A joint resolution designating the month of August 1984 as "Ostomy Awareness Month".
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 1984
Designates the month of August 1984 as Ostomy Awareness Month.
The world's political record
Person
![Official portrait of Del. Won Pat, Antonio B. [D-GU-At Large]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/w000686_200.jpg)
United States · Official source
2,560 records where Del. Won Pat, Antonio B. [D-GU-At Large] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 1984
Designates the month of August 1984 as Ostomy Awareness Month.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 1984
Designates January 27, 1985, as National Jerome Kern Day.
United States · United States Congress · 31 May 1984
Designates July 17, 1984, as Spanish-American War Veterans Day.
United States · United States Congress · 31 May 1984
Expresses the sense of Congress that television and radio networks and stations broadcasting coverage of the XXIII Olympiad should include public service announcements or other informational programming warning young people of the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse.
United States · United States Congress · 30 May 1984
Secondary School Basic Skills Act - Establishes a program of grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) having especially high concentrations of children from low-income families to enable such agencies to provide more effective instruction in basic skills for economically disadvantaged secondary school students. Defines "basic skills" to include reading, writing, and mathematics computational proficiency as well as comprehension and reasoning. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1985 through 1990. Makes certain amounts of such appropriations available for specified activities and types of grants under this Act. Makes a secondary school eligible to receive assistance under this Act for program grants only if 20 percent or more of children aged 14 to 17, inclusive, who are enrolled in such school are counted under LEA basic grant provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as modified by the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981 (ECIA). Requires that funds made available under this Act for program grants be used to develop new approaches to, and carry out, educational services and activities designed specifically to raise the basic skills of low achieving disadvantaged children. Authorizes the Secretary of Education, through the National Institute of Education (NIE) and from specified funds appropriated for program grants for FY 1985 through 1990, to make grants to LEAs, institutions of higher education, and other public agencies and nonprofit private organizations. Provides that such grants shall be made to such entities on behalf of and for the purpose of assisting eligible secondary schools to develop, implement, and carryout new approaches to achieving improved basic skills instruction of low- achieving economically disadvantaged secondary school students. Sets forth application requirements. Requires that the application be made on behalf of the eligible school by: (1) the LEA; or (2) an institution of higher education, public agency, or private nonprofit organization if such entity will provide educational services or conduct educational activities subject to the proposal. Requires applicants to assure their participation in a national evaluation. Requires that administrators and teachers in the eligible school participate in the preparation of the proposal. Requires that the appropriate State educational agency (SEA) review and comment on the application before submittal to the Secretary. Directs the Secretary to assure that: (1) eligible applicants represent various geographic regions of the country, including both rural and urban secondary schools within those various geographic regions; and (2) at least one demonstration grant is made in each State in each fiscal year, unless no applications are received from a State. Requires each LEA which desires to receive program grants under this Act to file with the Secretary an application containing specified assurances. Provides that each LEA and each institution of higher education, public agency, and private nonprofit organization applying on behalf of an eligible secondary school may receive payments for any fiscal year in which it files an application with the SEA. Sets forth requirements for such applications. Requires consultation with parents and teachers of low-achieving economically disadvantaged secondary school students in program design and implementation. Establishes a National Secondary School Basic Skills Panel in NIE to: (1) identify successful model programs; and (2) advise the Secretary with respect to specified aspects of program grant applications and proposals. Directs the Secretary, through NIE, to annually conduct a national evaluation of the effectiveness and the implementation of program grants. Requires that such assessment results be submitted to Congress and disseminated to SEAs, LEAs, State legislatures, and Governors. Directs the Secretary, through NIE, to monitor grants and coordinate activities under this Act with other research activities conducted by NIE and through the Office of Educational Research and Improvement. Authorizes NIE, once program grants are awarded, to provide eligible recipients with technical assistance. Prohibits the Secretary from disapproving an LEA application without affording notice and opportunity for a hearing. Directs the Secretary to make payments as expeditiously as possible after approval of applications. Prohibits any grant from being made with respect to any eligible secondary school for more than two fiscal years unless there is: (1) an improved performance of the targeted secondary school students at the school on a State approved basic skills test; or (2) a decrease in the dropout rate at the school. Directs the Secretary to prescribe regulations relating to such prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1984
Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to revise the definition of persons of low and moderate income for purposes of the community development block grant program to mean families whose incomes do not exceed 120 percent of the median income of the area involved.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1984
Designates the week of October 14 through October 20, 1984, as Myasthenia Gravis Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1984
Designates August 1984 as Polish American Heritage Month.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1984
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that current tax incentives for renewable energy sources should be extended.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1984
Designates the week beginning on September 9, 1984, as National Community Leadership Week.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1984
