benefits associated with each significant regulatory alternative considered by the agency in connection with the rule. Exempts from such requirements emergency situations and certain screening analyses. Limits covered agencies to: (1) the Environmental Protection Agency; (2) the Department of Labor; (3) the Food and Drug Administration; (4) the Consumer Product Safety Commission; (5) the Department of Transportation; (6) the Department of Energy; (7) the Department of Agriculture; (8) the Department of the Interior; and (9) the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Specifies principles for risk assessment, risk characterization, and risk communication, requiring generally that scientific findings and best estimates of risk be distinguished from other considerations. Requires each covered agency to: (1) issue guidelines to implement risk assessment and risk characterization principles; and (2) publish, within 18 months after enactment of this Act, a plan to review and revise any risk assessment published before the end of such 18-month period if the agency determines that significant new information or methodologies are available that could significantly alter the results of the prior risk assessment. Requires an agency head or the President to determine for each major rule that: (1) the risk assessment and incremental benefit analysis are based on a scientific evaluation supported by the best available scientific data; and (2) there is no regulatory alternative allowed by statute under which the regulation is promulgated that would achieve an equivalent reduction in risk in a more cost-effective and flexible manner. Requires the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to: (1) survey periodically how each covered agency is conducting risk assessment; (2) make recommendations to the President and the Congress based on such surveys; (3) establish interagency mechanisms to promote coordination among agencies conducting risk assessment and promote use of state-of-the-art assessment practices; and (4) establish mechanisms between Federal and State agencies, including periodic meetings, to communicate state-of-the-art risk assessment practices and assess Federal-State cooperation. Requires each agency: (1) to identify in the Federal Register existing rules it determines to be major; and (2) to review each such rule, according to certain procedures, and amend, repeal, or renew the rule, with public participation. (Sec. 102) Authorizes each Federal agency head, in the administration of a Federal statute with respect to any State or locality, to adopt as a Federal rule, recordkeeping or reporting requirement, or implementation procedure a State or local rule, requirement, or procedure that is substantively equivalent to or more stringent than its Federal counterpart. Title II: Risk-Based Priorities - Risk Reduction Priorities Act of 1995 - Urges each covered agency to strive to set priorities and use the resources available under applicable laws to address human health, safety, and environmental risks: (1) which the agency considers most serious; and (2) which can be addressed in a cost- effective manner. (Sec. 204) Sets forth general criteria for determining the most serious risks, with review of agency determinations by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Requires each agency head to incorporate such risk-based priorities into budget and planning activities. (Sec. 205) Requires the OMB Director to enter into arrangements with an accredited scientific body to conduct: (1) a study of the methodologies for using comparative risk to rank dissimilar human health, safety, and environmental risks; and (2) a comparative risk analysis according to specified criteria. Requires reports to the President and the Congress. Exempts agency compliance or noncompliance with this title from judicial review. Prohibits judicial consideration of any analysis prepared under this title apart from the requirement, rule, program, or law to which it relates. Title III: Regulatory Accounting - Regulatory Accounting Act of 1995 - Requires the President to submit to Congress biennial accounting statements estimating the costs of Federal regulatory programs and corresponding benefits over the next five fiscal years. Prescribes the general contents of such statements. (Sec. 303) Requires the President, acting through the OMB Director, to submit to Congress along with the accounting statement an associated report containing impact analyses and recommendations for reform. (Sec. 304) Requires the OMB Director to provide guidance to agencies to standardize cost and benefit measures and the format of the accounting statements. (Sec. 305) Requires the Director of the Congressional Budget Office, after each accounting statement and associated report submitted to Congress, to make recommendations to the President for improving such statements and reports. Title IV: Market Incentives and Economically Efficient Regulation - Market Incentives Act of 1995 - Requires agencies to ensure that major rules, especially those that limit the emission of environmental pollutants or otherwise govern the use of natural resources, operate through the application of market-based mechanisms (or comparable alternatives). (Sec. 403) Requires each agency to include in each proposed rule an assessment of market-based mechanisms, which shall be reviewed by OMB.