United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1983
Directs the Postal Service to issue a set of postage stamps, based on designs by named artists, commemorating calendar year 1983 as the Year of the Bible.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 1983
Prohibits the Secretary of Defense from transferring or consolidating a function, power, or duty of a military department on either a permanent or trial basis unless specifically authorized by law. Exempts transfers involving the reallocation of fewer than 200 personnel or $10,000,000 in any fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 1983
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the transfer of ownership or management of any civil meteorological satellite system and associated ground system equipment to the private sector is not presently appropriate.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 1983
Designates the week beginning February 12, 1984, as a time to recognize the contributions of volunteers who become Big Brothers and Big Sisters to single parent youths.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 1983
States that the United States: (1) condemns the Soviet destruction of Korean Air Lines flight 7; (2) calls for an explanation from the Soviets; (3) extends its sympathies to the families who lost loved ones and supports their rights to obtain reparations from the Soviets; (4) calls on the Soviets to assist in the recovery of the remains of the victims; (5) calls for an international investigation by the International Civil Aviation Organization; (6) declares its intention to demand that the Soviets modify their air defense procedures to assure the safety of commercial airliners; (7) finds that this incident will make it difficult for the U.S. and other nations to accept the Soviets as responsible members of the international community; and (8) urges our allies and other nations to cooperate with specified demands on the Soviets.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1983
Commemorates the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the State of Georgia. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and furnish national medals to the Semiquincentenary Commission of the State of Georgia.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 1983
Interstate Compact - Grants congressional approval to the Southeast Interstate Compact on Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management, which provides for cooperation among the States of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia in the management of low-level radioactive waste on a continuing basis.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 1983
Joint Chiefs of Staff Reorganization Act of 1983 - Establishes the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff after the Secretary of Defense in the chain of combatant commands. Eliminates the numerical restriction on the Joint Staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Sets forth the terms and conditions of service on the Joint Staff by officer personnel. Grants each officer serving as a chief of service or as the commander of a unified or specified command an opportunity to comment on reports of the Staff before their submittal to the Joint Chiefs. Directs the Secretary of Defense to ensure the independence of the Joint Staff. Makes the Chairman a member of the National Security Council.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 1983
Authorizes the establishment of Transitional Industries Trade Boards. Requires each Board to: (1) investigate the competitiveness in both foreign and domestic markets of the transitional industry with respect to which it is established; (2) evaluate the trade barriers that affect the transitional industry adversely; and (3) recommend measures to the President and the Congress to increase the competitiveness of the transitional industry. Sets forth the membership and powers of the Boards. Directs the President to decide whether to follow the recommendations of the Board. Requires the recommendations of the Board to take effect if Congress passes a joint resolution disapproving a determination by the President not to provide the recommended relief. Provides for expedited consideration of such a resolution. Establishes a Transitional Industry Board with respect to the domestic automobile industry. Requires the Secretary of Commerce, through the International Trade Administration, to receive petitions for future boards from interested parties and to submit petitions to the Congress. Directs the Secretary to report annually to Congress on trade barriers. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1983
Establishes the Kamehameha National Monument in Hawaii. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to provide facilities to commemorate the historical significance of the monument. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 1983
Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of Congress, a gold medal to Margaret Truman Daniel, daughter of Harry S. Truman, in recognition of the lifetime of outstanding public service he gave to the United States. Commemorates his one hundredth birthday which will be celebrated on May 8, 1984. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 1983
National Defense Stockpile Amendments of 1983 - Amends the Strategic and Critical Materials Stock Piling Act to require that excess defense industrial property be transferred from a Federal department or agency to the National Defense Stockpile on the same basis as excess material. Directs the President to use barter in the acquisition and disposal of materials from the stockpile when in the national interest. (Under current law, the President is encouraged to use barter.) Authorizes the President to require agency heads to barter or transfer excess material or defense industrial property under such agency's control. Sets forth bartering procedures. Makes stockpile material and property available for transfer at fair market value as payment of incidental expenses incurred in an acquisition or transfer. Establishes in the Executive Office of the President the Barter Coordination Council, an interagency council headed by a chairman who shall be designated by and report to the President. Requires the Council to establish a procedure to identify opportunities for barter. Makes technical and conforming amendments.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 1983