Federal Pay Equity and Management Improvement Act of 1984 - Title I: Pay Equity - Directs the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to study and report to the President and specified congressional committees on: (1) any Government practices of setting lower wage rates under the position classification system or the prevailing pay rate system for jobs held predominately by women than for jobs with comparable duties and requirements held predominantly by men; (2) the discriminatory wage differentials resulting from such practices; (3) appropriate measures for eliminating such practices and differentials, including proposals for the use of equitable job-evaluation techniques and training programs for individuals responsible for implementing such measures; and (4) a timetable for implementing such measures within two years. Declares that nothing in this Act authorizes any reduction in the pay for any position. Requires OPM to submit monthly interim reports on its activities to the congressional committees and to provide advance notice of proposed methods to be used to identify discriminatory wage-setting practices or discriminatory wage differentials. Directs OPM to establish a Pay Equity Study Council to advise OPM on its activities under this title. Requires that the Council consist of at least six representatives of labor organizations representing substantial numbers of female employees. Directs OPM to carry out a continuing program of providing technical assistance to assist an agency, upon request, in applying any position-classification or job grading standard created or revised under this title. Requires OPM, beginnning in 1986, to submit to the President and Congress an annual report on actions taken during the previous year and actions planned for the current year to carry out this title. Directs each Federal agency responsible for submitting an equal employment opportunity plan under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to: (1) include in each plan or update a review and identification of any discriminatory wage-setting practices and wage differentials with respect to its employees and a plan to eliminate any such practices and differentials; and (2) submit a plan or update containing such information within one year after the effective date of this title. Title II: Performance Management and Recognition System - Revises the merit pay system. Renames the system the performance management and recognition system. Allows the President to exclude any class of employees within any agency unit from such system under specified conditions. Excludes employees of the Office of the Architect of the Capitol, the Library of Congress, the Botanic Garden, and the Administrative Office of the Courts from such system. Declares that such system shall provide for general pay increases, merit increases, and performance awards based on an employee's performance as measured on a five-level scale consisting of one fully successful level, two levels below fully successful, and two levels above fully successful. Requires that any employee whose performance is rated at: (1) the second level below fully successful receive no general pay increase; (2) the first level below fully successful receive one half of the general increase; and (3) the fully successful level or above receive the full general increase. Authorizes annual merit increases to take effect on the first applicable pay period beginning on or after October 1 of each year. Sets the amount of a merit increase at one-ninth of the difference between the minimum and maximum rates of basic pay for the pay grade. Provides for the award of a full merit increase or a fraction thereof based on the employee's level of performance and the employee's basic pay rate within his or her pay grade. Denies merit increases to employees who perform below the fully successful level. Prohibits an employee covered by the performance management and recognition system from being paid at a rate greater than the maximum rate of basic pay for the grade of the employee's position. Allows a covered employee to be paid less than the minimum pay for such grade only as a result of the employee failing to qualify for a full general pay increase. Prohibits a reduction in the pay of an employee brought under such system so long as the employee continues to occupy the same position. Requires the payment of a performance award in an amount not less than two percent and not more than ten percent of an employee's annual rate of basic pay to any employee whose performance is rated at the second level above fully successful. Authorizes the payment of a performance award not exceeding ten percent of an employee's basic pay to any employee whose performance is rated at the first level above fully successful. Limits the funds available to an agency for performance awards to a specified percentage of the agency funds payable for the basic pay of employees under the performance management and recognition system. Continues the cash award program (currently provided under the merit pay system) under the performance management and recognition system. Directs OPM to report to the President and Congress annually on the effectiveness of such system. Prohibits OPM from promulgating regulations restricting the individual or aggregate amount of performance awards. Terminates such system on September 30, 1989. Requires agencies to develop separate performance appraisal procedures for employees covered by such system. Requires such performance appraisal procedures to require the joint participation of the supervising official and the employee in establishing performance standards. Directs OPM to prescribe regulations requiring that such procedures assure accurate evaluation of job performance, communication with employees regarding performance standards at the begining of each appraisal period, evaluation of employees based upon such standards, assistance to employees performing below the fully successful level, and the reassignment, reduction in grade, or removal of any employee who continues to perform below the fully successful level after being afforded reasonable opportunity to improve his or her performance. Lists factors to be considered in performance appraisals, including organizational accomplishment. Entitles an employee whose performance is rated below the fully successful level to: (1) receive prompt notice of that rating and an opportunity for reconsideration of such rating within the agency; and (2) appeal any such rating which is affirmed on reconsideration to the Merit Systems Protection Board. Requires each agency to establish a performance standards review board to: (1) assess the agency's performance standards; (2) study the feasibility of an awards program based on the collective performance of groups of employees under the performance management and recognition system; and (3) provide technical assistance with respect to demonstration projects relating to performance standards. Prohibits OPM or any agency from prescribing any particular distribution of levels of performance ratings or any specific performance standard or element. Prohibits any reduction in the basic pay rate of an individual serving in a position which: (1) is under the merit pay system before the effective date of this title solely because such position does not become covered by the performance management and recognition system; or (2) ceases to be covered by the performance management and recognition system upon termination of such system. Title III: Senior Executive Service - Expresses the sense of Congress that the Senior Executive Service should be continued indefinitely. Establishes the minimum amount of a performance award for a career appointee in the Senior Executive Service (SES) as five percent of the appointee's basic