United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1973
Comprehensive Child Development Act - States the finding of Congress that: (1) millions of children are suffering from lack of child development services; (2) comprehensive child development programs should be available to all children; (3) priority be given to preschool children with the greatest economic and social needs; (4) no mother may be forced to work in order for children to receive services; and (5) such programs should be undertaken as a partnership of parents, community, and local government. States it to be the purpose of this Act to establish and expand comprehensive child development programs, building on the Headstart experience, with emphasis on economically disadvantaged individuals and including children of working mothers and single parents, involving parents and community groups in the decision-making process, and establishing the legislative framework for eventual universally available child development programs. Title I: Comprehensive Child Development Programs; Direction to Establish Program - Authorizes the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare to direct programs under this title. Lists activities for which funds can be provided, including: planning and development of programs; establishing, maintaining, and operating comprehensive programs with a broad range of activities; design, acquisition, construction, alteration, renovation or remodeling of facilities including mobile facilities; training programs for professionals, paraprofessionals, parents, older family members and prospective parents; public information activities; child advocate staff; and administrative expenses. Authorizes any State, city, county, combination of units of local government, or federally recognized Indian reservation to serve as prime sponsors. Permits the Secretary to designate such prime sponsor upon receipt of an application which: (1) establishes a Child Development Council (CDC) to plan, conduct, coordinate, andd monitor programs; (2) establishes Local Policy Councils (LPC's) elected by parents of eligible children to serve appropriate subdivisions within the prime sponsorship area; and (3) delegates administrative responsibility to an appropriate local agency. Authorizes a public or private non-profit agency or organization to become a prime sponsor if the appropriate unit of local government has not submitted an application or is out of compliance, or if the Secretary determines such prime sponsor is necessary to meet the needs of economically disadvantaged children. Provides an opportunity for a State to comment on all applications for designation, notice and hearing before the Secretary makes any adverse decision on any designation, and for judicial review of the Secretary's final action. Requires submission by a prime sponsor and the Secretary's approval of a Comprehensive Child Development Plan before a governmental prime sponsor may receive financial assistance under this title. Requires that each such plan must: (1) identify needs and goals and describe purposes for which funds will be used; (2) meet the needs of children in the area including infant care and before and after school programs including 24 hour child care services; (3) give priority to economically disadvantaged children by reserving funds equal to funds expended in the prime sponsorship area under Headstart and Title IV of the Social Security Act in fiscal year 1972 and then reserving the following percentages; 65 percent for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1973, 60 percent for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1974, and 55 percent for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1975; (4) give priority thereafter to children of single parents and working mothers; (5-6) provide free services for economically disadvantaged children and fees on a sliding scale for others; (7) require cooperative arrangements of State and local agencies serving the handicapped; (8) provide jobs and training in so far as possible for residents of the community; (9) provide in so far as possible for socioeconomic mixture in centers; (10-11) provide for special needs of minority, bilingual migrant and Indian children in the area; (12) assure benefits for children in nonpublic preschool and school programs; (13) coordinate programs so family members relate to each other during the day; (14) provide for parental participation in plans and programs; (15) provide for paraprofessional and volunteers, including parents, senior citizens, students, other children, and those preparing for child development careers; (16) provide for dissemination of program information in language of parents; (17) eliminate barriers pertaining to State teacher certification standards; (18-20) assure coordination with schools and other child development programs in the community; and (21) provide that emphasis will be given to continued funding of on-going projects. Requires such a plan to assure payment of the non-Federal share, to provide for fiscal control and fund accounting procedures, to provide for continuing evaluation and analysis of needs and reports to the Secretary to emphasize on-going programs, and to provide adequate staff and administrative expenses of LPCs. Provides the opportunity for comment by a Governor, Mayor or community action agency, Headstart agency or educational agency; and provides for notice and hearing before an adverse decision is made on a plan by the Secretary. Authorizes funding by a prime sponsor of a qualified public or private agency which submits an application to run a child development program, which provides comprehensive services for children served, assures adequate personnel, and meets the appropriate provisions of the Comprehensive Child Development Plan. Authorizes funding by the Secretary of a non-governmental prime sponsor which submits a project application. Allows construction only of facilities essential to provide child development services, where use of existing facilities is shown to be not practicable. Provides for 20 year use of facilities for child development programs or for return of a proportionate value of the facility to the Federal Government. Authorizes the Secretary to establish interests rates for construction loans, with a 3 percent minimum rate. Provides grants and loans for construction limited to 50 percent of the total cost except for private nonprofit groups, and limits construction to 15 percent of total allotment to a prime sponsor and limits grants for construction to 7 1/2 percent of the total. Provides for the Federal Government to share 80 percent (with allowance for Secretary to pay up to 100 percent if necessary to provide services) of the costs to prime sponsors of programs for economically disadvantaged children; 50 percent Federal share of cost to prime sponsors of programs for children not economically disadvantaged; and 100 percent Federal share of migrant and Indian programs. Provides that the non-Federal share may be in cash or kind including fees paid by parents. Provides open-ended authorization of appropriations for fiscal year 1973 and each succeeding fiscal year to carry out the provisions of this title. Reserves for the Secretary funds for migrant and Indian programs at a ratio equal to the ratio of such children to the total number of economically disadvantaged children in the nation; 5 percent for the Secretary's discretionary use, with the remainder apportioned among the States as follows: (1) 50 percent according to the ratio of economically disadvantaged children in the State, (2) 25 percent according to the ratio of children through age 5; and (3) 25 percent according to the ratio of children of working mothers and single parents. Allots State's apportionments among prime sponsors according to the same formula. Provides for reallotment of unused funds among prime sponsors and among States. Prohibits any State or local government from reducing its expenditures for child development or day care. Establishes an Office of Child Development (OCD) to be the principal agency to administer this Act. Provides for the promulgation of Federal Standards of Child Development Services, applicable to all programs receiving assistance under this Act. Provides for the promulgation of a Minimum Uniform Code for Facilities, which shall replace State and local standards for all facilities which receive assistance under this Act or in which programs which receive assistance under this Act are operated. Provides for maximum utilization of existing Federal, State, and local public facilities, including school buildings, for child development programs. Repeals, consolidates, and coordinates existing child development programs, effective July 1, 1973. Authorizes to be appropriated $2,000,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1974, $3,000,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1975 and $4,000,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1976 to carry out the provisions of this title. Title II: Facilities for Child Development Programs - Authorizes a program of mortgage insurance for child development facilities, administered by the Secretary of HEW, to provide a source of funds in addition to the direct grants and loans authorized in Title I for the construction of such facilities. Title III: Training of Child Development Personnel - Authorizes $20,000,000 for programs to train professional child development personnel and for programs to train paraprofessional child development personnel under the Higher Education Act. Authorizes National Defense Education Act loans for the training of full-time teachers in child development programs. Authorizes training grants to individuals and child development programs. Authorizes a $5,000,000 annual appropriation for such grants. Title IV: Federal Government Child Development Programs - Authorizes direct grants to establish and operate programs for children of Federal employees. Authorizes $5 million in fiscal year 1974 and for each fiscal year thereafter to operate such program. Title V: Evaluation and Technical Assistance - Authorizes the Office of Child Development to evaluate Federal involvement in child development and to provide technical assistance to prime sponsors and project applicants. Authorizes such funds as necessary to carry out such activities. Title VI: National Center For Child Development and Education - Establishes a National Center for Child Development and Education within the Office of Child Development to conduct, coordinate, and disseminate research on child development. Authorizes such appropriations as may be necessary to operate the Center. Title VII: General Provisions - Provides for advance appropriations and advance funding of programs. Assures public information, without charge. Prohibits federal control of programs under this Act. Defines the terms used in this Act. Prohibits sex discrimination in the administration of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1973
Designates August 26 of each year as "Women's Equality Day". Authorizes the President to issue an annual proclamation in commemoration of the day in 1920 on which women were first guaranteed the right to vote.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 1973
Provides that each Government agency that maintains records, including computer records, concerning any person which may be retrieved by reference to, or are indexed under, a person's name, or some other similar identifying number or symbol, and which contains any information obtained from any source other than such person shall, with respect to such records: (1) notify such person by mail at his last known address that the agency maintains or has augmented a record concerning said person; (2) refrain from disclosing the record or any information contained therein to any other agency or to any person not employed by the agency maintaining such record; (3) refrain from disclosing the record or any information contained therein to individuals within that agency other than those individuals who need to examine such record or information for the execution of their jobs; (4) maintain an accurate record of the names and addresses of all persons to whom any information contained in such records is divulged and the purposes for which such divulgence was made; (5) permit any person to inspect his own record and have copies thereof made at his expense, which in no event shall be greater than the cost to the agency of making such copies; (6) permit any person to supplement the information contained in his record by the addition of any document or writing of reasonable length containing information such person deems pertinent to his record; and (7) remove erroneous information of any kind, and notify all agencies and persons to whom the erroneous material has been previously transferred of its removal. Provides that this Act shall not apply to records that are: (1) specifically required by Executive order to be kept secret in the interest of the national security; (2) investigatory files compiled for law enforcement purposes; and (3) interagency or intraagency memoranda or letters which would not be available by law to a party other than an agency possessing such memoranda or letters in litigation with such agency. Provides that any employee of the United States who under the color of agency authority knowingly and willfully violates a provision of this Act, or permits such a violation, shall be fined $1,000. Establishes a Federal Privacy Board to aid in the administration of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1973
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to make payments, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to any citizen of the United States or any individual who has been admitted to the United States for permanent residence who establishes to the satisfaction of the Director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness that he suffered a physical injury that is directly attributable to the explosions of either of the two atomic bombs dropped by the United States on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in August 1945 or to the radioactive fallout from such explosions.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 1973