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the President expeditiously recommend budgetary steps necessary to build weapons to destroy ballistic missiles in space which might be launched against the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1983
Authorizes the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate jointly to present, on behalf of the Congress, a bronze medal to families of American personnel missing or otherwise unaccounted for in Southeast Asia. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1983
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that one-half of the cost of insurance paid by a self-employed taxpayer for medical care during the taxable year will be allowed as a business deduction.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1983
Secondary Mortgage Market Equity Act - Amends the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation Act and the Federal National Mortgage Association Charter Act to set forth a formula for increasing the maximum mortgage limitation for a one- to four- family residence in certain areas where high prevailing housing sales prices have limited housing opportunities.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1983
Maritime Redevelopment Bank Act of 1983 - Title I: Maritime Redevelopment Bank - Amends the Merchant Marine Act, 1936, to establish a government corporation named the Maritime Redevelopment Bank of the United States as an independent agency under the policy guidance of the Secretary of Transportation. Declares the purpose of such Bank to promote private investment in maritime enterprise in furtherance of the economic, trade, and national security interests of the United States. Sets forth the credit functions of such Bank. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to transfer specified sums to the Bank as paid-in capital. Authorizes appropriations as may be necessary to replenish trust funds transferred to, and established by such Bank or for payment of its operating expenses. Terminates the functions of such Bank on September 30, 1993. Title II: Sealift Mobility Augmentation and Shipbuilding Base Maintenance - Directs the Secretary, with the advice of and in coordination with the Secretary of the Navy, to prepare and periodically revise a sealift mobility augmentation and shipbuilding mobilization base maintenance plan and program. Requires the Secretary to determine the need to: (1) encourage commercial vessel construction in domestic shipyards to provide adequate sealift mobility capability; and (2) maintain an adequate shipbuilding and ship repair mobilization base. Sets forth factors and circumstances under which the Secretary may permit foreign construction of vessels. Directs the Maritime Redevelopment Bank to undertake a liner fleet replacement and sealift augmentation program. Requires all vessels replaced under such program to be constructed in domestic shipyards. Directs the Bank to implement a trade-in/trade-out program. Authorizes the Bank to accept obsolete vessels for trade-in in exchange for allowance for credit from Bank funds to offset the purchase price of new vessels constructed under such program. Amends the Merchant Ship Sales Act of 1946 to direct the Secretary to periodically survey the physical condition and suitability for reactivation of vessels maintained in the National Defense Reserve Fleet and to scrap or sell vessels deemed unsuitable for commercial or military purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 1983
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a refundable income tax credit for the amount of contributions made to the Federal retirement system by Federal employees newly covered under the social security system after December 31, 1983. Disallows such credit for contributions made to a Federal retirement system: (1) established after the enactment of this Act; or (2) modified after the enactment of this Act for purposes of coordinating such system with the social security system. Terminates such credit after December 31, 1985.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1983
Directs the Attorney General to compensate States for costs incurred in imprisoning certain Cuban nationals permitted to enter the United States in 1980.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 1983
National Narcotics Act of 1983 - Establishes a Cabinet-level Office of Director of National and International Drug Operations and Policy to plan and coordinate drug enforcement efforts of the Federal Government. Requires the Director to report to Congress on United States policy with respect to illegal drugs. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 through 1988.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 1983
Surplus Dairy Products Exchange Act - Declares that it is in the national interest to promote the exchange of surplus dairy stocks for critical and strategic materials. Amends the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture, during FY 1984 and 1985, to accept offers from individuals or commercial firms to exchange strategic and critical materials for surplus dairy stocks provided specified conditions relating to value determination and protection of export markets are met. Requires the Secretary to export, if possible, at least 15 percent of uncommitted surplus dairy stocks in each of FY 1984 and 1985.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 1983
Establishes the Commission on Merchant Marine and Defense to study the capability of the U.S. merchant marine to transport cargo necessary to the national defense during a period of war or national emergency. Directs the Commission to report to Congress and the President within nine months on its findings, conclusions, and recommendations. Terminates such Commission 90 days after the report is submitted. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 1983
Historic Shipwreck Preservation Act - Provides that the United States relinquishes to the respective States all right, title, and interest of the United States with respect to historical shipwrecks and structures on the seabed or in the subsoil of lands beneath the navigable waters within the boundaries of such States. Provides that the U.S. maritime law of salvage shall not apply to such shipwrecks or structures.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 1983
Amends the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933, as amended by the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, to subject imported tomatoes to the same packing restrictions that apply to domestic tomatoes.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1983