pay rate. Limits the aggregate amount of performance awards payable to SES career appointees of an agency to a specified percentage of the basic pay payable to such appointees during the preceding fiscal year. Prohibits the total number of noncareer appointees in all agencies in a fiscal year from exceeding ten percent of the average number of senior executives occupying SES positions in all agencies during the preceding fiscal year. Revises a limitation on the number of SES positions in an agency that may be filled by noncareer appointees to prohibit such number from exceeding 25 percent of the average number of senior executive occupying SES positions in the agency during the preceding fiscal year. Permits a career appointee to be removed from the SES due to a reduction-in-force if the appointee is not assigned to another SES position within the same agency or placed in a SES position in another agency within 45 (currently 120) days after OPM received the original agency's certification that no SES position is available. Prohibits a career appointee from being reassigned outside of his or her commuting area unless he or she is consulted and provided 60 days notice concerning such reassignment. Directs OPM to prescribe regulations providing career appointees rights comparable to competing employees in the event of a transfer of functions between agencies. Authorizes an agency to take an adverse action against an employee because the employee fails to accept a directed reassignment or to accompany a position in a transfer of function. Provides that the involuntary separation of an employee for failure to accept a directed reassignment to a position or to accompany a position in a transfer of function outside his or her commuting area shall not be considered to be a removal for cause on charges of misconduct or delinquency in determining such employee's eligibility for immediate civil service retirement.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1984
Designates July 10, 1984, as Food for Peace Day.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 1984
Textile Fiber and Wool Products Identification Improvement Act - Amends the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act and the Wool Products Labeling Act of 1939 to require a textile fiber or wool product to be so labeled if it has been processed or manufactured in the United States. Requires the product, as well as the package in which it is contained, to be labeled as to country of origin. Provides that such requirement shall not be construed as requiring such labeling on each hosiery product contained in a package as long as such package is labeled. Requires catalog sales descriptions and other advertisements for textile and wool products to contain country of origin information. Requires that the identification label on imported textile fiber or wool products be affixed to the most conspicuous place on the inner side of the product.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 1984
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should support the efforts of the Catholic Bishops of Nicaragua to bring about a national reconciliation between the struggling factions in that country in order to establish democratic harmony.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1984
Public Housing Rental Stabilization Act - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to authorize any public housing agency to require tenants of one of its projects to pay monthly rent based on the unsubsidized rents for comparable dwelling units in the area, the average monthly amount of debt service and operating expenses attributable to similar units of its other projects, or other relevant factors. Limits such rent to the amount payable under current provisions of such Act and the maximum amount that is approved by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1984
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Reagan administration and succeeding administrations: (1) stress to China the importance the American people attach to religious freedom; and (2) urge the Chinese Government to release from prison five Roman Catholic priests and persons of various faiths who are being held because of religious activities.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1984
Declares that the action by the Secretary of State in attempting to withdraw for two years the U.S. acceptance of the compulsory jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice with respect to disputes with any Central American state or arising out of or relating to events in Central America is null and void.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1984
Designates June 18, 1984, as National Child Passenger Safety Awareness Day.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1984
Title I: Organ Procurement Activities - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants for the planning of qualified organ procurement organizations. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants for the establishment, initial operation, and expansion of qualified organ procurement organizations. Sets forth eligibility criteria. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 through 1990. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a United States Transplantation Network to provide a central registry linking donors and potential recipients; (2) establish and maintain an organ recipient registry; (3) maintain an identifiable unit in the Department of Health and Human Services to coordinate Federal organ transplant programs and policies; and (4) publish an annual report on the scientific and clinical status of organ transplantation. Directs the Secretary to establish a Task Force on Organ Transplantation. Requires such Task Force to: (1) conduct a national conference within six months; and (2) report to the Secretary. Terminates the Task Force 12 months after such report is submitted. Requires the Secretary to make immunosuppressive drugs available, upon request and without cost, to transplant centers for use on an outpatient basis by individuals who have received an organ transplant at such centers. Requires such centers to furnish such drugs to its outpatients on the basis of the center's determination of the patient's need and the patient's inability to pay for them through insurance coverage or other resources. Requires the Comptroller General to report annually to Congress concerning the allocation of such drugs. Requires the Secretary to submit a recommendation to Congress by October 1, 1985, concerning the feasibility and desirability of authorizing reimbursements under title XVIII of the Social Security Act for immunosuppressive drugs on an outpatient basis by individuals who have received organ transplants. Authorizes appropriations through FY 1986. Title II: Prohibition of Organ Purchases - Prohibits the purchase or sale of human organs if such transfer affects commerce. Establishes criminal penalties for such violations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1984
