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United States · Official source
2,987 records where Rep. Bentley, Helen Delich [R-MD-2] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
Amends the Federal Employees Flexible and Compressed Work Schedules Act of 1982 to make permanent the authority of Federal agencies to use flexible and compressed work schedules.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
Veterans Organization Charitable Contributions Tax Act of 1985 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow income tax and gift tax deductions for contributions to any veterans organization (currently permissible only for contributions to a war veterans organization).
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
Increases the veterans' burial plot allowance from $150 to $250 for eligible veterans who die in Veterans Administration facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
Social Security Trust Funds Act of 1985 - Amends title VII (Administration) of the Social Security Act to exclude from Federal budget totals and limitations: (1) the receipts and disbursements of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund, the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund, the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, and the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund; and (2) employment related social security taxes. Repeals superseded provisions relating to budgetary treatment of social security trust operations.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
Extends burial benefits to specified veterans with service-connected disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend to January 1, 1992, the termination date for the deduction for expenses incurred in connection with the elimination of architectural and transportation barriers to the handicapped and the elderly.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
Designates the month of April 1985 as Fair Housing Month.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President direct the Drug Enforcement Agency to dispatch ten additional drug enforcement agents to Mexico, that he redouble U.S. drug enforcement efforts, and that the heroic efforts of agent Enrique Salazar be commemorated.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1985
Age Discrimination in Employment Act Public Safety Officers Amendments of 1985 - Amends the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 to exclude State and local law enforcement officers and firefighters from coverage under such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1985
Income Maintenance Integrity Act - Provides that any State which has in effect an approved plan which cross-matches its public assistance rolls against the records of State financial institutions in order to verify an individual's income and to remove ineligible individuals from such rolls shall be entitled to receive Federal payments in order to carry out and administer the plan. Authorizes appropriations. Sets forth requirements which a State's plan must meet in order to receive such payments. Provides that between the period of October 1, 1985, and October 1, 1988, the Federal payment will be 75 percent. Provides that if a State can demonstrate that any money recouped as a result of the plan will be used in other federally-assisted public assistance programs, then the Federal payment will be 100 percent. Defines the term "Federally-assisted public assistance program" to mean the food stamp program and the following programs under the Social Security Act: (1) Aid to Families with Dependent Children (part A of title IV of such Act); (2) Medicaid (title XIX of such Act); and (3) Supplemental Security Income (title XVI of such Act).
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1985
Grants a Federal charter to the Retired Enlisted Association, Incorporated.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1985
Income and Jobs Action Act of 1985 - Declares that every adult American able and willing to earn a living has the right to a choice among opportunities for paid employment (part- or full-time) at decent wages or for self-employment. Directs all Federal agencies to plan and carry out their policies and programs so all adult Americans may exercise this right. Prohibits the Federal Reserve System or any other Federal agency from promoting recession, stagnation, or involuntary unemployment as a means of reducing wages and salaries or inflation. Declares that every adult American unable to work for pay has the right to an adequate standard of living that rises with increases in the wealth and productivity of the society. Provides that no adult American shall be judged unable to work merely because of the unavailability of suitable paid employment opportunities at a given time or place or because of the lack of previous employment. Requires, in the absence of such opportunities and until such opportunities can be provided, that an adult American able and willing to work for pay shall be provided with whatever income is required to maintain a moderate level of living, as defined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Directs the President, in the first annual message at the beginning of the first session of the Congress after the enactment of this Act, to include specific proposals for a Conversion Planning Fund, to be administered by agencies determined by the President. Provides that such Fund shall promote short- and long-term plans for coping with declines in civilian or military activities by developing specific policies, programs, and projects (including feasibility studies, education, on-the-job training, and inducements for necessary and desirable labor mobility) for the expansion of economic activities in sectors where additional or improved goods or services are needed. Requires, in addition to such other funds as may be authorized, that such Fund include no less than one percent of the amount appropriated for military purposes during each subsequent year. Directs the President, within six months after the enactment of this Act and thereafter in each annual economic report and budget message, to transmit to Congress a staged program to create conditions under which the rights set forth in this Act may be enjoyed and to describe how