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: General Provisions Title II: Revenue from Mining Claims Title III: Helium Title IV: Use of Disposal of Federal Natural Resources Title V: National Park Concessions Public Resources Deficit Reduction Act of 1995 - Title I: General Provisions - Prohibits any timber, minerals, forage, or other natural resources owned by the United States, any federally owned water, or hydroelectric energy of a Federal facility from being sold, leased, or otherwise disposed of by any Federal entity for less than fair market value. (Sec. 102) Authorizes the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to establish and collect user fees as necessary to reimburse the United States for expenses incurred in administering programs. (Sec. 103) Requires the revenues from the sale, lease, and transfer of Federal assets to be included in the President's budget submission to Congress. Title II: Revenue from Mining Claims - Requires the holders of mining claims to pay an annual claim maintenance fee of $100 per claim per calendar year. Allows the waiver of such fee for holders of more than ten claims. (Sec. 203) Requires claimholders to pay a royalty of eight percent of gross income for production of locatable minerals on Federal lands. (Sec. 204) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an excise tax on gross income resulting from the severance of any locatable mineral, or mineral concentrates or products, from a mine or other natural deposit. Makes such tax inapplicable to gross income to which a royalty is imposed. (Sec. 205) Establishes the Abandoned Locatable Minerals Mine Reclamation Fund for the reclamation and restoration of land and water resources adversely affected by past mineral activities on Federal lands. Credits the royalties and excise tax under this title to such Fund. (Sec. 206) Prohibits the issuance of a patent for any mining claim unless the Secretary of the Interior determines that, for the claim concerned: (1) a patent application was filed before January 27, 1995; and (2) all requirements are met under the Revised Statutes for vein or lode claims and for placer claims. (Sec. 207) Requires the Secretary to adjust all dollar amounts under this title for changes in purchasing power every ten years, employing the Consumer Price Index as the basis for adjustment. Title III: Helium - Amends the Helium Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) enter into agreements with private parties for the recovery and disposal of helium on Federal lands; (2) grant leasehold rights to such helium; (3) store and transport crude helium; and (4) maintain and operate existing crude helium storage at the Bureau of Mines Cliffside Field. Directs the Secretary to: (1) cease producing, refining, and marketing refined helium; and (2) dispose of all facilities, equipment, and Federal property interests relating to refined helium activities. Requires the Secretary to impose fees for helium storage, withdrawal, or transportation services. Prescribes guidelines for: (1) the purchase of helium by Federal agencies from certain private persons; and (2) the sale of crude helium by the Secretary. Prohibits the Secretary from making crude helium sales in amounts that will disrupt the crude helium market price. Mandates that proceeds from helium sales be paid to the Treasury. Instructs the Secretary to eliminate helium stockpiles by a prescribed deadline. Repeals the Secretary's authority to borrow under the Helium Act. Title IV: Use or Disposal of Federal Natural Resources - Amends the Federal Land Policy Management Act of 1976 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture, with respect to National Forest lands in the 16 contiguous Western States, and the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to public domain lands, where domestic livestock grazing is permitted under applicable law, to establish and implement an annual domestic livestock grazing fee equal to fair market value, based on a specified formula. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) abolition of grazing advisory boards; and (2) the U.S. share of receipts. (Sec. 402) Amends the National Forest Management Act of 1976 to prohibit below-cost timber sales from National Forest System Lands. (Sec. 403) Amends the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 to require the Secretary of Agriculture in revising land management plans to take into account the economic suitability of lands for timber production. (Sec. 404) Amends the Reclamation Project Act of 1939 to require that irrigation water from the Bureau of Reclamation used to grow surplus crops be paid for at the full cost for delivery. (Sec. 405) Amends the Food Security Act of 1995 and the Federal Crop Insurance Act to provide for the reduction of payment limitations for persons who receive Federal irrigation water for agricultural purposes. (Sec. 408) Amends the Emergency Livestock Feed Assistance Act of 1988 to repeal the livestock feed assistance program. (Sec. 409) Requires that permits for the use of communications sites on public lands be established at fair market value. (Sec. 410) Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to require that oil and gas rental prices for leases on public lands be established at fair market value. Title V: National Park Concessions - Repeals the Concessions Policy Act of 1965. (Sec. 504) Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to award concession contracts that authorize private persons, corporations, or other entities to provide services to park visitors and to utilize facilities if it is determined that such award is appropriate. (Sec. 505) Requires a concession contract to be awarded to the person submitting the best proposal through a competitive selection process to be established by the Secretary. Allows waiver of such procedures and award of a temporary contract to avoid interruption of services. Requires the Secretary to publish a notice of availability for a prospectus soliciting proposals for contracts for concessions at a Park specifying minimum contract requirements and contract terms and conditions. Requires congressional notification of any proposed contract with anticipated gross receipts exceeding $1 million or of a duration of ten or more years. Prohibits the Secretary from granting a preferential right to a concessioner to renew concession contracts under this Act, with exceptions. Allows such preferential rights to be granted for certain outfitting and guide contracts and certain contracts with annual gross receipts