Travel Agents Registration Act - Declares the finding of Congress that it is in the public interest to strengthen the travel agency industry and to maintain public confidence in travel agents by regulating travel agents. Provides that on and after January 1, 1973, no person shall, directly or indirectly, engage in the business of conducting a travel agency without having first received a registration certificate as provided by this Act. Establishes in the Department of Transportation a Bureau of Travel Agents Registration, headed by a Director appointed by the Secretary of Transportation. Establishes a Travel Agents Registration Board to advise the Director and to pass on applications for registration certificates. Provides that the Director shall promulgate such rules and regulations, including, but not limited to, those necessary to require sound financial practices by registered travel agents and those considered necessary to carry out the purposes of this title. Provides that the Secretary shall establish such rules and regulations as may be necessary to carry out this Act, and shall promulgate a binding code of ethics for the travel agency industry. Requires the granting of a certificate by the Director if the applicant was conducting a travel agency on September 3, 1968, has been doing so for two or more years, and has been approved for appointment as an agent for two or more years by two or more conferences of air or steamship carriers, unless the Director makes a specific determination that the applicant lacks good character or financial integrity. Provides that when an application for a registration certificate shall have been examined by the Director and the Director, with the advice of the Board, has determined that the applicant has complied with the rules and regulations promulgated by the Director and the Director, with the advice of the Board, shall have determined that the applicant, if issued a certificate of authorization, would provide a useful public service, the Director shall issue and deliver a registration certificate to the applicant. Provides that a registration certificate shall not be issued to any person who has been convicted in any State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a possession of the United States, of a felony or a crime concerning activities prohibited by this Act. Provides that registration certificates issued pursuant to this title shall not be assignable or transferable, and shall expire every second year. Provides for a fine of up to $1,000 upon a finding that the holder of a registration certificate has engaged in any of the following practices: (1) fraud or bribery in securing a registration certificate issued pursuant to this title; (2) the making of any false statement as to a material matter in any application or other statement required by or pursuant to this title; (3) violation of any provision of this title or any code, rule, or regulation adopted hereunder; (4) any fraud or fraudulent practice in the operation and conduct of a travel agency business including, but not limited to, intentionally misleading advertising; (5) activities prohibited by this title leading to conviction of a misdemeanor; and (6) activities leading to conviction of a felony. Provides for the revocation of the certificates of a registered agency for violations of this title after an opportunity for a hearing and review by the United States court of appeals Provides penalties of up to $500 or imprisonment of not more than 6 months, or both, for any knowing and willful violations of this title.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 1973
Safe Schools Act - Authorizes appropriations for local educational agencies throughout the nation for providing security for children, employees, and facilities. Provides that not in excess of 3 percent of such funds be set aside for schools in Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands and to the Secretary of the Interior for shcools operated for Indian children. Provides that the remainder of such appropriations be allotted to other local educational agencies. Provides that any local educational agency may apply for such grant under this Act with the consent of the appropriate State educational agency. Provides that such grant shall be employed toward the provision of professional or other staff members; the provision of services to meet the special needs of students and employees; community activities; provision of information to parents and other members of the general public; planning and evaluation activities; acquisition, installation, modernization, or replacement of appropriate equipment and supplies; and minor alterations of school plants and facilities. Provides that no funds authorized under this Act shall be used to support the introduction, presence, or use of firearms, other weapons, or chemical agents in any school.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1973
Authorizes the Commissioner of Education to make grants to State education agencies to enable them to develop and carry out program to provide, through the use of students to institutions of higher education, tutoring and instructional assistance, under the supervision of a qualified teacher, for homebound handicapped children who, though able to benefit from preschool, elementary, or secondary education, are prevented by their handicaps from attending school. Requires local educational institutions that apply for funds under this program to give special consideration to veterans qualified for vocational financial need. Requires that the compensation for participating college students shall be between the Federal minimum wage set by the Commissioner and the maximum wage set by the Commissioner. Requires that the aim of such program shall be to integrate the handicapped into society, and to avoid the development of a segregated, permanent system of educcation for the handicapped. Provides that the Commissioner shall make grants under this Act to State educational agencies on the merits of their proporsal to him which shall be submitted on such application forms and under such guidelines as he shall prescribe. Authorizes $55,000,000 for fiscal year 1974, and necessary funds for fiscal years 1975 and 1976, to carry out the purposes of this Act. Requires the Commissioner to allocate the first 25 percent of such funds to each State in proporation to the ratio that the number of children aged three to twenty-one in the State bears to the number of such children in all the States. Authorizes the Commissioner of Education to make grants to State education agencies to enable them to develop and carry out programs to provide, through the use of students in institutions of higher education, tutoring and instructional assistance, under the supervision of a qualified teacher, for homebound handicapped children who, though able to benefit from preschool, elementary, or secondary education, are prevented by their handicaps from attending school. Requires local educational institutions that apply for funds under this program to give special consideration to veterans qualified for vocational rehabilitation, and to students with greater financial need. Requires that the compensation for participating college students shall be between the Federal minimum wage set by the Commissioner and the maximum wage set by the Commissioner. Requires that the aim of such program shall be to integrate the handicapped into society, and to avoid the development of a segregated, permanent system of education for the handicapped. Provides that the Commissioner shall make grants under this Act to State educational agencies on the merits of their proposals to him which shall be submitted on such application forms and under such guidelines as he shall prescribe. Authorizes $55,000,000 for fiscal year 1974, and necessary funds for fiscal years 1975, and 1976, to carry out the purposes of this Act. Requires the Commissioner to allocate the first 25 percent of such funds to each State in proportion to the ratio that the number of children aged three to twenty-one in the State bears to the number of such children in all the States.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1973
Creates an Atlantic Union delegation, composed of 18 eminent citizens, which is authorized to organize and participate in a convention made up of similar delegations from such North Atlantic Treaty parliamentary democracies as desire to join in the enterprise, and other parliamentary democracies the convention may invite, to explore the possibility of agreement on: (1) a declaration that the goal of their peoples is to transform their present relationship into a more effective unity based on Federal principles; (2) a timetable for the transition by stages to this goal; and (3) a commission to facilitate advancement toward such stages. Requires the convention's recommendations to be submitted to the Congress. Provides that not more than half of the delegation's members shall be from one political party, and that 6 of the delegates shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, after consultation with the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, 6 by the President of the Senate, after consultation with the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and 6 by the President of the United States. Allows all members of the delegation to speak and vote individually in the convention. Authorizes the delegation in carrying out the purposes of this Act: (1) to seek to arrange an international convention and such other meetings and conferences as it may deem necessary; (2) to employ and fix the compensation within prescribed limits of such temporary professional and clerical staff as it deems necessary; and (3) to pay not in excess of $100,000 toward such expenses as may be involved as a consequence of holding any meetings or conferences authorized by this joint resolution. Authorizes not to exceed $200,000 to be appropriated to the Department of State to carry out the purposes of this resolution, payments to be made upon vouchers approved by the Chairman of the delegation subject to the laws, rules, and regulations applicable to the obligation and expenditure of appropriated funds. Requires the delegation to make semiannual reports to Congress accounting for all expenditures and such other information as it deems appropriate. Provides that the delegation shall cease to exist at the expiration of the three-year period beginning on the date of the approval of this resolution.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 1973
Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act - States that it is the purpose of this Act to provide for participation by the Federal Government with State and local governments, private individuals, and other interested persons in a comprehensive program to prevent further damage to the lands, waters, and natural resources of the Nation from unregulated or inadequately regulated surface and underground coal mining operations, to stabilize lands damaged by surface coal mining, to promote an effective continuing conservation land-use and management program for the coal mining industry, and to assist any worker adversely affected by this Act. Provides that this Act shall be administered by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Provides that each coal mining operation, the products of which enter interstate commerce, or the operations or products of which indirectly or directly affect interstate commerce, and each operator of such mining operation, shall be subject to this Act. Title I: Environmental Protection Coal Mining Limitation - Provides that no surface coal mining shall hereafter be conducted in any area of the national wildlife refuge system, the national park system, or the national forest system. States that no underground coal mining shall be permitted in any designated wilderness area or in any area under study as a wilderness area. Provides that no operator shall begin or renew any surface coal mining operation in any State on or after the effective date of this Act. States that no operator shall conduct contour surface coal mining operations in any State on and after the effective date of this Act. Provides that any operator who, on the effective date of this Act, is actively carrying out surface coal mining operations, other than contour surface coal mining, may continue to do so as provided in this Act if such operator obtains a permit under this title within six months after such date, and if the Administrator determines that such mining is not in violation of, or will not result in any violation of, any provision of the Clean Air Act, and does not cause, or will not result in, irrevocable or lasting injury to the public health or welfare, or damaging, flooding, or destruction of agricultural land, or dislocation or disturbance of surface or subsurface streams, or destruction of, or damange to, historic values, or destruction or damage to valuable recreational or wildlife areas, or destruction or damage of contiguous areas. States that, within two months after the effective date of this Act, no operator shall engage in surface or underground coal mining operations if he has not applied for a permit under the provisions of this Act. Sets forth the requirements for obtaining such permits. Provides that no permit application shall be approved unless the Administrator finds that the applicable requirements of this title and the rules and regulations adopted thereunder will be observed, and that, in the case of a surface coal mining application, there is probable cause to believe that the stabilization of the area of affected land can be achieved. Provides that a stabilization plan shall accompany every application for a permit for surface coal mining and be made available to the public and be approved in the same manner as a permit. Provides that after a permit application has been approved for surface coal mining but before such a permit is issued, the applicant shall file with the Administrator a bond for performance payable to the United States and conditioned on the operator faithfully performing all the requirements of this Act. Creates in the Department of the Treasury a revolving fund to be known as the Coal Mine Lands Stabilization Fund. Authorizes to be appropriated to the fund initially the sum of $100,000,000, and such other sums as may thereafter be appropriated by the Congress. Provides that moneys in the fund may be expended by the Chief of the Corps of Engineers to acquire by purchase, donation, exchange, or otherwise land which has been affected by surface coal mining operations, has not been fully stabilized prior to the effective date of this Act, and has been abandoned or is declared inactive as determined by him. Authorizes the Chief of the Corps of Engineers to stabilize directly or by contract the lands so acquired. Provides for renewal of licenses issued under this Act. Requires every surface coal mining operator to stabilize the land affected by his mining. Sets forth the required standards for such stabilization. Restricts dumping and the use of explosives on operations authorized under this Act. Requires each mining operator to report to the Administrator on the amount of coal produced, the number of employees, the days worked, the number and location of acres of land mined, number and location of acres of the land stabilized, and a description of the progress made toward the completion of the reclamation plan. Sets forth conditions for the release of bonds filed under this Act. Provides for the periodic inspection of operations authorized under this Act. Allows any person to commence a civil action on his own behalf: (1) against any person, including the United States, and any other governmental instrumentality or agency, who is alleged to be in violation of this title; or (2) against the Administrator and the Chief of the Corps of Engineers where there is alleged a failure of the Administrator or the Chief to perform any act or duty under this title which is not discretionary with the Administrator or the Chief. Provides that no Federal agency may enter into any contract for the procurement of goods, materials, and services with any operator who is convicted of any offense under this title to perform such contract at any coal mining operation at which the violation which gave rise to such conviction occurred. States that no person shall discharge or in any other way discriminate against or cause to be discharged or discriminated against any employee of a surface mine or any authorized representative thereof by reason of the fact that such employee or representative has: (1) notified the Administrator or his authorized representative of any alleged violation or danger, (2) has filed instituted, or caused to be filed, or (2) instituted, any proceeding under this Act, or (3) testified or is about to testify in any proceeding resulting from the administration or enforcement of the provisions of this Act. Authorizes the Attorney General to apply to the appropriate United States district court for injunctions restraining or enforcing compliance with the provisions of this title. Authorizes actions for damages (including attorney fees) by persons injured by violations of this title. Provides for a civil penalty of not to exceed $10,000 for each violation of this title. Prohibits States from enacting mining standards that are less stringent than those established by this Act. Authorizes necessary appropriations to carry out this title. Title II: Assistance to Workers - Provides that payment of a readjustment allowance shall be made to a worker adversely affected by this Act who applies for such allowance for any week of unemployment which begins after the thirtieth day after the date of the enactment of this Act. Provides that such allowance shall be an amount equal to 90 percent of his average weekly wage or to 90 percent of the average weekly manufacturing wage, whichever is greater. Provides for a diminishing of such allowance to the extent that it is supplied through other provisions of law. States that adversely affected workers shall be afforded, where appropriate, the testing, counseling, training, and placement services provided for under any Federal law. Provides for a relocation allowance for any adversely affected worker who is the head of a family and who has been totally separated. Authorizes to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this title.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1973