the Conversion Planning Fund may be most productively used. Sets forth requirements for the design of such program, including provisions for locally based over-all planning. Directs the President, as part of such annual program, to transmit to Congress a short- and long-range schedule for implementing the purposes of the Act. Requires that such schedule include reductions in: (1) the military budget; (2) wasteful tax expenditures and loopholes; and (3) interest rates and Federal deficits. Requires that such schedule include: (1) recommendations for the appropriate use and direction of public and private pension funds; (2) the creation or promotion of private and public development banks, particularly in neighborhoods and other areas of high unemployment and poverty; (3) the promotion of educational activities within each State in accordance with locally-based overall planning, with special attention to educational processes that promote and use the creative abilities of businesses, labor unions, nonprofit voluntary and cooperative organizations, and the unemployed; and (4) timetables for developing the conditions for progress in attaining the policy goals of this Act. Requires that any outlays proposed under such plan and program be presented in terms not only of gross outlays, but also of net outlays, computed with a full estimation of specified factors.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1985
Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to permit each individual enrolled under part B to elect to be provided the benefits described in this Act. Provides that each such individual shall be deemed to have elected coverage for such benefits, unless the individual files notice to the contrary. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish the premiums for such coverage. Sets forth the following benefits to be provided by such coverage: (1) the limitation on the length of inpatient hospital services under part A (Hospital Insurance) of title XVIII would be dropped; (2) coinsurance payments, under part A, for the first 100 days of skilled nursing coverage would be dropped; (3) coinsurance payments for part B services would be dropped; and (4) coverage for an annual preventive health care visit.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1985
Medicare Part C Program Act of 1985 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (the Act) to add a new part C entitled "Insurance Program for Vision, Hearing, and Dental Services and Prescription Drugs." (Redesignates the current part C as part D.) Provides for coverage in such new program on a voluntary basis. States that the program will: (1) provide benefits for aged and disabled individuals, and individuals with end stage renal disease; and (2) be financed from premium payments by enrollees and receipts from certain excise taxes on tobacco products. Provides that the program shall provide the following benefits: (1) routine eye care including an annual vision examination and prescription eyeglasses; (2) dental services, including teeth cleaning, extractions, examinations, and dentures; (3) hearing examinations and aids; and (4) prescription drugs and biologicals. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for a hearing aid certification program. Provides for payment from the Medicare Part C Trust Fund established by this Act for the incurred expenses of covered individuals. Provides, subject to certain conditions, for a payment rate of 100 percent of the reasonable cost, after payment of a deductible of $75. Sets forth procedures for the payment of claims to providers. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to enter into agreements with carriers for administrative purposes. Provides that the following individuals shall be eligible for the program: (1) those entitled to benefits under part A (Hospital Insurance) of title XVIII; and (2) those residents aged 65 and older who are either citizens or lawfully admitted aliens who have resided in the United States continuously during the five years preceding their application. Permits individuals to enroll only during specified enrollment periods. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to annually determine the premium rate. Requires that the premiums be deposited in the Medicare Part C Trust Fund. Establishes the Medicare Part C Trust Fund in the Treasury. Provides that the Trust Fund shall consist of gifts, bequests, premium deposits, and a portion of the tobacco excise tax. Requires the Board of Trustees of the Trust Fund to make certain reports to the Congress. Directs the Secretary, at the request of a State, to enter into an agreement with such State under which enrollment in the program established by this Act will be provided to certain individuals receiving assistance under titles I (Grants to States for Old-Age Assistance), XVI (Supplemental Security Income), and XIX (Medicaid) of the Act. Sets forth conforming amendments. Directs the Secretary to provide for a demonstration project on the cost-effectiveness of providing services and appliances, as a benefit under the new Medicare part C program, to assist or compensate for visual impairment in low-vision individuals. Provides that expenditures for such project shall be made from the Medicare Part C Trust Fund. Amends the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 to extend indefinitely the current rate of the excise tax on cigarettes.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1985
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide that if the Secretary of Health and Human Services enters into a risk-sharing contract with an eligible organization (either a health maintenance organization or a competitive medical plan) offering a "hospital-based comprehensive care program," then the entity need not meet certain requirements for Medicare participation which would otherwise have to be met. Defines a "hospital-based comprehensive care program."
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1985
Form 1099 Paperwork Relief Act of 1985 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow the inclusion of dividend payments with the required informational statement furnished to taxpayers receiving dividends. (Present law requires separate mailings of dividend payments and such informational statements.)