of under $500,000. (Sec. 506) Sets forth criteria for determining franchise fees, including fees for multiple franchise contracts within a park. (Sec. 507) Requires all fees to be: (1) covered into a special Treasury account established for reallocation to NPS units for resource management and protection, maintenance activities, interpretation, and research; or (2) deposited into a Park Improvement Fund established by the concessioner (as directed by the Secretary) from which expenditures shall be made for park activities and projects. Requires: (1) an annual statement from the concessioner to the Secretary reflecting total activity in the Fund for the preceding fiscal year; and (2) an annual report from the Secretary to specified congressional committees concerning Fund expenditures. (Sec. 508) Establishes a maximum: (1) ten-year duration for a concessions contract, provided that the Secretary may award a contract for up to 20 years if determined necessary; and (2) two-year duration for a temporary contract. (Sec. 509) Requires the approval of the Secretary and congressional notification before a concession contract can be transferred, assigned, sold, or conveyed and sets forth conditions that preclude such conveyance. (Sec. 510) Grants possessory interest to: (1) concessioners who have commenced acquisition or construction of any structure on Federal land within a park before the enactment of this Act; and (2) concessioners who construct or acquire an improvement on U.S. land within a Park after enactment of this Act. (Sec. 511) Places limitations on a concessioner's rates and charges to the public. (Sec. 512) Directs the Secretary to: (1) periodically evaluate the performance of each concessioner under contract; (2) terminate a contract if a concessioner fails, within the prescribed time, to meet minimum requirements identified in a notice of unsatisfactory performance; and (3) notify specified congressional committees of each unsatisfactory rating and each contract terminated. (Sec. 513) Provides that the Comptroller General of the United States shall, until the expiration of five calendar years after the close of the business year for each concessioner, have access to and the right to examine any pertinent books, documents, papers, and records of the concessioner related to the contracts. (Sec. 514) Exempts contracts awarded by the Secretary under this Act from certain provisions of Federal law with respect to the leasing of U.S. buildings and properties. (Sec. 516) Requires the Inspector General of the Department of the Interior to submit biannual reports to specified congressional committees on the implementation of this Act and its effect on facilities operated pursuant to concession contracts and on visitor services. (Sec. 517) Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1995
Old Faithful Protection Act of 1995 - Declares that any use of, or production from, any existing geothermal well, or any exploration for, or development of, any new geothermal well or any facility related to the use of geothermal steam and associated geothermal resources within the boundary of the Yellowstone Protection Area risks adverse effects upon the hydrothermal and geothermal features of Yellowstone National Park. (Sec. 4) Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from issuing any geothermal lease for lands within the boundary of the Area. (Sec. 5) Places a moratorium upon the use of, or production from, any existing geothermal well, or any exploration for, or development of, any new geothermal well or any facility related to the use of geothermal steam and associated geothermal resources within the boundary of the Yellowstone Protection Area. Directs the Secretary to review National Park Service management of the Park and take the steps necessary to protect the Park's thermal systems, features, and resources. (Sec. 6) Directs the National Park Service to research, inventory, and report to the Congress periodically on the current and potential effects of hydrothermal, geothermal development, mineral, or other resources upon protected systems and features. Mandates the exclusive use of nonintrusive methodologies. (Sec. 7) Prescribes guidelines under which the States of Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho are encouraged to implement federally approved State management programs for regulated resources outside Yellowstone National Park. Prohibits any use (including research), production, exploration, or development of any regulated resources on lands within the Area except as authorized by permit issued by a State agency implementing a federally approved State program. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements with Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho and with the Secretary of Agriculture to fulfill the purposes of this Act. (Sec. 8) Declares that the water rights compact between the United States and the State of Montana ratified in 1993 shall be considered an approved State program for regulation of groundwater resources within Yellowstone Protection Area. (Sec. 9) Deems certain provisions of the Idaho Code to have been submitted to the Secretary for approval as an approved State program. (Sec. 10) Makes the State management program provisions of section 7 of this Act ineffective with respect to the Area within Idaho and Wyoming for two years if the Governor of the State notifies the Secretary that the State will prohibit any permit or other approval action involving regulated resources within the Area during such period. Authorizes either State to submit a State program during such period. Activates such provisions at the end of the two-year period upon approval or disapproval of the respective State program. (Sec. 11) Authorizes citizen suits to enjoin any party (including the United States, except for a State or State agency or local government) alleged to be in violation of this Act, or pertinent regulations. (Sec. 12) Provides for judicial review of administrative procedures relating to this Act. (Sec. 14) Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 16) Prescribes guidelines for the Secretary of Agriculture to acquire by exchange certain lands and interests in lands owned by the Church Universal and Triumphant located in the Yellowstone Controlled Groundwater Area and Corwin Springs Known Geothermal Resource Area of the Gallatin National Forest.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 1995
Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to sell specified lands to the city of Rolla, Missouri. Requires the preservation of historic resources on such land.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Conversion of Joliet Army Ammunition Plant to Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Title II: Other Real Property Disposals Involving Joliet Army Ammunition Plant Title III: Miscellaneous Provisions Illinois Land Conservation Act of 1995 - Title I: Conversion of Joliet Army Ammunition Plant to Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie - Ratifies the proposals identified by the land use plan which was developed by the Joliet Arsenal Citizen Planning Commission, approved April 8, 1994. Transfers to the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary), without reimbursement, portions of the Joliet Army Ammunition Plant in Illinois (Arsenal) to constitute the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie (MNP) established by this Act. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of the Army to provide and maintain security measures on such portions of the Arsenal as are under their jurisdictions. Authorizes the Secretary, prior to such transfer and subject to such reasonable terms and conditions as the Secretary of the Army may prescribe, to enter upon Arsenal property for purposes related to planning, resource inventory, fish and wildlife habitat manipulation (including burning), and specified other activities. (Sec. 102) Transfers jurisdiction to the Secretary over those portions of the Arsenal property identified for transfer within six months of this Act's enactment. Specifies that, in the case of Arsenal property to be transferred to the Secretary, the Secretary of the Army shall transfer to the Secretary only those portions for which no further action is required under any environmental law. Provides for additional transfers and the identification of portions for transfer for the MNP. Directs the Secretary of the Army to retain jurisdiction, authority, and control over real property at the Arsenal to be used for environmental cleanup purposes. Requires all costs of necessary surveys for the transfer of jurisdiction of Arsenal property from the Secretary of the Army to the Secretary to be shared equally by the two Secretaries. (Sec. 103) Requires the Secretary of the Army, with respect to the real property at the Arsenal, to remain liable for and continue to carry out all: (1) response actions required under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) and all remediation actions required under other environmental laws at or related to the property; and (2) actions required under other environmental laws to remediate petroleum products or their derivatives. Specifies that the Secretary of the Army shall retain any obligation or other liability at the Arsenal that he or she may have under CERCLA and other environmental laws. Relieves the Secretary from liability for certain costs, penalties, or fines regarding response actions required under CERCLA or the presence, release, or threat of release of any hazardous material at or related to the Arsenal or actions necessary to remedy noncompliance or other specified problems. Requires any Federal department or agency that had or has operations at the Arsenal resulting in the release or threatened release of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants to pay the cost of related response actions or related actions under other statutes to remediate petroleum products or their derivatives. (Sec. 104) Establishes the MNP in Illinois to be managed for National Forest purposes. Permits acquisition of private lands for inclusion in the MNP on a willing seller basis only. (Sec. 105) Permits the construction and maintenance of roads for use within the MNP, the granting of authorizations for utility rights-of-way under applicable Federal law, or such access as is necessary. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) agricultural leases and special use authorizations; (2) user fees; (3) salvage of improvements; (4) treatment of user fees and salvage receipts; and (5) cooperation with States, local governments, and other entities. Requires the Secretary to develop a plan to provide Will County, Illinois, and local jurisdictions with access to, and use of, groundwater through the existing system of wells located on portions of the Arsenal property to be included in the MNP. (Sec. 106) Designates specified areas of property at the Arsenal for disposal. Title II: Other Real Property Disposals Involving Joliet Army Ammunition Plant - Transfers specified real property at the Arsenal, without reimbursement, to: (1) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for use as a national cemetery; (2) Will County, Illinois, for use as a landfill; and (3) the State of Illinois for economic redevelopment to replace the economic activity lost at the Arsenal. Requires the reversion to the United States of: (1) the landfill property if the property is not being operated as a landfill or if the Federal Government is denied reasonable access to the property; and (2) the economic redevelopment property if such property is not being used for such purposes. Title III: Miscellaneous Provisions - Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to restrict or lessen the degree of cleanup at the Arsenal required to be carried out under any environmental law.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1995
