United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1987
Tropical Forest Protection Act of 1987 - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to conduct a review of the appropriate literature to determine which tropical forests and wetlands are likely to be unsuitable for agriculture and could, with assistance from multilateral development banks and public and private donors, be established as reserves for scientific research, tourism, indigenous people, and nonconsumptive uses and to analyze the likelihood that conserving tropical forests and wetlands can be achieved without such assistance. Authorizes the Secretary to consult with other U.S. officials, agencies, and appropriate nongovernmental organizations in conducting such review and analysis. Requires the Secretary to make determinations concerning the maximizing of in-country support for protection and management of tropical forests and wetlands. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress concerning such review, analysis, and determinations. Requires the Secretary to instruct the U.S. Executive Director of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) to initiate discussions and make proposals to the executive directors and management of the World Bank. Specifies that such proposals shall include: (1) a three-year pilot environmental structural adjustment lending program; and (2) a three year pilot exchange program whereby any country with outstanding debts held by the Bank may establish long-term conservation easements to protect tropical forests and wetlands in exchange for the World Bank suspending or rescheduling such debts. Requires the U.S. Executive Director to prepare annual reports while such three-year pilot programs are in effect and a final report describing the results of the programs. Requires the dissemination of such results to all multilateral development banks and all private lending institutions with outstanding loans to tropical nations in order to provide such banks with information about exchanges of debt for conservation easements as an alternative to forgiveness of any such debt. Requires the Secretary to conduct an analysis of the programs and policies of the International Monetary Fund to assess the potential for adapting the pilot programs of the World Bank to the operation of the Fund. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress concerning such study and analysis.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 1987
Western States National Trail Act of 1987 - Amends the National Trails System Act to establish the Western States Pioneer Express National Historic Trail in California. Permits the continuance of certain endurance and competitive events in the Granite Chief Wilderness in California. Establishes the Tahoe Rim National Scenic Trail in California and Nevada. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to make an equestrian staging center available along the Tahoe Rim Trail. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 1987
Designates October 15, 1987, as National Safety Belt Use Day. Authorizes and requests the President to issue a proclamation calling on the people to wear safety belts and have their children use child safety seats, and encouraging public safety and law enforcement agencies to promote these devices.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 1987
United States Secret Service Uniformed Division Salary Adjustment Act of 1987 - Amends the District of Columbia Police and Firemen's Salary Act of 1958 to increase the salary of members of the United States Secret Service Uniformed Division. Increases the following benefits for such members: service steps, premium pay, technician's pay, clothing allowances, and service longevity compensation.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 1987
United States Park Police Salary Adjustment Act of 1987 - Amends the District of Columbia Police and Firemen's Salary Act of 1958 to increase the salary of members of the United States Park Police. Increases the following benefits for such members: service steps, premium pay, technician's pay, clothing allowances, and service longevity compensation.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 1987
Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of title IV of the Social Security Act to make it clear that the authority to withhold past-due child support from an individual's Federal tax refunds may be exercised after such child reaches the age of majority.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 1987
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Federal excise taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel should not be increased as a means of reducing the Federal deficit.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 1987
Amends the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) to include otherwise eligible persons who are also entitled to Medicare benefits. Provides for payment under the CHAMPUS program of health care expenses to the extent that such expenses are not payable under Medicare or any other insurance or health plan. Requires a person claiming a benefit under this Act to certify the costs of all charges.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 1987
Federal Mineral Collection Efficiency Act of 1987 - Establishes in the Department of the Treasury the Minerals Collection Service (MCS), under the direction and administration of a Commissioner for Minerals Collection. Transfers to the MCS all Department of the Interior functions regarding mineral leasing revenue collection, audit, distribution, and enforcement. Makes such functions transfer effective 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act. Directs the Commissioner, upon the written request of any State or Indian tribe, to enter into cooperative agreements with them for the audit and collection of mineral royalties as set forth under the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act of 1982. Outlines the authorities to be delegated by the Commissioner to the States and Indian tribes pursuant to such agreements. Declares that any finding made by an authorized Federal or State official or tribal representative regarding an audit issue or demand for payment will be deemed a rebuttable presumption in any administrative or judicial proceeding under this Act. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to appoint a commission within 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act to review and make recommendations pertaining to the Federal rules and regulations governing the valuation of mineral resources on Federal lands, or lands held in trust for any individual Indian or tribe. Outlines the duties and membership of such commission, and requires it to report its findings and proposals to specified congressional committees within 12 months of its first meeting. Terminates such commission 12 months after such meeting. Imposes a moratorium upon the implementation of rules and regulations regarding product value guidelines set forth by the Minerals Management Service until six months after the commission has submitted its report to the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 1987
Fraud Victims Restitution Act of 1987 - Amends the Federal criminal code to provide for the criminal and civil forfeiture of the proceeds of mail and wire fraud violations. Makes the forfeiture procedures of the Controlled Substances Act applicable to forfeitures under this Act. Permits courts to order the forfeiture of substitute assets if the property subject to forfeiture under this Act: (1) cannot be located; (2) has been transferred to a third party; (3) has been placed beyond the jurisdiction of the court; (4) has been substantially diminished in value; or (5) has been commingled with other property. Sets forth procedures for the seizure of property subject to forfeiture. Sets forth procedures and rules for the disposition of forfeited property (first making the property and proceeds available to reimburse the victims).