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1985
Designates the week of August 25 through August 31, 1985, as National CPR Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1985
Congressional Pay Reform Act of 1985 - Amends the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 to specify that pay adjustments for Members of Congress shall become effective on March 1 following the beginning of the next Congress after the Congress during which such adjustment is approved. Amends the Federal Salary Act to require the President to transmit to the Congress within a specified time period, recommendations for rates of pay of Members of Congress legislative and judicial employees. (Currently such recommendations are included in the Federal budget.) Prohibits the House of Representatives and the Senate from considering any bill or joint resolution carrying an appropriation for compensation of Members of Congress for any fiscal year if such bill or joint resolution carries an appropriation, or a limitation of appropriations, for any other purpose. Requires a recorded vote on such bill or resolution.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should express to the Soviet Union the U.S. opposition to the Soviet Union's slave labor policies by all possible means, including refusing to permit imports of products made by such labor. Requests the President to end the delay in enforcing the restriction against importing goods produced by forced labor.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1985
Military Family Services Act of 1985 - Implements a rate of 18 cents per mile as reimbursement allowances for travel and transportation expenses related to military service. Implements a weight allowance scale by pay grade for military moves. Limits temporary lodging expenses reimbursement to: (1) enlisted members only; and (2) $100 per day (currently $110). Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to establish voluntary enrollment premium-sharing dental benefit plans for spouses and children of members of the uniformed services who are on active duty for more than 30 days. Requires enrolled members to pay a premium established by the Secretary. Outlines coverage limits for such plan. Creates a separate variable housing allowance for enlisted members of the uniformed services. (Currently, such allowance is the same for enlisted as well as non-enlisted members.) Authorizes the Secretary of each military department to enter into agreements with lessors having rental housing units located near military installations to assure compensation to such lessors for a breach of a lease by members of the armed forces. Outlines details to be included in such agreement. Provides for reimbursement to the United States by a member if it is determined that damage to the unit or breach of the lease was caused by the member. Provides for deductions from a member's pay in such circumstances. Requires the Secretary of Defense to report to the Congress concerning such lease assurance agreements. Establishes in the Department of Defense the Office of Military Family Services to provide family services to the members of the armed services. Outlines the services to be provided. Requires the Director of such Office to report to the Secretary of Defense every 12 months following the date of enactment of this Act concerning issues related to military families.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1985
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to provide that a divorced spouse or a surviving divorced spouse can qualify for benefits based on an insured's wage record if the marriage lasted for at least a year. (Current law requires the marriage to have lasted ten years.) Provides that such benefits shall be reduced to an amount equal to ten percent of such benefit, as otherwise determined, multiplied by the number of ten years of the marriage.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1985
Employee Educational Assistance Act of 1985 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend indefinitely the income tax exclusion for employee educational assistance programs. (Present law terminates such exclusion as of December 31, 1985.) Limits the maximum amount of such exclusion (beginning in 1986) to $5,000 of amounts paid or expenses incurred for educational assistance furnished to an employee during a calendar year. Exempts graduate students engaged in teaching or research activities from such maximum limit. Provides for annual cost-of-living adjustments in such maximum limit beginning in 1987.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1985
Amends the Tax Reform Act of 1984 to make permanent the rules relating to the allocation of research and experimental expenditures for purposes of determining income from sources within the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1985
Directs the Attorney General to provide for the naturalization of certain resident Filipino World War II veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1985
Cancer Patients Employment Rights Act - Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to make it an unlawful employment practice for an employer, employment agency or labor organization to: (1) require an employee or prospective employee with a cancer history to meet certain medical standards unrelated to job requirements; or (2) reveal any confidential medical information without consent. Makes it an unlawful employment practice for an employer to fail to make a good faith effort to explore where reasonable accommodations may be made for an employee with a cancer history. Provides that it shall not be an unlawful employment practice to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge an employee: (1) if the employer demonstrates no reasonable accommodation can be made; or (2) the employee is unable to perform the job safely. Includes cancer history within the protections of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1985
