United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
Polygraph Protection Act of 1985 - Prohibits any employer from using any lie detector test or examination in the work place, for both pre-employment testing and testing in the course of employment. Requires the Secretary of Labor to prepare and have printed notices setting forth this prohibition. Requires employers to post these notices. Provides for remedies for violations of this Act as found in the Fair Labor Standards Act. Exempts Federal, State, and local employees from the Act's coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
Handicapped Children's Protection Act of 1985 - Amends the Education of the Handicapped Act to authorize the award of a reasonable attorney's fee as part of the costs to the parents or guardian of a handicapped child or youth who is the prevailing party in a civil suit under such Act to protect the child's right to a free appropriate public education. Requires the party seeking such an award to submit an application, including an itemized statement of such fees and expenses from the attorneys or expert witnesses. Authorizes the court to: (1) increase the amount awarded to the prevailing party if the court finds that the local or State educational agency or the intermediate educational unit has engaged in conduct which unduly and unreasonably protracted the final resolution of the matter in controversy; or (2) reduce or deny an award if it finds that the prevailing party engaged in such conduct. Prohibits such awards from being paid with funds provided to the State under such Act. Provides that such amendments shall apply to actions and proceedings brought on or after July 4, 1984, and actions and proceedings brought prior to such date which were pending on such date. Provides that nothing in the Education of the Handicapped Act shall be construed to restrict or limit the rights, procedures, and remedies under the Constitution, title V of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, or other Federal statutes prohibiting discrimination. Provides that specified provisions under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 relating to nondiscrimination toward the handicapped under Federal grants and programs shall be carried out in accordance with regulations in effect on July 4, 1984. Amends the Education of the Handicapped Act to provide for: (1) public access to hearing decisions; and (2) an informal complaint resolution procedure. Provides that any decision regarding participation in an informal complaint resolution meeting with the State or local educational agency or intermediate educational unit shall not affect the availability or provision of any rights of the parents or guardian of the handicapped child under procedural safeguard provisions of such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
Anti-Apartheid Act of 1985 - Prohibits any U.S. person from making any loan to South Africa or to any organization owned or controlled by South Africa. Excludes from such prohibition a loan for any educational, housing, or health facility which: (1) is available to everyone on a nondiscriminatory basis; and (2) is located in an area accessible to all population groups. Declares that such prohibition shall not apply to loans for which an agreement is entered into before enactment of this Act. Directs the President to issue regulations prohibiting U.S. persons from making any investment (including bank loans) in South Africa. Excludes from such prohibition: (1) an investment which consists of earnings derived from a business enterprise in South Africa established before enactment of this Act and which is made in that business enterprise; or (2) the purchase of certain securities in such business enterprises. Prohibits any person, including U.S. banks, from importing into the United States any gold coin minted in or offered for sale by South Africa. Authorizes the President to waive the prohibitions against investments in South African businesses and against importing South African gold coins if: (1) the Government of South Africa meets at least one of seven conditions; (2) the President submits to the Congress a determination that such conditions are met; and (3) a joint resolution is enacted approving such determination. Authorizes the President to extend the waivers. Provides for expedited consideration of such joint resolution. Amends the Export Administration Act of 1979 to prohibit exporting computers, computer software, or goods or technology intended to service computers to or for use by South Africa or any organization owned or controlled by South Africa. Excludes from such prohibition donations of computers to primary and secondary schools. Declares that certain termination provisions of the Export Administration Act of 1979 shall not apply to such prohibition. Provides for enforcement of this Act. Sets forth penalties for violations of this Act. Directs the President to attempt to persuade through negotiations other countries to adopt restrictions on new investment in South Africa, on bank loans and computer sales to South Africa, and on the importation of krugerrands. Directs the President to submit annual reports to the Congress on the status of negotiations. Terminates the provisions of this Act and all the regulations issued to carry out this Act upon enactment of a joint resolution approving a determination submitted by the President to the Congress that apartheid in South Africa has been abolished.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
Entitles an inspector for the Immigration and Naturalization Service or the United States Customs Service to a civil service annuity after such inspector reaches age 50 and completes 20 years of combined service as an inspector, Federal fire fighter, or Federal law enforcement officer.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
Directs the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to review a certain study by the Army Corps of Engineers regarding the feasibility of constructing a canal connecting Lake Erie and the Ohio River, Ohio and Pennsylvania, and report any findings to the Congress.