Requires the advice and consent of the Senate for presidential appointments to the positions of Director and Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1973
Consumer Protection Agency Act - Title I: Office of Consumer Affairs - Creates an Office of Consumer Affairs within the Executive Office of the President. Provides that the office shall be headed by a Director and a Deputy Director, both of whom shall be appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Gives the Director powers to carry out the provisions of this Act. Requires the Director to transmit to Congress and the President in January of each year a report of the activities of the Office during the preceding year including a summary of consumer complaints and recommendations for additional legislation deemed necessary to protect the interests of U.S. consumers. Provides that it shall be the function of the Office to: (1) coordinate the programs and activities of all Federal agencies relating to the interests of consumers in order to achieve effectiveness, avoid duplications and inconsistencies, and to promote the purposes of this title; (2) encourage and assist in the development and implementation of consumer programs and activities in the Federal Government; (3) assure that the interests of consumers are taken into consideration by appropriate Federal agencies both in the formulation of policies with respect to consumers and in the operation of programs that may affect consumer interests; (4) cooperate with and, when requested, provide assistance to the Administrator of the Consumer Protection Agency in carrying out its functions under title II of this Act; (5) advise and make recommendations to all Federal agencies with respect to general policy matters concerning the effectiveness of programs and activities relating to the interests of consumers; (6) submit recommendations to the Congress and the President on the means by which programs and activities relating to the interests of consumers can be improved; (7) conduct conferences and surveys concerning the needs, interests, and problems of consumers which are not duplicative in significant degree to similar activities conducted by other Federal agencies; (8) encourage, initiate, coordinate, and participate in consumer education and counseling programs (including credit counseling); (9) cooperate with and give technical assistance to State and local governments in the promotion and protection of consumer interests; (10) cooperate with and assist private enterprise in the promotion and protection of consumer interests; (11) publish and distribute in a Consumer Register material which will include notice of Federal hearings, proposed and final rules and orders, and other useful information, translated from its technical form into language which is understandable by the public; and (12) keep the appropriate committees of the Congress fully and currently informed of all its activities. Title II: Consumer Protection Agency - Establishes as an independent agency within the executive branch of the Government the Consumer Protection Agency, headed by an Administrator and a Deputy Administrator, both of whom shall be appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Gives the Agency powers to carry out the objective of this Act. States that the functions of the Agency shall be to: (1) represent the interests of consumers before Federal agencies and courts to the extent authorized by this title; (2) encourage and support research, studies, and testing leading to a better understanding of consumer products and improved products, services, and consumer information; (3) submit recommendations annually to the Congress and the President on measures to improve the operation of the Federal Government in the protection and promotion of the consumer interest; (4) publish and distribute material developed pursuant to carrying out its responsibilities under this Act which will inform consumers of matters of interest to them; (5) conduct conferences, surveys, and investigations, including economic surveys, concerning the needs, interests, and problems of consumers which are not duplicative in significant degree to similar activities conducted by other Federal agencies; (6) keep the appropriate committees of Congress fully and currently informed of all its activities; and (7) cooperate with and, when requested, provide assistance to the Director of the Office in the carrying out of his functions.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1973
Highway Safety Act - Authorizes appropriations to specified highway safety programs and highway safety research and development programs. Authorizes the appropriation of $150,000,000 for fiscal 1974 and $225,000,000 for fiscal 1975 for the elimination of hazards of railway-highway crossings. Authorizes the appropriation of $225,000,000 for fiscal 1974 and $450,000,000 for fiscal 1975 for bridge construction and replacement. Establishes special pavement marking programs and appropriates $125,000,000 for both fiscal 1974 and 1975 to be available until expended to carry out such programs. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to carry out safety research on the following subjects: (1) the relationship between the consumption and use of drugs and their effect upon highway safety and drivers of motor vehicles; and (2) driver behavior research. Authorizes to be appropriated for each of the fiscal years 1974 and 1975 the sum of $100,000,000 to eliminate or reduce the hazards at specific locations or sections of highways which have high accident experiences or high accident potentials, such study to be conducted by the Federal Highway Administration. Provides that two-thirds of such funds authorized and expended in any fiscal year shall be appropriated out of the Highway Trust Fund. Requires each State to report to the Secretary not later than September 30, 1974, and every September 30 of each year thereafter, on the progress being made to implement projects for high-hazard locations and the effectiveness of such improvements. Directs the Secretary to conduct a full and complete investigation of the use of the mass media and other techniques for informing the public of means and methods for reducing the number and severity of highway accidents. Directs the Secretary to conduct an investigation of ways and means for encouraging greater citizen participation and involvement in the traffic enforcement process. Directs the Secretary to make a study of the feasibility of establishing a National Center for Statistical Analysis of Highway Operations designed to acquire, store, and retrieve highway accident data and standardize the information and procedures for reporting accidents on a nationwide basis. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress his findings and recommendations not later than January 1, 1975. Authorizes the Secretary to make a full and complete investigation and study of pedestrian safety and report his findings and recommendations to the Congress no later than January 31, 1975. Provides that no State shall receive less than one-half of one percent of all funds authorized to be appropriated for highway safety. Allows the Secretary to make incentive grants to states which have attained above average results in carrying out safety programs.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1973
Extends the authorizations through fiscal year 1974 for the following programs under the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965: (1) grants for public works and development facilities; (2) public works and development facility loans; (3) technical assistance, research and information related to public works and development facilities; (4) financial assistance for projects in economic development districts; and (5) supplemental funds for Federal grants-in-aid programs for economic development regions. Provides that no area designated as a redevelopment area for purposes of the Act shall have such designation terminated or modified before June 1, 1974, unless the qualified local governing body of the county specifically requests the such action.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1973
Bill of Rights for the Mentally Retarded - States that the purpose of this Act is to establish standards which assure the humane care, treatment, habilitation, and protection of the mentally retarded in residential facilities, and to improve the system for the provision of services to the mentally retarded through the encouragement of and support for the planning and development of strategies to implement such standards, minimize inappropriate admissions to residential facilities and stimulate the development of regional and community programs integrating such residential facilities which conform to such standards. Provides for a new title to the Public Health Service Act: Title XI: Support of Residential Facilities for the Mentally Retarded - Authorizes the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to make grants to States to aid them with the cost of bringing existing residential facilities into compliance with the standards established under this Act, and to improve existing residential facilities for the mentally retarded. Authorizes to be appropriated $30,000,000 ($15,000,000 for each program) for fiscal year 1973, and for each of the next two succeeding fiscal years, for such grants. Authorizes to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to enable the Secretary to make grants to States for the purpose of assisting States in meeting the expenses for bringing publicly operated facilities and publicly assisted facilities into conformity with the standards established by this Act. Stipulates that any State desiring to receive such a grant shall submit a plan to the Secretary setting forth a schedule for compliance with such standards. Provides that the total of the grants with respect to any such project bringing facilities into conformity with the standards imposed by this Act may not exceed 75 percent of the necessary cost thereof as determined by the Secretary. Requires, within five years after the date of enactment of this Act, that no residential facility for the mentally retarded shall be eligible to receive payments either directly or indirectly under any Federal law, unless such facility meets the standards promulgated under this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to any public or private non-profit agency, organization or institution to meet the costs of development, improvement, extension, or expansion of community resources and community living situations for the mentally retarded other than live-in-residential facilities for the mentally retarded. Establishes a National Advisory Council on Standards for Residential Facilities for the Mentally Retarded to: (1) advise the Secretary with respect to any regulations promulgated or proposed in the implementation of the standards established under this Act; (2) study and evaluate such standards authorized by this Act; and (3) recommend to the Secretary any changes, revisions, modifications, or improvements in the standards established under this Act. Provides that the ultimate aim of the residential facility shall be to foster those behaviors that maximize the human qualities of the resident, increase the complexity of his behavior, and enhance his ability to cope with his environment. Requires such facilities to be located within, and conveniently accessible to, the population served, so as to have access to necessary generic community services. Provides that the facility and the surrounding community should be encouraged to share their services and resources on a reciprocal basis. Provides that residents of the facility should be integrated to the greatest possible extent with the general population. Provides that the facility shall have a written outline of the philosophy, objectives, and goals it is striving to achieve. Requires such outline to be available for distribution to staff, consumer representatives, and the interested public. Provides that the governing body of the facility shall exercise general direction and shall establish policies concerning the operation of the individuals served. Provides that the administration of the facility shall provide for effective staff and resident participation and communication. Requires the facility to designate a percentage of its operating budget for self-renewal purposes. Provides that the facility shall have a description of services for residents that is available to the public. Provides that the facility shall provide for meaningful and extensive consumer-representative and public participation. Provides that a public education and information program should be established that utilizes all communication media, and all service, religious and civil groups, to develop attitudes of understanding and acceptance of mentally retarded persons in all aspects of community living. Provides that admission and release procedures shall: (1) encourage voluntary admission; (2) give equal priority to persons of comparable need; (3) facilitate emergency, partial, and short-term residential care; and (4) utilize the maximum feasible amount of voluntariness in each individual case. Authorizes the residential facility to admit only residents who have had a comprehensive evaluation. Provides that all admissions to the residential facility shall be considered temporary. Provides that there shall be a regular, at least annual, joint review of the status of each resident by all relevant personnel. Provides that at