United States · United States Congress · 19 February 1985
Authorizes the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to provide mortage protection life insurance to certain veterans unable to obtain commercial life insurance at a standard rate because of service-connected disabilities. Establishes guidelines for such insurance regarding: (1) amount of insurance; (2) premium rates; (3) payment of insurance; and (4) policy provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 19 February 1985
Amends veterans' health-care provisions by requiring the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to maintain an enrollment system for veterans furnished health and medical care by the Veterans Administration (VA). Provides for active and inactive status of veterans enrolled in the system. Gives priority care to veterans already enrolled in the system over those applying for such care, with a specified exception. Directs the Administrator to maintain a tracking system for veterans enrolled in the VA health-care system.
United States · United States Congress · 19 February 1985
Directs the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to set aside ten percent of Veterans Administration controlled intermediate-care hospital beds for veterans suffering from Alzheimer's disease and related disorders.
United States · United States Congress · 19 February 1985
Directs the Administrator of Veterans Affairs, within 180 days of enactment of this Act, to report to the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees on treatment by the Veterans Administration of veterans suffering from Alzheimer's disease and related organic brain disorders.
United States · United States Congress · 19 February 1985
Authorizes the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to provide treatment to any veteran suffering from Alzheimer's disease or a related organic brain disorder, regardless of the age of such veteran.
United States · United States Congress · 19 February 1985
Urges the United States and the People's Republic of China to begin talks aimed at creating a jointly administered United States-People's Republic of China Student Exchange for Understanding Program. Sets forth certain aspects of such exchange program.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1985
Summer Youth Employment, Training, and Education Act of 1985 - Amends the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) to require the addition of an education component to the summer youth employment and training programs under part B of title II (Training Services for the Disadvantaged) of JTPA. Requires that each service delivery area (SDA) be allotted an amount equal to at least 90 percent of the amount available to such area for the summer youth program in the preceding fiscal year. Requires ratable reductions in the allocation to each SDA if appropriations are not sufficient to provide such amount to each SDA. Requires that allotments to States and allocations to SDAs be: (1) made in accordance with provisions for prompt allocation of funds; and (2) available for planning purposes before the beginning of the summer months for which allotted and allocated. Requires that summer youth program funds be used so that participants spend a portion of their time on individualized, self-paced, remedial and basic academic and functional competency development and achieve specified types of performance standards established and developed in each SDA. Requires that the portion of a participant's time spent on such competency development be in addition to, and not in place of, regular employment under the summer youth program. Prohibits summer youth program funds from being used to provide employment to any individual who fails to comply with attendance standards established by the SDA with respect to such education components. Prohibits summer youth program funds from being used to compensate or reward participants for attendance at such education components, except under specified provisions which require that a portion of matching funds be used to provide bonuses to participants for achievement of academic and functional competence. Specifies that planning for summer youth programs does not have to be conducted during the summer months. Sets forth matching fund requirements for summer youth programs. Requires each private industry council (PIC), for each program year beginning after June 30, 1987, to make available from non-Federal sources an amount for use in such programs equal to at least one and one-half percent of the amount made available under JTPA for such programs in that SDA for the applicable program year. Allows each PIC, for program years beginning July 1, 1985, and July 1, 1986, to make available such matching amounts. Limits, for any program year beginning after June 30, 1987, such matching amounts to not less than $20,000 and not more than $100,000 per SDA. Requires each PIC to notify the State of the PIC's matching amount by April 1 of the preceding program year. Requires each State, for program years beginning after June 30, 1987, to provide to each PIC an amount equal to the PIC matching amount. Allows States to provide such State matching amount from non-Federal sources or to use funds available to them under part A (Adult and Youth Programs) of title II of JTPA and under chapter 2 (Consolidation of Federal Programs for Elementary and Secondary Education) of the Educational Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981. Requires each State, for program years beginning July 1, 1985, and July 1, 1986, to reserve one and one-half percent of its State allotment under part A, to be allocated to PICs in