Readiness Enhancement of Air Force Reserve Special Operations Act of 1985 - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 for the operation and maintenance of: (1) a Special Operations Wing of the Air Force Reserve; and (2) the Directorate of the Department of Defense Task Force on Drug Law Enforcement. Directs the Secretary of Defense, not later than September 30, 1985, to report to specified congressional committees concerning the expenditure of funds authorized by this Act. Outlines information to be included in such report.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1985
Amends the Federal criminal code with regard to the kidnapping of children under the age of 18. Provides for a minimum sentence of ten years. Imposes a life sentence (without the eligibility for parole for 20 years) if certain aggravating conduct is involved. Lists aggravating conduct as: (1) selling the victim of such offense; (2) sexually abusing the victim; (3) using the victim for pornography; (4) denying the victim food or medical care; (5) intentionally harming the victim physically to a life-threatening extent; or (6) causing the victim to be subjected to such conduct by another. Prohibits the granting of a probationary or suspended sentence.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1985
Amends the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 to extend hospice benefits under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act for two years, until October 1, 1988.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1985
Requires the Federal Communications Commission to conduct and take final action in a proceeding for the assignment of a particular channel in the citizens band radio service for use by neighborhood watch programs. Specifies matters to be considered and requires the opportunity for public comment in such proceeding.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1985
Designates October 16, 1985, as World Food Day.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1985
Designates 1985 as the Oil Heat Centennial Year.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1985
Designates the week of August 9 through August 15, 1985, as National Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist Week.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the residential energy income tax credit for solar energy property for five years (from 1985 to 1990). Phases out the percentage of expenditures which may be taken into account for such credit between the years 1986 and 1990. Limits to $6,000 the maximum amount of expenditures for solar hot water systems which may be taken into account for purposes of such credit. Specifies additional standards which solar hot water systems and active space heating systems must meet in order to qualify for such credit. Increases and extends for five years (from 1985 to 1990) the energy investment tax credit for specified types of solar energy property.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an individual an income tax credit equal to 25 percent of the amount of expenses paid or incurred during the taxable year for new security devices for the taxpayer's residence. Limits the amount of the tax credit to a maximum of $125. Provide that the tax credit shall be 100 percent of such expenses for individuals who have attained the age of 65 before the close of the taxable year. Provides that where the basis of property is increased as a result of an expenditure for security devices, the taxpayer must reduce such property's basis by the amount of the allowed credit. Provides that no credit shall be allowed where the property is eligible for the investment credit.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase to $4,000 the maximum deduction for contributions to retirement savings plans and to allow married individuals to compute the amount of their income tax deduction for contributions to retirement savings plans on the basis of the earnings of their spouse.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1985
Designates the month of May 1985 as Better Hearing and Speech Month.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) veterans' disability compensation payments should remain exempt from Federal income taxation; and (2) the President should reject any proposals to tax such payments.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1985
Comprehensive Substance Abuse Education Act of 1985 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to establish a Comprehensive Substance Abuse Education Program to assist school districts in establishing and improving substance abuse education programs for elementary and secondary school students. Includes under such assistance the preparation and provision of instructional materials and assistance in the training for instructors for such programs. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to States for State personnel to implement this program. Directs the Secretary to report on such program to the Congress within one year after enactment of this Act. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1985
Directs the Secretary of Transportation to apportion for expenditure on the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways: (1) the remaining sums authorized to be appropriated in accordance with the interstate cost estimate for FY 1985; and (2) the sums authorized to be appropriated in accordance with the interstate cost estimate for FY 1986. Directs the Secretary to apportion: (1) the remaining sums to be apportioned for FY 1984 for expenditure on substitute highway and transit projects; and (2) the sums to be apportioned for FY 1985 for expenditure on substitute highway and transit projects.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1985
Requires the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health to develop and distribute suicide prevention information. Requires an annual report to the Congress. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1985
Provides that each item of any general or special appropriation bill and any bill or joint resolution making supplemental, deficiency, or continuing appropriations that is agreed to in the same form by both Houses of the Congress shall be enrolled as a separate bill or joint resolution for presentation to the President (line-item veto).