the time of permanent release or transfer there shall be recorded a summary of findings, progress, and plans for protective supervision and other followup services in the resident's new environment. Provides that the performance of each employee of the facility shall be evaluated at least annually. Provides that staffing shall be sufficient so that the facility is not dependent upon the use of residents or volunteers for productive services. Provides that food services shall recognize and provide for the physiological, emotional, and cultural needs of each resident, through provision of a planned, nutritionally adequate diet. Provides that each resident shall have an adequate allowance of neat, clean, fashionable, and seasonable clothing. Provides that residents shall be trained to exercise maximum independence in health, hygiene, and grooming practices. Provides that living unit components or groupings shall be small enough to insure the development of meaningful interpersonal relationships among residents and between residents and staff. Requires dental services to be provided all residents in order to maximize their general health by maintaining an optimal level of daily oral health, through preventive measures and correcting existing oral diseases. Provides that educational services, defined as deliberate attempts to facilitate the intellectual, sensorimotor, and affective development of the individual, shall be available to all residents, regardless of chronological age, degree of retardation, or accompanying disabilities or handicaps. Provides that food and nutrition services shall be provided in order to: (1) insure optimal nutritional status of each resident, thereby enhancing his physical, emotional, and social well-being; and (2) provide a nutritionally adequate diet, in a form consistent with developmental level, to meet the dietary needs of each resident. Makes library services, which include the location, acquisition, organization, utilization, retrieval, and delivery of materials in a variety of media, available to the facility, in order to support and strengthen its total habilitation program by providing complete and integrated multimedia information services to both staff and residents. Provides that medical services shall be provided in order to: (1) achieve and maintain an optimal level of general health for each resident; (2) maximize normal function and prevent disability; and (3) facilitate the optimal development of each resident. Provides that residents shall be provided with nursing services, in accordance with their needs, in order to: (1) develop and maintain an environment that will meet their total health needs; (2) foster optimal health; (3) encourage maximum self-care and independence; and (4) provide skilled nursing care. Provides that, where appropriate to the facility, there shall be a pharmacy and therapeutics committee, that includes one or more pharmacists, to develop policy on drug usage in the facility, and to develop and maintain a current formulary. Provides that physical and occupational therapy services shall be provided in order to: (1) prevent abnormal development and further disability; (2) facilitate the optimal development of each resident; and (3) enable the resident to be a contributing and participating member of the community in which he resides. Requires psychological services be provided in order to facilitate, through the application of psychological principles, techniques, and skills, the optimal development of each resident. Provides that recreation services should provide each resident with a program of activities that: (1) promotes physical and mental health; (2) promotes optimal sensorimotor, cognitive, affective, and social development; (3) encourages movement from dependent to independent and interdependent functioning; and (4) provides for the enjoyable use of leisure time. Make religious services available to residents, in accorance with their basic right to freedom of religion. Provides that all social services shall be available to all residents and their families in order to foster and facilitate: (1) maximum personal and social development of the resident; (2) positive family functioning; and (3) effective and satisfying social and community relationships. Provides that speech pathology and audiology services shall be available, in order to: (1) maximize the communications skills of all residents; and (2) provide for the evaluation, counseling, treatment, and rehabilitation of those residents with speech, hearing and/or language handicaps. Requires each facility to provide all its residents with rehabilitation services, which include the establishment, maintenance, and implementation of those programs that will ensure the optimal development or restoration of each resident physically, psychologically, socially and vocationally. Provides that volunteer services shall be provided in order to enhance opportunities for the fullest realization of the potential of each resident by: (1) increasing the amount, and improving the quality, of services and programs; and (2) facilitating positive relationships between the facility and the community which it serves. Provides that a record shall be maintained for each resident that is adequate for: (1) planning and continuous evaluating of the resident's habitation program; (2) providing a means of communication among all persons contributing to the resident's habilitation program; (3) furnishing documentary evidence of the resident's progress and of his response to his habilitation program; (4) serving as a basis for review, study, and evaluation of the overall programs provided by the facility for its residents; (5) protecting the legal rights of the residents, facility, and staff; and (6) providing data for use in research and education. Provides that the administration of the facility shall make provision for the design and conduct, or the supervision, of research that will objectively evaluate the effectiveness of program components and contribute to informed decisionmaking in the facility. Provides that the requirements of the Secretary shall be met, with specific reference to the following: (1) provision of adequate and alternate exits and doors; (2) provision of exit ramps, with nonskid surface and slope not exceeding one foot in twelve; and (3) provision for handrails on stairways. Provides that there shall be records that document strict compliance with the sanitation, health, and environmental safety codes of the State or local authorities having primary jurisdiction over the facility. Provides that adequate, modern administrative support shall be provided to efficiently meet the needs of, and contribute to, program services for residents, and to facilitate attainment of the goals and objectives of the facility. Provides that funds shall be budgeted and spent in accordance with the principles and procedures of program budgeting. Provides that there shall be written purchasing policies regarding authority and approvals for supplies, services, and equipment.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1973
Removes the percentage limitations on the amount of urban mass transportation grant assistance which may be available in any one State under the Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964. (Repeals 49 U.S.C. 1611)
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1973
Authorizes the Administrator of General Services to donate surplus property to child care centers. Requires the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to determine if such property is usable and necessary for the operation of such centers.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1973
Provides that the rentals and carrying charges charged for accommodations in any housing covered by a mortgage insured under the National Housing Act during the period beginning upon the date of enactment of this Act and ending at midnight June 30, 1974, shall not exceed the levels at which such rentals and carrying charges were stabilized during the ninety day period beginning August 15, 1971. Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to take such action as may be necessary to regulate or restrict such rentals and carrying charges in accordance with this Act. Authorizes any aggrieved person or class of persons to commence a civil action against any person or entity, including officers or agencies of the Federal, State, or local governments, who is alleged to have violated this Act. Provides the district courts of the United States with jurisdiction without regard to the amount in controversy or the citizenship of the parties to require compliance with this subsection or to order the performance of any nondiscretionary act or duty under this Act. Stipulates that no such action may be commenced with regard to any housing accommodation if the President has commenced and is diligently prosecuting a civil action in a court of the United States to require compliance with this Act with regard to such housing accommodation, but in any such action, any person aggrieved may intervene as a matter of right. Provides that any owner or operator of housing accommodations for which the rental or carrying charges which may be charged are affected by this Act may apply to the President for an exception on the basis of increased capital or operating costs.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1973
Parole Reorganization Act - Title I: Federal Parole System - Establishes, as an independent establishment in the executive branch, a Board of Parole to consist of a National Board and five Regional Boards, to be appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Provides that the National Board shall have the power to: (1) conduct appellate review of determinations of the Regional Boards; (2) request probation officers and other individuals, organizations, and public or private agencies to perform such duties with respect to any parolee as the National Board deems necessary for maintaining proper supervision of and assistance to such parolees; and (3) issue subpenas requiring the attendance and testimony of witnessess and the production of any evidence that relates to any matter with respect to which the National Board or any Regional Board is empowered to make a determination under this Act. Provides that, upon the request of the National Board, each Federal agency is authorized and directed to make its services, equipment, personnel, facilities, and information available to the greatest practicable extent to the Board of Parole in the performance of its functions. Provides that, whenever confined and serving a definite term or terms of over one hundred and eighty days, a prisoner shall be eligible for release on parole after serving ten years of a life sentence or of a sentence of over thirty years. Provides that the Regional Board shall release a prisoner whose record shows that he has substantially observed the rules of the institution in which he is confined on the date of his eligibility for parole, unless the Board determines that he should not be released on such date for one or more of the following reasons: (1) there is a reasonable probability that such prisoner will not live and remain at liberty without violating any criminal law; or (2) there is a reasonable probability that such release would be incompatible with the welfare of society. Provides that when it appears to the Regional Board that a prisoner not yet eligible for parole will live and remain at liberty without violating any criminal law, and that his immediate release is not incompatible with the welfare of society, the Board in its discretion may apply to the court imposing sentence for a modification of his sentence in order to make him so eligible. Sets forth the factors to be taken into account by the Board in considering a person's eligibility for parole. Sets forth the procedures and requirements of a parole hearing. Authorizes the Board to impose such conditions of parole as it deems reasonably necessary to ensure that the parolee will lead a law-abiding life or to assist him in doing so. Provides that the jurisdiction of the Board of Parole over the parolee shall terminate not later than the date of the expiration of the maximum term or terms for which he was sentenced. Provides that the Board shall allow each parolee whose record of conduct sjuhows that he has substantially observed the conditions of his parole a deduction from his parole. Sets forth a formula for determining such deduction. Provides that when an alien prisoner subject to deportation become eligible for parole, the Regional Board may authorize his release on condition that he be deported and remain outside the United States. Sets forth conditions for the modification or revocation of the parole of any parolee at any time prior to the termination of the jurisdiction of the Board of Parolee over the parolee. Provides that a prisoner who is denied release on parole or whose parole has been revoked, or a parolee whose parole good time has been forfeited or withheld, may appeal such action by submitting a notice of appeal not later than fifteen days after receiving written notice of such action and by submitting appeal papers not later forty-five days aftee being so informed. Authorizes the court having jurisdiction to impose sentence to fix the time at which a person may be eligible for parole, notwithstanding other provisions of this Act. Provides that the National Board shall: (1) systematically collect and disseminate the data obtained from studies, research, and the emperial experience of public and private agencies concerning the parole process and parolees; (2) carry out programs of research to develop effective classification systems through which to describe the various types of offenders who require different styles of supervision and the types of parole officers who can provide them; and (3) devise and conduct, in various geographical locations, seminars and workshops providing continuing studies for persons engaged in working directly with parolees. Title II: Grants to States - Provides, under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act, that grants may be made to State correctional institutions and facilities that provide satisfactory emphasis on the development and operation of community-oriented programs for the supervision of and assistance to parolees and provides satisfactory assurances that the State parole system shall include: (1) employment programs designed to encourage the proper reintegration of offenders into the community; and (2) procedures designed to ensure equitable and expeditious disposition of parole hearings. (Amends 42 U.S.C. 3750b)
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1973