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
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the targeted jobs tax credit from 1985 to 1986. Includes economically disadvantaged individuals who have attained the age of 55 as members of a targeted group for purposes of such credit.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
Requires each State to provide for voter registration by mail for Federal elections. Requires such registration to be carried out by a post card application form approved by the Attorney General. Prohibits any State from denying any person the right to vote on the grounds such person is not registered to vote if such person has complied with the requirements of post card registration. Requires the Postmaster General, the Commissioner of Social Security, and the Administrator of Veterans Affairs, in cooperation with the Attorney General and the Chief election officer of each State, to facilitate distribution of post card registration forms in Federal facilities.
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
Directs States to conduct voter registration: (1) during regular business hours and days; (2) during voting hours at polling places on election days; and (3) at other times prescribed by State law. Prohibits any State from denying any individual the right to vote in any Federal election because such individual is not registered to vote if such State does not conduct registration as required by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the United States should investigate the activities of Dr. Josef Mengele; (2) Federal agencies should cooperate in collecting information concerning him; (3) the United States should request that specified nations in which Dr. Mengele is reported to have resided commence internal investigations relating to his residence; (4) the Attorney General should report to the Congress on the progress of the Mengele investigation; and (5) the United States, in conjunction with the Federal Republic of Germany and Israel, should establish an international task force to support such investigation.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) Paraguay should carry out an investigation to locate and arrest Josef Mengele and extradite him to the Federal Republic of Germany; and (2) the United States should take actions to ensure that Josef Mengele is brought to justice.
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
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
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that the use of law enforcement, fire protection, and emergency medical vehicles for commuting purposes shall be treated as a nontaxable fringe benefit if the only permitted personal use of such vehicles is commuting.
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
Amends the United States Code to insert: (1) "Part C - Load Lines of Vessels;" and (2) "Part J - Measurement of Vessels." Combines the requirements of specified statutes regarding load line criteria and applies such criteria to American vessels on international voyages and domestic ocean voyages. (Applies to American-flag vessels the load line criteria of the 1966 Load Line Convention to which the United States is a signatory. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (Secretary of the Navy in time of war) to: (1) consider local conditions when making load line determinations; and (2) exempt vessels which operate under equivalent safety conditions. Implements the International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships, 1969 to apply to American vessels the international standards of vessel measurement. (Such Convention was ratified by the United States in 1982.) Requires applicable vessels to be measured by the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating in accordance with the International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships, 1969 (Convention) and this Act. Directs the Secretary to issue such vessels an International Tonnage Certificate (1969) upon completion of the measurement. Requires the Secretary to accept the tonnage and certificate of vessels of any country that complies with or approximates the provisions of the Convention. Authorizes the Secretary to inspect any vessel to verify compliance with such provisions. Sets forth civil penalties for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1985
Requires presidential primaries to be held during the period beginning the second Tuesday in March and ending on the second Tuesday in June in the year of the presidential election. Directs the Attorney General of the United States to seek compliance with this Act by civil action for equitable relief in Federal district court.
