United States · United States Congress · 2 April 1980
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (formerly, the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare) to conduct a clinical investigation of the safety and efficacy of dimethyl sulfoxide as a drug to be used by persons with arthritis.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 1980
Proclaims October 19, 1981, a national day of celebration as the two hundredth anniversary of the victory of General George Washington at Yorktown, Virginia.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 1980
Coastal Management Improvement Act of 1980 - Amends the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to specify that such Act may be cited as the "Coastal Management Act of 1972." Declares that it is the national policy to provide for programs that should at least provide for: (1) the protection of significant natural systems within the coastal zone; (2) the management of coastal development; (3) priority consideration to coastal-dependent uses and orderly processes for siting major facilities related to national defense, energy, fisheries development, recreation, ports and transportation; (4) public access to the coasts for recreation purposes; (5) the coordination and simplification of procedures in order to ensure expedited governmental decisionmaking for the management of coastal resources; (6) continued consultation and coordination with affected Federal agencies; and (7) the giving of timely and effective opportunities for public participation in coastal management decisionmaking. Defines the term "coastal resource of national significance" for the purposes of this Act. Allows the Secretary to Commerce to make a grant annually to any coastal State for not more than 80 percent of the costs of administering such State's coastal management program if the Secretary determines that such program meets specified requirements. Encourages the coastal States to amend their coastal management programs to provide for: (1) the inventory and designation of coastal resources of national significance within the coastal zone of the State; (2) the identification of land and water uses permissible with respect to coastal resources of national significance; and (3) specific and enforceable State standards to ensure that human activities are carried out in a manner that is consistent with the purposes of this Act. Requires the Secretary, with respect to any coastal State which, by October 1, 1984, has not amended its coastal management program to comply with this Act or does not have an approved management program, to: (1) inventory and designate the coastal resources of national significance within that State's coastal zone; (2) identify those permissible land and water uses with respect to designated resources; and (3) specify such standards as are necessary to ensure that human activities are carried out in a manner consistent with the purposes of this Act. Allows any coastal State to which the Secretary has prescribed such regulations to amend its management program to comply with the requirements of this Act. Requires the Secretary upon approval of such amendments to repeal the applicable regulations. Allows the Secretary to make grants annually to any eligible coastal State to assist that State in meeting one or more of the following objectives: (1) the preservation or restoration of specific areas of the State; (2) the redevelopment of deteriorating and underutilized urban waterfronts and ports that are designated in the State's management program as areas of particular concern; and (3) the provision of access to public beaches and other public coastal areas and to coastal waters. Allows such grants to be used for: (1) the acquisition of fee simple and other interests in land; (2) construction projects determined by the Secretary to be consistent with the purposes of this Act; (3) engineering designs, specifications, and other appropriate reports; (4) appropriate transportation systems; and (5) management costs and such other related costs as the Secretary determines to be consistent with the purposes of this Act. Limits such grants to no more than 80 percent of the costs of carrying out, during the fiscal year concerned, the purpose or project for which it was awarded. Allows an eligible coastal State, with the approval of the Secretary, to allocate a grant to a local government, an areawide agency, a regional agency, or an interstate agency. Requires the Secretary to assist eligible coastal States and their local governments in identifying other sources of available Federal technical and financial assistance regarding the objectives of this Act, and, through the Secretarial Representatives of the Department of Commerce in the standard Federal regions, to attempt to achieve simplified and expedited procedures for obtaining such Federal assistance. Authorizes the Secretary to permit two or more coastal States to use a portion of the resource management grants made to them under this Act for the purposes of interstate coastal management coordination. Allows any person having an interest which is or may be adversely affected to commence a civil action on his own behalf to compel compliance with this title against any person, including the United States, and any other government instrumentality or agency for any alleged violation of any provision of this title or any regulation promulgated under this title. Requires the Secretary to conduct a continuing review of the performance of coastal States with respect to coastal management. Provides for the reduction of financial assistance to any coastal State if the secretary determines that the coastal State is failing to make significant improvement in achieving the coastal management objectives. Directs the Secretary to withdraw approval of the management program of any coastal State, and to withdraw any financial assistance available to that State if the Secretary determines that the coastal State is failing to adhere to, and is not justified in deviating from: (1) the management program approved by the Secretary: or (2) the terms of any grant or cooperative agreement funded under this Act. Terminates the program of grants to coastal States for research and technical assistance for coastal zone management. Abolishes the Coastal Zone Management Advisory Committee. Requires the Secretary to prepare and submit to the President for transmittal to the Congress a report summarizing the administration of such Act during each period of two consecutive fiscal years. Requires the Secretary to conduct a systematic review of Federal programs, other than the coastal zone management programs set forth in such Act, which affect coastal resources for purposes of identifying conflicts between the objectives and administration of such programs and the purposes and policies of such Act. Requires the Secretary, within one year after the date of enactment of this Act, to notify each Federal agency having appropriate jurisdiction of any conflict between its program and the purposes and policies of this title. Allows the Secretary to make grants to any coastal State for the purposes of acquiring lands to provide for the preservation of islands. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the grants under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 1980
States that this Act authorizes the establishment of a cooperative program involving the United States, the State of Washington, the Treaty Tribes, acting through a Tribal Fisheries Commission, and other appropriate parties to: (1) encourage stability in and promote the economic well being of commercial and charter fishing industries; and (2) improve the quality of and opportunity for salmon and steelhead recreational fishing. Title I: Coordination - Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce, in coordination with the Secretary of the Interior, to establish a program to provide grants for the preparation of programs under this Act in order to promote coordinated research, enforcement, enhancement, and management of the salmon and steelhead resources. Makes such grants available to the State, the State of Oregon, the Tribal Fisheries Commission, the Columbia River Tribal Fisheries Commission, or any joint governmental entity established for undertaking research, providing advice on or mechanisms for coordinated management, or preparing plans and programs set forth in this Act. Requires the Secretary to establish an advisory committee to develop effective procedures, mechanisms, or institutional arrangements to coordinate research, enhancement, management, and enforcement policies for Pacific Northwest salmon and steelhead, and to resolve disputes between management entities concerned with stocks of common interest. Title II: Resource Enhancement and Habitat