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1987
Economic Bill of Rights Act - Lists certain recognized economic rights of Americans (along with specified legislation deemed necessary to assure such rights), which include: (1) the right to useful paid employment; (2) the right to earn enough to provide an adequate living; (3) the right of every farmer to raise and sell agricultural products at a return which will provide a decent family living; (4) the right of every business to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition; (5) the right of every family to a decent home; (6) the right to adequate medical care; (7) the right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment; and (8) the right to a good education. Directs the President to transmit to the Congress a staged program to establish conditions under which the rights set forth in this Act may be secured. Requires all Federal departments, agencies, and commissions to plan and carry out their programs in a manner designed to establish and maintain conditions under which such rights may be secured. Requires the Joint Economic Committee to monitor the actions taken under this Act and report its conclusions to the Congress. Establishes the Commission on Economic Rights to: (1) promote education and public discussion of the economic rights set forth in this Act; and (2) study the extent to which new conditions and problems require extensions of or amendments to such rights. Directs the Commission to report to the Congress and the President within two years of enactment of this Act. Directs the President to submit a budget request necessary to enable the Commission to carry out its work.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1987
Directs the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to: (1) conduct a study of methods of screening persons and property to be carried in air transportation in order to detect dangerous weapons, explosives, and incendiary devices; and (2) report to the Congress on the study results.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 1987
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to remove certain restrictions on the making of guaranteed loans to their students by institutions of higher education. Permits such institutions to make loans to their students if the institutions continue to hold such loans until the beginning of the loan repayment period.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1987
Ozone Protection and CFC Reduction Act of 1987 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an excise tax on: (1) any ozone-depleting chemical sold or used by its manufacturer, producer, or importer; and (2) any substance sold or used by its importer if its manufacture or production included the use of any ozone-depleting chemical. Fixes the rate of such tax at an amount equal to a base amount, adjusted annually for inflation, times the ozone-depletion factor for the pertinent chemical, as determined in accordance with this Act. Describes the criteria to be used for determining which substances will be considered as ozone-depleting chemicals for purposes of the excise tax. Lists specific chlorofluorocarbons to be included among such chemicals. Exempts from the tax: (1) certain products containing a de minimis amount of ozone-depleting chemicals; and (2) chemicals diverted or recovered in the United States as part of a recycling process. Imposes a floor stocks tax on ozone-depleting chemicals: (1) on which tax would be due if sold by the manufacturer on the effective date of the tax; and (2) which are held on such date for sale by a dealer. Sets the amount of such inventory tax to equal the excise tax amount.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1987
Requests and authorizes the President to conduct a White House conference on Child Abuse not earlier than September 1, 1989, and not later than September 30, 1991. Requires the conference to be planned and conducted under the direction of the Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect. Provides for the cooperation of Federal departments and agencies. Requires the final report of the Conference to include a statement of a comprehensive coherent national policy on children, youth, and families. Requires the Board and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to submit their recommendations following the report. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 1987
Geothermal Steam Act Amendments of 1987 - Amends the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to provide that if geothermal steam is produced or utilized in commercial quantities under an approved operation within any lease or administrative lease extension period, such lease shall continue for so long as geothermal steam is produced (or utilized) in commercial quantities, for a maximum continuation of an additional 40 years. Sets forth conditions under which geothermal leases in effect as of the date of enactment of this Act shall be extended for a maximum of three successive five-year periods. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to review any cooperative or unit plan of development every five years after approval in order to eliminate any lease or part of lease not regarded as reasonably necessary to cooperative or unit operations. Requires such elimination to be based on scientific evidence, and only upon the Secretary's determination that it is for the purpose of conserving and properly managing the geothermal resource.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 1987
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the President and the Secretary of State should express to the Soviets: (1) U.S. opposition to the Soviet Union's treatment of Leonid Brailovsky and all those who have applied to emigrate from the Soviet Union; (2) the U.S. desire that the Soviets allow Leonid Brailovsky and his family to emigrate to the United States; and (3) the U.S. desire that the Soviet Union cease the harassment of Soviet Jews and Christians seeking to emigrate.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 1987