proportion to the matching amounts made available by such PICs for such program years. Requires that such matching amounts be used to: (1) support the education and training components of the summer youth programs; (2) provide bonuses to participants for achievement of academic and functional competence; and (3) after complying with (1) and (2), create additional employment opportunities under the summer youth programs. Allows matching amounts to be in cash or in-kind, but requires that in-kind matching amounts be in the form of state-of-the-art basic and remedial education materials and equipment suitable for use for summer youth programs for the applicable program year. Requires each SDA to maintain complete records on the improvements in academic and functional competency attained by participants in the summer youth programs. Requires that such records be compiled by reference to State and locally determined general education diploma and basic education competency requirements. Requires each SDA to submit summaries of such records to the State. Requires States to submit annual reports on such summaries to the Secretary of Labor. Directs the Secretary to include an analysis of such reports in the Secretary's annual report to the Congress on employment and training programs. Provides that a specified portion of the State allotment under JTPA which is currently available for State education programs shall also be available to carry out matching requirements for summer youth programs.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1985
Revises Federal procedures regarding the establishment of interstate cost estimates to direct the Secretary of Transportation to apportion such estimates for construction funds and substitute highway and urban transit projects on October 1 of 1985-1988 if the Congress has not approved such estimates by that time.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1985
Establishes a commission to be known as the Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad. Requires the Commission to: (1) identify and publish a list of cemeteries, monuments, and historic buildings abroad which are associated with the foreign heritage of U.S. citizens from eastern and central Europe; (2) encourage the preservation and protection of such places by obtaining assurances from foreign governments that they will be preserved and protected; (3) support demonstration projects to help preserve and protect such places; and (4) prepare and disseminate reports on the condition of and progress toward preserving and protecting such places.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1985
Authorizes the Black Revolutionary War Patriots Foundation to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia to honor the courageous slaves and free black persons who gave of themselves during the American Revolution. Directs the Secretary of the Interior, with the approval of the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission, to select the site, approve the design and plans, and provide for maintenance. Prohibits the use of any Federal funds for the memorial's construction. Terminates the Foundation's authority to establish such memorial within five years from the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should establish a Cyprus Cooperative Development Fund to provide economic assistance for specified projects in Cyprus. States that a portion of such Fund should be used toward settlement of the Cyprus dispute.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the targeted jobs income tax credit from 1985 to 1990. Increases the amount of wages which may be taken into account for such credit from $6,000 to $10,000 per year. Revises the definition of "members of economically disadvantaged families" to increase from 70 percent to 80 percent of the Bureau of Labor Statistics' lower living standard the amount of income a family may have in order to qualify as a member of a targeted group.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1985
Authorizes the Secretary of the Army, upon request of any competent State or local authority in the Washington metropolitan area in Maryland, and on the recommendation of the Chief of Engineers, to permit delivery of water from the District of Columbia water system to such authority. Authorizes the Secretary to purchase water from any State or local authority in the Washington metropolitan area in Maryland which has completed a connection with the District of Columbia water system.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1985
Designates May 7, 1985, as Helsinki Human Rights Day. Requests the President to: (1) reassert American commitment to the Helsinki Accords; (2) raise the issue of noncompliance with such Accords with the U.S.S.R. and the Warsaw Pact nations; and (3) convey to U.S. allies the necessity of unity on these points.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1985
Requires that funds be made available from appropriations under the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies Appropriation Act, 1985 to enable the National Institutes of Health to award 6,500 new and competing research grants in FY 1985.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1985
States that the Congress supports the restoration of democratic institutions and human rights in Chile. Calls upon Chile to negotiate with the democratic opposition. Provides that until Chile returns to democracy: (1) U.S. military and economic assistance to Chile should be denied and all joint military activities ceased; (2) the Overseas Private Investment Corporation should not issue additional investment insurance to Chile; and (3) the United States should oppose all loans and grants to Chile by certain international financial institutions unless such assistance is directed to programs which serve the needs of the people.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1985