Maintenance - Authorizes the Secretary to establish a program to provide grants for projects for the enhancement of the salmon and steelhead resources in the conservation area. Provides that such plan must be a comprehensive plan developed and agreed to by the State and the Tribal Fisheries Commission, and approved by the Secretary in consultation with the Secretary of Interior. Declares that such plan shall describe all enhancement projects anticipated by the State and the Commission for a period of at least five years. Sets forth standards to be included in such plan and conditions for approval by the Secretary. Requires such plan, as it relates to steelhead, to seek to minimize the harvest of steelhead by nonrecreational fishing. Provides for review, modification, amendments, or revisions of any such plan, with the approval of the Secretary. Sets forth requirements to be included in project proposals submitted to the Secretary by the State and the Commission after approval of a comprehensive plan. Authorizes the Secretary to approve any project consistent with such plan and to provide funding for such project as directed by provisions of this Act. Directs the Secretary to establish a system to monitor and evaluate approved enhancement projects. Title III: Columbia River Resource Enhancement and Habitat Maintenance - Authorizes the Secretary to establish a program to provide grants for projects for the enhancement of the salmon and steelhead resources of the Columbia River drainage basin. Requires such plan to be a comprehensive plan developed and agreed to by the State, the State of Oregon, and the Columbia River Tribal Fisheries Commission and approved by the Secretary in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior. Declares that such plan shall describe all enhancement projects anticipated by the State, the State of Oregon, and the Columbia River Tribal Fisheries Commission for a period of at least five years. Sets forth standards to be included in such plan and conditions for approval by the Secretary. Requires such plan, as it relates to steelhead, to seek to minimize the harvest of steelhead by nonrecreational fishing. Provides for review, modification, amendment, or revision of any such plan, with the approval of the Secretary. Sets forth requirements to be included in project proposals submitted to the Secretary by the State, the State of Oregon, or the Commission after approval of a comprehensive plan. Authorizes the Secretary to approve any project consistent with such plan and to provide funding for such project as directed by provisions in this Act. Directs the Secretary, in consultation with the State, the State of Oregon, and the Commission to establish a system to monitor and evaluate approved enhancement projects. Title IV: Commercial Fishing Fleet Adjustment - Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to distribute Federal funds to the States for the purchase of commercial fishing and charter vessels, gear, and licenses. Directs the Secretary to establish standards for the fleet adjustment program relative to reducing the fishing effort on the salmon resources in the conservation area. Sets forth conditions under which the Secretary may approve a State program and directs the Secretary to continually review such program's operations. Requires the Secretary to instruct and require the Pacific Fishery Management Council to regulate fleet mobility in its salmon management plan if such regulation is necessary to ensure that the fishing effort reduction that results from the fleet adjustment program and the license moratorium of the State of Washington is not replaced by new fishing effort from outside the State of Washington. Title V: Miscellaneous - Authorizes the Secretary to promulgate necessary regulations to carry out the purposes of this Act. Directs the State, the Tribal Fisheries Commission, the State of Oregon, and the Columbia River Tribal Fisheries Commission to submit an annual report to the Secretary on the status of any programs authorized by this Act or any other relevant report requested by the Secretary. Declares that nothing in this Act should be construed to diminish appropriate jurisdiction in the field of resource enhancement and management or supersede or modify applicable existing law.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 1980
International Security and Development Cooperation Act of 1980 - Title I: Military and Related Assistance Programs - Amends the Arms Export Control Act to repeal the President's authority to reduce or waive charges for the use of plant and production equipment and nonrecurring research, development, and production costs pursuant to coproduction arrangements for foreign procurement in the United States of defense articles and services. Authorizes the President to sell or contract to sell design or construction services to eligible countries or international organizations if the United States is paid in full in advance for the costs of furnishing such services. Makes such sales subject to the statutory provisions applicable to defense articles and services. Requires the President to certify information to Congress concerning any letter of offer to sell any design and construction services for $200,000,000 or more. Authorizes appropriations for foreign military sales for fiscal year 1981. Stipulates that credits and loan guaranties may be made only to the extent provided in advance in appropriations acts. Establishes separate ceilings on the total amount of credit and of loan guarantees authorized to be extended for fiscal year 1981. Increases the amount earmarked for Israel. Makes a specified amount available only for the costs of relocating Israeli forces from the Sinai. Sets a ceiling on the amounts which may be made available for the Philippines and for Thailand. Exempts Israel from specified credit and loan guarantees restrictions for fiscal year 1981. Releases Israel from a specified amount of its contractual liability to repay the United States. Grants a ten year grace period before Egypt, the Sudan, and Turkey are required to begin repayment of the principal of loans guaranteed to finance credit sales of defense articles and services. Requires the President to submit written certification to Congress concerning the transfer of defense articles and services only if such transfer involves major defense articles or services valued above specified amounts to countries other than Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Exempts letters of offer to sell and applications for licenses to export defense articles and services to such nations from certification requirements. Raises the ceiling on arms sales which are required to be sold under the Arms Export Control Act in order to be issued an export license. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to furnish military assistance to friendly countries or international organizations by transferring authorized funds for specified recipients to be used to meet obligations of such recipients for payment for arms sales under the Arms Export Control Act. Authorizes appropriations for fiscal year 1981 for military assistance with specified limitations on amounts for Portugal, Spain, and the Philippines. Increases the aggregate value of the drawdown of defense articles from Defense Department stocks, defense services, and military education and training authorized in emergencies. Extends the authority to furnish military assistance until September 30, 1982, or for five years after such assistance is authorized. Decreases the value of additions of defense articles to stockpiles in foreign countries during fiscal year 1981. Revises the list of foreign countries to which the President is authorized to assign members of the U.S. Armed Forces to manage security assistance programs by deleting Iran and Kuwait and adding Egypt. Permits the number of defense attaches performing overseas management functions to exceed by up to six the number of attaches authorized on December 31, 1979. Authorizes appropriations for fiscal year 1981 for international military education and training. Requires a human rights program to be included in the curriculum of programs receiving such funds. Makes such program a prerequisite for completion of all other courses. Directs the President to report to Congress concerning specific measures taken to implement such program. Includes the additional costs of furnishing such training within the definition of "value." Amends the Arms Export Control Act to require purchasers of training who are concurrently receiving training assistance to pay such additional costs. Authorizes appropriations for fiscal year 1981 for peacekeeping operations. Repeals the provision creating the Middle East special requirements fund. Permits the President to make sales, extend