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 Internal Revenue Code to limit the reduction required in computing the tax deduction for corporate charitable contributions in the case of contributions of property used in postsecondary vocational education programs. Specifies certain requirements which the property donated must meet to qualify for such treatment. Allows an employer a tax credit for a specified dollar amount per course for vocational education courses taught by an employee without compensation and for employment of full-time vocational education instructors. Limits the aggregate amount allowed as a tax credit to any taxpayer for any taxable year to not more than $20,000. Restricts the number of courses which may be taught by one employee to five.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1985
High Risk Occupational Disease Notification and Prevention Act of 1985 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct research into improving the means of: (1) surveillance of employees exposed to occupational health hazards; and (2) medical monitoring and treatment of employees exposed to occupational hazards. Provides that such research shall be conducted primarily through the occupational and environmental health centers established under this Act. Lists areas such research is to include (among which are: studying the etiology and development of such diseases; developing means of medical surveillance of exposed employees; and developing educational programs). Directs the Secretary to undertake or sponsor additional epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory research to identify and define additional employee populations at risk of occupational disease. Provides that: (1) this expanded research shall be conducted or sponsored by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH); and (2) in conducting such research, NIOSH shall have access to prior and current employment, occupational, and health-related data and information maintained by Federal agencies. Authorizes the Secretary, in carrying out such research, to employ experts and consultants. Establishes a Risk Assessment Board, within NIOSH, to: (1) review current medical and other scientific studies and reports concerning the incidence of disease associated with employment; (2) report to the Secretary on the state of current research on such diseases; and (3) designate, from such review, employee populations at risk of disease associated with hazardous occupational exposures. Sets forth factors which the Board must consider in identifying such populations at risk. Directs the Board, within ten days of making a finding that a class or category of workers is a population at increased risk (30 percent greater incidence of disease than a comparable worker population not exposed to the hazardous occupational exposure) or a population at high risk (100 percent greater incidence than the comparable worker population not exposed), to recommend to the Secretary that individuals within such populations be notified and, in cases of high risk, be eligible for services and information under this Act. Gives priority for Board review to those employee populations exposed to hazardous occupational exposures for which there already exists a permanent standard under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Requires the Board to transmit to the Secretary its findings and recommendations on these employee populations within one year after the effective date of this Act. Directs the Secretary, upon determination that a given class or category of employee is a population at risk of occupational disease, to notify each individual within such population at risk. Sets forth the required contents of such notification, including counseling information. Directs the Secretary to establish a telephone "hot line" for the personal physicians of employees who have received such notification, to provide additional medical and scientific information concerning the nature of the risk and its associated disease. Directs the Secretary to prepare and distribute other medical and health promotion material and information on any risk subject to such notification requirements and its associated disease as the Secretary deems appropriate. Provides that, in carrying out such notification responsibilities, the Secretary shall have access to information and data contained in any Federal agency records, solely for the purpose of obtaining names, addresses, and work histories of employees subject to such notification. Directs the Secretary to establish and certify occupational and environmental health centers. Provides that such centers shall be selected from: (1) educational resource centers of NIOSH and similar centers of the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences; and (2) at a later date, existing health care facilities, in an appropriate number to obtain even regional distribution of such centers throughout the United States. Sets forth criteria for selection of such centers. Requires such centers to be capable of providing research resources, diagnosis, treatment, medical monitoring, and family services for employees notified under this Act who are at high risk of occupational disease. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop criteria governing the most appropriate type of medical monitoring; and (2) develop a program for training of existing personnel and procuring specialized equipment required under criteria for certification of such centers. Prohibits discrimination by any employer, insurance carrier, or any other person against any employee on the basis that the employee has been notified by the Secretary of being at risk of any occupational disease. Requires that the employee retain the same rates of pay, benefits and seniority as in the former job if, based upon sound medical advice or monitoring initiated under this Act, it is determined that the employee should be transferred to a less hazardous or non-exposed job. Prohibits any health care financing system from discriminating against an employee who has been notified by the Secretary under this Act in the payment of the costs associated with a medical monitoring program, or any subsequent treatment, including treatment required by a medical monitoring examination or the onset of disease. Sets forth procedures for review of discrimination complaints. Provides for reinstatement and specified compensation for employees who are discriminated against in violation of this Act. Sets forth civil penalties for persons or institutions that violate such discrimination prohibitions. Provides for injunctive relief against violations of this Act or any rule or regulation promulgated under this Act. Requires each health care financing system (including public and private health insurance programs, and the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and disability benefits under the Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance program) to provide appropriate testing, evaluation, and medical monitoring services to employees as required under this Act. Requires that the cost of testing, evaluation, and medical monitoring required by an employee as a result of hazardous occupational exposure and notification under this Act be included as a covered item in any health care financing system available to such employees through their employment or as individual purchasers of health insurance. Provides that any treatment provided by a health care financing system to an employee for a subsequent disease that was subject to a notification under this Act may constitute an insurance subrogation claim against a workers' compensation program or insurance carrier. Provides that notification of risk to an employee under this Act and subsequent medical evaluation and monitoring shall not constitute a workers' compensation claim, nor shall such notice toll any statute of limitations with respect to such a claim, except as specifically provided by law under a workers' compensation statute. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 and subsequent fiscal years.