Medicare Long-Term Home Care Catastrophic Protection Act of 1987 - Amends part A (Hospital Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide part A coverage of long-term home care furnished through home health agencies to chronically ill individuals who are under a physician's care. Requires physicians to establish and periodically review a written plan of long-term home care for each of their patients who receive such coverage. Lists the services which comprise long-term home care. Defines a "chronically ill individual" as an individual who requires assistance with at least two daily living activities or has a similar level of dependency due to cognitive impairment. Holds monthly payments for long-term home care to 75 percent of the average monthly payment under the Medicaid program (title XIX of the Act) for skilled nursing facility services. Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of such Act to cover, under part A of the Medicare program, long-term home care provided to children who: (1) are chronically ill and require assistance with at least two daily living activities; or (2) require a medical device to compensate for the loss of a vital body function and substantial and ongoing nursing care to avert death or further disability. Holds monthly payments for the latter category of children to the amount which would be payable under the Medicaid program if such children were institutionalized. Adds a new title XXI to the Social Security Act entitled "Home Care Quality Assurance." Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate a home care consumers' bill of rights which includes rights: (1) facilitating consumer participation in the planning and delivery of services; (2) requiring consumer notification regarding services, charges for services, and the termination or reduction of services; (3) protecting consumer dignity, privacy, and property; and (4) ensuring service from properly trained and competent individuals. Requires home health agencies to: (1) satisfy Medicare home care agency requirements; (2) provide consumers with copies of the home care bill of rights; (3) implement grievance review procedures and provide copies of such procedures to consumers; (4) provide consumers with schedules of the services to be provided; (5) have methods for identifying and reviewing a home care consumer's needs and coordinating the provision of services with other home health agencies; (6) ensure that each home care provider whom they employ or have under contract receives training; and (7) evaluate annually and supervise each home care provider whom they employ or have under contract. Conditions coverage of durable medical equipment services on providers: (1) issuing written instructions to and training the home care consumer and staff in the operation of such equipment; and (2) formulating an emergency plan for providing services to the consumer. Directs the Secretary to establish procedures for conducting an equal number of announced and unannounced surveys of a home health agency's compliance with title XXI participation conditions, with more frequent surveys required for agencies with poor compliance records. Authorizes the Secretary to contract with States having survey procedures equivalent to those the Secretary would otherwise apply to conduct such compliance surveys and transmit their results to the Secretary annually. Directs the Secretary to develop procedures for reviewing State surveys, with more frequent review required if peer review organizations (PROs) find at least ten percent of State-surveyed agencies to have serious or chronic quality of care problems. Directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations, within one year of this Act's enactment, pursuant to which PROs shall monitor the provision of home health services, devoting at least 75 percent of their efforts to quality assurance. Requires the inclusion of: (1) both documentary review and personal interviews of home care consumers and providers in the PRO review process; and (2) representatives of home care providers and consumers in PRO membership. Requires the Secretary to establish a Consumer Board to oversee the review activities of PROs. Directs the Board to report to the Secretary and the State's chief executive on October 1 of each year regarding such review activities. Requires the Secretary to develop methods for monitoring continuity in the provision of health care and outcome-orientated criteria for monitoring the quality of home care. Requires that PROs: (1) establish and operate statewide toll-free hotlines for receiving home care questions and complaints; and (2) assist consumers in resolving home care quality problems. Directs Consumer Boards and PROs to cooperate with State and local officials in educating consumers regarding quality assurance programs and the assistance available for consumers with quality assurance problems. Requires the Secretary to issue regulations which impose sanctions against agencies and providers failing to comply with this Act. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress on January 1 of each year regarding the availability, adequacy, and use of sanctions. Requires the Secretary to develop incentives to contractor compliance with title XXI participation conditions, including an annual directory of home care agencies having a consistent record of compliance with such conditions. Directs the Secretary to: (1) encourage States to develop home care provider licensing and certification policies; and (2) issue a biennial report on State implementation of such policies. Establishes a Home Care Quality Assurance Council with which the Secretary must consult in implementing and administering title XXI of the Social Security Act. Directs the Secretary to award grants for home care agency and provider training programs and to furnish States and home health agencies and providers with training materials. Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct, and issue a report regarding, studies on home care quality assurance measures; and (2) report to the Congress on January 1 of each year regarding the nature and performance during the preceding fiscal year of the home care quality assurance system. Authorizes appropriations from the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund to carry out title XXI. Directs the Secretary to issue regulations by 1988 for implementing title XXI. Permits disabled individuals to purchase part A (Hospital Insurance) Medicare coverage during the 24-month waiting period preceding their entitlement to such coverage. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to subject all of an individual's wages and self-employment income to the Hospital Insurance tax.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 1987
Small Business Trade Competitiveness and Innovation Act - Amends the Small Business Act to require the Office of International Trade (OIT) to work with the Department of Commerce, relevant Federal agencies, Small Business Development Centers, local Small Business Administration (SBA) offices, small businesses, and State and local export promotion programs to: (1) develop a distribution network for trade promotion, finance, adjustment, and data collection programs through use of the SBA's regional and local offices and the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) network; and (2) market such programs and disseminate marketing information to small businesses. Requires the OIT to promote sales opportunities for small business goods and services abroad by: (1) developing a mechanism for identifying subsectors of the small business community with strong export potential, identifying areas of demand in foreign markets, prescreening foreign buyers for commercial and credit purposes, and disseminating information linking potential sellers and buyers; (2) assisting small businesses in the formation of export trading companies, export management companies, and research and development pools; (3) establishing a pilot program for the provision of translation services; and (4) working with the Department of Commerce to develop data collection systems for small businesses, improve the utility and accessibility