credit, or issue guaranties under the Arms Export Control Act, as well as furnish assistance, without regard to statutory limitations if to do so is vital to U.S. security. Prohibits the expenditure of appropriated funds for foreign intelligence operations unless the President, prior to the initiation of such operation, reports a description and scope of such operation to the House and Senate Select Committees on Intelligence (presently such reports are required to be submitted in a timely fashion to the appropriate congressional committees). Permits the President to defer, for the shortest practicable period, such prior reporting in extraordinary circumstances or to avoid unreasonable risks. Title II: Economic Support Fund - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 1981 for the Economic Support Fund. Prohibits the use of such funds for nuclear facilities in a foreign country, unless the President certifies to Congress that such use is indispensable to the achievement of U.S. nonproliferation objectives. Repeals the Fund's regional programs. Earmarks specified amounts for Israel, Egypt, Turkey, and special requirements in the Middle East. Prohibits making funds available for Syria, unless the President certifies to Congress that Syria is making good faith efforts towards a comprehensive peace settlement in the Middle East and such funds will serve the peace process in the Middle East. Makes specified amounts available to Jordan for the Maqarin Dam and Jordan Valley Irrigation System and for other development programs. Directs the President to report to Congress concerning the obligation of funds for Middle East special requirements. Provides for a congressional veto of such proposed use. Makes specified amounts available for emergency uses to promote economic or political stability. Limits the amount which may be used for Mozambique. Title III: Development Assistance Programs - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 1981 for: (1) agriculture, rural development, and nutrition; (2) population planning and health programs; (3) education and human resources development; (4) development of indigenous energy resources (with a specified amount for survey work and exploration for potential oil, natural gas, and coal reserves in developing countries which are not members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries); (5) human rights promotion; (6) Sahel development program; (7) international organizations and programs; (8) reimbursable development programs; and (9) the Institute for Scientific and Technological Cooperation. Declares that energy production from renewable decentralized sources and energy conservation are vital elements in the development process. Authorizes cooperative programs to include research and development of suitable energy technologies, analysis of energy uses, needs and resources, training and institutional development, and scientific interchange. Stipulates that prohibitions on assistance to countries shall not be construed to prohibit the continuation of assistance to private and voluntary organizations and cooperatives. Directs the President to take into consideration whether such continued support is in the U.S. national interest. Stipulates that prohibitions on assistance to countries shall not be construed to prohibit the continuation of assistance to private and voluntary organizations and cooperatives. Directs the President to take into consideration whether such continued support is in the U.S. national interest. Decreases the amount due and payable during fiscal year 1981 to the United States from relatively least developed countries on development loans. Permits expenses for orderly termination of programs to include funds to enable students abroad to complete their training. Urges the President to use appropriated funds for fiscal year 1981 for bilateral development assistance in the eastern Caribbean countries. Directs the President to report to Congress on the implementation of such assistance. Title IV: Other Assistance Programs - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 1981 for: (1) American schools and hospitals abroad; (2) international narcotics control (with specified limitations on the amount which may be contributed to the United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control); (3) international disaster assistance; and (4) the rehabilitation and resettlement needs of displaced persons and other victims of civil strife in Africa in ways not generally provided by existing refugee relief agencies. Amends the Department of State Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1980 and 1981, to increase the authorization of appropriations for migration and refugee assistance for fiscal year 1981. Authorizes the President to transfer up to a specified amount from other accounts for international disaster assistance. Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should encourage Indonesia to allow: (1) increased access to East Timor by international relief agencies and international journalists; and (2) free emigration from East Timor. Amends the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 to authorize the President to transfer up to 15 percent of available funds between the titles of such Act. Title V: African Development Foundation - African Development Foundation Act - Establishes the African Development Foundation to strengthen the bonds of friendship between the people of Africa and the United States and to assist in the development of Africa. Requires such Foundation to cooperate with indigenous organizations representative of Africa and other private, regional, and international organizations. Authorizes such Foundation to make grants, loans, and loan guarantees (not to exceed $250,000 in total) to African entities for developmental purposes. Requires the Foundation to give priority to community self-help projects with the maximum feasible participation of the poor. Sets forth the corporate powers of such Foundation. Sets forth conflict-of-interest provisions. Exempts such Foundation from Federal, State, or local taxation. Provides for the appointment of a Board of Directors to manage such Foundation. Requires the Board to consult with an advisory council composed of individuals knowledgeable about development activities in Africa. Makes any spending authority effective only to the extent provided in advance in appropriation Acts. Earmarks a specified portion of the fiscal year 1981 authorization of appropriations for development assistance for this title. Title VI: Peace Corps - Amends the Peace Corps Act to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 1981 for the Peace Corps and for any necessary increases. Title VII: Miscellaneous Provisions - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 to prohibit assistance to countries causing the disappearance of persons by the abduction and clandestine detention of those persons. Directs the Comptroller General to report on the audits of funds administered by international organizations to the President and Congress. Directs the President to seek the establishment of external, professionally qualified groups to evaluate and audit the programs and activities of the United Nations and its affiliated organizations (presently calls for a single professionally qualified group to evaluate). Provides for the auditing of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Asian Development Bank. Requires the Comptroller General to include an evaluation of such reports submitted to Congress and the President. Requires the Secretary of State to submit the annual reports to Congress on U.S. contributions to international organizations within nine months after the fiscal year to which they relate or, in the case of fiscal year 1978, by December 31, 1980. Directs the President to submit semiannual reports to Congress listing all voluntary U.S. contributions to international organizations. Allows foreign assistance funds to be used to procure agricultural products outside the United States when the domestic price is less than parity if the commodity can not reasonably be procured in the United States in fulfillment of the objectives of a particular assistance program. Replaces the Auditor General with an Inspector General. Makes such Inspector General responsible for security activities, as well as audit and investigative activities, of the agency administering development assistance and, to the extent requested, the U.S. International Development Cooperation Agency. Gives the Inspector General subpoena power. Sets forth additional duties of the Inspector General. Authorizes the Inspector General to investigate employee complaints concerning the U.S. International Development Cooperation Agency. Permits economic support funds to be used to pay shipping differentials resulting from the use of U.S.-flag vessels. Authorizes appropriations for fiscal year 1981 for the operating expenses for administering the international development programs. Expresses the sense of Congress concerning: (1) the effectiveness of the Interagency Group on Human Rights and Foreign Assistance; (2) the commitment to peace of the parties to the Arab-Israeli conflict; and (3) the responsibility of Jordan to act in good faith to achieve peace in the Middle East in order to receive foreign assistance under this Act. Directs the President to report to Congress regarding the economic conditions prevailing in Egypt, Israel, Portugal, and Turkey which may affect their international debt obligations and economic stability.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1980