Education for the Gifted and Talented Children and Youth Improvement Act of 1984 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make grants or enter into cooperative agreements with State education agencies for one or more of the following purposes: (1) developing exemplary programs for gifted and talented children and youth, including summer programs and programs operated by State and local educational agencies and cooperative programs with business, industry, government, and higher education; (2) developing and supporting business, industry, government, and higher education partnerships with elementary and secondary education to plan and implement cooperative comprehensive educational programs for such children and youth; (3) promoting the development of programs for such children and youth within the State; and (4) improving methods of identifying such children and youth. Authorizes appropriations for such grants and cooperative agreements for FY 1985 through 1987. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to institutions of higher education, State education agencies, and private nonprofit organizations to provide preservice and inservice training to personnel involved in the education of gifted and talented children and youth. Authorizes appropriations for such grants for FY 1985 through 1987. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to, or enter into contracts or cooperative agreements with, institutions of higher education, State education agencies, and private nonprofit organizations to conduct: (1) research on techniques for teaching gifted and talented children and youth; and (2) program evaluations, surveys, and activities to collect, develop, and disseminate information and technical assistance. Authorizes appropriations for such grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements for FY 1985 through 1987. Directs the Secretary to submit to the Congress and make available to the public, one year from the date of enactment of this Act: (1) a report on the state of special educational opportunities for gifted and talented children and youth; (2) a departmental plan for advancing such opportunities; and (3) recommendations to the Congress regarding future legislative activities. Requires that particular emphasis be given in programs established under this Act to the identification of gifted and talented children and youth who may not be so identified through traditional assessment methods, most notably minority and handicapped children, and youth and women. Sets forth provisions for participation by children and teachers from private schools in programs funded under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1984
Sex Discrimination in the United States Code Reform Act of 1983 - Title I: Armed Forces, Soldiers' Home, Coast Guard, Lighthouse Service, and Merchant Marine - Amends Federal laws dealing with the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, and the Coast Guard to eliminate gender-based distinctions. Title II: Elimination of Gender-Based Distinctions Under the Social Security Act and the Railroad Retirement Act - Eliminates gender-based distinctions in the social security and railroad retirement programs. Title III: Amendments to United States Code - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act, the Walsh-Healey Act, the Child Nutrition Act of 1966, the Federal criminal code and other Acts (dealing with Indian affairs, transportation, public lands, Saint Elizabeth's Hospital, contract law, the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, longshoremen and harbor workers, conservation programs, internee benefits, and the spouses of former presidents, among other subjects) to eliminate gender-based distinctions. Title IV: Effective Date - Sets forth the effective date for the provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1984
States that the United States joins in recognizing the anniversaries of the Warsaw uprising and the Polish resistance to the World War II invasion of Poland.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 1984
Title I - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to encourage private investment in projects, enterprises, and activities in the territories of Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Requires such investments to contribute to economic development and to promote and develop business management expertise by supplementing private capital when it is not otherwise available on reasonable terms and conditions through other sources and by providing technical and other assistance. Establishes in the Treasury a Territorial Economic Development Fund which shall be available as a revolving fund for the purposes of this Act. Provides for the administration of such fund by the Secretary and a Board of Directors. Permits the Secretary to make loans from the Fund for a period not to exceed 25 years or 90 percent of the useful life of any physical asset to be financed by the loan, whichever is less. Prohibits approval of any loan unless the Secretary determines that credit is not otherwise available to the applicant on reasonable terms and conditions. Requires the Secretary to submit an annual report to Congress concerning the activities of the Board of Directors and the operation of the program authorized by this Act, including an income statement and a balance sheet. Authorizes appropriations through FY 1987 for the initial lending capital for the Fund and for its administrative expenses. Title II - Amends the Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands to permit the governments of the Virgin Islands to issue industrial development bonds. Authorizes the government of American Samoa to issue such bonds. Exempts such bonds from taxation by the United States, or by any State, territory, or possession of the United States or any political subdivision. Amends the Organic Act of Guam to permit the Secretary of the Treasury, at the request of the Board of Directors of the Guam Power Authority for a second refinancing agreement, to guarantee for purchase by the Federal Financing Bank, on or before December 31, 1984, obligations of the Guam Power Authority that: (1) carry an annual simple interest rate of seven percent; (2) shall be paid in equal semiannual installments of principal and interest; (3) mature not later than December 3, 2004, and (4) contain no prepayment penalty. Title III - Makes any vessel of at least five net tons that is not registered under the laws of a foreign country eligible for documentation under certain Acts if it is owned by: (1) an individual who is a citizen or national of the United States domiciled in Guam, American Samoa, or the Northern Mariana Islands; (2) an entity of citizens or nationals of the United States capable of holding title to a vessel under the laws of the United States, Guam, America Samoa, or the Northern Mariana Islands; (3) a partnership whose general partners are citizens or nationals of the United States domiciled in Guam, American Samoa, or the Northern Mariana Islands and the controlling interest in the partnership is owned by citizens or nationals of the United States domiciled in such places; (4) a corporation created under the laws of the United States, Guam, American Samoa, or the Northern Mariana Islands, if certain conditions are met; or (5) one of such governments. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be deemed to render applicable to the Northern Mariana Islands the coastwise laws of the United States or any prohibition in the laws of the United States against foreign vessels landing fish or unfinished fish products in the United States. Provides that foreign-built vessels documented under this Act are entitled to engage in: (1) fishing within the territorial sea and fishery conservation zone adjacent to Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands in accordance with applicable U.S. laws; and (2) coastwise trade of fisheries products in and among Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Declares that nationals of the United States domiciled in Guam, American Samoa, or the Northern Mariana Islands, and citizens of the Northern Mariana Islands shall be considered citizens of the United States for all citizenship requirements related to the operation of vessels documented under this Act. Declares that upon the effective date of the termination of the Trusteeship Agreement over the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands with respect to the Northern Mariana Islands, all references to the Northern Mariana Islands contained in this Act shall cease to be effective. Title IV - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 for grants to the government of Guam to further the rehabilitation, upgrading, and construction of public facilities. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1985 to be used by the Secretary of the Interior exclusively for the planning of improvements for the Alexander Hamilton Airport in St. Croix, Virgin Islands. Directs the Secretary to study the desirability and feasibility of initiating a program for the development of housing in American Samoa and to submit such recommendations as appropriate to specified congressional committees.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1984
Adolescent Pregnancy and Parenthood Act of 1984 - Amends title XX (Adolescent Family Life Demonstration Projects) of the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants and projects for: (1) prenatal and postpartum care; (2) well-child infant care; (3) comprehensive family planning services to prevent unintended repeat pregnancies; and (4) educational, vocational, and other counseling services. Gives priority to under-18 year olds where the incidence of adolescent child bearing is high, where the proportion of low income and minority families is high, and where such services are most needed. Stresses the role of voluntary family support. States that services provided under this Act shall be voluntary. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) establish a program data reporting system; and (2) report annually to Congress. Authorizes FY 1985 through 1987 appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1984
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should express to the Soviet Union the U.S. disapproval of the Soviet Union's: (1) systematic nondelivery of U.S. mail addressed to persons in the Soviet Union; and (2) violation of specified treaties governing international mail. States that at the meeting of the Congress of the Universal Postal Union in Hamburg, Germany, U.S. representatives should; (1) bring such violations to the attention of the Union; (2) request that an investigation of such violations be conducted by the Union; and (3) consider possible sanctions against the Soviet Union for such violations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1984
Designates the week of November 11 through November 17, 1984, as Women in Agriculture Week.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1984
Designates October 16, 1984, as World Food Day.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1984
Designates July 20, 1984, as Space Exploration Day.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1984
Designates the Brigantine National Wildlife Refuge and the Barnegat National Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey collectively as the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1984
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the seasonally adjusted total unemployment rate (TUR) should be used to determine the availability of extended benefits and Federal supplemental compensation of the unemployed; (2) if the seasonally adjusted TUR is not currently available for a State, an alternative method of calculating such TUR should be developed and implemented with respect to determining the availability of such benefits; and (3) the Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and other agencies involved with the gathering of unemployment data should take all steps necessary to improve U.S. capability to measure accurately the level of total unemployment and should recommend ways to improve current unemployment compensation benefit formulas so that such benefits are made available in areas of greatest need.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1984
National Fishing Enhancement Act of 1984 - Requires artificial reefs in U.S. waters to be sited and constructed according to certain standards in order to enhance fishery resources. Directs the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with others, to develop and publish a long-term artificial reef plan. Requires the plan to address certain items. Directs the Secretary of the Army in issuing permits for artificial reefs to: (1) consult with and consider the views of appropriate Federal agencies, States, and local governments; (2) ensure consistency with the standards established in this Act; (3) ensure that the maintenance and financial responsibility for and the title to the artificial reef construction material is clear; and (4) notify the Secretary of Commerce of any need to deviate from the plan. Requires each permit to require certain information. Sets forth the liability of the permittee. Establishes civil penalties for permit violations. Amends existing Federal law to authorize the use of obsolete ships for use as artificial reefs (currently only Liberty ships are used). Defines "obsolete ships" to mean vessels owned by the Department of Transportation which are insufficient for use in the national defense reserve fleet. Transfers the authority of the Secretary of Commerce under such law to the Secretary of Transportation.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1984
Civil Rights Act of 1984 - Amends the Education Amendments of 1972, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975 and the Civil Rights Act to prohibit discrimination by any recipient of Federal financial assistance. (Currently, discrimination is prohibited only in a program or activity receiving Federal assistance.) Defines the term "recipient" to extend comprehensive coverage for purposes of the four Acts to any State or local governmental unit, any public or private agency or entity, and any subunit, successor, assignee, or transfereee of any such unit, agency, or entity.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1984
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow any taxpayer to request that any employee of the Internal Revenue Service who interviews the taxpayer shall: (1) conduct such interview at a reasonable time and place convenient to the taxpayer; and (2) allow the taxpayer to make a recording of such interview. Provides that an employee of the Internal Revenue Service may record any such interview if he informs the taxpayer of such recording prior to the interview and provides the taxpayer with a transcript of such recording upon the request of the taxpayer and reimbursement for the cost of reproduction of such transcript. Requires that prior to an interview a taxpayer shall be informed in writing that: (1) he has the right to remain silent; (2) any statement he makes may be used against him; and (3) he has the right to the presence of an attorney or any accountant or return preparer familiar with the return that is the subject of the interview.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1984