of export promotion programs, and increase the accessibility of the Export Trading Company facilitating service. Directs the OIT to: (1) work with the Export-Import Bank and small businesses to develop a program to identify, market, and increase the access of small businesses to export financing programs of the Bank and the SBA; and (2) establish a Trade Assistance Division to assist small businesses in trade remedy proceedings. Directs the OIT to: (1) submit semiannual reports to the House and Senate Committees on Small Business on the implementation of such requirements; and (2) undertake and report to such committees within six months on specified studies pertaining to small business exports. Authorizes the SBA to provide extensions and revolving lines of credit for export purposes and pre-export financing to small business concerns for periods not exceeding three years. Directs the SBA, when considering loan or guarantee applications, to give weight to export-related benefits. Authorizes additional grants to applicants already funded as SBDCs to be used solely to develop exports by small businesses or to assist in technology transfer. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the use of grant funds by SBDCs for management and technical assistance regarding export promotion and technology transfer. Directs SBDCs to work with the SBA's local offices, small businesses, the Department of Commerce, and appropriate agencies to disseminate information on trade promotion, finance, adjustment, and data collection programs for small businesses. Encourages SBDCs to establish a toll-free telephone number for small business assistance. Includes among SBDC services: (1) developing new networks for technology transfer that encourage partnership between the small business and academic communities; (2) cooperating with the Department of Commerce to assist small businesses in developing export markets, obtaining export financing, and implementing marketing and production strategies to better compete within the domestic market; (3) developing a program to serve as a distribution network and service delivery mechanism for Bank financing programs; and (4) making translation services more readily available to small businesses doing business in foreign markets. Requires the Deputy Associate Administrator of the SBDC Program to implement mechanisms for the sharing of information between SBDCs or between SBDCs and program applicants. Directs SBDCs to work with the relevant State agency to develop a comprehensive plan for enhancing the export potential of small businesses in that State. Authorizes the SBA to guarantee industrial mortgage loans not exceeding $1,000,000 to assist small businesses in the production of goods and services involved in international trade where such loans are sold off into the secondary market. Specifies limitations on SBA participation in such loans on a deferred basis. Directs the SBA Administrator to report to the House and Senate Committees on Small Business on: (1) the viability of creating cooperative Federal-State guarantee programs, particularly for purposes of export financing, to encourage States to coinsure Federal loans; (2) amending the Small Business Innovation Research Program to increase each agency's share of research and development expenditures and target products with export potential, make the program permanent with a congressional review every ten years, allocate an appropriate share of each agency's program fund for administrative purposes, determine annually each agency's compliance with laws concerning program funding, and create pooled solicitations of subjects submitted by small agencies expending $20,000,000 to $100,000,000 for extramural research and development; and (3) the effect of increased outsourcing on U.S. subcontractors, the impact of specific economic policies in facilitating outsourcing and other internationalized production arrangements, and recommendations for changes in Government policy to improve the competitive position of small U.S. subcontractors. Requires the SBA to conduct a National Conference on Small Business Exports during 1988. Directs the Conference to make recommendations regarding a subsequent International Summit on Small Business and Trade that would help develop a consensus regarding international and national institutional and policy changes necessary to build an international small business sector capable of long-term growth.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 1987
Federal Firearms Act of 1987 - Amends the Gun Control Act of 1968 to prohibit any person licensed under such Act from manufacturing, selling, delivering, or transferring: (1) any concealable handgun; or (2) any revolver or pistol which fails to meet specified requirements. Exempts from such prohibition handguns which are relics or curios as determined by the Secretary of the Treasury and the use of handguns for research or by the Government.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1987
Designates June 16, 1987, the 11th anniversary of the Soweto demonstrations and Massacre in South Africa, as Soweto Remembrance Day. Encourages Americans to participate in local activities designed to commemorate the martyrs of Soweto and to show solidarity with those who are fighting to end apartheid.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 1987
Title I: National Development Investment - Public Works and Economic Development Act Amendments of 1987 - Amends the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 to cite such Act as the National Development Investment Act and to revise the emphasis of such Act from primary Federal initiative to coordination of investments between the public and the private sectors. Sets forth the findings of the Congress. Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to make development investment assistance grants to qualified applicants for: (1) constructing and improving public facilities; (2) revolving loan funds; and (3) employee stock ownership plans. Authorizes the Secretary to provide technical assistance for improving and enhancing economic development. Describes qualified applicants as States, distressed local governments, economic development districts, economic development organizations, and Indian tribes. Describes a distressed local government as one with a population under 50,000 and located outside an economic development district. Requires an application for a grant under this Act to include: (1) a certification that the area concerned meets certain distress requirements; (2) a certification of any responsibilities which the Secretary has agreed to perform; and (3) a development investment strategy prepared in accordance with this Act. Requires the Secretary to consider specified factors in approving applications. Lists as criteria any one of which an area must meet in order to be eligible for a grant under this Act: (1) a per capita income of 80 percent or less of the national average; (2) an unemployment rate one percent above the national average for the most recent 24-month period for which statistics are available; or (3) a sudden economic dislocation resulting in job losses. Sets forth the information to be contained in a grant applicant's development investment strategy. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to establish a revolving loan fund for making or guaranteeing loans to small businesses for initial or working capital, or for the purchase of facilities or equipment. Limits to $1,000,000 the amount of any such grant. Limits the amount of any grant under this Act to a maximum of 50 percent of the cost of completing the project as determined at the time of the grant application. Permits the Secretary to reduce or waive the non-Federal share of a project in the case of an Indian tribe. Limits expenditures in any one State to a maximum of 15 percent of the appropriations made pursuant to this Act, except for expenditures to Indian tribes. Prohibits the Secretary from obligating more than $4,000,000 in any fiscal year to any person, other than grants for employee ownership organizations. Requires the Secretary, each fiscal year, to obligate minimum amounts of funds for such grants. Authorizes the Secretary to make economic development planning grants to States, economic development districts, Indian tribes, distressed counties, and distressed units of local governments with populations over 50,000 (if located outside an economic development district). Earmarks such grants for coordination of investment for community facilities, economic development, manpower training, and transportation services. Authorizes the Secretary to evaluate Federal, State, and local development investment efforts. Authorizes the Secretary to conduct any demonstration programs to test the feasibility of new ways to increase productivity in the steel industry and related industries, foster innovative technology, match labor force with labor markets, or encourage economic diversity and regional balance. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to colleges, universities, and other nonprofit educational and research organizations for management and technical assistance. Declares that the Secretary of Commerce shall administer this Act with the assistance of a specified Assistant Secretary of Commerce. Authorizes the Secretary to consult with other persons and agencies. Prohibits the approval of any grant unless the Secretary is satisfied that the project concerned will be properly and efficiently administered, operated, and maintained. Sets forth the powers of the Secretary under this Act. Permits the Secretary to discharge responsibilities relative to a project by accepting a certification of the grant applicant's performance of such responsibilities. Requires the Secretary to make comprehensive annual reports to the Congress detailing operations under this Act. Requires all laborers and mechanics employed by contractors or subcontractors on projects assisted under this Act to be paid the prevailing rate of wages. Requires the Secretary to maintain records of approved applications available for public inspection. Requires each recipient of a grant to maintain certain specified records. Allows the Secretary and the Comptroller General access to all records of such recipients. Authorizes appropriations through FY 1990. Title II: Appalachian Regional Development - Appalachian Regional Development Act Amendments of 1987 - Amends the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965 to declare that investments under such Act shall also be made in severely distressed and underdeveloped counties lacking resources for basic services. Authorizes appropriations through FY 1990 for the administrative expenses of the Appalachian Regional Commission. Authorizes the Commission to lease office space through FY 1990. Authorizes appropriations through FY 1990 for the Appalachian development highway system. Increases from 70 to 80 percent the subsequent Federal share of an Appalachian development highway segment when a participating State proceeds to construct a segment of such a highway without the aid of Federal funds. Applies such increase to projects approved after March 31, 1979. Removes the restriction on financial assistance for the cost of industrial facilities. Requires that energy enterprise development loan funds established with grants previously approved by the Commission be made available for authorized purposes. Authorizes appropriations through FY 1990. Extends the termination date of such Act from 1982 to October 1, 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 1987
Acid Deposition Control Act of 1987 - Title I: Stationary Sources - Amends the Clean Air Act to require each Governor to submit to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency for approval a two-phased plan establishing emission limitations and compliance schedules for sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen emissions from fossil fuel fired electric utility steam generating units in the State. Requires reductions in sulfur dioxide emissions by 1993 and reductions in oxides of nitrogen and further reductions in sulfur dioxide by 1997. Directs each Governor to submit to the Administrator for approval an emissions limitations plan for such units, other than electric utilities' units, requiring both sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen emissions reductions by 1997. Requires the Administrator to conduct and update an inventory of such emissions from stationary sources, identifying the total statewide potential reductions in such emissions and transmitting such information to the State by the close of 1990. Requires each Governor to submit to the Administrator by June 1, 1994, a plan for establishing emission limitations from stationary sources of industrial process emissions to achieve such State's potential reductions by 1997. Directs the Administrator to promulgate guidelines for State plans which shall ensure that emissions reductions do not have an unnecessarily disproportionate effect on electric utility ratepayers. Requires the Administrator to study and report to the Congress by June 30, 1993, on the reductions achieved during phase I, granting the Congress an opportunity to legislate by the start of 1994 against the implementation of phase II. Grants States an opportunity to modify disapproved plans. Establishes emissions standards and Administrator-promulgated plans for States without an approved plan. Directs the Administrator to impose a fee on the generation and importation of electric energy if any electric utility is eligible for a sulfur dioxide emissions reduction subsidy. Sets fees in such a way as to raise sufficient subsidy revenue and protect low income residential electric consumers. Establishes civil penalties for violations of fee-related requirements. Establishes in the Treasury the Acid Deposition Control Fund to make subsidy payments to electric utilities to cover a portion of rate increases attributable to emission reduction compliance. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to report annually to the Congress on such Fund. Requires a State to assure that rate increases so attributable are substantially equivalent for ratepayers throughout the State and substantially levelized over the period of their application in order to be eligible for the subsidy. Requires the Administrator to determine subsidy eligibility, based in part on the reasonableness of a utility's compliance costs. Authorizes the Administrator to provide financial assistance to owners and operators of stationary sources to promote innovative emissions technologies which are cost-effective. Requires State plans which include the use of such technologies to meet its emission limitation reductions to include contingent limitations and compliance schedules for stationary sources. Requires such contingent limitations to be at least equivalent to the reductions the innovative technology failed to achieve. Permits States to later modify their plans to include innovative technology. Authorizes the Administrator to impose fees on the generation of electricity in a State at its request to promote the use of innovative technologies. Requires the Administrator to report on the status of such technologies before 1994. Directs the Administrator to revise performance standards for emissions of nitrogen oxides from electric utility steam generating units which burn bituminous or subbituminous coal. Requires the Administrator to promulgate performance standards for oxides of nitrogen emissions from certain fossil-fuel-fired steam generating units. Requires all primary nonferrous smelters to be in compliance with the applicable emission limitation or standard for sulfur oxides by January 2, 1988. Title II: Control of Emissions From Mobile Sources - Amends the Clean Air Act to establish emissions standards for oxides of nitrogen for motor vehicles during and after model year 1989. Establishes hydrocarbon standards for trucks during and after model year 1990. Limits the sulfur content of motor vehicle diesel fuel after January 1, 1989. Requires the Administrator to require either onboard hydrocarbon control technology or the use of gasoline vapor recovery of hydrocarbon emissions emanating from the fueling of motor vehicles.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 1987
Commission on Values Education Act of 1987 - Establishes a Commission on Values Education to investigate how the Federal Government can promote the teaching of values in public schools. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1987 and 1988. Terminates the Commission 30 days after submission of its final report to the Congress. Requires congressional hearings 90 days after submission of the Commission's report.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1987
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 1992 the period during which qualified mortgage bonds may be issued. (Under current law, authority to issue these bonds expires as of 1989.)
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1987
Repeals specified provisions of the Tax Reform Act of 1986 that restrict the types of scholarships and fellowship grants that may be excluded from gross income for income tax purposes. States that the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (IRC) shall be applied and administered as if such provisions had not been enacted. Amends the IRC to allow an income tax deduction for interest on a qualified educational loan incurred to pay the educational expenses of the taxpayer, spouse, or dependent. Eliminates the current requirement that such indebtedness be secured by an interest in real property.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1987
National Trails System Improvements Act of 1987 - Amends the National Trails System Act to retain to the United States interests in abandoned railroad rights-of-way. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to manage such lands unless they can be incorporated into a conservation system unit or a national forest. Authorizes the Secretary to transfer such lands under the Secretary's management to qualified entities for public recreational purposes. Authorizes the Secretary to sell such lands which are not adjacent to public lands after offering the State or local governments an opportunity to purchase such lands. Requires sale proceeds to be deposited in the Trails Fund established in the Treasury to be used for trail maintenance and loans to State or local agencies or other organizations for the acquisition of new trails. Requires the Secretaries of the Interior and the Treasury to report annually to the appropriate congressional committees on such Fund. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 through 1992 for administration. Authorizes appropriations for the Fund for FY 1988 and 1989.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1987
National Economic Commission Act of 1987 - Establishes the National Economic Commission. Directs the Commission to conduct a comprehensive study of: (1) the elements of domestic fiscal, monetary, and trade policies and their effect on various economic indicators; (2) the elements of the fiscal, monetary, and trade policies of major U.S. trading partners and their effect on the U.S. balance of trade in goods and services and U.S. employment; and (3) the debt burden of developing countries and its effect on the U.S. balance of trade in goods and services and U.S. employment. Requires the Commission to submit to the President and the Congress, by November 30, 1988, a final report on the study. Terminates the Commission 60 days after the Commission submits its final report. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 1987
Residential Mortgage Credit Fairness Act of 1987 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to prohibit a creditor from: (1) imposing terms and conditions for a residential mortgage transaction which are less favorable to the consumer than the terms and conditions which were originally disclosed to the consumer; or (2) limiting the availability or effectiveness of such terms and conditions to a specified period. Allows an exception to such requirements if: (1) the disclosure contains a clear and conspicuous statement that such terms and conditions are subject to charge; or (2) any delay in consummating the transaction is due to an unreasonable delay caused by the consumer. Requires that any disclosure made in connection with a residential mortgage shall: (1) be mailed or delivered before the earlier of the date on which the credit is extended or three days after the creditor receives the consumer's application; and (2) include a statement of the rights and duties of the creditor and the consumer and any form to be used by the consumer to exercise the right to withdraw the application. Allows a consumer to withdraw a mortgage application without incurring any obligation to the creditor (other than certain reasonable fees) if the consumer provides the creditor written notice within three days after receiving the required disclosure statement from the creditor. Specifies that for purposes of such required disclosure statements the term "finance charge" shall include any fee imposed by the creditor for any such extension of credit. Increases the civil penalty for failure to make a required disclosure for a residential mortgage from a minimum of $100 and a maximum of $1,000 to a minimum of $1,000 and a maximum of $10,000.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 1987