Elephant Protection Act of 1983 - Prohibits importing or exporting African elephants or elephant products. Prohibits the acquisition, transportation, or sale in interstate commerce of such products imported in violation of this Act. Permits individuals to: (1) import and export a total of 10,000 pounds of unworked ivory for six months after enactment of this Act; and (2) import worked ivory for 90 days after enactment if there is no intention to sell such ivory in the United States. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to grant permits for the importation or exportation of elephants and elephant products if the Secretary finds that: (1) the nation involved has developed and implemented an elephant conservation program according to specified criteria; (2) the products can be traced as coming from a particular nation; (3) the products are acquired and transported in compliance with laws of the originating nation; (4) the importation or exportation will not be detrimental to the survival of the species; and (5) the permit is applied for in good faith. Authorizes the Secretary to grant permits for the importation or exportation of elephants or elephant products to enhance propagation or survival of the species. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress concerning granting of such permits. Sets forth civil or criminal penalties for violations of this Act. Provides for the remittance or mitigation by the Secretary of any civil penalty assessed under this Act. Provides for the forfeiture of elephants, elephant products, or vehicles aiding in the importation, exportation, acquisition, or transportation of such products contrary to the provisions of this Act. Grants specified search and seizure powers for enforcement of this Act by authorized persons. Authorizes the payment of rewards to persons furnishing information concerning violations of this Act. Requires all imports and exports of elephant products to go through either the Port of New York or the Port of Seattle, Washington. Exempts from this Act: (1) elephants imported or exported for zoological, educational, scientific, or exhibitional purposes; (2) elephant products included in a keyboard for a musical instrument; (3) elephant products taken and imported or exported by a sports hunter; and (4) elephant products taken and transported in compliance with the laws of the originating nation. Supersedes, with respect to elephants and elephant products, the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and State laws determined to be in conflict with this Act. Directs the Secretary of State to establish a program to assist nations to: (1) protect elephant habitats; (2) conserve living elephants; and (3) develop and implement elephant conservation management programs. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1983
United States Caribbean Possessions Act - Title I: Eastern Caribbean Regional Development Fund - Lists countries which the President shall consider in designating beneficiary countries for purposes of this title. Prohibits the President from designating a country a beneficiary country: (1) if such country is a communist country; (2) if the country has taken certain expropriating actions against property owned by U.S. citizens; (3) if the country fails to act in good faith with respect to arbitral awards involving U.S. citizens or companies; (4) if the country affords preferential treatment to a developed country other than the United States which adversely affects U.S. commerce unless the President receives certain assurances; (5) if a government-owned entity in such country engages in the broadcast of copyrighted material belonging to U.S. copyright owners without their express consent; and (6) unless such country is party to a treaty regarding the extradition of U.S. citizens. Lists factors the President shall take into account in determining whether to designate a country a beneficiary country. Prohibits the President from terminating the designation of a country as a beneficiary country unless, at least 60 days before the termination, the President has notified the Congress and the beneficiary country of such determination. Directs the President to withdraw or suspend the designation of a country as a beneficiary country if, because of changed circumstances, the country would be barred from designation as a beneficiary country. Establishes in the Treasury the Eastern Caribbean Regional Development Fund. Appropriates to the Fund the amount of money collected from: (1) the import duties on articles entered from beneficiary countries; and (2) the taxes on rum imported into the United States from beneficiary countries. Authorizes the Administrator of the Fund to allocate and distribute the moneys in the Fund to island beneficiary countries. Sets forth the method of allocation. Title II: Tax and Tariff Provisions - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require that if the amount of taxes collected on rum imported into the United States from beneficiary countries exceeds the amount needed in the Eastern Caribbean Regional Development Fund the excess shall be covered into the treasuries of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Prohibits granting duty-free treatment to bulk rum manufactured outside the United States, its territories, or possessions.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1983
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow income tax deductions for contributions to private foundations on the same basis as contributions to public charities (deductible up to 50 percent of the taxpayer's adjusted gross income). Redefines "lineal descendants" to include only children and grandchildren, for purposes of private foundation penalty tax rules dealing with substantial contributors. Provides that private foundation gifts to public charities do not forfeit their tax deductibility due to the disqualification of the charity's tax exemption if: (1) the gift is made before the Secretary of the Treasury publishes a notice of disqualification or before the foundation receives actual notice of disqualification; (2) and the foundation was not responsible for or aware of the charity's change in status. Exempts a private foundation from expenditure responsibility requirements if such foundation and all related foundations contribute no more than $15,000 in grants during a taxable year. Permits the Secretary to abate first tier penalty taxes on private foundations if it is determined that a violation of private foundation rules was due to a good faith error or omission and was corrected within the statutory correction period.