Government Reform and Savings Act of 1993

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Title I: Department of Agriculture

Title II: Department of Commerce

Title III: Department of Defense

Title IV: Department of Energy

Title V: Department of Health and Human Services

Title VI: Department of Housing and Urban Development

Title VII: Department of the Interior

Title VIII: Miscellaneous Provisions

Title IX: Department of Labor

Title X: Department of State and United States

Information Agency

Title XI: Department of Transportation

Title XII: Department of Veterans Affairs

Title XIII: Human Resource Management

Title XIV: Reinventing Support Services

Title XV: Streamlining Management Control

Title XVI: Financial Management

Title XVII: Year-End Spending

Government Reform and Savings Act of 1993 - Title I: Department of Agriculture - Subtitle A: Department of Agriculture Reorganization - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to reduce and reorganize the Department of Agriculture, including specified levels of personnel reduction.

Subtitle B: Eliminate Federal Support for Wool and Mohair - Repeals the National Wool Act as of December 31, 1995. Reduces 1994 and 1995 wool and mohair support levels.

Subtitle C: Eliminate Federal Support for Honey - Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to eliminate the honey price support program as of December 31, 1995. Reduces 1994 and 1995 support levels.

(Sec. 1203) Reduces honey loan forfeiture limitations.

Title II: Department of Commerce - Directs the Departments of Commerce and of Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to propose a single operational polar environmental and weather satellite system which meets national needs. Requires the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to submit to the Congress by a certain date an implementation plan designed to result in specified savings in budget authority and outlays between FY 1994 and 1999.

Title III: Department of Defense - Subtitle A: Create Incentives for the Department of Defense to Generate Revenues - Allows the commander of a military installation, at his discretion, to credit proceeds from the sale of recyclable materials to the nonappropriated morale and welfare account of such installation for use for morale and welfare activities.

Subtitle B: Closure of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences - Repeals Federal provisions establishing the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Phases out such University beginning in FY 1995, with closure no later than September 30, 1998.

Subtitle C: Streamline and Reorganize the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Directs the Secretary of the Army to reorganize the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers through the reorganization and reduction of offices and the restructuring of functions in order to increase efficiency and reduce costs, with a goal of achieving $50 million in net annual savings by FY 1998.

Title IV: Department of Energy - Subtitle A: Alaska Power Administration Sale Authorization Act - Alaska Power Administration Sale Authorization Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Energy, in accordance with specified purchase agreements, to sell: (1) the Snettisham Hydroelectric Project to the State of Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority; and (2) the Eklutna Hydroelectric Project to the Anchorage Municipal Light and Power, the Chugach Electric Association, Inc., and the Matanuska Electric Association Inc.

Directs the Secretary to: (1) close out the Alaska Power Administration; and (2) assess alternative options for maximizing the return to the Treasury from the sale of the Alaska Power Marketing Administration before taking any of the sales action authorized by this Title.

Subtitle B: Federal-Private Cogeneration of Electricity - Amends the National Energy Conservation Policy Act to modify the definition of "energy savings" to include increased efficiency from cogeneration processes for other than federally owned buildings or other federally owned facilities.

Subtitle C: Power Marketing Administration Debt Buyout - Part 1: Bonneville Power Administration Debt Buyout - Bonneville Power Administration Repayment Bonds Act - Authorizes the Administrator of the Bonneville Power Administration to sell bonds according to prescribed procedures.

(Sec. 4203) Amends the Federal Columbia River Transmission System Act to authorize the Administrator to make expenditures from the Bonneville Power Administration fund to pay the financing and debt service costs of such bonds.

(Sec. 4204) Amends the Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation Act to authorize the Administrator to base power and transmission rates upon a single, combined generation and transmission repayment study which demonstrates that all indebtedness is repaid by its due date.

Part 2: Other Power Marketing Administrations Debt Buyout - Power Marketing Administrations Financing Act - Sets forth procedural guidelines for the Administrators of the Southeastern, Southwestern and Western Area Power Administrations to repay the discounted present value of existing indebtedness to the United States.

(Sec. 4209) Establishes a Power Marketing Administration Sinking Fund.

(Sec. 4210) Authorizes each Administrator to issue revenue bonds and other instruments of indebtedness to refinance existing indebtedness.

Title V: Department of Health and Human Services - Subtitle A: Increased Flexibility in Contracting for Medicare Claims Processing - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to make various changes with respect to the contractor system under Medicare, including eliminating the authority of the Railroad Retirement Board to contract for processing the Medicare claims of railroad retirees.

Subtitle B: Workers' Compensation Data Exchange Pilot Projects - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct pilot projects with up to three States for studying the ways of obtaining workers' compensation data for the Secretary. Reimburses participating States out of the social security trust funds for the costs of participation.