Economic Equity Act of 1987 - Title I: Work - Subtitle A: Pay Equity - Federal Equitable Pay Practices Act of 1987 - Establishes the Commission on Equitable Pay Practices to determine whether the Government's position-classification system and prevailing rate system are designed and administered in accordance with the general policy that sex, race, and ethnicity should not be among the factors considered in determining pay rates. Requires the Commission to conduct, by contract with a consultant selected under this Act, a study under which job-content analysis and economic analysis shall be applied to a representative sample of occupations in which: (1) either sex is numerically predominant; or (2) any race or ethnic group is disproportionately represented. Directs the Commission to report to the Congress and the President on the results of such study not later than 18 months after the Commission's date of establishment. Declares that such study shall be considered of an advisory nature only. Terminates the Commission 90 days after its submission of the required report. Makes sums appropriated to the Office of Personnel Management for general operating expenses available to carry out this Act. Establishes the Commission on Employment Discrimination in the Legislative Branch to carry out similar duties with respect to job classification and the personnel policies and practices in the Library of Congress. Requires the Commission to submit its final report to the Congress within 18 months. Terminates the Commission 30 days after submission of the report. Subtitle B: Women in Business - Amends the Equal Credit Opportunity Act to prohibit the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System from exempting from such Act any class of credit transactions that are primarily for personal, family, or household purposes. Permits the Board to exempt (for five years) a type or class of business or commercial transaction only after determining that application of such Act to such transaction would not contribute substantially to effecting the purposes of such Act. Subtitle C: Part-Time and Temporary Workers - Part-Time and Temporary Workers Protection Act of 1987 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to bring certain part-time employees within the participation, vesting, and accrual rules governing pension plans. Addresses any employee who, within a relevant 12-month period: (1) has customarily completed more than 500 but fewer than 1,000 hours of service; or (2) is employed in a type of position in which employment customarily consists of such a number of hours. Provides that completion of such hours of service will be treated as completion of 1,000 hours of service (thereby bringing the employee within the ERISA benefit framework). Permits a reduction in the employer-provided premium under a group health plan in the case of a part-time employee only when such employee: (1) has customarily completed fewer than 30 hours of service per week; or (2) is employed in a type of position in which employment customarily consists of such a number of hours. Limits such a premium reduction, when permissible, to not less than a ratable portion of the premium ordinarily provided in the case of an employee who completes 30 hours of service per week. Revises the ERISA definition of "employee" to include non-employees who, pursuant to a contract or agreement, provide employee-like service to an employer for at least one year at the rate of 500 or more hours per year. Subtitle D: Economic Security - Social Security Modernization Act - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to provide that the combined earnings of a married couple which are attributable to the period of their marriage shall be shared equally between them for purposes of determining the eligibility for, and amount, of OASDI benefits to which each spouse is or may become separately entitled. Credits the survivor of the marriage with 100 percent of the combined total wages for the period of the marriage. Provides that these provisions shall not apply in specified cases when it would result in a reduction of OASDI benefits. Repeals the separate definition of disability applicable to widows and widowers. Permits the months of a widow's or widower's entitlement to Supplemental Security Income benefits (title XVI of the Social Security Act) on the basis of a disability to be counted toward the 24 months needed to become entitled to hospital insurance benefits under Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) on that basis. Pension Reform Act of 1987 - Amends the Tax Reform Act of 1986 to extend to all accrued benefits existing in plan year 1989 and thereafter the amendments made with regard to the nondiscriminatory coordination of defined contribution plans with Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance (OASDI). Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to repeal provisions that permit a certain disparity in simplified employee pension plan contributions with respect to nondiscriminatory coordination with OASDI. Provides for the repeal, effective for plan year 2000 and thereafter, of IRC rules relating to: (1) the nondiscriminatory coordination of defined contribution plans with OASDI; and (2) pension integration exceptions. Amends the IRC to establish distinct minimum employee coverage requirements applicable in cases when an employer with respect to a plan is treated as operating a single line of business. Requires such a plan to benefit all the employer's employees. Limits the exception to minimum coverage requirements available to employers treated as operating separate lines of business for a year. Amends the IRC and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to eliminate the special vesting requirements governing multiemployer plans. Directs the Comptroller General of the United States, as soon as possible after this Act's enactment, to undertake thorough studies with respect to: (1) possible methods of requiring employee pension plans to provide cost of living and other adjustments to plan benefits; and (2) potential pension portability mechanisms, including ways to preserve and enhance the real value of deferred vested pension benefits. Lists specific items to be addressed in each study. Requires submission of the studies to specified congressional committees within two years of this Act's enactment. Medicaid Community Property and Respite Care Act of 1987 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to provide that in determining an institutionalized spouse's Medicaid eligibility the income and resources held by either or both the institutionalized spouse and the community spouse shall (with specified exceptions) be divided equally. Furnishes the community spouse with a monthly income allowance from the institutionalized spouse's income to the extent the community spouse's income falls short of a minimum monthly needs allowance set by the States to equal at least 200 percent of one-twelfth of the Federal poverty level. Gives the