Methane Transportation Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 1980 - Directs the Secretary of Energy to designate an organizational entity within the Department of Energy to manage the methane vehicle research, development, and demonstration program established under this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency, or any other Federal agency, providing that such agencies conduct specified aspects of such program as the Secretary deems appropriate. States that the Secretary shall have responsibility to ascertain that such program includes activities to: (1) promote research on methane-fueled vehicles; (2) determine optimum overall specifications for such vehicles; (3) determine means and facilities for storing, transporting, and dispensing methane for use as vehicular fuel; (4) conduct demonstration projects with respect to the feasibility of such vehicles; (5) gather performance data on such vehicles and related methane transmission and storage facilities; (6) enter into arrangements to assure adequate continuous supplies of methane for use in the demonstrations assisted under this Act; (7) ascertain the need for modifying available methane-fueled vehicles in order to facilitate their use by fleet owners; and (8) report to the Congress on any changes in fuel supply patterns, tax policies, and manufacturing standards needed to facilitate the manufacture and use of such vehicles. Directs the Secretary to assure maximum coordination between Federal agencies and the Department of Energy in carrying out such program. Directs the Secretary to initiate and provide for research and development in areas relating to such vehicles. Directs the Secretary to promulgate rules and regulations and to issue an initial report for proposals for technical and financial assistance to support public and private entities in developing and implementing demonstration projects to gather data on the operation of such vehicles and facilities for the transmission and storage of methane as a vehicular fuel. Sets forth the types of technical and finacial assistance to be provided under this Act, including grants and loans to cover specified percentages of the costs associated with the installation of methane transmission, storage, and dispensing facilities. Sets forth requirements as to the number and duration of such demonstrations. Directs the Secretary to consult with the Postmaster General, the Administrator of the General Services Administration, the Secretary of Defense, and the heads of other Federal agencies to determine the practicability of using methane vehicles in the performance of agency functions and to arrange for appropriate use of such vehicles at the earliest practicable date. Requires the Secretary to submit an annual report on all activities undertaken under this Act to the Senate and the House of Representatives for referral to appropriate committees. Authorizes appropriations for fiscal years 1981 thorugh 1985 to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1980
Permits the postage-free mailing of: (1) postal cards requesting absentee ballots for a State or Federal election; (2) absentee ballots and voting instructions pertaining to such ballots when sent by an election authority; and (3) absentee ballots cast and returned to the election authority. Declares that this Act shall not apply to any mail transmitted under the provisions of the Federal Voting Assistance Act of 1955 or the Overseas Citizens Voting Rights Act of 1975. Requires the Postal Service to make available at all post offices: (1) postal cards to be used for requesting absentee ballots; and (2) updated lists containing the names and addresses of all election agencies and their requirements for obtaining absentee ballots.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1980
Expresses the concern of the House of Representatives for the civil rights of political prisoners in Taiwan and of native Formosans. Urges closer attention to the human rights situation in Taiwan before further military sales or assistance is provided.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1980
Authorizes appropriations for the Coast Guard for fiscal year 1981. Sets forth the amount of funds allocated for: (1) operation and maintenance expenses; (2) acquisition, construction, rebuilding, and improvement of aids to navigation, shore facilities, vessels, and aircraft, including equipment related thereto; (3) alteration or removal of bridges over navigable waters of the United States constituting obstructions to navigation; and (4) research, development, tests, and evaluation. Permits the Coast Guard to have an end-of-year strength for active duty personnel of 39,487, provided that such ceiling does not include members of the Ready Reserve called to active duty. Specifies the average military training student loads for the Coast Guard as follows: (1) recruit and special training, 4,175 students; (2) flight training, 117 students; (3) professional training in military and civilian institutions, 595 students; and (4) officer acquisitions, 925 students. Authorizes the lease of housing facilities in foreign countries on a multiyear basis for a period not to exceed five years, and in accordance with local custom and practice, provides for advance payment for the lease. Authorizes the Secretary of the Department in which the Coast Guard is operating to increase the existing capital of the Coast Guard Supply Fund by the value of usable materials transferred thereto from Coast Guard inventories carried in other accounts. Disallows reductions in the rate of pay and allowances to which appointed temporary officers would have been entitled had they remained in their former grade and continued to receive the increases in pay and allowance authorized for that grade. Permits the payment of a monetary allowance in place of transportation to a member whose baggage and household effects are moved by a privately owned or rented vehicle. Allows the payment of the allowance in advance of the transportation of the baggage and household effects, and does not limit the allowance to reimbursement for actual expenses. Requires the owner or operator of a vessel documented or to be documented as a vessel of the United States to reimburse the Secretary for the travel and subsistence expenses incurred by the personnel assigned to perform the inspection or examination when the inspection or examination is conducted at a foreign port or place at the request of the owner or operator.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1980
Food Security Act of 1980 - Declares it to be U.S. policy to develop a wheat reserve solely to provide for emergency food needs in developing countries. Directs the President, in order to carry out such policy, to establish a reserve stock of wheat of up to 4,000,000 metric tons for specified purposes. Permits stocks of wheat for such reserve to be acquired: (1) through purchases from producers or in the market, if the Secretary of Agriculture determines that such purchases will not unduly disrupt the market; and (2) by designation by the Secretary of stocks of wheat acquired by the Commodity Credit Corporation. Authorizes the President to release such designated or acquired wheat reserve stocks to provide, on a donation or sale basis, emergency food assistance to developing countries at any time that the U.S. domestic wheat supply is so limited that quantities cannot be made available for disposition, except for humanitarian purposes, under the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954. Provides that up to 300,000 tons of wheat may be released from the reserve in any fiscal year for use under such Act in providing urgent humanitarian relief in developing countries which suffer major disasters (as determined by the President), in circumstances of unanticipated and exceptional need when the normal means of obtaining food assistance make timely programming impossible. Directs the President to report to the appropriate congressional committees on wheat