Designates the week beginning on November 11, 1984, as National Blood Pressure Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1984
Designates the week of May 13 through May 19, 1984, as Smokey Bear Week.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1984
Designates August 21, 1984, as Hawaii Statehood Silver Jubilee Day.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1984
Consumer Lease and Rental Purchase Agreement Act - Amends the Consumer Credit Protection Act to add Title X, Consumer Lease and Rental-Purchase Act. Sets forth findings, purposes, and definitions. Exempts from coverage under this Act: (1) commercial leases and rental-purchase agreements primarily for business, commercial or agricultural purposes or those made with government agencies or instrumentalities or with organizations; (2) safe deposit box leases; and (3) lease or bailment of personal property which is incidental to the lease of real property and which provides that the consumer has neither liability for the value of the property at scheduled expiration (besides abnormal wear and tear) nor an option to buy. Directs the Federal Reserve Board to promulgate regulations to implement the provisions of this Act. Requires the lessor to disclose in a consumer lease concerning personal property certain specified information, including the total initial payments to the lessor and the total of scheduled payments. Sets forth substantive rights that limit the consumer's liability at early termination or at the end of the lease term. Allows the lessor to base the consumer's liability on the anticipated residual value of the leased property. Presumes the anticipated residual value to be unreasonable, and uncollectable, when it exceeds the actual residual value by more than three times the average payment allocable to a month. Requires a lessor to disclose in a rental-purchase agreement specified information, including the amount and timing of payments and a statement as to whether the property is new or used. States that a renegotiation is a new lease or agreement requiring new disclosures. Specifies four events which are not renegotiations. Exempts from the disclosure requirements any extension of a consumer lease or a rental-purchase agreement. Requires a recalculation of anticipated residual value of leased property where a consumer lease is extended for more than one month beyond the end of the lease term. Specifies those items which must be contained in an advertisement for a consumer lease or a rental purchase agreement. Grants the Federal Trade Commission primary but not exclusive enforcement authority under this Act. Specifies civil penalties for the failure of a lessor to comply with these provisions. Sets forth the defenses available to a lessor in a civil suit. Provides for the liability of assignees. Imposes a fine or prison term for willful and knowing violation of these provisions. Sets forth the relationship of these provisions and State laws. Provides that the laws of a State are preempted by this Act only to the extent that a person is unable to comply with them without violating a provision of this title. Exempts the United States Government, States, and their agencies from civil or criminal penalties under these provisions. Requires an annual report to the Congress concerning the administration of these provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1984
Designates the week of September 16 through September 22, 1984, as Emergency Medicine Week.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1984
Designates the week of November 19 through November 25, 1984, as National Adoption Week.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1984
Designates the week beginning September 2, 1984, as National School-Age Child Care Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1984
Designates July 1984 as National Ice Cream Month and July 15, 1984, as National Ice Cream Day.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 1984
Merit Pay Improvement Act - Revises the merit pay system. Renames the system the performance management and recognition system. Allows the President to exclude any class of employees within any agency unit from such system under specified conditions. Excludes employees of the Office of the Architect of the Capitol, the Library of Congress, the Botanic Garden, and the Administrative Office of the Courts from such system. Declares that such system shall provide for comparability pay increases, periodic step increases, and performance awards based on an employee's performance as measured on a five-level scale consisting of one fully successful level, two levels below fully successful, and two levels above fully successful. Requires that any employee whose performance is rated at: (1) the second level below fully successful receive no comparability increase; (2) the first level below fully successful receive one half of the comparability increase; and (3) the fully successful level or above receive the full comparability increase. Authorizes annual step increases to take effect on the first applicable pay period beginning on or after October 1 of each year. Sets the amount of a single increase at three percent of an employee's basic pay. Provides for the award of a full step increase or a fraction thereof based on the employee's level of performance and the employee's basic pay rate within his or her pay grade. Denies step increases to employees who perform below the fully successful level. Limits any step increase to the amount that would raise the employee's basic pay rate to the maximum rate for his or her pay grade. Requires the payment of a performance award in an amount not less than three percent and not more than 20 percent of an employee's basic pay to any employee whose performance is rated at the second level above fully successful. Authorizes the payment of a performance award not exceeding 20 percent of an employee's basic pay to any employee whose performance is rated at the first level above fully successful. Limits the funds available to an agency for performance awards to a specified percentage of the agency funds payable for the basic pay of employees under the performance management and recognition system. Prohibits a reduction in the pay of an employee brought under such system so long as the employee continues to occupy the same position. Allows an employee under such system to be paid less than the minimum rate of basic for the grade of the employee's position as a result of the employee failing to qualify for a full comparability increase. Continues the cash award program (currently provided under the merit pay system) under the performance management and recognition system. Directs the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to report to the President and Congress annually on the effectiveness of such system. Terminates the system, with the exception of the cash award program, five years after the effective date of this Act. Requires agencies to develop separate performance appraisal procedures for employees covered by such system. Requires such performance appraisal