Makes certain employees in the excepted service (civilian positions in the executive branch specifically excepted from civil service requirements) subject to adverse personnel action provisions respecting removal, suspension for more than 14 days, reduction in grade or pay, or furlough for 30 days or less.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1985
Adolescent Pregnancy and Parenthood Act of 1984 - Amends title XX (Adolescent Family Life Demonstration Projects) of the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants and projects for: (1) prenatal and postpartum care; (2) well-child infant care; (3) comprehensive family planning services to prevent unintended repeat pregnancies; and (4) educational, vocational, and other counseling services. Gives priority to under-18 year olds where the incidence of adolescent child bearing is high, where the proportion of low income and minority families is high, and where such services are most needed. Stresses the role of voluntary family support. States that services provided under this Act shall be voluntary. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) establish a program data reporting system; and (2) report annually to Congress. Authorizes FY 1986 through 1988 appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1985
Amends the Department of Defense Authorization Act, 1985 to repeal the spending limitation for contracted consultant and related services within the Department of Defense. Requires the Secretary of Defense to establish and report to the Congress concerning a procedure for the identification and control of costs of such services.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1985
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the payment of title II benefits to individuals who have been deported pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act because of activities conducted under the direction of association with the Nazi government of Germany or its allies.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1985
Voluntary National Youth Service Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to eligible States and local governments for youth service projects. Requires the Secretary to designate specified activities as service categories in which project participants may serve. Sets forth criteria for such designations. Sets forth types of positions which such service categories may include. Sets forth grant eligibility requirements for States and local governments, including requirements for plans and matching funds. Requires that specified percentages of poor persons and of unemployed persons participate in such projects. Sets forth requirements relating to the amount of wages, benefits, and subsistence allowances for project participants. Requires the Secretary to distribute such grants among eligible States and local governments on the basis of which ones will best use such funds, as determined on the basis of the plans submitted. Sets forth nondiscrimination provisions. Requires that project participants be not less than 17 and not more than 24 years old. Prohibits any person from serving on such a project for more than a two-year period. Requires participants to agree to serve for at least a six-month period. Prohibits acceptance for project service of any person who does not hold a high school diploma or its equivalent, unless such person has not been enrolled as a high school student during the three-month period before the date of such acceptance. Limits to 15 percent of any such grant the amount which may be used for administrative expenses. Sets forth project grant review and reporting requirements. Directs the Secretary to report annually to the President and the Congress on the activities conducted under this Act. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 and succeeding fiscal years.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1985
Establishes a presumption of service-connection for disability purposes for former prisoners of war suffering from the following conditions, manifest to a degree of ten percent or more after active service: (1) chronic liver disease; (2) organic residuals of hypothermia; (3) gastro-intestinal disorders; (4) arthritis; (5) cardiovascular conditions; (6) peripheral neuropathy; (7) immunological dysfunctions; or (8) chronic pulmonary disease. Decreases from six months to 30 days the amount of time a former prisoner of war must have been incarcerated to be eligible for outpatient dental services.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1985
Nuclear Explosives Control Act of 1985 - Amends the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act of 1978 to prohibit the export of any major critical component for, and of any sensitive nuclear technology important to, the enrichment of uranium or other isotopic separation of special nuclear material, nuclear fuel reprocessing, or heavy water production, except under certain international cooperation agreements. Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to authorize the Secretary of Energy to approve, under an international agreement, the reprocessing, or the use or retransfer of any plutonium resulting from such reprocessing, of any special nuclear material exported from the United States or produced through the use of U.S. exported equipment, materials, or technology, only if: (1) the end use of the reprocessed or retransferred material involves research, development, or demonstration in a facility that is currently operating or that is under construction and is located in a nuclear weapon state or a state which abides by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards; (2) there are no already existing stocks of separated plutonium reasonably available for the end use requested; (3) in the case of requests for reprocessing, the reprocessing will take place in a facility described in clause (1); and (4) adequate security measures will be maintained. Requires such conditions to continue in effect until the Congress enacts a joint resolution declaring that: (1) effective international safeguards that detect diversions will be applied; and (2) effective international sanctions against violations of nonproliferation commitments have been established to deter diversions. Authorizes the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to issue export licenses for highly enriched uranium for nuclear reactors only if: (1) there is no alternative nuclear reactor fuel available; (2) the proposed recipient of the uranium has indicated that it will use an alternative nuclear reactor fuel when one becomes available; and (3) the executive branch is developing an alternative nuclear reactor fuel. Requires the NRC to determine a kilogram limit on the amount of highly enriched uranium of U.S. origin that will be allowed at any one time in each foreign country and at each reactor site in each such country. Directs the President to submit to the Congress within three months of enactment of this Act a plan for the development and use of alternative nuclear reactor fuels for all reactors which are operated with highly enriched uranium exported from the United States. Prohibits the Secretary of Energy from entering into a subsequent arrangement for the retransfer for reprocessing of any special nuclear material exported by the United States or produced through U.S. exports or for the subsequent retransfer of any large amount of plutonium resulting from the reprocessing of such material unless the nation requesting such arrangement agrees that: (1) it will not, without prior U.S. approval, substitute any special nuclear material which is not subject to the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 for any such material subject to the subsequent arrangement; and (2) if such substitution is approved by the United States, the substituted special nuclear material shall be subject to the same requirements as the other material. Amends the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act of 1978 to require the Secretary of State to enter into international agreements under which the non-U.S. party agrees not to obtain or use any facility for nuclear fuel reprocessing or uranium enrichment and not to seek access to or use separated plutonium or plutonium based fuels and the United States agrees to: (1) provide assured enrichment services at a discount; (2) provide an additional discount to any nation for the enrichment of uranium which such nation agrees to use in improved power reactor fuel; (3) authorize the export of a lifetime supply of low-enriched fuel under a single export license covering all power reactors in such nation subject to specified conditions; and (4) enter into a technical cooperation and assistance program. Directs the Secretary of Energy to submit to the Congress, within three months of enactment of this Act, a plan to implement such fuel assurance and energy assistance program. Authorizes appropriations for such plan development and program. Authorizes appropriations for providing technical assistance to nonnuclear-weapon states in spent fuel storage and disposal pursuant to the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982. Amends the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act of 1978 to authorize appropriations for energy assistance to developing countries. Directs the NRC and the executive branch to support efforts to improve physical security arrangements for nuclear exports. Authorizes appropriations for such efforts. Directs the President to include in the annual report to Congress on nuclear nonproliferation a description of the progress made in negotiating fuel assurance and technical assistance agreements. Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to prohibit any person from engaging in the production of special nuclear material unless: (1) there is an agreement for cooperation with the applicable country; and (2) authorized by the Secretary of Energy. Requires such authorization to be published in the Federal Register. Requires information on such authorizations to be included in the President's annual report to Congress on nonproliferation pursuant to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act of 1978. Makes authorizations for the production of special nuclear material outside the United States effective with respect to a non-nuclear-weapon state only if the Secretary of Energy determines that such state adheres to the criteria governing U.S. nuclear exports for peaceful uses. Requires the Secretary of Energy to publish and submit to the President any recommendation for such an authorization with respect to a non-nuclear-weapon state which does not adhere to such criteria. Authorizes the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Energy to submit to the President a proposed agreement for nuclear cooperation only if the Secretary of Defense has found that the proposed agreement will not be inimical to U.S. security. Authorizes the Secretary of State to notify the NRC of the judgment of the executive branch with respect to an export license for