so released and its timely replenishment. Allows such wheat to be processed in the U.S. and shipped to the recipient country as wheat flour, when necessary. Requires that such wheat be made available under such Act, with specified provisions as to determinations of availability inapplicable thereto. Directs the Secretary to provide for reserve management as to location and class of wheat needed to meet emergencies, rotation to avoid spoilage and deterioration, and prompt equivalent replacement of removed quantities. Specifies that stocks of wheat shall not: (1) be considered a part of the total domestic supply (including carryover) for certain purposes; or (2) be subject to any quantitative export limitations under the Export Administration Act of 1979. Directs the Secretary to utilize the funds and authorities of the Commodity Credit Corporation in carrying out this Act, except that any restrictions applicable to the acquisition, storage, or disposition of Corporation owned or controlled commodities shall not apply to wheat for or in the reserve. Requires that the Corporation be reimbursed for actual costs under such program. Declares final any determination by the President or the Secretary under this Act. Provides that: (1) this Act shall take effect on October 1, 1980; (2) the authorities of this Act shall expire on September 30, 1983; and (3) any wheat in the reserve when such authorities expire shall be distributed under the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act in fiscal year 1984 and subsequent fiscal years.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1980
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) governments causing the disappearance of any person, by abduction and clandestine detention, are committing terrorist acts; (2) the President should encourage other nations to join together in calling upon the United Nations to condemn such acts, to establish effective procedures for dealing with such cases, and to demand that all governments investigate all reports of disappearances, prosecute those responsible, and account for those persons who have disappeared; and (3) the President should attempt to implement a program to be taken with respect to governments practicing such acts of terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 20 February 1980
Expresses the sense of the Congress that recent attempts to undermine the stability of Tunisia constitute a serious threat to international peace and U.S. national security interests. States that the United States should furnish economic and security assistance to Tunisia.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 1980
United States Olympic Development Fund Checkoff Act of 1979 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit taxpayers to designate on their income tax returns that either $1 of any tax refund or $1 of any contribution which the taxpayer forwards with his tax return shall be payable to the United States Olympic Development Fund. Establishes the United States Olympic Development Fund under the auspices of the Secretary of the Treasury for the receipt of tax contributions and payments to the United States Olympic Development Fund. Directs the United States Olympic Committee to use such funds for a program to expand and improve amateur athletics in the United States. Requires reports on the expenditure of such funds to be submitted by the United States Olympic Committee and the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1980
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Soviet Union should release Andrei Sakharov from internal exile immediately. Urges the President to: (1) protest Sakharov's exile and the continued suppression of human rights in the Soviet Union; (2) call upon other nations to join in such protests and impose sanctions against the Soviet Union; and (3) inform Helsinki signatory governments that the U.S. delegation intends to raise these violations at the 1980 Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe review meeting.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1980
African Development Foundation Act - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to establish the African Development Foundation to strengthen the bonds of friendship between the people of Africa and the United States and to assist in the development of Africa. Requires such Foundation to cooperate with indigenous organizations representative of Africa and other private, regional, and international organizations. Authorizes such Foundation to make grants, loans, and loan guarantees to African entities for developmental purposes. Requires the Foundation to give priority to community self-help projects with the maximum feasible participation of the poor. Sets forth the corporate powers of such Foundation. Provides for the appointment of a Board of Directors to manage such Foundation. Requires the Board to consult with a Council composed of individuals knowledgeable about development activities in Africa.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1980
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Soviet Union should release Andrei Sakharov from internal exile immediately. Urges the President, through the Secretary of State to: (1) express U.S. opposition to Sakharov's exile; (2) inform the Soviet Union that the United States will take into account, in evaluating its reactions with other countries, the extent to which those countries honor their commitments under international law.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 1980
Expresses the sense of Congress to condemn Soviet actions taken against Andrei Sakharov which further show the lack of the Soviet Union's fitness to host the Olympics.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1980
Authorizes and requests the President to issue a proclamation honoring the memory of Walt Disney on the 25th anniversary of his contribution to the American dream.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 1979
Medicaid Community Care Act of 1980 - Authorizes a State with a plan approved under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to apply to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (formerly, the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare) to have Federal payments for home health care services, nursing services, home health aid services, medical equipment for use in the home, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology services, endiology services, adult day health services, respite care, short-term full-term nursing care, homemaker services, and nutrition counseling made at a higher rate the the rate for other care and services provided under the State plan. Specifies that the Federal medical assistance percentage for such services and the comprehensive assessments provided for in this Act shall be the lesser of: (1) the Federal medical assistance percentage determined under title XIX plus 25 percent; or (2) 90 percent of the cost of such services and assessments. Requires an application to be accompanied by a community care plan which: (1) provides for a comprehensive assessment of each individual eligible or applying for Medicaid who is likely to need long-term skilled nursing facility or intermediate care facility services; (2) makes available, under title XIX, the care and services for which the higher Federal payment may be made to individuals determined pursuant to a comprehensive assessment to be in need of long-term facility services and for whom such assistance is a feasible alternative to long-term facility services; and (3) coordinates the services provided under this Act with similar services provided under the Older Americans Act of 1965, and under titles XVIII (Medicare) and XX (Grants to States for Services) of the Social Security Act. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress with respect to the program established under this Act. Permits a State, for the purposes of title XIX, to treat a noninstitutionalized individual the same as an individual who is in a long-term care facility if the noninstitutionalized individual meets the income and resources standards for long-term facility residents and has been determined, pursuant to an assessment under this Act, to need long-term facility services.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 1979
Condemns the use of lethal chemical agents against the Hmong tribespeople in Laos and any such use in Kampuchea (Cambodia). Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should: (1) take action to bring about the cessation of such poison gas use; (2) direct the U.S. delegation to the United Nations Committee on Disarmament to express strong concern over such use and reach agreement with the Soviet Union on a general prohibition of chemical warfare; and (3) report to the Congress concerning actions taken.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 1979
