United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1985
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to provide that disability insurance benefits for an individual having a terminal illness shall begin with the first month such individual has such illness.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1985
Individual Housing Account Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an income tax deduction for cash contributions to a trust account established for the exclusive purpose of purchasing the taxpayer's first principal residence. Limits the maximum annual deduction to $5,000, with a maximum lifetime deduction of $20,000. Excludes distributions from such account from gross income if they are used exclusively for the purchase of a first principal residence. Imposes a ten percent surtax on distributions from an individual housing account which are not used for the purchase of a principal residence. Requires the trustee of an individual housing account to report on the maintenance of the account. Imposes a penalty for failure to file required reports.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Federal Home Loan Bank Board should delay until June 30, 1985, the effective date of its proposed regulations regarding limitations on direct investment in real estate, service corporations, and equity securities by federally insured savings and loan associations. Directs the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs of the House of Representatives to examine alternatives to the proposed regulations which will ensure safety and sound investment activities.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1985
Repeals the requirement added by the Tax Reform Act of 1984 relating to the maintenance of contemporaneous records with respect to: (1) business travel expenses, including automobile expenses; (2) business entertainment expenses; and (3) expenses for gifts.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 1985
State and Local Narcotics Control Assistance Act of 1985 - Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to States to assist States and local governments to increase their drug enforcement activities. Requires such grants to be based on the relative needs of the States, taking into consideration the severity of drug trafficking and abuse and the availability of State and local resources to resolve such problems. Establishes a procedure for grant applications. Requires such an application to include a State-wide strategy for the enforcement of State drug laws. Imposes limitations on the use of such grants, including a maximum ten percent allocation for administrative purposes. Requires each State which receives a grant to submit a yearly report to the Attorney General, who shall in turn report to the Congress with respect to such grants. Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to States for developing more effective drug abuse prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation programs. Establishes a procedure for grant applications. Authorizes appropriations for both grant programs for FY 1986 through 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 1985
Older Veterans' Health Care Amendments of 1985 - Amends Federal law concerning veterans' medical care to define "respite care" for purposes of included coverage. Eliminates the requirement of the presence of a service-connected disability for purposes of eligibility for domiciliary care. Increases eligibility for outpatient and ambulatory services to include those veterans who have received nursing home care or domiciliary care. Makes similar changes to increase eligibility for transfers for nursing home care. Authorizes the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to provide direct admission to a veteran for treatment at an institution not under the jurisdiction of the Administrator if: (1) the veteran has been discharged from a Veterans Administration (VA) hospital; and (2) the veteran is currently receiving home health services under a VA hospital-based home care program. Increase the number of VA centers of geriatric research, education, and clinical centers from 15 to 25.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 1985
Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Treatment Act of 1985 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to designate 20 centers for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. Requires such centers to: (1) provide a central facility for diagnosis, evaluation, and counseling; (2) develop standards of treatment and methods of delivering cost-effective services; (3) train professionals and nonprofessionals in diagnosing and treating such disorders; and (4) develop a comprehensive acute and long-term treatment program. Authorizes FY 1986 through 1990 appropriations. Directs the Secretary to make $1,000,000 available to each center for each of at least five years for teaching, training, research, and staffing. Permits eligible persons to elect to receive benefits as provided for by this Act rather than under titles XVIII (Medicare), XIX (Medicaid), or XX (Grants to States for Service) of the Social Security Act, or under the Older Americans Act of 1965.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
National Observance Advisory Act - Establishes the President's Advisory Commission on National Observances to establish criteria for recommending to the President that a proposed national observance be approved or disapproved.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Davis-Bacon Reform Act of 1985 - Amends the Davis-Bacon Act to increase from $2,000 to $1,000,000 the threshold dollar amount subjecting certain contracts to such Act and requiring them to specify the minimum wages to be paid to laborers and mechanics. Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish as the prevailing wage for a class of laborers or mechanics the entire range of wages being paid to a corresponding class of such workers in the particular urban or rural subdivision of the State in which the work is to be performed. Excludes from the computation of wages the basic hourly rates of pay for workers on local Federal projects. Establishes a separate classification for helpers of laborers or mechanics. Amends the Copeland Anti-Kickback Act to require certain contractors or subcontractors to furnish compliance statements concerning weekly wages at the beginning and conclusion of the period covered by the contract, instead of every week as the wages are paid.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal rules relating to the determination of the issue price of certain debt instruments issued for property. Amends the Tax Reform Act of 1984 to repeal the revisions made to rules for the imputation of interest on certain deferred payments. Provides that the Internal Revenue Code shall be applied and administered as if such revisions had not been enacted.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Federal Constitution Convention Amendment Act - Sets forth procedures for holding constitutional conventions for proposing amendments to the Constitution. Requires that both Houses of the Congress agree to a concurrent resolution calling for a convention whenever they determine that at least two-thirds of the States have submitted valid applications for the calling of a constitutional convention upon the same subject. Entitles each State to the same number of delegates at such convention as it has Senators and Representatives in the Congress, with one delegate elected from each congressional district and two at large. Authorizes the convention to propose constitutional amendments by a two-thirds vote of the total number of delegates. Provides that an amendment shall become valid when ratified by three-fourths of the States. Permits a State to rescind its ratification.