Children's Allowances Act - States that it is the purpose of this Act to spread the burden of the cost of child care equitably among the people and relieve the need among the people and relieve the need among poor families with children. Authorizes to be appropriated for each fiscal year a sum sufficient to carry out the provisions of this title. Entitles every child in the United States who is less than six years of age on the date of the enactment of this new title XX (Children's Allowances) of the Social Security Act to a children's allowance of $50 a month. States that the allowance shall be payable by the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to the child's parent or caretaker while the child is in his care. Stipulates, that after the expiration of one year from the date of the enactment of this Act, every child in the United States who is less than eight years of age shall be entitled to a children's allowance. Provides that upon the expiration of each additional year thereafter, the age of entitlement shall be raised by two additional years until every child in the United States who is less than eighteen years of age is entitled to a children's allowance. Provides that allowance payments under this Act shall continue through the month preceding the earliest of the following months: (1) the month in which the child attains the age of eighteen; or (2) the earliest month in which the child marries, or becomes entitled to receive a payment on behalf of his own child; or (3) the month in which the child dies. Authorizes the Secretary to prescribe such rules and regulations as are necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act. Provides that payments received under this Act shall not be considered as income or resources for determining benefits, aid, or assistance in any form under a Federal program, or a State or local program financed in whole or in part with Federal funds, which conditions such eligibility to any extent upon income or resources of such individual, family, or household. Disallows any income tax exemption under the Internal Revenue Code for any dependent who, during the taxable year, receives a children's allowance under this Act. Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed as excluding children's allowances from the gross income of the parent, caretaker, or other person who actually receives such payment.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1973
Provides that no permit issued by the Civil Aeronautics Board shall continue in force, and that no permit shall be issued by the Board, to a foreign air carrier which operates in any nation which does not agree to prosecute or extradite to the United States, upon request of the United States, any person alleged by the United States to have committed or attempted to commit aircraft piracy within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States. (Amends 49 U.S.C. 1372(b))
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1973
States that, during the period beginning with the date of enactment of this Act and ending June 30, 1974, the rentals and carrying charges for accommodations in any housing shall not exceed the levels at which such rentals and carrying charges were stabilized during the ninety-day period beginning August 15, 1971. Directs the President to take such action as may be necessary to regulate or restrict such rentals and carrying charges in accordance with this Act. Authorizes any aggrieved person or class of persons to commence a civil action against any person or entity, including officers or agencies of the Federal, State, or local governments, who is alleged to have violated this Act. Grants the district courts of the United States jurisdiction, without regard to the amount in controversy or the citizenship of the parties, to require compliance with this subsection or to order the performance of any nondiscretionary act or duty under this Act. Stipulates that no such action may be commenced with regard to any housing accommodation if the President has commenced and is diligently prosecuting a civil action in a court of the United States to require compliance with this Act with regard to such housing accommodation, but in any such action, any person aggrieved may intervene as a matter of right. Provides that any owner or operator of housing accommodations for which the rental or carrying charges which may be charged are affected by this Act may apply to the President for an exception on the basis of increased capital or operating costs.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1973
Provides that, except in the case of repelling invasion or suppressing rebellion, no civil or military officer of the United States shall use the land or naval forces of the United States or the militia of any State to exercise surveillance, either covert or overt, of civilians. Provides that any civil or military officer of the United States who willfully violates this Act shall be imprisoned for not more than two years, or fined not more than $10,000, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1973
Allows Federal officers and employees to elect coverage under the Old Age, Survivors', and Disability Insurance System of the Social Security Act by filing a certificate with the Internal Revenue Service stating such intention. Prescribes time limits for filing such certificate, and the period of time for which it is effective. Requires an individual filing a certificate to give notice thereof to the head of the Federal Agency or instrumentality in or by which he is employed, at or before the time of filing such certificate. (Adds 42 U.S.C. 410p; 26 U.S.C. 3121r)
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1973
Provides that none of the funds authorized to be appropriated by any Act may be obligated or expended for: (1) weather modification activities as weapons of war; (2) the type of activities carried out by the Department of Defense in Vietnam under the code names of Operation Sherwood Forest, Operation Hot Tip, and Operation Pink Rose in which so-called fire storms or fires over a large area were, or were attempted to be, intentionally ignited; (3) entering into any agreement providing agents, delivery systems, dissemination equipment, or instructions for the military application of weather modification techniques or for deliberately igniting so-called fire storms or fires over large areas for military purposes; or (4) procuring or maintaining agents, delivery systems, or dissemination equipment for the purpose of modifying weather conditions for military purposes or igniting so-called fire storms or fires over large areas for military purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1973
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to acquire by gift or purchase such lands in Altanta, Georgia, comprising the birth place of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Junior, as the Secretary may deem necessary for the purpose of establishing such birthplace as a national historic site. Authorizes necessary appropriations to carry out the provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 1973
Provides for the establishment of a Special Cost-of-Living Pay Schedule by the Civil Service Commission containing increased pay rates for Federal employees in heavily populated cities and metropolitan areas having a population of 500,000 or more to offset the increased cost of living. (Adds 5 U.S.C. 5332a)
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 1973
Provides, under the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, that blood donations shall be considered as charitable contributions deductible from gross income in an amount equal to $25 for each pint donated. (Amends 26 U.S.C. 170(i))
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 1973
Provides that no person connected with or employed by the news media or press, or otherwise engaged in gathering material for publication or broadcast, can be required by the Congress or any court, grand jury, or administrative body to disclose any information or the source of any information procured for publication or broadcast, whether or not such information is actually published or broadcast.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 1973
Directs the Secretary of Defense to furnish the House of Representatives with data relating to the extent of the bombing of North Vietnam from December 17, 1972, through January 10, 1973.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 1973
Endangered Species Conservation Act - States that the purpose of this Act is to provide a program for the conservation, protection, restoration, or propagation of species and subspecies of fish and wildlife and flora that are thretened with extinction, or are likely within the forseeable future to become threatened with extinction. Sets forth the procedure by which the Secretaries of Interior and Commerce shall determine if a species or subspecies of fish or wildlife shall be regarded as an endangered species. Lists the following factors to be considered in determining if a species or subspecies is threatened with extinction or will likely become threatened with extinction: (1) the present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of its habitat or range; (2) overutilization for commercial, sporting, scientific, or educational purposes; (3) disease or predation; (4) the inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms; or (5) other natural or manmade factors affecting its continued existence. Provides that the Secretary shall publish in the Federal Register, not less than annually, a list by scientific and common name or names of species and subspecies determined to be endangered. Provides that the Secretary may, from time to time, by regulation revise such list. Provides that the Secretary shall utilize the land acquisition and other authorities of the Migratory Bird Conservation Act, as amended, the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956, as amended, and the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, as appropriate, to carry out a program in the United States of conserving, protecting, restoring, or propagating those species and subspecies of fish and wildlife that he lists as endangered species pursuant to this Act. Provides that, in carrying out the program authorized by this Act, the Secretary shall cooperate to the maximum extent practicable with the several States. States that such cooperation shall include consultation before the acquisition of any land for the purpose of conserving, protecting, restoring, or propagating any endangered species. Authorizes the Secretary to delegate to a State the authority to regulate the taking by any person of endangered species or subspecies when he determines that such State maintains an adequate and active endangered species program consistent with the policies and purposes of this Act. Provides that any person who: (1) imports into or exports from the United States, receives or causes to be so imported, received, or exported; or (2) takes or causes to be taken within the United States, the territorial sea of the United States, Federal lands, or upon the high seas; or (3) ships, carries, or receives by any means in interstate commerce any species or subspecies which is listed as an endangered species shall be punished in accordance with the provisions of this Act. Allows exceptions from the prohibitions contained in this Act to permit the taking of an endangered species for scientific purposes and for the propagation of such fish and wildlife in captivity for preservation purposes. Sets forth civil and criminal penalties for violations of the provisions of this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to promulgate such regulations as may be appropriate to carry out the purposes of this Act. Provides that any person who engages in business as an importer of fish and wildlife must register with the Secretary of the Treasury his name and address of each place of business at which, and all trade names under which, he conducts such business. Requires each such person to keep such records as will fully and correctly disclose each importation of fish and wildlife made by him and the subsequent disposition of such fish and wildlife. States that the Secretary, through the Secretary of State, shall seek the convening of an international ministerial meeting on fish and wildlife prior to July 1, 1973, to assure the worldwide conservation of endangered species and to avoid unnecessary harm to affected United States industries. Provides that whenever the Secretary determines that a species of fish or wildlife is an endangered species, the Secretary of Agriculture may use all authorities available to him with respect to research, investigations, conservation, protection, control and management of such endangered species.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 1973
Comprehensive Older Americans Services Amendments - Title I: Declaration of Objectives - States that the general purpose of this Act is to make available comprehensive health, education, and social service programs to our older citizens. Title II: Administration on Aging - Establishes in the office of the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, an Administration on Aging to carry out this Act. Declares that the Commissioner on Aging shall be the principal officer of the Administration. Establishes within the Administration on Aging a National Information and Resource Clearing House for the Aging to collect, review, operate, publish, and disseminate information and data related to the particular problems caused by aging, including information describing measures which are or may be employed for meeting such problems. Establishes the Federal Council on the Aging to advise and assist the President as he may direct on matters relating to the special needs of Older Americans: to assist the Commissioner on Aging in carrying out his functions under this Act; to review and evaluate programs of the Federal Government; and to make recommendations to the President, the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, the Commissioner, and Congress on policies and programs for the aged. Provides that, not later than one hundred and twenty days after the close of each fiscal year, the Commissioner shall prepare and submit to the President for transmittal to the Congress a complete report on the activities carried out under this Act. Title III: Grants for State and Community Programs on Aging - Prescribes standards and procedures for the establishment by the several States of State and area social service programs to concentrate resources in order to develop a greater capacity and foster development or comprehensive systems to serve older persons, to include services designed to assist older Americans in avoiding institutionalization. Authorizes appropriations totalling $600,000,000 for such programs for fiscal years 1973, 1974, and 1975. Provides that the Commissioner shall not finally disapprove any State plan, or any modification thereof, without first affording the State reasonable notice and opportunity for a hearing. Title IV: Training and Research - Directs the Commissioner to make grants to State agencies and educational institutions for the purpose of: (1) publicizing available opportunities for careers in the field of aging; (2) encouraging qualified persons to enter or re-enter the field of aging; (3) encouraging persons from other professions to undertake assignments on a parttime bais in the field of aging; and (4) assisting in covering the cost of courses of training or study. Authorizes the Commissioner to conduct a study of the transportation problems of older Americans, with emphasis upon solutions that are practicable and can be implemented in a timely fashion. Authorizes the appropriation of $7,500,000 for fiscal year 1973, $15,000,000 for fiscal year 1974, and $20,000,000 for fiscal year 1975 for purposes of such transportation studies and demonstration projects. Authorizes the Commissioner to make grants for the purpose of: (1) establishing multidisciplinary centers of gerontology to recruit and train personnel; (2) conducting