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1985
Authorizes the Armored Force Monument Committee, the United States Armor Association, the World Wars Tank Corps Association, the Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge, the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment Association, the Tank Destroyer Association, the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, and 16th Armored Division Associations, and the Council of Armored Division Associations to erect a memorial in or near Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, to honor and commemorate the American Armored Force. Directs the Secretary of the Interior, with the approval of the National Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission, to select the site and approve the design and plans. Obligates the United States to expenses of maintenance only. Requires the commencement of the erection of the memorial within five years with a certification of sufficiency of funds necessary before commencement.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1985
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should: (1) continue to express U.S. opposition to the exile of Igor Ogurtsov; and (2) urge the Soviet Union to provide Igor Ogurtsov with medical care, grant his release from exile, and accept his application for an exit visa and allow him to emigrate without forcing him to renounce his views.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1985
Amends the Truth in Lending Act to limit the rate of interest which may be charged on credit card accounts to not more than five percentage points higher than the discount rate on 90-day commercial paper in effect at the Federal Reserve district in which the card issuer is located.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1985
Authorizes the President, on behalf of the Congress, to present a gold medal to the family of Harry Chapin in recognition of Harry Chapin's efforts to address issues of world hunger. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to provide for the sale of bronze duplicates of the medal.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1985
Children's Justice Act - Amends the Child Abuse Amendments of 1984 to authorize a Children's Justice Grant program. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make additional grants to States under specified provisions of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act for identification, treatment, and prevention of sexual abuse. Makes a State eligible for such assistance if the Secretary determines that the State, within one year after the enactment of this Act, has enacted specified legal and administrative changes with respect to the investigation and prosecution of child sexual abuse cases. Requires a State, to be eligible for such assistance, to have in effect a child sexual abuse program which includes at least one statute or administrative procedure to carry out the following categories of reforms: (1) handling such cases so as to reduce the trauma to the child victim; (2) improving the chances of successful prosecution or legal action against child molesters; and (3) improving procedures to protect children from sexual abuse. Directs the Secretary to issue necessary regulations for such assistance program. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 and 1987.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1985
National Training Incentives Act of 1985 - Declares that it is the policy and responsibility of the Federal Government to encourage cooperation between employers and employees to promote training programs which will assist employees, should they be displaced from the work force, in training for a trade or occupation for which present and future employment opportunities exist. Enumerates congressional findings with respect to the inadequacies of existing employment and training programs, the importance of such programs to the national security and economy, the current funding of such programs, the impact of foreign trade competition on the U.S. economy and job market, and the inadequacies of the unemployment compensation system. Title I: Amendments to Internal Revenue Code of 1954 Relating to Employee Training - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish an employee training credit for employers. Adds such employee training credit to those credits which are included in the current year business credit for purposes of determining the general business income tax credit for a taxable year. (The Internal Revenue Code provisions for such general business income tax credit permit three-year carrybacks and 15-year carryforwards of unused credits, with specified limitations.) Makes such employee training credit for any taxable year equal to 25 percent of the excess, if any, of: (1) the qualified training expenses of the taxpayer for such taxable year, over (2) the base period training expenses of such taxpayer. Defines "qualified training expenses" as the aggregate amount of expenses paid or incurred by the taxpayer during the taxable year in connection with the training of employees under approved training programs. Defines "base period training expenses" as the average of the qualified training expenses for each year in the base period. Defines "base period" as the five taxable years of the taxpayer immediately preceding the taxable year for which the determination is being made ("the determination year"). Sets forth transitional rules for the first four determination years beginning after December 31, 1984. Sets minimum base period training expenses by providing that, in the case of any determination year of the taxpayer for which the qualified training expenses exceed 200 percent of the base period training expenses, "50 percent of such qualified training expenses" shall be substituted for "the base period training expenses" in the formula to determine the amount of the credit. Defines "approved training program," for purposes of such employee training credit, to include: (1) any apprenticeship program registered or approved by Federal or State agencies; (2) any employer-designed or employer-sponsored training program which meets certain requirements prescribed by the Secretary of Labor (Secretary); (3) any cooperative education; (4) any training program designated by the Secretary which is carried out under the supervision of an institution of higher education; or (5) any other training program approved by the Secretary. Sets forth the special tax rules for the aggregation of qualified training expenses, allocations of such credits, and adjusted to such employee training credit amount for acquisitions and dispositions of a trade or business. Specifies that the employee training credit shall be in addition to any other deduction or credit allowed for the same expenses under the Federal tax law. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt from any penalty tax early withdrawal from an individual retirement account or annuity (IRA) of a displaced worker if such withdrawals are made to pay training expenses, do not exceed the allowable amount, and are made in accordance with the requirements of this Act. Incorporates provisions of title II of this Act relating to the definition of displaced workers, training expenses, and allowable IRA distributions within the Internal Revenue Code provisions relating to individual retirement accounts and annuities. Title II: Withdrawals from Individual Retirement Accounts and Annuities for Job Training for Displaced Workers - Entitles a displaced worker to apply to the Secretary of Labor (Secretary) for certification of such individual's status as a displaced worker. Defines a "displaced worker" as any individual, as of the time of application for a certificate, who has at least 20 quarters of coverage under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act, who has received employment counseling within the past year from an agency approved by the Secretary, and who is in one of the following categories: (1) receiving regular State unemployment compensation; (2) exhausted the right to receive such compensation; (3) unemployed, or received notification of termination of employment within six months, due to permanent closure of a plant or facility; or (4) unemployed for six months or more and with limited opportunity for employment in a similar trade or occupation within a reasonable commuting distance. Permits displaced workers to withdraw amounts from their individual retirement account or annuity (IRA) to pay the expense (tuition, fees, books, supplies, or required equipment) of an eligible training program. Limits the amounts of such IRA withdrawal to $4,000 per year (with cost-of-living adjustments), minus aggregate amounts distributed for training expense payments in the four immediately preceding taxable years. Requires withdrawals from an IRA for training expenses to be made only through the use of a voucher issued by the account trustee or insurance company custodian upon presentation to such trustee or custodian by the displaced worker of a displaced worker certificate and an invoice or statement evidencing that such worker has enrolled in an eligible training program. Sets forth requirements for the presentation and redemption of vouchers for payment of job training expenses. Prohibits depositary institutions from assessing any penalty against a displaced worker for early withdrawals from an IRA to pay such training expenses. Permits adjustments in the rate of return on certain investments when IRA funds are withdrawn to pay such training expenses. Provides that the participation of displaced workers in an eligible training program shall not disqualify such workers for unemployment compensation to which they are otherwise entitled. Defines "eligible training program" as a training program offered by an institution of higher education, a postsecondary vocational institution, a proprietary institution of higher education, or any other institution approved by the Secretary which prepares students for gainful employment in a trade or occupation in which present and future employment opportunities exist. Requires the Secretary to promulgate regulations for: (1) the application of an educational institution for qualification of its training program; and (2) criteria for determining whether such a job training program qualified as an eligible training program under the terms of this Act. Directs the Secretary, for purposes of determining whether certain job training programs qualify as eligible training programs, to consider any determination relating to such programs made by: (1) the Administrator of Veterans Affairs or a State approving agency for veterans' educational programs; (2) a private industry council established under the Job Training Partnership Act or other official or group empowered to make determinations under such Act; (3) the Secretary of Education; (4) any State education agency; or (5) a nationally recognized accrediting agency which the Secretary determines to be reliable in evaluating the quality of job training programs. Sets forth nondiscrimination requirements for institutions offering such job training programs. Requires the Secretary to minimize the amount of paperwork and time necessary to certify any individual as a displaced worker or any training program as an eligible training program. Title III: State Employment Service Responsibilities - Directs the Secretary of Labor to allocate funds to States to reimburse administrative costs of public employment offices which provide certification for displaced workers, labor market and training information, and job search services. Authorizes appropriations for such purpose for FY 1986 and thereafter. Directs the Secretary to submit a report to the Congress on a nationwide computerized job bank and matching program authorized under the Job Training and Partnership Act. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - Amends the Job Training Partnership Act to direct the private industry councils established under such Act to make information on job training programs available throughout their service delivery areas. Exempts such councils from limitations on expenditures imposed by such Act in providing such information. Excludes from the computation of the amount of the expected family contribution to a student for Pell Grant purposes any unemployment compensation received by such student or any IRA distribution used to pay training expenses of such student, provided such student is certified as a displaced worker under the terms of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1985