procedures to require the joint participation of the supervising official and the employee in establishing performance standards. Directs OPM to prescribe regulations requiring that such procedures assure accurate evaluation of job performance, communication with employees regarding performance standards at the beginning of each appraisal period, evaluation of employees based upon such standards, assistance to employees performing below the fully successful level, and the reassignment, reduction in grade, or removal to a civil service position outside such system of any employee who continues to perform below the fully successful level after being afforded reasonable opportunity to improve his or her performance. Directs each agency to establish one or more boards to review and certify the agency's performance standards. Lists factors to be considered in performance appraisals, including organizational accomplishment. Requires an employee's performance appraisal to be reconsidered by a superior of the original appraiser at the request of the employee, except where the original appraiser was the agency head. Prohibits OPM or any agency from prescribing any particular distribution of levels of performance ratings or any specific performance standard or element. Prohibits any reduction in the basic pay rate of an individual serving in a position which is under the merit pay system before the effective date of this Act solely because such position does not become covered by the performance management and recognition system.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 1984
Amends titles II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) and XVI (Supplemental Security Income) of the Social Security Act to provide that when the surviving spouse of a deceased individual receives a benefit payment which was issued to such individual but which was more than the correct amount to which such individual was entitled under title II or title XVI, the amount in excess of the correct amount shall be considered an overpayment to such surviving spouse.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 1984
Designates the week beginning December 2, 1984, as National Senior Citizens Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 1984
Authorizes the National Committee of American Airmen Rescued by General Mihailovich to establish a monument to General Draza Mihailovich in the District of Columbia, or its environs, in recognition of the role he played saving the lives of more than 500 U.S. airmen in Yugoslavia during World War II. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to select, with the approval of the National Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission, a suitable site on public grounds for such memorial. Subjects the design and any plans for the memorial to the approval of the Secretary, the National Commission of Fine Arts, and the National Capital Planning Commission. Declares that no moneys belonging to the United States or the District of Columbia shall be expended for the establishment of such memorial. Directs the Secretary to permit groundbreaking for construction of the monument only after determining that sufficient funds are available for completion of the monument. Directs that the maintenance and care of the monument shall be the responsibility of the National Committee of American Airmen Rescued by General Mihailovich.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 1984
Nondiscrimination in Business Expense Deductions Act of 1984 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that no deduction from gross income shall be allowed to a taxpayer for entertainment expenses for food, beverages, lodging, or entertainment incurred in connection with a facility which discriminates on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Exempts facilities operated by a religious organization where access is limited to members of a particular religion. Treats dues and fees paid to discriminatory facilities as nondeductible expenses. Requires a submission of a statement to the Secretary of the Treasury that a facility not open to the public does not discriminate in order for amounts paid to such facility to qualify for the entertainment expense deduction. Requires the posting of a public notice in the facility stating the nondiscriminatory policy. Permits the Secretary to revoke the acceptance of the statement of nondiscrimination. Requires the taxpayer to report any amounts paid or incurred for food, beverages, lodging, or entertainment in any facility which is not open to the public or does not serve the public.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 1984
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend for five years, until December 31, 1989, the exclusion from gross income of amounts received by an employee from a group legal services plan provided by an employer.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 1984
SSI Equitable Improvements and Reform Amendments of 1984 - Title I: Treatment of Income - Amends title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) of the Social Security Act to exclude from income unearned income received in the form of real or personal property: (1) if it meets the existing criteria for exclusion from resources; (2) which is of a type not normally converted into cash or otherwise used for the production of income, which is not so converted or used, and which cannot be used for food or clothing; or (3) which is received as a gift or heirloom possessing emotional or sentimental value and which is not converted into cash or otherwise used for the production of income. Makes permanent SSI and AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children, part A of title IV of the Social Security Act) provisions which exempt in-kind home energy assistance provided by a private nonprofit organization. Provides for the exclusion of certain interest and dividend income. Provides that any temporary one-time income which is received by an individual in the individual's initial month of SSI eligibility shall be taken into account only for that month. Excludes from income amounts received by holocaust survivors as reparations from foreign countries. Title II: Treatment of Resources - Provides that to the extent that an overpayment results because a recipient's resources exceed the applicable limit, such overpayment shall be determined to be the lesser of: (1) the amount of benefits received or for which the recipient would have been eligible but for such resources; or (2) the amount by which the value of the resources exceeded the applicable resource limit. Modifies penalties where assets are transferred at less than fair market value. Provides that if assets are so transferred, the period of ineligibility shall bear a reasonable relationship to the uncompensated value of such resource. Permits a waiver of the penalty if: (1) the individual is in a hospital, nursing home, or other medical institution and cannot reasonably be expected to be discharged; (2) title was transferred to the individual's spouse or to the individual's child who is under age 21 or is blind or disabled; (3) the individual intended to dispose of the resource either at fair market value or for other valuable consideration; or (4) the inclusion of the resource in the individual's resources would work an undue hardship. Provides that in any