nuclear material only if the Secretary of Defense agrees with the proposed executive branch judgment. Authorizes the Secretary of Energy to enter into a proposed subsequent arrangement only if the Secretary of Defense: (1) finds that such arrangement will not be inimical to U.S. security; and (2) with respect to reprocessing arrangements, finds that the proposed reprocessing or retransfer will not result in a significant increase of the risk of proliferation. Prohibits the Secretary of Commerce from issuing an export license for the export to a nonnuclear-weapon state of goods or technology which will be used in a nuclear production or utilization facility or which are likely to be used in the design, construction, operation, or maintenance of such a facility unless the Secretary of Energy makes a specified determination. Changes the criteria for permitting the export of certain components for nuclear facilities. Permits such exports if the NRC finds that the issuance of an appropriate export license will not endanger national security and the NRC issues such an export license after finding that the nations to which such components will be exported: (1) has an agreement for cooperation with the United States; (2) adheres to certain IAEA safeguards; and (3) adheres to specified criteria governing U.S. nuclear exports. Prohibits the transfer or retransfer of any source or special nuclear material, any production or utilization facility or related technology, any sensitive nuclear technology, or any component, item, or substance determined to have significance for nuclear explosive purposes unless authorized under an agreement for cooperation. Requires such activities to be considered exports for purposes of licensing requirements and procedures. Adds prohibitions against the issuance of an export license for the export of goods or technology related to a nuclear production or utilization facility and against the authorization of otherwise prohibited nuclear exports with respect to nations that engage in specified conduct. Changes the method by which the Congress may disapprove a presidential waiver of such prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1985
Amends part A (General Provisions) of title XI of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to invite each State having an approved plan under part A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) of title IV of the Social Security Act to submit an application to establish and conduct a demonstration project for the purpose of testing whether the provision of mandatory education or vocational training (or both) for the caretaker parents of dependent children under six years of age in families receiving AFDC would enable such families to leave the AFDC rolls quickly and assist such parents in securing long-term gainful employment at earnings levels sufficient to maintain their families without public assistance. Requires any State desiring to establish and conduct such a demonstration project to submit an application to the Secretary within six-months after the enactment of this Act. Directs the Secretary to approve ten of the proposed projects. Requires six of the approved projects to be located in urban areas and four to be located in predominantly rural areas. Prohibits the approval of a project unless: (1) it is of sufficient size and scope to demonstrate program and cost effectiveness and to permit the drawing of valid inferences for evaluation and permit the drawing of valid inferences for evaluation and policy recommendations; (2) it will be conducted for a period of not less than three nor more than five years; (3) it covers all caretaker parents in families which are eligible for aid under the applicable State plan and which include one or more children under six years of age; (4) it provides for participation by caretaker parents on a voluntary basis; and (5) it complies fully with all other requirements and will contribute to the purposes of this Act. Defines "caretaker parent". Directs a State, in conducting an approved demonstration project, to: (1) offer each caretaker parent in a jurisdiction involved an opportunity to participate in the project; (2) establish an individualized program for the education or vocational training of each participating caretaker parent; and (3) permit such parent to receive education or training under the program so established (from the time the youngest child in the care of such parent is six-months old, or earlier with a physician's written permission) until either the parent is employed and self-sufficient, the parent is no longer a caretaker parent, or the family has become ineligible for aid; and (4) require the project to maintain support services, including child care, transportation, and health care services for each participant. Directs the Secretary to pay each State with an approved demonstration project 90 percent of the costs incurred by the State in establishing and carrying out such project. Requires the remainder of the costs incurred to be paid from non-Federal sources. Requires the education or training for caretaker parents in such program to meet the following requirements: (1) for caretaker parents without a high school diploma the education must lead to such diploma; (2) after receipt of such diploma (or in the case of an individual already having a high school diploma or better), the caretaker parent must participate in an approved post-secondary education program, an approved vocational education program, or a program of employment and training under auspices of the Job Training Partnership Act; (3) the award of an academic scholarship to a caretaker parent shall not