Establishes a moratorium on the Interagency Memorandum of Agreement Concerning Wetlands Determinations until enactment of a successor law to the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1995
Old Faithful Protection Act of 1995 - Declares that any use, production, exploration, or development of any new or existing geothermal well within the boundary of the Yellowstone Protection Area risks adverse effects upon the thermal features of Yellowstone National Park. (Sec. 104) Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from issuing any geothermal lease for lands within the boundary of the Area. (Sec. 105) Places a moratorium upon the use, production, development or exploration of any new wells within the Area. Directs the Secretary to take the steps necessary to protect the Park's thermal systems and features. (Sec. 106) Directs the National Park Service to research, inventory, and report to the Congress at least every five years on the current and potential effects of hydrothermal or geothermal development upon protected systems and features. Mandates the exclusive use of nonintrusive methodologies. (Sec. 107) Prescribes guidelines under which the States of Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho are encouraged to implement federally approved State management programs for regulated resources outside Yellowstone National Park. Prohibits any use (including research), production, exploration, or development of any regulated resources on non-Federal lands within the Area except as authorized by permit issued by a State agency implementing a federally approved State program. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements with Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho and with the Secretary of Agriculture to fulfill the purposes of this title. (Sec. 108) Declares that the water rights compact entered into by the United States and the State of Montana on January 31, 1994, shall be considered an approved State program for regulation of groundwater resources within Yellowstone Protection Area. (Sec. 109) Makes certain land restrictions, the moratorium on new well activity, and other requirements of this Act ineffective with respect to the Area within Idaho and Wyoming for two years if the Governor of the State notifies the Secretary that the State will prohibit any permit or other approval action involving regulated resources within the Area during such period. Authorizes either State to submit a State program during such period. Activates such restrictions and requirements and the moratorium at the end of the two-year period upon approval or disapproval of the respective State program. (Sec. 110) Provides for judicial review of administrative procedures relating to this Act. (Sec. 112) Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 114) Prescribes guidelines for the Secretary of Agriculture to acquire by exchange certain lands and interests in lands owned by the Church Universal and Triumphant located in the Yellowstone Controlled Groundwater Area and Corwin Springs Known Geothermal Resource Area of the Gallatin National Forest.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1995
Omnibus Committee Funding Resolution for 1995 and 1996 - Authorizes expenditures by the following Senate committees from March 1, 1995, through September 30, 1996, and for the period March 1, 1996, through February 28, 1997: (1) Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; (2) Appropriations; (3) Armed Services; (4) Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; (5) Budget; (6) Commerce, Science, and Transportation; (7) Energy and Natural Resources; (8) Environment and Public Works; (9) Finance; (10) Foreign Relations; (11) Governmental Affairs; (12) Judiciary; (13) Labor and Human Resources; (14) Rules and Administration; (15) Small Business; (16) Veterans' Affairs; (17) Aging; (18) Intelligence; and (19) Indian Affairs. Authorizes the transfer of any unexpended balance of any committee for the period ending February 28, 1995, to a special reserve to be available to any committee to meet specified unpaid obligations or expenses. Expresses the sense of the Senate that space assigned to committees covered by this resolution shall be reduced commensurate with the reductions in authorized staff funded herein. States that the Committee on Rules and Administration is expected to recover such space for purposes of equalizing Senators' offices and to consolidate the space for committees to reduce the cost of support equipment and office furniture and accessories.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1995
Risk Assessment and Cost-Benefit Analysis Act of 1995 - Directs the head of each covered Federal agency, in exercising authority under any Federal law to protect human health and the environment, to: (1) conduct risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis for all major rules protecting human health and the environment; (2) demonstrate that for all major rules the benefits to human health or the environment justify the costs; (3) publish with each final rule an identification of the most flexible and cost effective regulatory option and, if those options are not employed, an explanation justifying why; (4) prioritize threats to human health, safety, and the environment according to the seriousness of the risk they pose and the opportunities available to achieve the greatest overall net reduction in those risks with the public and private resources available; (5) prioritize the use of resources available to the agency under those laws to reduce those risks in accordance with such threat priorities (including applying the priorities to the budget, strategic planning, and research activities of the agency); and (6) apply peer review to each risk assessment and each cost-benefit analysis that may have a significant impact on that exercise of authority. (Sec. 5) Establishes in each covered agency an Office of Risk Assessment and Cost-Benefit Analysis. Sets forth