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Act of 1980 - Title I: Regulation of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Facilities and Plantships - Prohibits any person from owning, constructing, or operating an ocean thermal energy conversion facility and prohibits United States citizens from owning, constructing, or operating an ocean thermal energy conversion plantship without a license issued pursuant to this Act. Authorizes the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to issue, transfer, amend, or renew licenses for the ownership, construction, and operation of such facilities or plantships upon application and in accordance with this Act. Sets forth criteria for determining whether to issue such licenses, and directs the Administrator to prescribe any conditions deemed necessary to carry out this Act or which are required by any Federal department or agency. Directs the Administrator to establish bonding requirements or other assurances necessary to assure that upon revocation or other termination of a license, the licensee will remove all components of any such facility or plantship from the ocean and the seabed. Sets the term of such licenses at a maximum of 25 years, with a right of renewals for an additional ten years for each renewal. Directs the Administrator to issue regulations to carry out the purposes and provisions of this Act. Directs the Secretary of the Interior, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating, the Chief of Engineers of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, and the heads of other Federal departments and agencies having jurisdiction over or expertise concerning any aspect of the construction or operation of such facilities or plantships to submit to the Administrator written comments as to their expertise or statutory responsibilities with respect to this or any other Federal law. Sets forth application procedures and requirements for licenses authorized for issuance by this Act, including provisions for public notice hearings, and Federal agency review. Requires that applicants for licenses remit a fee at the time of filing such application, to be determined by the Administrator, and to be deposited in the miscellaneous receipts of the Treasury. Establishes priorities for the issuance of licenses where more than one application is submitted for the same designated application area. Establishes criminal penalties for the breaking of or injury to any submarine electric transmission cable or equipment being constructed or operated under a license issued under this Act. Requires a licensee to indemnify the owner of any vessel which sacrifices any anchor, fishing net, or other fishing gear to avoid injuring any such cable or equipment. Requires any licensee who causes any break in or injury to any submarine cable or pipeline to bear the cost of the repairs thereto. Directs the Administrator to submit applications for issuance, transfer, or renewal of any license to the Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission for antitrust review. Directs the Administrator to designate as an "adjacent coastal State" any coastal State either directly to be connected by electric transmission cable or pipeline to an ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship or located within 15 miles of any such proposed facility or plantship. Authorizes the Administrator to make such designation for any other State, upon request, upon a determination that there is a risk of damage to the coastal environment or if it is likely that the thermal plume of any proposed facility or plantship would impinge on possible locations for other ocean thermal energy conversion facilities or plantships which would be connected to such State. Requires that the Administrator transmit to the Governor of any designated adjacent coastal State a complete copy of a license application and prohibits the issuance of any license for an ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship without the approval of the Governor of such State where such State has an approved coastal zone management program in effect pursuant to the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972. Stipulates that failure by a State Governor to transmit his approval or disapproval within the alloted time period will result in the approval being conclusively presumed. Prohibits the Administrator from issuing such licenses for any facility or plantship unless the adjacent coastal State to which such facilities or plantship is to be directly connected has an approved coastal zone management plan in effect. Authorizes States to enter into agreements or compacts to apply for such licenses and to establish agencies for implementing such agreements or compacts. Requires the Administrator to issue regulations requiring licensees to pursue diligently such facility or plantship construction and operation and authorizes the termination of any license for failure to comply with such regulations. Directs the Administrator to initiate a program to assess the environmental effects of such facilities or plantships so as to determine whether their cumulative impact requires that a limit be placed on the number or total capacity of such facilities or plantships to be licensed under this Act. States that the issuance of such licenses is deemed to be a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the environment for purposes of the environmental impact statement provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Authorizes the preparation of a consolidated environmental impact statement by the Administrator and other involved Federal agencies and departments. Directs the Secretary of the Department in which the Coast Guard is operating to issue regulations and enforce procedures concerning any ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship, including rules on vessel movement, transfer of materials between facilities and plantships and transport vessels, designation of anchorage areas, maintenance, law enforcement, and the equipment, training, and maintenance required to prevent pollution of and other adverse impacts on the marine environment and to clean up any pollutants which may be discharged. Directs the Secretary to designate a zone of appropriate size around and including any ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship for the purpose of navigational safety, and to establish safety zones during the period of construction of such facilities or plantships. States that for the purposes of the vessel inspection laws, such facilities and plantships shall be deemed to be vessels. Requires that licenses include such conditions as necessary to ensure that construction and operation of such facilities and plantships do not interfere with navigation, fishing, energy production, scientific research, or other uses of the high seas, including the operation of other ocean thermal energy conversion plantships and facilities. Authorizes the inspection and monitoring of licensees' activities, and sets forth procedures thereon. Sets forth provisions for the suspension, revocation, and termination of licenses for failure to comply with provisions of this Act or applicable rules or conditions issued or imposed by the Administrator under the authority of this Act. Includes provisions for the immediate suspension of facility or plantship construction or operation upon a determination by the Administrator that such action is necessary to protect public health and safety or to eliminate dangers to the environment, or upon a determination by the President that such suspension is necessary to avoid a conflict with any international obligation of the United States established by treaty or convention. Sets forth provisions concerning recordkeeping, reports, and public access to information. Authorizes licensees to relinquish to the Administrator any right to conduct construction or operation of such a facility or plantship, but stipulates that such relinquishment shall not relieve the licensee of any obligation or liability established by this Act. Authorizes civil actions by any person having a valid legal interest which is or may be adversely affected by actions of licensees or by the failure of the Administrator to comply with the requirements of this Act. Authorizes judicial review of any decision of the Administrator concerning a license. Title II: Maritime Financing for Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion - States that for the purposes of the Merchant Marine Act: (1) any ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship licensed under this Act, and any vessel providing shipping service to or from such facilities or plantships, shall be deemed to be a