event, if a State waives a similar penalty under Medicaid (title XIX of the Social Security Act) for such individual, the SSI penalty shall also be waived. Excludes from resources, for 12 months from the date of receipt, SSI or OASDI (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance, title II of the Social Security Act) underpayment amounts received in the form of a retroactive check. Increases the SSI resources limit for single individuals from $1,500 to $2,000, and for married couples from $2,250 to $3,000. Excludes from the SSI resources limit an automobile, household goods, and personal effects. (Current law also exempts such items, but only to the extent determined reasonable by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.) Title III: Determination of Benefit Amounts - Revises SSI provisions providing for a one-third reduction in benefits for an SSI recipient who lives in another person's household and who receives support and maintenance in kind from such person. Provides that an individual shall not be considered to be "living in another person's household and receiving support and maintenance in kind from such person" if such individual lives in a household with another person and such individual's pro rata share of the expenses of maintaining such household does not exceed the benefit payable to an individual with no other income who is living in another person's household and receiving support and maintenance from such person. Provides for the continuation of regular SSI benefits until the end of the second consecutive month of institutionalization if an eligible individual is institutionalized. Increases the benefits standard payable annually to: (1) an institutionalized individual from $300 to $420; and (2) an institutionalized couple from $600 to $840. Title IV: Provisions Relating to Eligibility - Provides that a disabled child who is living outside the United States with his or her parents shall maintain SSI eligibility so long as the parents retain legal residence in the United States. Provides for the payment of benefits due a deceased SSI recipient to certain individuals who contributed to the support of the deceased. (Current law provides for the payment of benefits following a beneficiary's death only to the surviving spouse.) Provides for an exemption from the requirement that an SSI applicant or recipient must file for OASDI or other pension benefits if receipt of such benefits would cause the applicant or recipient to be ineligible for SSI or Medicaid. Reduces from six months to one month the length of time that an SSI individual and spouse must live separately before they will be treated as separate individuals for SSI purposes. Title V: Overpayments, Underpayments, and Benefit Reductions - Provides that, in situations where there has not been fraud in connection with an SSI overpayment, overpayments shall be recovered through adjustments in future benefits which do not reduce any benefit payment by more than the greater of ten percent or ten dollars. Expands the SSI interim assistance program to include payment of retroactive SSI funds to a State for assistance provided during any period following the termination of an individual's SSI benefits, if and to the extent that: (1) the individual is subsequently found on reconsideration of the termination to have been eligible for such benefits; and (2) a retroactive payment of benefits for months in that period is due the individual. Repeals the penalty imposed against an SSI recipient because the group living facility in which the recipient lives fails to meet applicable standards. Increases from $100 to an amount equal to monthly SSI benefits for three months the emergency cash advances available to a presumptively eligible individual. Provides that: (1) if at any time both an overpayment and an underpayment exist in the case of an individual without a final adjustment or recovery having yet been made with respect to either of them, no such adjustment shall be made with respect to the underpayment until the individual has had a reasonable opportunity to seek a waiver of the overpayment; and (2) the existence of the underpayment shall not preclude the granting of such a waiver of the overpayment or otherwise affect the disposition thereof. Prohibits the Secretary from taking any action to recover an SSI overpayment until the Secretary has sent the SSI recipient who has been overpaid a notice containing, in clear and understandable language, certain information, including a statement of the individual's right to seek a waiver of the overpayment and to seek a reconsideration of the determination that an overpayment exists. Title VI: Extension of SSI Program - Includes the Virgin Islands and Guam within the SSI program. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study of the feasibility of extending the SSI program to Puerto Rico and to report the results to Congress. Title VII: Other Amendments - Directs the Secretary to conduct a statistically reliable survey of current and potential recipients of SSI benefits, with the objective of determining the extent to which the program is being used by individuals who are or may be eligible for SSI benefits and the extent to which current data (on the number of such individuals and their reasons for filing or not filing SSI applications) are accurate, and to report the results of such survey to Congress together with any recommendations. Directs the Secretary to establish and conduct an ongoing program designed to provide information about SSI benefits (and State supplementary benefits) to individuals who are not currently receiving such benefits. Directs the Secretary to assist applicants and recipients in executing and filing applications for SSI benefits and in furnishing any other information which may be required, with particular attention to cases where such applicants and recipients because of their physical or mental condition are incapable without undue difficulty of executing or filing such applications or furnishing such information. Directs the Secretary to take certain steps to assure that all information and forms for SSI applicants and recipients are clear and readily understandable. Sets forth the effective date.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 1984
Designates the Brigantine National Wildlife Refuge and the Barnegat National Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey collectively as the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 1984
Compassionate Pain Relief Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a 60-month program under which parenteral diacetylmorphine shall be made available through qualified pharmacies for the relief of pain from cancer. Directs the Secretary to provide for the manufacture of such drug. Permits physicians registered under the Controlled Substances Act to prescribe such drug. States that for purposes of such program the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and titles II and III of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 shall not apply with respect to: (1) the importing of opium; and (2) the manufacture, distribution, and dispensing of parenteral diacetylmorphine. Requires: (1) the Secretary to make program reports to the appropriate congressional committees; and (2) the Comptroller General of the United States to make a four-year program report to such committees.