Subtitle C: Federal Clearinghouse on Death Information - Amends SSA title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) to restructure the current program for the exchange of death information to, for example, use a Federal Clearinghouse on Death Information as the vehicle for all such exchanges and, in the case of individuals with respect to whom federally funded benefits are provided by (or through) a Federal or State agency other than under SSA, require such agency to pay a set fee to cover all costs connected with the provision of such information for them.

Requires any contract requiring a State to furnish death information to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to authorize the Secretary to use such information and redisclose it to any Federal, State, or local agency in accordance with certain SSA information sharing requirements.

Subtitle D: Continuing Disability Reviews - Amends SSA title II to earmark specified levels of administrative funding for continuing disability reviews of disabled beneficiaries for FY 1994 through 1999.

Title VI: Department of Housing and Urban Development - Subtitle A: Multifamily Property Disposition - Amends the Housing and Community Development Amendments of 1978 to revise provisions regarding the management and disposition of Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) - held multifamily properties and mortgages.

Subtitle B: Merger of the Certificate and Voucher Programs - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to merge the public housing certificate and voucher programs.

Subtitle C: Streamline HUD - Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to carry out HUD reorganization and reduction activities.

Subtitle D: Refinance Section 235 Mortgages - Amends the National Housing Act to cover mortgage refinancing costs under the lower-income family homeownership assistance program.

Subtitle E: Section 8 Rents for New Construction and Rehabilitation Projects - Prohibits temporarily the adjustment of maximum monthly public housing (section 8) rents for new construction and rehabilitation projects.

Title VII: Department of the Interior - Subtitle A: Improve the Federal Helium Program - Amends the Helium Act Amendments of 1960 to authorize the Secretary of the Interior (the Secretary) to: (1) reduce costs and increase operational efficiencies; and (2) establish and adjust fees charged private industry for storage, transmission, and withdrawal of privately-owned helium from government storage facilities to compensate fully for all costs incurred.

Directs the Secretary to: (1) avoid disruptions of the helium market when making helium sales; (2) sell helium at prices comparable to those of private industry; and (3) develop a long-term, comprehensive plan to cancel the outstanding debt owed to the Treasury by the Department of the Interior related to the Federal helium program, and improve Federal helium program operations.

Subtitle B: Improve Minerals Management Service Royalty Collection - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to require the Minerals Management Service, Royalty Management Program, to develop and implement: (1) an automated business information system to provide its auditors with a lease history according to prescribed guidelines; (2) the optimum methods to identify and resolve anomalies and verify that royalties are paid correctly; (3) a more efficient and cost-effective royalty collection process; and (4) any other actions necessary to reduce royalty underpayment and increase revenue by a certain amount.

Amends the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act of 1982 to prescribe penalty assessment guidelines for substantial underreporting of lease royalties.

Subtitle C: Phase Out the Mineral Institute Program - Directs the Secretary to phase out the Mining and Mineral Resources Research Institute Act of 1984. Authorizes appropriations. Prohibits appropriations after September 30, 1998.

Title VIII: Department of Justice - Amends the Federal criminal code to authorize the Attorney General to: (1) assess a nominal fee against a Federal prison inmate's trust fund account for any health services provided the inmate; and (2) waive or refund all or part of such fees for good cause at any time. Declares that no inmate shall be denied health services treatment because of inability to pay a health services fee.

Title IX: Department of Labor - Subtitle A: Deterrence of Fraud and Abuse in the FECA Program - Amends the Federal Employees Compensation Act (FECA) to add provisions to deter fraud and abuse in the FECA program.

Subtitle B: Enhancement of Reemployment Programs for Federal Employees Disabled in the Performance of Duty - Amends FECA to authorize the Secretary of Labor, as part of the vocational rehabilitation effort, to assist permanently disabled individuals in seeking and/or obtaining employment. Authorizes the Secretary to reimburse an employer (including a Federal employer), who was not the employer at the time of injury and who agrees to employ a disabled beneficiary, for portions of the salary, through payments from the Employees' Compensation Fund.

(Sec. 9101) Authorizes the Secretary to expand the FECA Periodic Roll Management Project to all offices of the Office of Workers' Compensation Program of the Department of Labor.

Subtitle C: Wage Determinations: McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act and Davis-Bacon Act - Amends the McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act and the Davis-Bacon Act to authorize the Secretary of Labor to develop and implement electronic data interchange systems to request and obtain wage determinations required under such Acts.

Subtitle D: Elimination of Filing Requirement for Plan Descriptions, Summary Plan Descriptions, and Descriptions of Material Modifications to a Plan - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to eliminate certain filing requirements for routine disclosure to employee benefit plan participants and beneficiaries of plan descriptions, summary plan descriptions, and descriptions of material modifications to a plan. Provides for such disclosures by plan administrators through written requests to the Secretary of Labor.