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Amends the Board for International Broadcasting Act of 1973 to direct the Board for International Broadcasting to require Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Incorporated, to establish a Russian language program, to be known as Radio Maccabee, for the Jewish population of the Soviet Union. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 and 1987 for such program.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to provide that the adopted child of an individual shall be treated the same as a natural child of such individual for purposes of determining the child's eligibility for benefits based on the individual's wage record, regardless of the time the adoption occurred.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an income tax deduction for the home health care and adult day care expenses of a taxpayer who maintains a household which includes a dependent of the taxpayer who suffers from Alzheimer's disease or a related brain disorder. Permits this deduction whether or not the taxpayer itemizes deductions.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Permits members of the clergy and members of the uniformed services to deduct expenses related to tax-exempt housing allowances and subsistence allowances without regard to the operation of Revenue Ruling 83-3.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to qualify displaced homemakers for the targeted jobs income tax credit. Defines "displaced homemaker" as an individual who: (1) has not worked in the labor force for a substantial number of years but has, during those years, worked in the home providing unpaid services for family members; and (2) has been dependent on public assistance or on the income of another family member but is no longer supported by that income or is receiving public assistance on account of dependent children in the home.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promote the establishment of family support groups to assist individuals with Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder and their family members and to provide for a national coordinating network of such groups. Requires a report to the Congress within one year.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Authorizes the National Committee of American Airmen Rescued by General Mihailovich to establish a monument to General Draza Mihailovich in the District of Columbia or its environs in recognition of the role he played saving the lives of more than 500 U.S. airmen in Yugoslavia during World War II. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to select, with the approval of the National Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission, a suitable site on public grounds for such memorial. Subjects the design and any plans for the memorial to the approval of the Secretary, the National Commission of Fine Arts, and the National Capital Planning Commission. Declares that, except for specified items, neither the United States nor the District of Columbia shall bear any expense in the establishment of such memorial. Directs the Secretary to permit groundbreaking for construction of the monument only after determining that sufficient funds are available for completion of the monument. Directs that the maintenance and care of the monument shall be the responsibility of the National Committee of American Airmen Rescued by General Mihailovich.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Interstate Banking Act of 1985 - Amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, and the National Housing Act to authorize interstate bank branching among States in which State laws specifically authorize such branching. Requires the President to report to Congress concerning the effect of this Act on the financial, economic, and banking environment. Terminates the amendments enacted in this Act five years after the date of enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Law Enforcement Officers Protection Act of 1985 - Amends the Federal criminal code to define "armor piercing ammunition." Excludes from the definition: (1) shot gun shot required by Federal or State regulations for hunting; (2) frangible projectiles for target shooting; and (3) projectiles that the Secretary of the Treasury determines are primarily intended for sporting purposes. Makes it unlawful for any person to manufacture or import armor piercing ammunition. Allows for: (1) manufacture or importation of armor piercing ammunition for the use of the United States or any State or local government; and (2) manufacture for the sole purpose of exportation. Establishes a licensing fee of $1,000 per year for manufacturers and importers of armor piercing ammunition. Imposes an additional mandatory sentence of not less than five years for any person who uses or carries a firearm and is in possession of armor piercing ammunition during the commission of a violent felony. Provides that such sentence shall not be suspended nor probation nor parole be granted.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation Reform Act of 1985 - Revises the formula for the payment of dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) to the surviving spouses of veterans who die on active duty. Adds a formula for postservice DIC based on the percentage of service-connected disability (at time of death) of the person upon whose death entitlement is predicated. Adds a formula of inservice DIC based upon the amount of active duty served by the person now deceased. Provides for the election of the revised DIC for those persons awarded DIC effective before December 1, 1985.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Diplomatic Privileges and Immunities Reciprocity Act of 1985 - Amends the Diplomatic Relations Act to limit the number of members of a diplomatic mission of a communist regime to the United States and the privileges and immunities granted to such members and their families so that the number of members and their privileges and immunities are no greater than those applicable to the U.S. mission to that communist regime. Requires the President to report to Congress on steps taken to implement this Act. Lists countries defined as communist regimes.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Amends the Small Business Act to authorize the Small Business Administration to make loans to small businesses adversely affected by the citrus canker outbreak in Florida.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to exempt persons over 50 years old who have been U.S. permanent residents for at least 20 years from the "Government knowledge" naturalization requirement.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with specified agencies, to conduct at least ten demonstration projects to determine the feasibility of providing for alternative Medicare benefits for individuals entitled to Medicare benefits who are diagnosed as suffering from Alzheimer's disease or a related memory disorder. Directs the Secretary, in conducting such projects, to consider: (1) alternative benefits that encompass a range of outpatient services; and (2) providing alternative benefits in a manner that is analogous to the manner in which benefits for hospice care are made available under Medicare. Limits the cost of each such project. Provides for the paying for such projects.