result in any loss of eligibility or benefits under AFDC or any other public assistance program, so long as the scholarship payments are made directly to the appropriate educational institution; (4) the education and training must include instruction in family management and life skills, employment and job search training, career counseling, and community-supported recreational activities; (5) appropriate English language and adjustment training must be provided for caretaker parents from immigrant groups who have language or cultural adjustment difficulties; (6) special training must be provided for physically handicapped participants; (7) education and training for each participant in the project must be provided for at least 20 hours per week and must be coordinated with available child care services; (8) any caretaker parent who has completed all of the education and training required by this Act shall remain a participant in the project for 20 hours a week of job search and placement assistance (with coordinated child care) until either the parent is employed and self-sufficient or the family has become ineligible for AFDC. Provides that in the case of a caretaker parent who ceases to be a participant in the project because he or she has completed all of the education and training required by this Act and has become employed: (1) the parent will be provided with child care services, as necessary, without charge for a six-month period, and thereafter for a certain period subject to the payment of a gradually increasing portion of the cost of such services; and (2) the parent shall be considered for a 15-month period to be still a project participant for purposes of receiving Medicaid (title XIX of the Social Security Act) and shall thereafter be similarly considered to still be a participant for such purposes but subject to stated conditions. Requires all of the child care and transportation which is necessary for a caretaker parent to participate in a demonstration project to be included, without charge to the caretaker parent, as a part of the project. Requires each approved project to be designed so as to provide an effective demonstration of: (1) the planning and design of quality and cost-effective approaches to child and infant care; (2) the cost-effective utilization of existing publicly-funded educational, vocational, and other training programs; (3) coordination with other community service providers, including job developers; and (4) cost-effective and creative approaches to the utilization of transportation facilities. Prohibits participation in an approved project by a caretaker parent from resulting in any loss of eligibility or benefits under AFDC or any other public assistance program. Permits a State to make participation mandatory if: (1) it is necessary to operate a project in a cost-effective manner; (2) participants would not be disadvantaged financially or otherwise; and (3) children in need of assistance would not be disadvantaged. Provides that if any caretaker parent who is required to participate in a project refuses to undergo any education or training required by this Act or otherwise fails to participate in an approved demonstration project, without a reasonable basis for such refusal or failure as determined on medical, psychological, psychiatric, or other grounds by an appropriate licensed practitioner in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary (subject to a State being granted a waiver): (1) such parent's needs shall not be taken into account in determining need under AFDC with respect to the parent's family; and (2) any AFDC payments shall be made in the form of protective payments. Requires each approved demonstration project to have a voluntary advisory group to assist in developing the program and in monitoring the project. Sets forth reporting requirements (including reports to Congress). Requires each State in which a demonstration project is located to submit to the Secretary such information as the Secretary may require concerning a project.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1985
Provides for a 15-year delimiting period for a veteran to complete a program of education. Extends through 1989 the delimiting period for veterans no longer eligible for such assistance solely because of the current ten-year delimiting period.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1985
Title I: General Accounting Office Investigation and Report - Directs the General Accounting Office to investigate the situation of displaced nationals of El Salvador, including determinations of those Salvadorans in Central America, unlawfully in the United States, or returned from the United States to El Salvador. Requires a report to the Congress. Title II: Congressional Review - Provides that such report shall be referred to the appropriate committees for hearings and committee reports. Title III: Temporary Stay of Deportation - Provides for a temporary stay of detention and deportation for specified Salvadorans presently in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1985