Title X: Department of State/United States Information Agency - Directs the Secretary of State to reduce costs of providing marine guard and other security at diplomatic missions overseas by a specified amount by the end of FY 1999.

(Sec. 10002) Requires the Director of the United States Information Agency (USIA) to improve the efficiency of USIA's public diplomacy activities and save a specified amount by the end of FY 1999.

Title XI: Department of Transportation - Subtitle A: Authority to Charge Tuition for Attendance at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy - Amends the Merchant Marine Act, 1936 to require the Secretary of Transportation (Secretary) to impose a system of tuition and fees on individuals attending the Academy equal to an amount that is up to one-half the total operating costs of the Academy during the preceding fiscal year. Authorizes the Secretary to impose reasonable fees on cadets at the Academy for all required uniforms and textbooks. (Currently, the Academy is required to provide for such items.)

Subtitle B: Reform of the Essential Air Service Program - Amends the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 to provide that in order for a point to be eligible for basic essential air service it must not require a rate of subsidy per passenger in excess of $200, and may not be located fewer than 70 highway miles from the nearest hub airport or small hub airport.

Decreases the amount of funds from the Airway Trust Fund for the essential air service program for FY 1994 through 1998. Authorizes amounts from such Fund for FY 1999.

Subtitle C: Repeal of Authorizations for the Airway Science Program, Collegiate Training Initiative, and Air Carrier Maintenance Technician Training Facility Grant Program - Repeals all authority for: (1) the Airway Science Program; (2) the Collegiate Training Initiative; and (3) the Air Carrier Maintenance Technician Training Facility Grant Program.

Title XII: Department of Veterans Affairs - Subtitle A: Remove Certain Limitations and Restrictions Contained in Veterans Law - Eliminates: (1) Department of Veterans Affairs (Department) hospital and nursing home bed capacity requirements; (2) a required increase in the number of full-time personnel in the Office of the Inspector General of the Department; (3) required reports to the Congress concerning Department administrative reorganizations; (4) the requirement of certain services and offices within the Veterans Health Administration of the Department; and (5) the requirement of a Deputy, Associate Deputy, and various assistant medical directors within the Office of the Chief Medical Director of the Department.

Subtitle B: Closure of Supply Depots and Transfer of Revolving Supply Fund Money - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) phase out and close Department supply depots in Somerville, New Jersey, Hines, Illinois, and Bell, California; and (2) transfer to the General Fund of the Treasury in FY 1994 and 1995 specified amounts from the Department Revolving Supply Fund.

Subtitle C: Provision of Information from the Medicare and Medicaid Coverage Data Bank to the Department of Veterans Affairs - Provides as an additional purpose of the Medicare and Medicaid Coverage Data Bank the provision of information to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs concerning the collection of payments from third parties for health care items and services furnished to veterans.

Subtitle D: Veterans' Appeals Improvement Act of 1993 - Veterans' Appeals Improvement Act of 1993 - Provides for the appointment by the Chairman of the Board of Veterans Appeals of any necessary number of Deputy Vice Chairmen. Removes current limitations on the authorized period of service for acting Board members. Requires the Chairman to include in an annual report information with respect to activities of acting Board members during the previous year.

(Sec. 12303) Authorizes the Chairman to decide alone, or to assign to another Board member, any matter or motion before the Board. (Current law requires a minimum three-member Board determination of such matters.) Prohibits judicial review of any such assignments.

(Sec. 12304) Authorizes the Board to: (1) dismiss appeals which allege no specific error of fact or law or in which the determination being appealed has become moot; (2) remand cases for which additional developments require appropriate disposition; and (3) render a written final Board decision on issues not dismissed or remanded. Revises provisions concerning situations under which the Chairman shall exclude himself from the reconsideration of an appeal. Provides for the reconsideration of a case based on a difference of opinion as to how the evidence should be evaluated rather than on a specific error in the prior decision.

(Sec. 12307) Authorizes Board member to: (1) collect medical opinions from Board employees, Department employees, or employees of other Federal departments and agencies, as long as such employees are licensed to practice medicine in any State; and (2) secure advisory medical opinions from independent medical experts when the case warrants such opinions. Requires opinions to be in writing and to be made part of the record, with an opportunity for the appellant to respond. Revises provisions concerning appellant hearing procedures.