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
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 · 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 impose a penalty tax on charitable organizations which fail to use certain funds set aside to provide legal services to the poor.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) States should develop and adopt a model Act (and interstate recognition and enforcement procedures) providing grandparents with adequate rights to petition in State courts for privileges to visit their grandchildren after a dissolution of the parents' marriage; (2) the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the National Center for Child Abuse and Neglect and the Administration on Aging, should provide technical assistance to States in developing guidelines which help determine the "best interest of the child" in such cases and which take into account the ability of grandparents to help satisfy such child's need for continuity of care.
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
Excludes from gross income, for income tax purposes, certain work-related sick pay received by New York City police officers and firefighters for the three-year period ending May 9, 1983.
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
Comprehensive Oil Pollution Liability and Compensation Act - Title I: Oil Pollution Liability and Compensation - States that this title is inapplicable to the United States regarding oil pollution damages during any period in which both the International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage, 1984 and the International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage, 1984 are in force with respect to the United States and compensation is available. Permits claims for damages for economic loss arising from oil pollution for: (1) removal costs; (2) injury to or destruction of real or personal property; (3) reasonable costs incurred in assessing injury or destruction of natural resources and in planning, restoring, or acquiring the equivalent of the damaged resources; (4) loss of subsistence use of natural resources; (5) loss of profits or impairment of earning capacity due to such injury or destruction; and (6) loss of tax revenue for a period of one year due to injury to real or personal property. Specifies the potential claimants who have standing to assert claims involving such damages. Imposes joint, several, and strict liability on the party responsible for the source of oil pollution. Specifies liability limits (except in cases of gross negligence or willful misconduct) for vessels. Sets forth defenses to liability. Makes the Marine Oil Pollution Insurance Corporation, established under Title II of this Act (the Corporation), liable for damages not otherwise compensated. Requires the responsible party for certain vessels over 300 gross tons and the party responsible for offshore facilities to establish and maintain evidence of financial responsibility in an amount sufficient to satisfy applicable liability limits. Limits the liability of a guarantor to the aggregate amount of financial responsibility that the guarantor provided. Specifies procedures whereby the Secretary of Transportation shall designate and advertise oil pollution sources. Directs the Secretary to advertise claims to be presented initially to the responsible party or to such person's guarantor, in instances in which: (1) the responsible party and guarantor both deny involvement; (2) the source of the discharge is a public vessel; or (3) the Secretary is unable to designate the pollution source. Permits claimants either to present a claim to the Corporation or to bring an action in an appropriate U.S. court if liability is denied or the claim is not settled within a specified period. Sets forth procedures for the disposition and appeal of claims submitted to the Corporation. Requires both the plaintiff and the defendant in a court action brought against a responsible party or guarantor to forward copies of all pleadings to the Corporation. Permits the Corporation to intervene in such actions. Requires a claim to be presented within three years of discovery of an economic loss, or within six years of the date of the incident, whichever is earlier. Subrogates any person, including the Corporation, to all the claimant's claims and rights under this title. Sets forth the measure of recovery for actions brought by the Corporation against any responsible party or guarantor. Grants U.S. district courts exclusive original jurisdiction over all controversies arising under titles I, II, and III of this Act, without regard to the citizenship of the parties or the amount in controversy. Makes the rights and remedies under this title exclusive with respect to economic loss caused by oil pollution (but does not preclude State imposition of taxes or fees to finance the purchase and prepositioning of oil pollution cleanup and removal equipment). Sets penalties for persons failing to comply with specified provisions in this Act. Authorizes appropriations for this title. Title II: Marine Oil Pollution Insurance Corporation and Compensation Fund - Establishes the Marine Oil Pollution Insurance Corporation as a wholly owned Government corporation under the supervision of the Secretary of Transportation. Vests management of such Corporation in an Administrator to be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. Establishes the Marine Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (the Fund) to be administered by the Corporation. Makes the Fund available for purposes of: (1) removal costs incurred under specified laws; (2) costs incurred by the President or a State Governor (as trustee) in assessing damaged natural resources and preparing a restoration and acquisition plan regarding such damaged resources; (3) certain uncompensated damage claims; (4) implementing certain laws regarding oil pollution; and (5) contributions to the International Fund. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to set guidelines for the collection of premiums for deposit into the Fund. Sets a premium of 1.3 cents per barrel of crude oil or other petroleum products for payment into the Fund. Limits payment on any claim (except removal costs) to the extent that payment would result in the Fund having less than $30,000,000. Establishes a liability limit per incident for the Corporation. Sets a maximum civil penalty for failure to pay premiums into the Marine Oil Pollution Compensation Fund. Provides that if the balance of any fund is to be transferred to the Fund, any claim arising before the effective date of this Act shall be paid from the Fund. Provides that if the Secretary determines that there is a Trans-Alaska Pipeline (TAP) fund deficit, then the premium imposed on oil first transported through such Pipeline shall be increased by a certain amount until the total amount of increased premiums equals the deficit. Title III: Regulations, Effective Dates, and Savings Provisions - Specifies the effective dates of specified provisions of this Act. Eliminates the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Liability Fund and provides that all unused assets of such Fund shall be rebated directly to the operator of the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline for pro-rata payments to those owners who had paid into such Fund. Amends specified laws, including the Deepwater Port Act of 1974, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, the Intervention on the High Seas Act, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act Amendments of 1978 and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act, to conform with the provisions of this Act. Transfers to the Fund amounts remaining in the Deepwater Port Liability Fund and the Offshore Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (both having been eliminated by the above repeals). Title IV: Implementation of Conventions - Recognizes the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (International Fund) as a legal person under the laws of the United States. Requires, in any action brought in the United States against the owner of a ship or his guarantor under the International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage, that the International Fund and the Marine Oil Pollution Compensation Fund be served a copy of the complaint and any subsequent pleading. Entitles the International Fund to intervene as a party in any such action. Exempts the International Fund from all direct taxation in the United States. Requires any contribution to the International Fund to be paid from the Marine Oil Pollution Compensation Fund. Sets forth the jurisdiction of the U.S. district courts for controversies arising under the Civil Liability Convention or the International Fund Convention. Requires U.S. courts to recognize final judgments of courts of nations which are a party to the Civil Liability Convention or the International Fund Convention. Requires the owner of each U.S. documented ship, or any ship, wherever registered, which enters or leaves a U.S. port or terminal carrying more than 2,000 tons of oil in bulk as cargo to establish and maintain evidence of financial responsibility in amounts sufficient to cover the maximum liability arising from one incident under the Civil Liability Convention. Imposes a civil penalty for noncompliance with such financial responsibility requirement. States that the United States waives all defenses based on its status as a sovereign state with respect to any controversy arising under the Civil Liability Convention or the International Fund Convention relating to any ship owned by the United States and used for commercial purposes.
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
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
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to permit deferrals in the repayment of federally insured or guaranteed student loans for active duty members of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Corps.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1985
Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to exclude from a household's financial resources certain funds set aside for burial expenses of elderly and disabled members and their spouses.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1985
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to set standards respecting the use of toxic materials in nursing homes constructed after July 1, 1985.
![Official portrait of Rep. Biaggi, Mario [D-NY-19]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b000432_200.jpg)