institutionalized spouse the right to a hearing to establish that the allowance is not adequate to support the community spouse without duress, so that an adequate amount of support will be substituted for the allowance. Prohibits the allowance from being less than court-ordered support payments. Authorizes the institutionalized spouse to transfer resources to the community spouse to the extent the median net worth of male householders age 65 or older, as determined by the Bureau of the Census, exceeds the amount of resources otherwise available to the community spouse. Authorizes States to provide Medicaid coverage for up to 30 days of respite care per year. Nondiscrimination in Insurance Act - Bans discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in the consideration of applications for, or the granting of, insurance policies and the terms of such policies. Prohibits the use of any statistical table as a basis for action banned by this section, and discrimination in any manner against a person because that person has opposed any practice made unlawful under this section. Grants to States having insurance discrimination laws the primary opportunity to enforce the pertinent prohibitions. Permits a civil action against the insurer to be filed in State or Federal court by or on behalf of an aggrieved person. Authorizes the Attorney General to bring a civil action in district court (without regard to the amount in controversy) when there is reasonable cause to believe that a person or group is engaged in a pattern or practice of violating these rights and that such violation raises an issue of general public importance. Directs the Court to: (1) order the defendant to amend any relevant contract to comply with these provisions; (2) award actual damages for the period of noncompliance; and (3) award the aggrieved person reasonable attorney fees. Authorizes an award of punitive damages, in addition to actual damages. Describes rights, liabilities, premiums, benefits, and insurance coverages that are not to be affected by these antidiscrimination provisions. Federal Council on Women Act - Establishes a Federal Council on Women to: (1) collect and evaluate information with respect to any problems that are particular to women in the United States; (2) review and evaluate Federal policy related to any such problems; (3) coordinate the activities of the Council with similar activities conducted by States, local governments, and concerned organizations; and (4) make recommendations. Directs the Council to report its findings and recommendations to the Congress. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Family and Dependent Care - Subtitle A: Quality of Dependent Care - Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 to: (1) authorize FY 1988 appropriations for allotments to the States for certain dependent care services; and (2) permit grants to eligible non-profit training and technical assistance to family day care providers and associated individuals. Amends the Social Security Act to increase authorizations for FY 1988 and thereafter for block grants to the States for social services. Earmarks a specified portion of such funds for grants to improve State child-care licensing and regulatory systems. Requires as a condition of eligibility for such grants, with limited exceptions specified in this Act, the establishment of a State Advisory Committee on Child-Care Standards to review a State's child-care licensing and regulatory systems. Requires reports by such committees. Establishes a National Advisory Committee on Child-Care Standards to assist and provide guidance to the States in improving the quality of child-care services. Requires the National Advisory Committee to submit to the Secretary of Health and Human Services proposed recommended standards for child-care programs within 14 months after the enactment of this Act. Terminates the National Advisory Committee 90 days after the publication by the Secretary of final recommended standards. Subtitle B: Access to Dependent Care for All Families - Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions relating to the income tax credit for employment-related dependent care expenses to: (1) make the credit refundable; (2) increase the amount of the credit from 30 percent to 50 percent of the relevant expenses, reduced (but not below 20 percent) by one percent for each full $1,000 amount by which the taxpayer's adjusted gross income (AGI) exceeds $15,000, subject to an annual adjustment for inflation (the current reduction is one percent for each $2,000 in excess of $10,000 AGI with no provision for a cost of living adjustment); and (3) apply the credit to expenses for certain respite care of qualifying dependents of the taxpayer. Permits credit for up to $1,200 ($2,400 in cases involving more than one qualifying individual) of respite care expenses incurred in the care of: (1) a dependent of the taxpayer who is under the age of 15; or (2) a spouse or other dependent of the taxpayer who is physically or mentally incapable of self-care. Amends the Federal National Mortgage Association Charter Act and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation Act to bring within their respective frameworks loans or advances secured by a single residential property occupied as a single family residence in which community child care service is provided (thus making such loans eligible for purchase under each Act). Subtitle C: Supply of Dependent Care for Lower-Income Families - Amends the Social Security Act to: (1) increase the amount of funds available for FY 1987 and thereafter for block grants to the States for social services; (2) require States to file annual (rather than biennial) reports on fund use; and (3) detail mandatory contents for such reports. State Dependent Care Grants Amendments Act of 1987 - Amends the State Dependent Care Development Grants Act to require that amounts paid to States for use in the operation of child care services be designed to enable children whose families lack adequate financial resources to participate in before or after school child care programs. Requires State Governors to include specified information in their grant reports. Extends from September 30, 1987, to September 30, 1991, the time until which necessary revisions of grant program descriptions must be submitted. Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Urban Development to: (1) make grants to public housing agencies to contract for lower-income resident child care services; and (2) design such program to determine the extent to which it facilitates resident employability. Requires a report to the Congress within three years. Authorizes FY 1988 appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 1987
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish within the Department of State a Visa Review Board to review the cases of certain aliens who have been denied visas, including cases of special immigrants, immediate relatives, preference status immigrants, and specified nonimmigrants.
![Official portrait of Del. de Lugo, Ron [D-VI-At Large]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000209_200.jpg)