Title XIII: Human Resource Management - Subtitle A: Federal Workforce Restructuring Act of 1993 - Federal Workforce Restructuring Act of 1993 - Amends Federal civil service law to eliminate various restrictions on employee training and authorize certain Federal agencies to establish temporary programs to offer a lump sum financial incentive (the lesser of $25,000 or the amount of an employee's severance pay) to selected groups of employees in order to encourage them to voluntarily separate from an agency, whether by retirement or resignation, in order to assist agency heads in restructuring their workforce. Provides for repayment of separation incentives if any employee rejoins the Federal Government within two years. Requires Federal agencies to pay a specified contribution to the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund based on the final rate of basic pay of each agency employee who retires early.

(Sec. 13003) Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) employment in the Executive Branch should be reduced by not less than one full-time equivalent position for each two employees who are paid voluntary separation incentives under this Act; and (2) each agency should adjust its employment levels to achieve this result.

Subtitle B: SES Annual Leave Accumulation - Repeals the authorization for unlimited accumulation of annual leave by members of the Senior Executive Service.

Title XIV: Reinventing Support Services - Government Information Dissemination and Printing Improvement Act of 1993 - Directs the President to establish policy for the acquisition of printing by executive agencies and promulgate appropriate Government-wide regulations. Requires such policy to ensure that the Government Printing Office (GPO) has the opportunity to compete on an equal basis for executive agency printing acquisitions.

(Sec. 14005) Requires GPO to remain the mandatory source for certain executive agency printing for two years after the enactment of this Act, except that during such period executive agencies may obtain printing services costing under $2500 from other sources.

(Sec. 14006) Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to develop policies and practices for agency dissemination of public information to ensure, among other things, that agencies: (1) avoid establishing, or permitting others to establish, exclusive, restricted, or other distribution arrangements that interfere with the availability of information dissemination products on a timely and equitable basis; and (2) set user charges for information dissemination products no higher than sufficient to recover the cost of dissemination, except where required by statute or specifically authorized by the Director.

(Sec. 14007) Specifies Federal agency responsibilities for information dissemination.

(Sec. 14008) Requires the Director of OMB to propose amendments to Federal law to ensure the distribution of government information dissemination products to depository libraries.

(Sec. 14009) Requires the Director to: (1) maintain a publicly accessible comprehensive inventory of all approved Federal agency information collection requests in order to assist agencies and the public in reducing the burden of agency information and collection requests by minimizing duplication; (2) cause to be established and maintained an agency-based electronic Government Information Locator Service in order to assist agencies and the public in locating information; (3) require each agency having significant information dissemination products to establish and maintain a comprehensive inventory of such products; and (4) establish an interagency committee to develop technical standards for agency inventory systems. Abolishes the old Federal Information Locator System.

Title XV: Streamlining Management Control - Authorizes the Director of OMB to publish annually in the President's Budget any recommendations for the consolidation, elimination, or adjustments in frequency and due dates of statutorily required periodic reports to the Congress or its committees.

Title XVI: Financial Management - Federal Financial Management Act of 1993 - Subtitle A: Electronic Payments - Amends Federal law to require direct deposit of Federal wage, salary, and retirement payments by electronic funds transfer for recipients who begin such payments on or after January 1, 1995.

Subtitle B: Franchise Funds and Innovation Funds - Authorizes the establishment of a franchise fund in an executive agency for expenses and equipment necessary for the maintenance and operations of administrative services that may be performed more advantageously on a centralized basis.

Authorizes the establishment of an innovation fund in an executive agency to provide a self-sustaining source of financing to invest in projects designed to produce measurable improvements in agency efficiency and significant taxpayer savings.

Requires such funds to be made available without further appropriation action by the Congress.

Subtitle C: Simplifying the Management Reporting Process - Authorizes the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to publish annually in the President's budget recommendations for consolidation, elimination, or adjustments in frequency and due dates of statutorily required periodic reports of agencies to the OMB or the President and of agencies or the OMB to the Congress under any laws for which the OMB has general management or financial management responsibility.

Subtitle D: Annual Financial Reports - Requires the annual financial statements of executive agencies to be audited prior to submission to OMB.

Subtitle E: Strengthening Debt Collection Programs - Authorizes appropriations from debt collection payments to improve debt collection activities.

(Sec. 16502) Makes provisions governing contracts for collection services inapplicable to certain claims or debts under the Social Security Act or the Internal Revenue Code.

Subtitle F: Improving Department of Justice Debt Collection - Establishes a Debt Collection Fund to reimburse executive agency expenses incurred in conducting or providing support to debt collection litigation, enforcing judgments, and related activities.

Subtitle G: Adjusting Civil Monetary Penalties for Inflation - Amends the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990 to require adjustment to the civil monetary penalties for inflation every four years (currently, every five years).

Title XVII: Year-End Spending - Limits the amount of appropriations for salaries and expenses that can remain available for successive fiscal years. Limits the amount of such carried-over funds for employee cash awards and training programs.