Administrative Law Judge Corps Act - Amends Federal law to establish, in Washington, D.C., an Administrative Law Judge Corps (the Corps) comprised of all current administrative law judges. States that the chief administrative law judge shall be the chief administrative officer of the Corps as well as its presiding judge. Specifies the qualifications for chief judge. States that such judge shall be appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate. Directs the chief judge to submit a written report to the President and the Congress. Establishes divisions (to number between four and ten) within the Corps, with each division headed by a division chief judge appointed by the President, with the consent of the Senate. Identifies initial divisions and their respective areas of jurisdiction. Specifies qualifications required for division chief judges. States that the Corps' policymaking body shall be the Council of the Corps (the Council), comprised of the chief judge and the division chief judges. Authorizes the Council to approve or disapprove: (1) the assignment of judges to divisions; (2) creation, abolition, or reorganization of divisions; and (3) re-assignments of division chief judges. Authorizes the Council to determine matters of general Corps policy, including: (1) the issuance of regulations for Corps proceedings; (2) creation or abolition of divisions or regional offices; (3) contractual transactions; and (4) delegation of functions to division chief judges. Establishes a Judicial Nomination Commission (the Commission) to submit a list of qualified nominees for positions of chief judge and division chief judges. Specifies officials who shall appoint a member to the Commission. Sets the terms of initial Corps appointments and the procedure for filling vacancies. Prescribes a procedure for recommending appointments to the President. Directs the Corps to appoint new judges from a register maintained by the Office of Personnel Management. Confers jurisdiction upon members of the Corps to adjudicate cases under specified sections of the Administrative Procedure Act. Requires cases arising under such sections to be referred to the Corps. Directs the Council to issue regulations for assigning such cases. Provides guidelines for the removal and discipline of administrative law judges. Establishes a Complaints Resolution Board within the Corps to recommend action upon complaints against the official conduct of judges. Details the membership of such Board and the procedures to be followed. Declares Board proceedings and the contents of complaints to be privileged and confidential. Exempts documents and reports considered by the Board from the disclosure and publication requirements of the Freedom of Information Act. Exempts the Board from compliance with the public meeting requirements of specified Federal law. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1985
Consumer Rail Equity Act - Reaffirms the intent of the Congress that the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976 and the Staggers Rail Act of 1980 be implemented in a manner which provides both greater competitive alternatives and adequate railroad revenues. Directs the Interstate Commerce Commission to consider only transportation of the same commodity from the same origination point to the same destination when it makes a determination regarding the presence of effective competition. Establishes a rebuttable presumption of rail market dominance if a person challenging a transportation rate shows that alternative noncircuitous rail service from the same origination point to the same destination is unavailable. Shifts the burden of proof regarding transportation rate reasonableness from the shipper to the rail carrier establishing the challenged rate. Amends the rate-reasonableness determination process to require the Commission to find unreasonable a challenged transportation rate differential which exceeds the fully allocated cost of transportation unless the excess differential is not greater than an amount calculated according to a specified formula. Declares that it is Federal policy to encourage and promote competitive transportation rates for both domestic energy supplies and domestically produced agricultural commodities in order to enhance such commodities' competitive position in the import and export markets. Directs the Commission to establish a rail cost adjustment factor which includes actual cost experience and changes in railroad productivity, volume, and product mix. Provides that certain rail carrier rates shall be reduced to the extent of any subsequent decreases in rail cost adjustment factors. States that the revenue-variable cost percentages for the transportation of any particular rail carrier shall be determined using the Commission's Rail Form A cost-finding methodology in effect as of February 20, 1985. States that Commission-prescribed rate increases intended to compensate for inflationary cost increases to take into account changes in railroad productivity, volume, output mix, and actual cost experience. Requires the Commission to complete and render final decisions on rail rate proceedings within 12 months after such proceedings have commenced. Includes within the standards used to determine railroad revenue adequacy: (1) identification of revenues, expenses, and investment base reasonably related to rail transportation service; (2) straight-line depreciation of assets reasonably related to rail transportation service, minus deferred tax reserves resulting from accelerated depreciation; and (3) actual cost of debt capital and reasonable estimates of the current cost of equity capital. Requires the Commission, when making revenue adequacy determinations, to consider specified indicators of a rail carrier's financial status, including merger and acquisition actions and the cost of capital used in such actions. Requires the Commission to determine, on an annual basis, which rail carriers are earning adequate or inadequate revenues and to determine for each rail carrier the revenues required to achieve or maintain revenue adequacy. Authorizes (currently, requires) the Commission to exempt persons from application of this Act when: (1) such application is not necessary to implement Federal transportation policy; and (2) the Commission finds there is no market dominance involved in the affected transaction. Requires any rail carrier providing service under certain line rates to participate in competitive