basic research on the problem of the aged; (3) providing consultation to public and voluntary organizations; and (4) creating opportunities for research projects with respect to aging. Authorizes appropriations of $15,000,000 for fiscal year 1973, $20,000,000 for fiscal year 1974, and $25,000,000 for fiscal year 1975, for the purposes of attracting personnel to, and training personnel in, the field of aging; and for research and development projects. Authorizes appropriations for $20,000,000 for the fiscal year 1973, $30,000,000 for fiscal year 1974, and $40,000,000 for fiscal year 1975, for establishing multidisciplinary centers of gerontology. Title V: Multipurpose Senior Centers - Authorizes the Commissioner to make grants to units of general purpose local government or other public or nonprofit private agencies to pay not to exceed 75 percent of the cost of leasing, altering, or renovating existing facilities to serve as multipurpose senior centers. Establishes standards to be followed by the Commissioner in making such grants and authorizes appropriations of $35,000,000 annually for fiscal years 1973-1975 to carry out the provisions of this section. Creates a Multipurpose Senior Center Insurance Fund to be administered by the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to insure mortgages on multipurpose senior centers. Authorizes appropriations of $10,000,000 for fiscal year 1973, and for each of the next two succeeding fiscal years for the purpose of making grants to meet the costs of compensation of professional and technical personnel for the initial operation of multipurpose senior centers. Title VI: National Older Americans Volunteer Program - Provides that no compensation paid to individual volunteers under the Retired Senior Volunteer Program under the Older Americans Act shall be considered income for any purposes. Authorizes appropriations for such program in the amount of $20,000,000 for fiscal year 1973, $30,000,000 for fiscal year 1974, and $40,000,000 for fiscal year 1975. Authorizes appropriations of $35,000,000 for fiscal year 1973, $45,000,000 for fiscal year 1974, and $55,000,000 for fiscal year 1975, for the continuation of the Foster Grandparent Program under the Older Americans Act. Title VII: Nutrition Programs - Provides, under the Older Americans Act of 1965, that the Secretary of Agriculture and the Commodity Credit Corporation may donate specified products acquired by them to a recipient of a grant or contract for providing nutritional services for the elderly. Title VIII: Amendments to Other Acts - Authorizes the Commissioner to make grants to States which have submitted a long-range program and an annual program for library services for older persons. Authorizes the Commissioner to make grants to institutions in planning, developing, and carrying out programs specifically designed to apply the resources of higher education to the problems of the elderly. Directs the Commissioner to make grants to State and local educational agencies or other public or private nonprofit agencies for educational programs for elderly persons whose ability to speak and read the English language is limited and who live in an area with a culture different from their own. Title IX: Community Service Employment for Older Americans - Older Americans Community Service Employment Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to establish an older American community service program in order to promote useful part-time work opportunities in community service activities for unemployed low-income persons 55 years old or older who have poor employment prospects. Makes provisions for allotment of funds to State, local, and private organizations to further the purposes of the program. Authorizes appropriations of $100,000,000 for fiscal year 1973 and $150,000,000 for fiscal year 1974 to carry out this title. Title X: Middle-Aged and Older Workers Training - Middle-Aged and Older Workers Training Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Labor, through the Manpower Administration, to make loans and grants for manpower training, including on-the-job, institutional, residential, and other training, designed to upgrade the work skills and capabilities of middle-aged and older persons. Authorizes the Secretary to make such studies, rules and provisions as necessary to carry out this title. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out this title in fiscal year 1973 from funds otherwise available for similar programs. Authorizes appropriations in fiscal year 1974 of $100,000,000 for the purposes of this title.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 1973
Rehabilitation Act - Declares that it is the purpose of this Act to provide a statutory basis for the Rehabilitation Service Administration and to establish within the Department of Health, Education and Welfare an Office for the Handicapped, and to authorize specified programs. Establishes within the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare a Rehabilitation Services Administration which shall be administered by a Commissioner. Provides that the Commissioner shall carry out and administer all programs and direct the performance of all services for which authority is provided to the Secretary of H.E.W. under titles I through IV of this Act. Creates within such administration a Division of Research, Training and Evaluation which shall be responsible for carrying out programs and projects under title IV of this Act. Authorizes the inclusion of appropriations under this Act in appropriations for the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year for which they are available for obligation. Provides that where funds are provided for a single project by more than one Federal agency to an agency or organization assisted under this Act, the Federal agency principally involved may be designated to act for all in administering such funds, pursuant to regulations prescribed by the President. Sets forth definitions of terms used in this Act. Title I: Vocational Rehabilitation Services - States it to be the purpose of this title to authorize grants to assist States to meet the current and future needs of handicapped individuals, so that such individuals may prepare for and engage in gainful employment to the extent of their capabilities. Authorizes to be appropriated $800,000,000 for fiscal year 1973, and $975,000,000 for fiscal year 1974 for the purpose of making grants to States to assist them in meeting the costs of vocational rehabilitation services. Authorizes to be appropriated $50,000,000 for fiscal year 1973, $60,000,000 for fiscal year 1974, and $75,000,000 for fiscal year 1975, for the purpose of making grants to States and public and nonprofit agencies to assist them in meeting the costs of projects to initiate or expand services to handicapped individuals. Sets forth the requirements of State plans to be submitted and approved for participation in programs under this title and under title II of this Act. Authorizes judicial review in United States district courts of decisions by the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration affecting State plans. Provides that the Commissioner shall insure that the individualized written rehabilitation program required in a State plan in the case of each handicapped individual shall be developed jointly by the vocational rehabilitation counselor or coordinator and the handicapped individual. Defines vocational rehabilitation services provided under this Act as any goods or services necessary to render a handicapped individual employable, including, but not limited to, the following: (1) evaluation of rehabilitation potential; (2) counseling, guidance, referral, and placement services for handicapped individuals; (3) vocational and other training services for handicapped individuals; (4) physical and mental restoration services; (5) maintenance, not exceeding the estimated cost of subsistence, during rehabilitation; (6) interpreter services for the deaf, and reader services for the blind; (7) recruitment and training services for handicapped individuals; (8) rehabilitation teaching services and orientation and mobility services for the blind; (9) occupational licenses, tools, equipment, and initial stocks and supplies; (10) transportation in connection with the rendering of any vocational rehabilitation services; and (11) telecommunications, sensory, and other technological aids and devices. Provides a formula for the allotment and payment of funds to States for providing rehabilitation services under this title. Directs the Commissioner to establish offices in ten to twenty geographically dispersed regions for client assistance pilot projects to provide counselors to inform and advise all clients and client applicants in the project area of all available benefits under this Act and to assist them in their relationships with projects, programs, and facilities providing services to them under this Act. Directs the Commissioner to pay to a State or, at the option of the State, to a public or nonprofit organization or agency a portion of the cost of planning, preparing for, and initiating special programs under the State plan to expand vocational rehabilitation services. Title II: Comprehensive Rehabilitation Services - States it to be the purpose of this title to authorize grants to assist the several States in developing and implementing continuing plans for meeting the current and future needs of handicapped individuals for whom a vocational goal is not possible or feasible authorizes to be appropriated $30,000,000 for fiscal year 1973, $50,000,000 for fiscal year 1974, and $80,000,000 for fiscal year 1975 for grants to carry out the purposes of this title. Specifies the formula to be utilized in alloting such funds to the States. Directs the Commissioner to make grants to States and public and nonprofit agencies or organizations to pay part of the cost of projects for research and demonstration and training which hold promise of making a substantial contribution to the solution of problems related to the rehabilitation of individuals under this title. Title III: Special Federal Responsibilities Authorizes the Commissioner to make grants and contracts to assist in meeting the costs of construction of public or nonprofit rehabilitation facilities, initial staffing, and planning assistance. Authorizes to be appropriated for such grants and contracts $35,000,000 for fiscal year 1973, $40,000,000 for fiscal year 1974, and $45,000,000 for fiscal year 1975. Authorizes the Commissioner to make grants to States and public or nonprofit organizations and agencies to pay up to 90 percent of the cost of projects for providing vocational training services to handicapped individuals, especially those with the most severe handicaps, in public or nonprofit rehabilitation facilities. Authorizes to be appropriated for such grants and contracts $30,000,000 for fiscal year 1973, $35,000,000 for fiscal year 1974, and $40,000,000 for fiscal year 1975. Authorizes the Commissioner to insure up to 100 percent of any mortgage on the construction of facilities for programs for handicapped individuals. Creates a Rehabilitation Facilities Insurance Fund to be used by the Commissioner as a revolving fund for carrying out the insurance provisions of this part. Provides that the total amount of outstanding mortgages shall not exceed $250,000,000. Authorizes to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for initial capital for such Fund. Authorizes the Commissioner to make annual interest grants to assist States and public or nonprofit agencies and organizations to reduce the cost of borrowing from other sources for the construction of rehabilitation facilities. Authorizes to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for the payment of annual interest grants in accordance with this part. Authorizes the Commissioner to make grants to States and public or nonprofit agencies and organizations for paying part of the cost of special projects and demonstrations: (1) for establishing facilities and providing services which hold promise of expanding or otherwise improving rehabilitation services to handicapped individuals, especially those with the most severe handicaps; and (2) for applying new types or patterns of service or devices. Allows the Commissioner to make grants to pay up to 90 percent of the cost of projects or demonstrations for the provision of vocational or comprehensive rehabilitation services to handicappped individuals who are migratory agricultural workers or seasonal farmworkers, and to members of their families who are with them. Provides that the Commissioner may make contracts or jointly finance cooperative arrangements with employers and organizations for the establishment of projects designed to prepare handicapped individuals for gainful and suitable employment in the competitive labor market under which such handicapped individuals are provided training and employment in a realistic work setting and such other services as may be necessary for such individuals to continue to engage in such employment. Authorizes the Commissioner to provide technical assistance to rehabilitation facilities, and for the purpose of removal of architectural and transportation barriers, to any public or nonprofit agency, institution, organization or facility. Authorizes to be appropriated, for the purpose of making grants under this part, $50,000,000 for fiscal year 1973, $125,000,000 for fiscal year 1974, and $150,000,000 for fiscal year 1975. Authorizes to be appropriated $5,000,000 for construction, $800,000 for operations for fiscal year 1973, $1,200,000 for operations for fiscal year 1974, and $2,000,000 for operations for fiscal year 1975, for establishing and operating a National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults. Authorizes to be appropriated $2,000,000 for fiscal year 1973, $4,000,000 for fiscal 1974, and $7,000,000 for fiscal year 1975 and for making grants and contracts for the expansion and improvement of vocational or comprehensive rehabilitation services for deaf and blind individuals. Authorizes to be appropriated, for the purpose of establishing and operating National Centers for Spinal Cord Injuries, $15,000,000 for fiscal year 1973, $25,000,000 for fiscal year 1974, and $30,000,000 for fiscal year 1975. Authorizes to be appropriated, for providing services for the treatment of individuals suffering from end-stage renal disease, $25,000,000 for fiscal year 1973, $25,000,000 for fiscal year 1974, and $25,000,000 for fiscal year 1975. Establishes a National Advisory Council on Rehabilitation of Handicapped Individuals in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare to: (1) provide policy advice and consultation to the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, and the Commissioner; (2) review the administration and operation of vocational rehabilitation programs under this Act; and (3) advise the Secretary and the Commissioner with respect to the conduct of independent evaluations of programs carried out under this Act. Authorizes appropriations of $100,000 for fiscal year 1973 and $150,000 for each of fiscal years 1974 and 1975 to carry out the functions of the Council. Title IV: Research and Training - Authorizes the Commissioner to make grants to and contracts with States and public or nonprofit agencies and organizations to pay part of the cost of projects for the purpose of planning and conducting