provisions for the Office: (1) Director, who shall be a Deputy Assistant Secretary or Deputy Assistant Administrator of the agency; (2) scientific peer review; (3) use of services and consultation; (4) issuance and use of risk assessment guidelines; (5) use of cost-benefit analysis before issuance any major rule; and (6) research and training in risk assessment, with evaluations and reports. (Sec. 6) Directs the head of each covered agency, acting through the agency's Office Director, to ensure that all risk characterizations make apparent the distinction between data and policy assumptions to facilitate interpretation and appropriate use of the characterization by decisionmakers. Sets forth required minimum contents for risk characterizations. (Sec. 7) Requires the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to carry out specified interagency coordination activities with respect to risk assessment. (Sec. 8) Amends the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and the Federal Nonnuclear Energy Research and Development Act of 1974 to require the Director of the Office of Science and Technology, rather than the President, to transmit an annual Environmental Quality Report. (Sec. 9) Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to modify any requirement or standard provided for in another provision of law that provides for risk assessment or is designed to protect health, safety, or the environment. (Sec. 10) Defines a major rule as any rule that is likely to result in an annual effect on the economy of $25 million or more. Makes the following covered agencies under this Act: (1) the Environmental Protection Agency; (2) the Consumer Product Safety Commission; (3) the Occupational Health and Safety Administration; (4) the Department of Labor; (5) the Department of Transportation; (6) the Department of Energy; (7) the Department of Agriculture; (8) the Department of the Interior; and (9) the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1995
Repeals the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act, 1930.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1995
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to take measures to control the southern pine beetle in specified Texas wilderness areas.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1995
Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain lands in the Sam Houston National Forest, Texas, to their current occupant, a named nonprofit organization. Specifies consideration and other terms and conditions of conveyance.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1995
Free Market Grazing Fees Act - Directs the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to establish livestock grazing fees at fair market value.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1995
Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to charge fees for expenses to the Federal Government for triploid grass carp certification inspections requested by a person owning or operating an aquaculture facility.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1995
Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to charge fees for expenses to the Federal Government for triploid grass carp certification inspections requested by a person owning or operating an aquaculture facility.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 1995
Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior or any other Federal agency or officer from approving or issuing any permit for, or providing any assistance for, the construction of any new dam, reservoir, or impoundment on any segment of North St. Vrain Creek or its tributaries within the boundaries of the Rocky Mountain National Park or on the main stem of the Creek downstream to the point at which it crosses the elevation 6550 feet above mean sea level. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to prevent the issuance of any permit for the construction of a new water gaging station on the Creek at the point of its confluence with Coulson Gulch. Directs the Secretary to seek to acquire by donation or exchange certain lands within the boundaries of the Park owned by Longmont, Colorado. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to pursue and report to the Congress biennially on negotiations with Longmont, Colorado, concerning the city's proposed exchange of lands located in and near Coulson Gulch for Federal lands.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 1995
Amends the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to prohibit the Commodity Credit Corporation from providing durum wheat export assistance in any year in which the projected stock-to-use ratio for such item is less than or equal to 40 percent.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Initiatives to Move Welfare Recipients Into the Work Force Title II: Initiatives to Strengthen Families and Break the Cycle of Welfare Dependency Title III: Changes to Federal Laws and State Initiatives to Increase Child Support and Paternal Responsibility Title IV: Initiatives to Diversify and Improve the Performance of Welfare Services Title V: Offsetting Expenditure Reductions Welfare Reforms That Work Act - Establishes general application requirements for States desiring to conduct a five-year demonstration project under this Act. Prohibits disbursement of Federal funds for an approved project until the State submits an evaluation plan developed according to standards prescribed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Requires every such plan to provide for evaluation of the project by an independent expert entity, whose conclusions shall be included in the State's annual and final reports to the Secretary on the project. (Sec. 4) Requires the Secretary to evaluate each project, based on the State reports, and if any of the reforms in the projects is determined likely to achieve the purposes of this Act, to submit proposed legislation to the Congress to: (1) implement such reforms nationally if appropriate; or (2) give States the option of adopting a successful reform in a State plan approved under the Social Security Act, where the reform may be effective in some States but not in others. Directs the Secretary to establish a clearinghouse to collect and disseminate to State officials and the public current information on approved demonstration projects. (Sec. 5) Authorizes appropriations. Title I: Initiatives to Move Welfare Recipients Into the Work Force - Directs the Secretary to provide for demonstration projects which condition Aid to Families With Dependent Children (AFDC) benefits for certain individuals on school attendance or job training, limit the time period for receipt of such benefits, and require teenage parents to live at home. (Sec. 101) Limits such a project to families which: (1) include a parent under age 20; (2) include at least one dependent child of such parent; but (3) do not include a child under six months of age. Prohibits AFDC payments to such a family unless the teenage parent is for at least 35 hours a week: (1) attending school or studying for a general equivalency diploma; or (2) participating in a job, job training, or job placement program. Requires such parent, except in specified circumstances, to reside: (1) with his or her parent, legal guardian, or other adult relative in the latter's own home; or (2) in a foster home, maternity home, or other adult-supervised supportive living arrangement. Requires the AFDC payments, where possible, to be provided to the teenage parent's parent, guardian, or other adult relative on behalf of the individual and the individual's child. Entitles such a family to such aid for a State-determined appropriate period of time which shall, at a minimum, permit the individual to complete the required educational or job-related activities. (Sec. 102) Amends the Job Training Partnership Act to authorize the Secretary of Labor to enter into agreements with Federal, State, or local agencies, or private organizations, for the development of pilot projects to provide services at Job Corps centers to eligible youth whose families receive AFDC and who are mothers of children who have not reached the age of compulsory school attendance. Requires the Job Corps center to: (1) provide child care at or near the center for such individuals; and (2) require each such individual to participate in certain activities through a parents as teachers program operating parent education programs providing group meetings and home visits by experienced parent educators and periodic screening by them of the educational, hearing, and visual development of the children of such individuals. (Sec. 103) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for State demonstration projects requiring a parent or other relative of a dependent child, as part of the application process for AFDC, to undergo 30 days of assisted job search or substance abuse treatment (or both) before the family may receive aid. Limits such demonstration project to families: (1) all of whose dependent children are over six months of age; (2) for whom the State has made adequate child care available, as well as all fee payments for the job search or substance abuse treatment activities; and (3) for whom application of the project does not endanger the welfare and safety of a dependent child member of the family. (Sec. 104) Amends part A (Aid to Families With Dependent Children) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require disregard as a resource for AFDC eligibility (except for a family's initial eligibility determination) of up to $10,000 in a qualified education and employment account established by the State to hold savings from the earned income of a dependent child or the child's parent in an AFDC family, qualified distributions from which may be used for expenses directly related to secondary or postsecondary school attendance or to improving the employability of family members. Requires disregard as income of any qualified distributions from such an account. (Sec. 105) Amends the SSA and the Internal Revenue Code to require a State plan to: (1) permit certain participants in a State self-employment program a one-time election to purchase capital equipment for a small business in lieu of a depreciation deduction for income tax purposes; and (2) treat repayments by such persons of the principal portion of small business loans as business expenses. Directs the Secretary to provide for State demonstration projects under which one or more partnerships are developed between State agencies and community businesses or educational institutions to provide technical assistance to: (1) eligible self-employed AFDC recipients; and (2) eligible participants in the establishment and operation of child care centers in the home or in the community. Directs the Secretary to provide for State demonstration projects to promote the ownership of family-owned businesses by AFDC recipients. (Sec. 106) Amends part F (Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training Program) of SSA title IV to declare that it is the purpose of such part to encourage individuals receiving education and training to enter the permanent work force by developing programs through which they enter the work force and then receive post-employment education and training. (Sec. 107) Directs the Secretary to provide for additional State demonstration projects to better move AFDC recipients into the work force. Title II: Initiatives to Strengthen Families and Break the Cycle of Welfare Dependency - Directs the Secretary to provide for State demonstration projects to establish child-centered programs through conversion of certain AFDC and JOBS payments into block grants. (Sec. 201) Requires the Secretary to make payments, according to a specified formula, to a State for such projects in lieu of all AFDC and JOBS payments to which the State would otherwise be entitled. Specifies the kinds