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to prohibit the Export-Import Bank from guaranteeing, insuring, extending credit, or participating in extensions of credit to: (1) communist countries or agencies, instrumentalities, or nationals of communist countries; or (2) any other foreign country, agency, instrumentality, or national if the transaction is to be made with respect to a product or service which is for use in or sale or lease to a communist country. Repeals specified provisions of such Act which permit such transactions. Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to prohibit nonmarket economy countries from participating in any U.S. program or U.S. supported program which extends credits, credit guarantees, or investment guarantees, or makes grants. Repeals the President's authority to waive the freedom of emigration requirements which must be met in order to permit trade with nonmarket economy countries. Terminates any existing credits, guarantees, or grants. Repeals the procedure for waiving the President's authority.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Directs the Comptroller General to audit, each fiscal year, the Federal Reserve Board, the Federal Advisory Council, the Federal Open Market Committee, and all Federal Reserve banks and their branches. Requires the Comptroller General, within six months after the end of each fiscal year, to report to the Congress on the results of such audit.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Amends the Uniformed Survivors Benefits Amendments of 1980 to entitle certain individuals who were widowed on or before September 21, 1972, and who are not covered by the Military Survivor Benefit Plan to an annuity.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Limits U.S. contributions to the budget of the United Nations and affiliated agencies to an amount which bears the same ratio to the total U.N. budget as the U.S. population bears to the total population of U.N. member nations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to prescribe annual adjustments to the formula for determining the primary insurance amount in order to ensure that the replacement rate for the primary insurance amount for January of the following year does not fall below a specified percentage.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Waives the payment of premiums for National Service Life Insurance for veterans who have attained age 70 and have paid premiums on such insurance for not less than 25 years.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase to $2,500 the maximum deduction for contributions to retirement savings plans. Allows certain individuals to compute the amount of the income tax deduction for retirement savings on the basis of the earned income of their spouses without regard to any community property laws.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Constitutional Amendment - Allows the President an item veto of appropriations bills. Requires the President, in signing such a bill, to designate the provisions disapproved and return the bill to the House in which it originated. Subjects such bills to the same proceedings as other bills disapproved by the President.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Constitutional Amendment - Provides for staggered four-year terms for Members of the House of Representatives. Prohibits persons from being elected to the House more than four times or more than three times to four-year terms. Prohibits persons from being elected to the Senate more than twice.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Constitutional Amendment - Prohibits a person who has been elected to: (1) the Senate two times from being eligible for election or appointment to the Senate; and (2) the House of Representatives six times from being eligible for election to the House.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Constitutional Amendment - Requires the Congress, prior to each fiscal year, to adopt a statement of receipts and outlays for that year in which total outlays are not greater than total receipts. Permits the Congress in such statement to provide for a specific excess of outlays over receipts by a three-fifths vote directed solely to that subject. Requires the President and the Congress to ensure that actual outlays do not exceed the outlays set forth in such statement. Prohibits total receipts for any fiscal year set forth in such statement from increasing by a rate greater than the rate of increase in national income in the last calendar year ending before such fiscal year, unless the Congress passes by a three-fifths vote a bill directed solely to approving specific additional receipts and such bill has become law. Requires the President, prior to each fiscal year, to transmit to the Congress a proposed statement of receipts and outlays for that year consistent with the provisions of this article. Permits the Congress to waive the provisions of this Act with respect to any fiscal year in which a declaration of war is in effect. Declares that total receipts shall include all receipts of the United States, except those derived from borrowing and total outlays shall include all outlays of the United States except those for repayment of debt principal.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Constitutional Amendment - Provides for the appointment of electors to represent the insular areas constituting the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Establishes the Joint Committee on Intelligence. Declares that such committee has exclusive legislative jurisdiction with respect to any intelligence activity of the Federal Government and authorizations for appropriations for specified agencies and intelligence-related activities. Directs the joint committee to classify its information and records and to establish guidelines for their maintenance, use, and availability. Sets forth procedures for the disclosure of such information. Directs the joint committee to establish and carry out rules and procedures necessary to prevent the unauthorized disclosure of information. Makes conforming amendments to the Rules of the House of Representatives, including abolishing the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and the National Security Act of 1947.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Requires each House of Representatives committee (except the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct) and subcommittee to be constituted in a ratio proportionate to the membership of the two political parties in the House. Requires, where practicable, the committee staffs to reflect such ratio.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 1984
Amends rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives to prohibit the House from considering the legislative branch appropriation bill for any fiscal year until the House and the Senate have agreed to all other general appropriation bills for such fiscal year.
![Official portrait of Rep. Bilirakis, Michael [R-FL-9]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b000463_200.jpg)