research, demonstrations, and related activities, which bear directly on the development of methods, procedures, and devices to assist in the provision of vocational and comprehensive rehabilitation services to handicapped individuals, especially those with the most severe handicaps. Authorizes to be appropriated for such research activities $75,000,000 for fiscal year 1973, $100,000,000 for fiscal year 1974, and $150,000,000 for fiscal year 1975. Authorizes the Commissioner to make grants to and contracts with States and public and nonprofit agencies and organizations to pay part of the cost of projects for training, traineeships, and related activities designed to assist in increasing the numbers of personnel trained in providing vocational and comprehensive rehabilitation services to handicapped individuals and in performing other functions necessary to the development of such services. Authorizes to be appropriated for such training grants $50,000,000 for fiscal year 1973, $75,000,000 for fiscal year 1974, and $100,000,000 for fiscal year 1975. Title V: Administration and Program and Project Evaluation - Provides that, in carrying out his duties under this Act, the Commissioner shall: (1) cooperate with, and render technical assistance to States in matters relating to the rehabilitation of handicapped individuals; (2) provide short-term training and instruction in technical matters relating to vocational and comprehensive rehabilitation services; and (3) disseminate information relating to vocational and comprehensive rehabilitation services, and otherwise promote the cause of the rehabilitation of handicapped individuals and their greater utilization in gainful and suitable employment. Directs the Secretary to measure and evaluate the impact of all programs authorized by this Act. Title VI: Office for the Handicapped - Establishes an Office for the Handicapped in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare to: (1) prepare a long-range projection for the provisions of comprehensive services to handicapped individuals; (2) analyze program operations; (3) encourage coordinated and cooperative planning; (4) provide assistance to other committees advising the Secretary; (5) develop means of promoting scientific research to bring about the full integration of handicapped individuals into all aspects of society; and (6) provide a central clearinghouse for information and resource availability for handicapped individuals. Authorizes to be appropriated for purposes of this title $1,000,000 for fiscal year 1973, $2,000,000 for fiscal year 1974, and $2,000,000 for fiscal year 1975. Title VII: Miscellaneous - Provides that the Vocational Rehabilitation Act is repealed ninety days after the date of enactment of this Act. Establishes an Interagency Committee on Handicapped Employees to insure the adequacy of hiring, placement, and advancement practices with respect to handicapped individuals by each department, agency, and instrumentality of the executive branch of Government. Establishes a National Commission on Transportation and Housing for Handicapped Individuals to identify and eliminate transportation barriers that impede the mobility of handicapped individuals and aged handicapped individuals, and to prepare plans and proposals for such further action as may be necessary to the goals of adequate transportation and housing for handicapped individuals. Establishes an Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board to investigate and examine alternative approaches to the architectural, transportation, and attitudinal barriers confronting handicapped individuals. Authorizes appropriations of $1,000,000 for fiscal year 1973; $1,250,000 for fiscal year 1974; and $1,500,000 for fiscal year 1975 to carry out the duties and functions of the Board.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 1973
Lowers the rate of unemployment before a State can claim assistance under the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act of 1971 (Public Law 92-224) to four percent (presently six and one-half percent) for the immediately preceding twelve weeks. percent)
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 1973
Provides that in the determination of the annual income of recipients of vetetans' pensions and dependency and indemnity compensation the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs shall not reduce the amount of such pension or compensation because of increases in monthly social security benefits under Public law 92-336. (Adds 38 U.S.C. 415(g)(4) 503(d))
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 1973
Establishes in the House of Representatives a Special Committee on the Termination of the National Emergency to conduct a study and investigation with respect to the matter of terminating the national emergency proclaimed by the President on December 16, 1950, and announced in Presidential Proclamation Numbered 2914, dated the same date. Provides that the expenses of the committee shall not exceed $100,000. Provides that the committee shall report its findings, together with such recommendations for legislation as it deems advisable, to the House at the earliest practicable date, but not later than February 28, 1973. Provides that expenses of the committee shall be paid from the contingent fund of the House upon vouchers approved by the chairman of the committee.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 1973
Public Service Employment Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor to enter into arrangements with eligible applicants in order to make financial assistance available for the purposes of providing, during each of the fiscal years 1974 and 1975, employment for five hundred thousand unemployed and underemployed persons in jobs providing needed public services. Requires at least eighty-five percent of the funds appropriated pursuant to this Act to be expended only for wages and employment benefits. Provides that programs assisted under this Act shall be designed with a view toward: (1) developing new careers; (2) providing opportunities for career advancement; (3) providing opportunities for continued training, including on the job training; or (4) providing transitional public service employment which will enable the individuals so employed to move into public or private employment. Requires applications for financial assistance for a public service employment program under this Act to include provisions enumerated in this Act. Directs that the amounts authorized to be appropriated for any fiscal year be allocated by the Secretary among the States on the basis of the proportion which the total number of unemployed persons in each such State bears to the total number of such persons in the United States, determined on the basis of the monthly average for the fourth calendar quarter of the fiscal year immediately preceding the one for which the apportionment is made. States that the Secretary shall not provide financial assistance for any program or activity under this Act unless he determines that specified goals and requirements will be met by such program or activity. Requires the Secretary to transmit to the Congress at least annually a detailed report setting forth the activities conducted under this Act. Authorizes to be appropriated during each of fiscal years 1974 and 1975 such sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 1973
National No-Fault Motor Vehicle Insurance Act - Prohibits any person from registering any motor vehicle upon a public street or road unless such vehicle is insured under a qualifying no-fault policy pursuant to regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Transportation or provides a security bond, proof of qualification as a self insurer, or other securities affording security equivalent to that afforded under a qualifying no-fault policy. Provides for a fine of not to exceed $1,000 or imprisonment for not to exceed six months, or both, for knowingly violating the above requirements. Requires that to be a qualifying no-fault policy, an insurance policy, except as to the occupants of a motor vehicle other than the insured vehicle or the operator or user of a motor vehicle engaging in criminal conduct, must provide benefits as follows: (1) to any person injured an amount equal to the net economic loss, as defined by this Act, sustained by such person as a result of such injury; and (2) to the legal representative of any person killed for the benefit of the surviving spouse and any dependent, without regard to fault, an amount equal to the net economic loss sustained by such spouse and dependent as a result of the death of such person. Provides for the payment for net economic loss as such losses are incurred except that in the case of death payment may at the option of the beneficiary be made immediately as a lump sum payment. Requires, in the case of injury or death to any person, that the insurer pay compensation for damages other than economic loss. Requires the insurer to pay any person for damages to property arising from the use of the insured vehicle. Exempts any person who is the owner, operator, or user of an insured motor vehicle or the operator or user of an uninsured vehicle who has no reason to believe that such vehicle is uninsured from tort liability for damages unless that person is engaging in criminal conduct. Forbids any person from proceeding to trial and prohibits any judgment from being rendered (except by the consent of all parties) in a suit including a claim for damage other than economic loss unless (a) all claims for net economic losses have been satisfied, or (b) there exists a claim for a net economic loss which is agreeably the result of the accidental harm for which the claim for damage is made and which has not been paid within thirty days after the insurer has received reasonable notice of the fact and a demand for payment, or (c) three years have elapsed since the date of the event upon which the claim is based or one year has elapsed since the date of the event and all claims attributable to economic losses have been satisfied. Renders unenforceable any contract for settlement of any claim for damage other than payment in consideration of any economic loss. Establishes the statute of limitations for bringing suit under provisions providing compensation for damages other than economic loss at four years from the date of the accident or one year after the last payment for economic loss, whichever is shorter. Allows additional coverages and benefits not inconsistent with the requirements of this Act. Subjects any insurer to $5,000 civil penalty for each policy issued in violation of this Act. Requires the Secretary of Transportation to promulgate a uniform statistical plan for the allocation and compilation of claims and loss experience data, such plan to be followed by every insurer writing qualifying no-fault policies and by every rating or advisory organization or statistical agent. Requires the Secretary to organize an assigned claims bureau and assigned claims plan in each State, the cost for the maintaining of which shall be assessed against insurers in each State by the appropriate State insurance supervisory authority. Forbids any insurer to write any qualifying no-fault policy unless the insurer participates in the assigned claims bureau in each State in which it writes such policies. Establishes standards by which a claimant may obtain benefits under the assigned claims plan. Allows the awarding of reasonable attorney's fees to any person making a claim under a qualifying no-fault policy.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1973
Airport Noise Curfew Act - Establishes the Airport Noise Curfew Commission to study and make recommendations to the Congress regarding the establishment of curfews on nonmilitary aircraft operations over populated areas of the United States during normal sleeping hours. Requires the Commission to report its findings and recommendations to the Congress no later than six months after the enactment of this Act. Authorizes the Commission to secure directly from any department or agency of the United States information necessary to carry out its duties and functions. Requires the head of such department or agency to furnish such requested information to the Commission. Empowers the Commission to issue subpenas requiring the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of any evidence that relates to any subject that the Commission is authorized to investigate by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1973
Imposes on the taxable income of every individual, other than an estate and trust, a tax determined in accordance with the table set forth in the Internal Revenue Code. Allows a married individual who does not make a single return jointly with his spouse to allocate amounts received for services performed by that spouse into the account by the spouse who performed the services and not into the account by the other spouse. (Amends 26 U.S.C. 1, 2)
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1973
Provides that on or after June 30, 1973, no import quota or other nontariff trade restriction shall be imposed by or pursuant to law with respect to the importation into the United States of petroleum and petroleum products. (Amends 19 U.S.C. 1862)
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1973
Repeals provisions relating to the interstate transportation of petroleum products, which provisions are for the purpose of protecting interstate commerce from burdens caused by contracts of oil and of encouraging the conservation of crude oil deposits. (Repeals 15 U.S.C. 715-715m)
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1973