vessel operated in the foreign or domestic commerce of the United States; and (2) any vessel documented under the laws of the United States and providing such service shall be deemed to be used in, and used in an essential service in, the foreign commerce or foreign trade of the United States. Amends the Federal Ship Mortgage Insurance provisions of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936, to include such facilities and plantships in the definition of "vessel" and to add a definition of "ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship." Amends such provisions to authorize the Secretary of Commerce to guarantee, or make a commitment to guarantee, payment of the principal of and interest on an obligation which aids in financing a vessel designed for use as an ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship. Increases the aggregate principal amount which may be guaranteed with respect to such facilities or plantships constructed without the aid of construction-differential subsidy. Increases the aggregate unpaid principal amount of obligations guaranteed under such Act to $12,000,000,000, and requires that $2,000,000,000 of such amount be limited to obligations pertaining to demonstration ocean thermal energy conversion facilities or plantships guaranteed under such Act. Establishes the OTEC Fund as a special sub-account of the Federal Ship Financing Fund, to be used for obligation guarantees authorized by such Act which do not otherwise qualify under other sections thereof. Limits to five the number of ocean thermal energy conversion facilities or plantships which may obtain obligation guarantees. Title III Enforcement - Provides for the enforcement of provisions of this Act and rules or orders issued thereunder and lists prohibited acts. Authorizes the Administrator to issue compliance orders to any person for violation of specified provisions of this Act and to request the Attorney General to commence civil action for relief or civil penalties for any violation for which the Administrator is authorized to issue such compliance orders. Establishes civil and criminal penalties for such violations as specified. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - Directs the Administrator to issue amendments to any regulations issued under this Act to conform such regulations to any treaty ratified by the United States as a result of any United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea. Exempts from the provisions of this Act any ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship designated by the Secretary of Energy as a demonstration project. Sets forth provisions concerning the relationship of other laws to the facilities and plantships authorized for construction and operation under this Act, including a provision that the law of the nearest adjacent coastal State to which such a licensed facility is connected by electric transmission cable or pipeline is declared to be the law of the United States. Directs the Administrator to establish standards and regulations for the safe construction and operation of submarine electric transmission cables and equipment over which the United States has jurisdiction. Directs the Administrator to submit to Congress an annual report on the administration of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 1979
Amends the Black Bass Act to make unlawful the catching or transporting of any steelhead trout for other than subsistance or sporting purposes. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to pay an annual income replacement amount to any Indian tribe that relied on commercial fishing for steelhead trout for income.
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 1979
Title I: Fish Restoration Program - Amends the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act to: (1) define the term "coastal State" for the purposes of such Act; and (2) authorize appropriations in the amount equal to the revenue accruing from taxes relating to sport fishing equipment and certain recreational boats and boating equipment for fiscal year 1980 and each fiscal year thereafter. Title II: Fish Restoration Program - Increases the percentage of the annual appropriation deducted for administrative expenses. Sets forth the apportionment ratio for the Secretary of the Interior to use in distributing funds among the States under the fish restoration program. Authorizes the Secretary to expend unobligated funds to carry out the purposes of this Act. Eliminates the notification by a State of intent to accept such apportionment funds requirement. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to finance up to 75 percent of the costs of the acquisition of lands or interests therein and the construction of structures or facilities. Permits each State to utilize up to ten percent of its apportionment for an aquatic resource education program. Title III: Tax on Sale of Sport Fishing Equipment and certain Recreational Boats and Boating Equipment - Amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 to impose a tax on the sale by the manufacturer, producer, or importer of any article of sport fishing equipment, recreational boats, and boating equipment.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 1979
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to include the acquisition of band instruments for the use of children and teachers in elementary and secondary schools for such uses as the school administration considers desirable among those purposes for which the Commissioner of Education is directed to carry out a program of making grants to States for libraries and learning resources.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 1979
Amends the International Claims Settlement Act of 1949 to provide for the determination of claims against Vietnam arising out of the taking of U.S. property interests. Requires the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission of the United States to receive and determine the validity and amounts of claims by U.S. nationals against Vietnam arising on or after April 29, 1975. Specifies the type of claims that may be considered. Directs the Commission to certify the amount of loss suffered by each claimant. Stipulates that the amount of any claim which has been assigned shall not exceed the amount of actual consideration paid by the last assignee. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to establish the Claims Fund for the payment of unsatisfied claims against Vietnam upon certification by the Commission. Specifies the priority of payments on such claims. Requires the Commission to complete its duties under this Act within three years. Prohibits fees in excess of ten percent of the claim. Makes specified provisions of existing law relating to the jurisdiction of the Commission, payment of claims, administrative procedure, and employee organizations applicable to the Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 1979
Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to furnish disaster relief to alleviate the famine in Cambodia through international agencies to the extent feasible. Stipulates that priority be given to furnishing agricultural commodities under the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 1979
Title I: Findings, Purposes, and Definitions - Declares that the purpose of this Act is to provide for a coordinated, simplified, and prompt process for obtaining Federal, State, and local approval of nonnuclear energy facilities which are determined to be in the national interest. Title II: Priority Projects - Authorizes the President to establish an Energy Mobilization Board to be composed of members appointed by the President. Sets forth the general duties and powers of such Board, including the subpoena power. Directs the Board to keep the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the House Committees on Interior and Insular Affairs and on Interstate and Foreign Commerce fully and currently informed concerning its activities, including the submission of an annual report. Stipulates that projects related to the production of nuclear energy or approved under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies of 1978 be excluded from coverage under this Act. Directs the Board to designate Priority Energy Projects and to publish a Project Decision Schedule containing deadlines for all Federal actions relating to such projects. Directs the Board to provide the appropriate committees with a copy of such designation orders. Sets forth the criteria the Board must consider in making such designations, including: (1) the extent to which the energy project would reduce the Nation's dependence upon nonrenewable resources; (2) the magnitude of any economic and social impacts and costs associated with the project in relation to the