joint rail rates through practicable interchange connections (or publish a competitive proportional rate) if requested to do so by a rail carrier (or shipper or receiver) who has an actual or practicable interchange connection. Directs the Commission, upon petition of any interested party, to require certain terminal facilities owned by a rail carrier in interstate or foreign commerce to be used by another rail carrier if the Commission finds: (1) it is in the public interest to do so; and (2) that the owner of such terminal facility will not suffer substantial impairment of its own business interests. Directs the Commission to require, upon petition by an interested party, that rail carriers enter into reciprocal switching agreements if such an agreement is in the public interest or necessary to provide alternative competitive rail service. Directs the Commission to establish reciprocal switching compensation at a level not to exceed the current percentage of the actual variable costs for such service (unless the carrier demonstrates that a higher level is reasonable and necessary). Revises railroad line abandonment procedures to provide that a rail carrier must wait one year before resubmitting a previously denied abandonment application, unless a substantial change in circumstances can be shown. Requires the Commission to hold hearings in communities affected by a proposed railroad line abandonment if requested to do so by community protestants. Requires the Commission to base its abandonment determination upon financial data regarding the facility proposed to be abandoned rather than upon financial data regarding industry-wide averages. Subjects to Commission review any State decision regarding intrastate rates, rules, and practices if a party to such State proceedings petitions for Commission review. Requires the Commission to take action on such petition within 120 days of its receipt. Authorizes the Commission to vacate a State decision found inconsistent with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1985
High Technology Research and Scientific Education Act of 1985 - Title I: The Credit for Increasing Research Activities - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the tax credit for research and development (R&D) expenditures. Modifies the definition of qualified research for purposes of the R&D credit to narrow the category of eligible activities for which the credit is allowable. Provides that in-house and contract research expenses paid or incurred by a regular corporation (not an S corporation, a personal holding company, or a service corporation) will constitute qualified research expenses for R&D credit purposes if the corporation undertakes the research with the intention to use the result thereof in the active conduct of a present or future trade or business. Provides that in the case of research being conducted in partnership form, research expenses will constitute qualified research expenses if they are incurred by the partnership in carrying on a trade or business as applied at the partnership level, and the credit is apportioned among the partners in accordance with general partnership rules. Provides exceptions to this general rule where: (1) there is a joint venture enterprise of regular corporations; or (2) not all of the members of the joint venture are regular corporations, but each member's own trade or business would satisfy the trade or business test with respect to the partnership's research expenditures. Provides that for these two exceptions the research expenses will flow through to the partners, with the trade or business test being applied at the partner level. Title II: Promotion of University Research and Scientific Investigation - Establishes a new income tax credit equal to 20 percent of that portion of a corporation's payments to universities (and other qualified non-profit tax-exempt organizations for basic research) which exceeds a fixed, historical "minimum university basic research" floor. Defines the "minimum university basic research" floor as one percent of the annual average of the corporate taxpayer's combined qualified in-house research expenses, contract research expenses and university basic research payments for the base period composed of the period from 1981 through 1983. Provides that the amounts of research expenses which fall below the floor shall remain eligible for the present R&D credit and are included in the corporation's base period for purposes of calculating the present R&D credit. Treats the amounts which exceed the "minimum university basic research" floor as ineligible for the present R&D credit and excludes such amounts from the corporate taxpayer's base year research expenses for purposes of calculating the corporations R&D credit under present law. Provides that a corporation's payments to universities for basic research that is eligible for the new tax credit shall be reduced to the extent that the corporation's general (i.e., not designated for research purposes) charitable giving to all universities falls below historical levels (the annual average of undesignated payments for three of the immediately preceding four years as selected by the taxpayer). Makes additions to the list of organizations to which corporate payments for basic research may be made and be eligible for the tax credit. Allows a corporation an income tax deduction for contributions of scientific or technical property to an institution of higher education. Defines scientific property to mean tangible personal property (including computer software) used in a trade or business, which is donated for the direct education of students or faculty, for research and experimentation, or for research training in the United States in mathematics, the physical, biological, or chemical sciences, engineering, or advanced computer sciences. Sets forth a formula for determining the amount of the allowable deduction for contributions of scientific property. Provides for an income tax exclusion for the scholarships, fellowship grants, student loan forgiveness, or stipends of a graduate student in mathematics, engineering, computer science, or the physical or biological sciences. Provides that such tax exclusion is not forfeited merely because the student is required, as a condition of the scholarship or fellowship, to perform future service in teaching or research.