Pure Foods Act - Declares it to be the purpose of this Act to regulate the safe and efficient manufacturing, processing, and packing of food for sale in interstate commerce by establishing a system for registering and licensing food manufacturers, processors, and packers and authorizing recall and other emergency procedures. Provides for the registration and licensing by the Secretary of Commerce of all persons engaged in the manufacture, processing, or packing of any class of food distributed in interstate commerce. Authorizes the Secretary to license persons registered under this Act for a period of two years. Provides that the Secretary shall grant a license or a renewal of a license only after: (1) the applicant furnishes the Secretary with the name, location, and principle place of his business; (2) the applicant provides the Secretary with a complete list of all foods manufactured, processed, or packaged at his establishment; (3) the applicant for a license informs the Secretary of the process which is employed in preparing foods to be shipped in interstate commerce; and (4) each establishment of the applicant for a license is inspected to insure that the applicant has established all necessary procedures for producing food which is not adulterated. Provides that a licensee shall be required: (1) to process any food he is licensed to produce in containers as required by the Secretary; (2) to retain processing records on all foods manufactured, processed, or packed for a period of not less than five years; (3) to set aside the lot or lots of any food which is believed to have been improperly manufactured, processed, or packed for further evaluation as to any potential health hazard and upon completion of such evaluation to report to the Secretary within seven days in advance of any distribution of the whole or any part of the lot involved; (4) to report to the Secretary any and all instances of manufacturing, processing, or packaging which may pose a potential public health hazard where any lot has in whole or in part entered the stream of interstate commerce; (5) to open all records to inspection; (6) to include as standard equipment on all processing machines adequate sterilizing equipment, temperature, and time control devices and any other equipment the Secretary deems appropriate and to establish warning devices which shall alert the licensee when such equipment is not properly functioning; (7) to meet any educational requirements set by the Secretary for persons working in such plants; (8) to establish a scheme of insuring itself against losses due to the improper manufacturing, processing, or packaging of food sold in interstate commerce as applicable regulation established by the Secretary; and (9) to follow each applicable regulation established by the Secretary under this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to revoke the license of any licensee for violation of the regulations or requirements of this Act according to due process and after a formal investigation. Requires the Secretary to coordinate his activities with those of the relevant State agencies, and to establish a program for the effective correlation and response to information submitted by the public. Provides, upon notification by a licensee or upon reasonable information of a violation involving food in interstate commerce, that the Secretary shall undertake an emmergency investigation to determine the potential public health hazard, and shall make known the results of his investigation to the manufacturers, processers, and packers involved, and also to the public. Authorizes the Secretary, upon determination of a significant potential public health hazard, to recall all or part of the hazardous shipment; embargo any food produced by the violators of the regulations; and suspend the license of any person responsible for the significant potential public health hazard. Increases criminal penalties and provides that any person violating any provision of this section shall be liable to a civil penalty to the United States of a sum which is not more than $10,000 for each such violation. (Amends 21 U.S.C. 344)
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1973
Abortion Rights Act - Provides that in order to secure the constitutional right of privacy and to prevent its unauthorized infringement, as guaranteed by the rights of due process and equal protection of the law, neither the United States nor any state shall enact or enforce any law, State constitutional provision, regulation, policy, or other device which infringes the right of any female to terminate a pregnancy that she does not wish to continue, or which deprives any female of access to adequate medical assistance in the exercise of such right. Provides that the district courts of the United States shall have exclusive jurisdiction over actions brought to enforce the provisions of this Act, including but not limited to jurisdiction to grant injunctive relief to enforce the provisions of this Act. States that if any provision or application of the Act is judicially determined to be invalid, the remainder of the Act with regard to the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected by such determination.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1973
Comprehensive Child Development Act - States the finding of Congress that: (1) millions of children are suffering from lack of child development services; (2) comprehensive child development programs should be available to all children; (3) priority be given to preschool children with the greatest economic and social needs; (4) no mother may be forced to work in order for children to receive services; and (5) such programs should be undertaken as a partnership of parents, community, and local government. States it to be the purpose of this Act to establish and expand comprehensive child development programs, building on the Headstart experience, with emphasis on economically disadvantaged individuals and including children of working mothers and single parents, involving parents and community groups in the decision-making process, and establishing the legislative framework for eventual universally available child development programs. Title I: Comprehensive Child Development Programs; Direction to Establish Program - Authorizes the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare to direct programs under this title. Lists activities for which funds can be provided, including: planning and development of programs; establishing, maintaining, and operating comprehensive programs with a broad range of activities; design, acquisition, construction, alteration, renovation or remodeling of facilities including mobile facilities; training programs for professionals, paraprofessionals, parents, older family members and prospective parents; public information activities; child advocate staff; and administrative expenses. Authorizes any State, city, county, combination of units of local government, or federally recognized Indian reservation to serve as prime sponsors. Permits the Secretary to designate such prime sponsor upon receipt of an application which: (1) establishes a Child Development Council (CDC) to plan, conduct, coordinate, andd monitor programs; (2) establishes Local Policy Councils (LPC's) elected by parents of eligible children to serve appropriate subdivisions within the prime sponsorship area; and (3) delegates administrative responsibility to an appropriate local agency. Authorizes a public or private non-profit agency or organization to become a prime sponsor if the appropriate unit of local government has not submitted an application or is out of compliance, or if the Secretary determines such prime sponsor is necessary to meet the needs of economically disadvantaged children. Provides an opportunity for a State to comment on all applications for designation, notice and hearing before the Secretary makes any adverse decision on any designation, and for judicial review of the Secretary's final action. Requires submission by a prime sponsor and the Secretary's approval of a Comprehensive Child Development Plan before a governmental prime sponsor may receive financial assistance under this title. Requires that each such plan must: (1) identify needs and goals and describe purposes for which funds will be used; (2) meet the needs of children in the area including infant care and before and after school programs including 24 hour child care services; (3) give priority to economically disadvantaged children by reserving funds equal to funds expended in the prime sponsorship area under Headstart and Title IV of the Social Security Act in fiscal year 1972 and then reserving the following percentages; 65 percent for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1973, 60 percent for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1974, and 55 percent for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1975; (4) give priority thereafter to children of single parents and working mothers; (5-6) provide free services for economically disadvantaged children and fees on a sliding scale for others; (7) require cooperative arrangements of State and local agencies serving the handicapped; (8) provide jobs and training in so far as possible for residents of the community; (9) provide in so far as possible for socioeconomic mixture in centers; (10-11) provide for special needs of minority, bilingual migrant and Indian children in the area; (12) assure benefits for children in nonpublic preschool and school programs; (13) coordinate programs so family members relate to each other during the day; (14) provide for parental participation in plans and programs; (15) provide for paraprofessional and volunteers, including parents, senior citizens, students, other children, and those preparing for child development careers; (16) provide for dissemination of program information in language of parents; (17) eliminate barriers pertaining to State teacher certification standards; (18-20) assure coordination with schools and other child development programs in the community; and (21) provide that emphasis will be given to continued funding of on-going projects. Requires such a plan to assure payment of the non-Federal share, to provide for fiscal control and fund accounting procedures, to provide for continuing evaluation and analysis of needs and reports to the Secretary to emphasize on-going programs, and to provide adequate staff and administrative expenses of LPCs. Provides the opportunity for comment by a Governor, Mayor or community action agency, Headstart agency or educational agency; and provides for notice and hearing before an adverse decision is made on a plan by the Secretary. Authorizes funding by a prime sponsor of a qualified public or private agency which submits an application to run a child development program, which provides comprehensive services for children served, assures adequate personnel, and meets the appropriate provisions of the Comprehensive Child Development Plan. Authorizes funding by the Secretary of a non-governmental prime sponsor which submits a project application. Allows construction only of facilities essential to provide child development services, where use of existing facilities is shown to be not practicable. Provides for 20 year use of facilities for child development programs or for return of a proportionate value of the facility to the Federal Government. Authorizes the Secretary to establish interests rates for construction loans, with a 3 percent minimum rate. Provides grants and loans for construction limited to 50 percent of the total cost except for private nonprofit groups, and limits construction to 15 percent of total allotment to a prime sponsor and limits grants for construction to 7 1/2 percent of the total. Provides for the Federal Government to share 80 percent (with allowance for Secretary to pay up to 100 percent if necessary to provide services) of the costs to prime sponsors of programs for economically disadvantaged children; 50 percent Federal share of cost to prime sponsors of programs for children not economically disadvantaged; and 100 percent Federal share of migrant and Indian programs. Provides that the non-Federal share may be in cash or kind including fees paid by parents. Provides open-ended authorization of appropriations for fiscal year 1973 and each succeeding fiscal year to carry out the provisions of this title. Reserves for the Secretary funds for migrant and Indian programs at a ratio equal to the ratio of such children to the total number of economically disadvantaged children in the nation; 5 percent for the Secretary's discretionary use, with the remainder apportioned among the States as follows: (1) 50 percent according to the ratio of economically disadvantaged children in the State, (2) 25 percent according to the ratio of children through age 5; and (3) 25 percent according to the ratio of children of working mothers and single parents. Allots State's apportionments among prime sponsors according to the same formula. Provides for reallotment of unused funds among prime sponsors and among States. Prohibits any State or local government from reducing its expenditures for child development or day care. Establishes an Office of Child Development (OCD) to be the principal agency to administer this Act. Provides for the promulgation of Federal Standards of Child Development Services, applicable to all programs receiving assistance under this Act. Provides for the promulgation of a Minimum Uniform Code for Facilities, which shall replace State and local standards for all facilities which receive assistance under this Act or in which programs which receive assistance under this Act are operated. Provides for maximum utilization of existing Federal, State, and local public facilities, including school buildings, for child development programs. Repeals, consolidates, and coordinates existing child development programs, effective July 1, 1973. Authorizes to be appropriated $2,000,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1974, $3,000,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1975 and $4,000,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1976 to carry out the provisions of this title. Title II: Facilities for Child Development Programs - Authorizes a program of mortgage insurance for child development facilities, administered by the Secretary of HEW, to provide a source of funds in addition to the direct grants and loans authorized in Title I for the construction of such facilities. Title III: Training of Child Development Personnel - Authorizes $20,000,000 for programs to train professional child development personnel and for programs to train paraprofessional child development personnel under the Higher Education Act. Authorizes National Defense Education Act loans for the training of full-time teachers in child development programs. Authorizes training grants to individuals and child development programs. Authorizes a $5,000,000 annual appropriation for such grants. Title IV: Federal Government Child Development Programs - Authorizes direct grants to establish and operate programs for children of Federal employees. Authorizes $5 million in fiscal year 1974 and for each fiscal year thereafter to operate such program. Title V: Evaluation and Technical Assistance - Authorizes the Office of Child Development to evaluate Federal involvement in child development and to provide technical assistance to prime sponsors and project applicants. Authorizes such funds as necessary to carry out such activities. Title VI: National Center For Child Development and Education - Establishes a National Center for Child Development and Education within the Office of Child Development to conduct, coordinate, and disseminate research on child development. Authorizes such appropriations as may be necessary to operate the Center. Title VII: General Provisions - Provides for advance appropriations and advance funding of programs. Assures public information, without charge. Prohibits federal control of programs under this Act. Defines the terms used in this Act. Prohibits sex discrimination in the administration of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1973
Prohibits discrimination by financial institutions or any other persons on the basis of sex or marital status in connection with federally related mortgage transactions. Requires all parties to any such transaction to submit appropriate reports thereon (containing specified information) for public inspection. Provides civil and criminal penalties for any person who violates this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1973
Prohibits any instrumentality of the United States in its correspondence or records from using as a prefix to the name of any person any title which indicates marital status.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1973
Provides that recipients of aid or assistance under the various Federal-State public assistance and other aid programs will not have the amount of such aid or assistance reduced because of increases in monthly social security benefits.
![Official portrait of Rep. Abzug, Bella S. [D-NY-20]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/a000018_200.jpg)