of programs for which such block grants may be used, including: (1) residential programs for teenage mothers with dependent children where education, job training, community service, or other employment is found; (2) certain pilot projects (authorized by this Act) at Job Corps centers providing services to eligible teenage AFDC recipients whose children have not reached the age of compulsory school attendance; (3) programs for adoption of neglected or abused children; (4) expanded child care assistance for children of needy working parents; (5) residential schooling for children from needy families; and (6) other services provided directly to children from needy families. Requires the Secretary to ensure that each State uses its grant to the fullest extent possible to support community-based services. (Sec. 202) Directs the Secretary to provide for demonstration projects: (1) providing no additional benefits with respect to children born while a family is receiving AFDC, but allowing increases in the earned income disregard; (2) waiving certain work history and related requirements for a parent of a dependent child who is married to the child's natural parent; (3) increasing the stepparent earned income disregard; (4) reducing AFDC benefits if school attendance is irregular or preventive health care for dependent children is not obtained; (5) developing community-based programs for teenage pregnancy prevention and family planning; and (6) developing additional programs to strengthen families and break the cycle of welfare dependency. Title III: Changes to Federal Laws and State Initiatives to Increase Child Support and Paternal Responsibility - Directs the Secretary to provide for demonstration projects to: (1) develop a program to increase paternity establishment; and (2) increase child support collection efforts. Title IV: Initiatives to Diversify and Improve the Performance of Welfare Services - Directs the Secretary to provide for demonstration projects to: (1) provide placement of AFDC recipients in private sector jobs; and (2) establish performance-based incentives for State public welfare providers. Amends the Electronic Fund Transfer Act to prohibit the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System from applying to electronic benefit transfers established under a State or local governmental entitlement program certain disclosures, protections, responsibilities, and remedies (including, in effect, the liability limits currently applicable to private sector ATM and consumer credit cards), unless the payment under such program is made directly into a consumer's account held by the recipient. Exempts from such prohibition employment-related payments established by Federal, State, or local governments. Title V: Offsetting Expenditure Reductions - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to eliminate the "three-entity" rule (which allows an individual agricultural producer to form two other business entities with two other individuals to multiply the number of maximum agricultural subsidies of which the producer can take advantage). Requires the Secretary of Agriculture, in the case of corporations and other entities, to attribute all Federal agricultural payments to natural persons in proportion to their ownership interests in an entity and in any other entity, or partnership, that owns or controls the entity, or partnership, receiving the payments.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 1995
Nevada Forest Protection Act - Directs the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to: (1) identify and clear of forest fuels high-fire-risk Federal forest lands in Nevada; and (2) submit to the Congress a fire prevention plan and budget. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1995
Walnut Canyon National Monument Boundary Modification Act of 1995 - Modifies the boundaries of the Walnut Canyon National Monument in Arizona. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to acquire lands and interests in lands within the Monument. Transfers Federal property: (1) within the boundaries of the Monument (as modified by this Act) to the administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior for management as part of the Monument; and (2) excluded from the Monument (pursuant to the boundary modification) to the administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary of Agriculture to be managed as part of the Coconino National Forest. Requires the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National Park Service, to manage the Monument as a unit of the National Park Service.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 1995
Walnut Canyon National Monument Boundary Modification Act of 1995 - Modifies the boundaries of the Walnut Canyon National Monument in Arizona. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to acquire lands and interests in lands within the Monument. Transfers Federal property: (1) within the boundaries of the Monument (as modified by this Act) to the administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior for management as part of the Monument; and (2) excluded from the Monument (pursuant to the boundary modification) to the administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary of Agriculture to be managed as part of the Coconino National Forest. Requires the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National Park Service, to manage the Monument as a unit of the National Park Service. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 1995
Amends the National Trails System Act to designate the Great Western Scenic Trail, a system of trails to accommodate a variety of travel users in a corridor extending from the Arizona-Mexico border to the Idaho-Montana-Canada border, for study for addition to the national scenic trails system. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to study the appropriateness of motorized trail use along the Great Western Scenic Trail.