Fair Tax Act of 1985 - Title I: Reduction of Individual and Corporate Tax Rates - Subtitle A: Reduction of Rates - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise individual tax rates. Imposes a flat tax rate of 14 percent on the taxable income of individuals. Imposes a surtax of 12 and 16 percent of the amount by which adjusted gross income exceeds specified levels. Imposes a flat tax rate of 30 percent on the taxable income of estates and trusts. Imposes a flat tax rate of 30 percent on the taxable income of corporations. Subtitle B: Increase in Personal Exemption for Taxpayer and Standard Deduction - Increases the personal exemption to $1,600 for an individual taxpayer and spouse and to $1,800 for an individual who is a head of a household. Raises the standard deduction to $6,000 in the case of a joint return or a surviving spouse or $3,000 in the case of an individual or a married individual filing a separate return. Subtitle C: Repeals Related to Reduction in Rates - Repeals provisions relating to: (1) tax tables for individuals; (2) minimum tax for tax preferences; (3) personal service corporations; (4) special averaging rules for lump-sum distributions; (5) accumulated corporate surplus; (6) personal holding companies; (7) income averaging; and (8) graduated corporate tax rates. Repeals the indexing of tax rates. Applies the trust throwback rules only to amounts distributed from foreign trusts. Title II: Base Broadening-Subtitle A: Credits - Repeals the general tax credit, the investment tax credit, the possessions tax credit and the income tax credits relating to: (1) the elderly and the permanently and totally disabled; (2) contributions to candidates for public office; (3) home purchases; (4) residential energy conservation; (5) producing fuel from a nonconventional source; (6) alcohol used as fuel; (7) increasing research activities; (8) employee stock ownership; and (9) clinical testing for certain drugs. Allows an income tax deduction for household and dependent care expenses necessary for employment. (Present law allows an income tax credit for such expenses.) Subtitle B: Exclusions - Repeals the partial income tax exclusion for interest and dividends. Repeals the exclusion for: (1) qualified transportation furnished by an employer; (2) cafeteria plans furnished by an employer; (3) dependent care assistance programs; (4) dividend reinvestment in public utilities; (5) payments to encourage mining for defenses purposes; (6) earned income of citizens living abroad; (7) certain allowances; (8) income earned from sources within possessions of the United States; and (9) income earned from sources within Puerto Rico. Treats as taxable income: (1) amounts paid by an employer for group-term life insurance; (2) unemployment compensation; (3) the annual increase in the cash surrender value of life insurance policies; (4) interest on industrial development bonds and mortgage subsidy bonds; and (5) amounts contributed by an employer to accident and health plans. Provides a limited exclusion from income for scholarships and fellowships. Imposes the surtax on the gain from the sale of a principal residence. Amends the Merchant Marine Act to repeal the tax exemption for deposits into, and withdrawals from, a capital construction fund. Subtitle C: Deductions - Repeals the deduction for two-earner married couples and the deduction for adoption expenses. Limits the amount of the interest deduction for individuals. Repeals the deduction for State and local personal property and sales taxes. Restricts the charitable contribution for corporations to 50 percent of the charitable contributions made during the year. Increases the floor on the deduction for medical and dental expenses from five percent to ten percent. Subtitle D: Repeal of Special Capital Gains Treatment - Repeals the alternative tax on capital gains for corporations and the deduction for individuals for capital gains. Limits the amount of the capital loss deduction without regard to distinctions between short term and long term capital losses. Eliminates the distinction between short-term and long-term gains and losses. Title III: Capital Cost Recovery-Subtitle A: Simplified Cost Recovery Systems - Allows individuals and corporations a deduction from gross income for a percentage of the balance in a recovery account for each year. Includes in the recovery account the cost of recovery property which is depreciable property used in a trade or business or held for the production of income which is placed in service after December 31, 1986. Establishes six classes of recovery property and specifies a class life for each. Assigns property to each class according to the class life of the property. Sets forth rules for the calculation of the recovery percentage on the basis of the class life of the property. Allows individuals and corporations a deduction for depletable property determined as a percentage of the balance in a recovery account for each year. Establishes six classes of depletable property and assigns a class life to each. Assigns a ten-year class life for oil, gas, and geothermal wells. Subtitle B: Other Changes - Repeals the income tax deductions for: (1) intangible drilling and development costs for oil, gas, and geothermal wells; (2) depreciation; (3) amortization of pollution control facilities; (4) improvements made by a lessee on a lessor's property; (5) certain depreciable assets; (6) amortization of reforestation expenditures; (7) percentage depletion; (8) development expenditures; and (9) mining and exploration expenditures. Allows a ten-year period for the amortization of construction period interest and taxes. Allows a deduction of circulation expenses for a newspaper, magazine, or other periodical ratably over a ten-year period. Excludes amounts chargeable to a capital account from such treatment. Provides for the deduction of 50 percent of tertiary injectant expenses in the taxable year and 50 percent of such expenses in the succeeding taxable year. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - Subtitle A: Foreign Income - Requires an individual who owns stock in a corporation which is a controlled foreign corporation to include in income a pro rata share of the corporations's earnings and profits for such year. Reduces such amount by any amount required to be included in income by reason of the amount being foreign personal holding company income. Repeals the foreign sales corporations (FSC) provisions for taxable years beginning after December 31, 1986. Repeals the domestic international sales corporations (DISC) provisions for taxable years beginning after December 31, 1986. Subtitle B: Other Miscellaneous Provisions - Repeals the tax exemption for credit unions. Reduces the limit on benefits which may be paid to a participant under defined benefit plans and defined contribution plans. Repeals the cost-of-living adjustment for defined benefit plans. Continues the cost-of-living adjustment for purposes of calculating a participant's average compensation for his or her high three years. Requires farmers to compute their taxable income using the accrual method of accounting with the capitalization of preproduction expenses. Exempts taxpayers who do not have gross receipts exceeding $1,000,000. Requires farming syndicates to use the accrual method of accounting without regard to gross receipts. Provides that farmers who must use the accrual method cannot expense the following: (1) soil and water conservation expenditures; (2) fertilizer; and (3) expenses for clearing land. Requires the deferral of income or loss must be taken into account in determining tax liability under completed contract method of accounting. Requires that the taxpayer with adjusted gross income in excess of $100,000 must make estimated payments equal to 90 percent of current year tax. Requires the recognition of the gain or loss on distributions of property by corporations. Eliminates the special bad debt reserves of financial institutions. Title V: Effective Dates - Sets forth the effective dates for the provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to continue the excise tax on cigarettes at its present 16 cents per pack level (rather than reducing the excise tax to eight cents per pack October 1, 1985, as currently provided). Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to transfer amounts received from this excise tax on cigarettes to the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1985
Directs the President to: (1) secure from the Indochina nations a full accounting of Americans captured or missing as a result of the Vietnam conflict; and (2) work for the release of captive Americans and the return of the remains of those American servicemen and civilians who died in Southeast Asia. Requires the President to submit two reports to Congress on American POW/MIAs in Southeast Asia.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 1985
Effective Schools Development in Education Act of 1985 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a grants program to promote more effective schools and excellence in education. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 through 1990 for such grants program. Allows program grants to be used to: (1) promote State educational agency (SEA) and local educational agency (LEA) awareness of effective schools information through conferences at schools and district and multidistrict offices and through onsite visits to model effective schools; (2) develop and implement systems of data collection, analysis, interpretation, and communication; (3) plan, review, and revise program activities; (4) support related effective schools efforts; (5) obtain technical assistance and consultant services from regional educational laboratories, research and development centers, institutions of higher education, and other nonprofit educational organizations; (6) design, develop, and publish educational materials on effective schools programs; (7) conduct program evaluations; and (8) otherwise identify, document, and disseminate information concerning exemplary effective schools programs. Requires that program grant applications by SEAs or LEAs demonstrate that: (1) the applicant has an effective schools improvement program in effect; (2) grant funds would be used to pay not more than one-half of the cost of any program or activity; (3) grant funds would be supplementary; and (4) independent annual evaluations will be conducted and reported. Directs the Secretary of Education, in selecting grant recipients, to: (1) consider the extent to which grant funds would be used to improve schools in districts with the greatest numbers or percentages of educationally deprived children and the extent to which the applicant's ongoing effective schools program has demonstrated the capacity to improve student achievement or behavior; (2) ensure reasonable geographic distribution of grants; and (3) designate grants as being available for a period of at least one but not more than three years. Sets forth provisions for technical assistance and program evaluation. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress by September 1, 1987.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 1985
Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to make grants to States which enact and enforce laws requiring the use of safety belts by schoolchildren in all school buses. Limits the use of such grants to enforcement of such laws and to implement schoolchildren safety programs. Authorizes appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund, other than the Mass Transit Account, for FY 1986 through 1988 for such grants. Defines school bus for purposes of this Act, limiting such term to vehicles manufactured after the 90th day following the date of enactment.
![Official portrait of Rep. Barnes, Michael D. [D-MD-8]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b000160_200.jpg)