impacts and costs of alternatives; (3) the extent to which the project would make use of renewable energy resources, or conserve energy; (4) the extent to which the project would contribute to the development of new production or conservation technologies and techniques; (5) adverse impacts on the environment and on competition; and other specified criteria. Directs the Board to notify the Governor of each State in which any portion of a project designated as a Priority Energy Project is proposed to be located. Permits such Governor to appoint a non-voting Member to the Board to participate in decisions concerning such project, including the Project Decision Schedule. Exempts priority energy project designations or refusals to make a designation, promulgation or revision of Project Decision Schedules, and Board actions relating to streamlining of procedures, from the impact statement requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). Directs the Council on Environmental Quality to determine whether any Federal action relating to a Priority Energy Project, after it has been so designated and prior to establishing the Project Schedule, will be a "major Federal action" for purposes of compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Requires the Council to designate a lead agency to assure compliance with NEPA whenever a major Federal action is involved. Authorizes the Board to require that one environmental impact statement be prepared and that such statement be used by all Federal agencies to satisfy NEPA with respect to such projects. Authorizes the Board to extend the time for certain deadlines. Requires each agency having authority to make any agency decision with respect to any part of a project designated as a Priority Energy Project to transmit to the Board: (1) a compilation of all significant actions required to be taken by such agency and by the applicant before such decision can be made and a summary of procedural requirements applicable to such actions; (2) a tentative schedule for completing such actions and making such decisions; and (3) a statement of administrative requirements to take such actions. Directs the Board to publish a Project Decision Schedule within 45 days of the transmittal of agency information. Stipulates that such schedule: (1) identify the order in which decisions which must be made by each agency are to be made; (2) identify the deadlines applicable to such decisions; (3) be consistent with the tentative schedules transmitted to the Board, unless the Board determines a different schedule is essential to expedite and coordinate agency review; and (4) be binding on the agency and on all other persons to which the Schedule applies. Permits the Board to modify any schedule applicable to any agency's decision or action subject to the Project Decision Schedule upon petition of such agency where the agency determines such modification will facilitate agency compliance with the Schedule. Permits affected agencies to consolidate proceedings related to actions and decisions subject to the Project Decision Schedule, if such streamlined procedures provide for effective participation by interested parties in such decisionmaking. Directs the Board to monitor compliance with the Schedule by all affected agencies and persons. Permits the Board to take such actions as it deems appropriate to bring any person or agency responsible for a project delay into compliance with the Schedule. Directs the Board, when any person responsible for filing or taking any other action on behalf of a Project refuses to take such action, to either revise such Project Decision Schedule or revoke the Priority Energy Project designation. Stipulates that, unless otherwise provided for, the other statutory obligations and authority of any independent regulatory agency remain unaffected by this Act. Authorizes the Board to bring an expedited enforcement action against any agency failing to or reasonably likely to fail to comply with a Project Decision Schedule in the appropriate United States district court. Directs such court to issue specified orders requiring compliance with such Schedule and to take any necessary measures, including citation and punishment of the responsible officials for contempt of court, for failure to meet any court-imposed deadlines. Authorizes the President to perform any action or make any decision required of an agency by court order in the event such agency fails to perform such action or make such decision. Authorizes the Board to order the temporary suspension of the application of any requirement of Federal, State, or local law enacted or promulgated after the commencement of construction of any facility which is part of a Priority Project where it is determined that such requirement could prevent timely completion or operation of such facility and that such temporary suspension would not create any significant public health or safety risks. Sets forth time limits on such suspension orders and exempts specified requirements from being suspended. Stipulates that nothing in this Act shall expand or confer on the United States any right to acquire water rights nor alter any provisions of State law or interstate compact governing water use. States that Board action granting or denying designation orders or suspending Federal, State, or local requirements of law shall be subject to judicial review only for failure to comply with this Act or for constitutional violations. Provides for judicial review of other Board actions as specified. Requires that any reviewing court expedite and consolidate such review to the maximum extent practicable. Requires that any party seeking Supreme Court review of any judgment or order of a circuit court of appeals pursuant to this Act must file a petition for a writ of certiorari within 60 days of the decision of the lower court or such appeal shall be barred. Sets a 60-day time limit for the promulgation of regulations for carrying out this Act. Terminates the Board's authority seven years after the date of enactment of this Act. Directs the Board to prepare and submit to the President and the Congress a comprehensive report of its activities during such period. Directs the Comptroller General of the United States to submit to the Congress a report evaluating the performance of the Board and setting forth findings and recommendations with respect to the program authorized under this Act. Authorizes appropriations for fiscal year 1980 and succeeding fiscal years to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 1979
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Soviet Union should release Ida Nudel and allow her to emigrate to Israel. Urges the President to: (1) express U.S. opposition to the exile of Ida Nudel to Siberia; and (2) inform the Soviet Union that the United States will take into account the extent to which countries honor their commitments under international law, particularly concerning human rights.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 1979
Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should instruct the U.S. delegation to the 1980 Madrid meeting of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe to seek free elections supervised by the United Nations in the Baltic States after the withdrawal of all Soviet military and civilian personnel. Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should inform and gain the support and cooperation of other nations in realizing independence for the Baltic States. Expresses the sense of Congress that the: (1) President should warn the Soviet Union against making citizenship claims on U.S. citizens; and (2) Secretary of State should inform U.S. citizens planning to visit the Soviet Union of the implications of the Soviet law on citizenship.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 1979
Calls upon the President, with respect to Chile, to: (1) recall the U.S. Ambassador to Chile; (2) apply statutes limiting assistance to countries with terrorist governments or countries harboring terrorists; (3) prohibit deliveries of defense articles or services; (4) recall all military personnel; (5) prohibit the issuance of U.S. visas to Chilean military or intelligence personnel; (6) prohibit credits or loan guarantees to be granted by the Export-Import Bank; (7) prohibit the granting of export licenses; (8) order the immediate suspension of private bank loans; and (9) demand that Chilean rights be fully restored.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 1979
Fisheries Development Act of 1979 - Title I: Amendments to the Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 - Amends the Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 to require any preliminary or final fishery management plan prepared by the Secretary of Commerce or a Regional Fishery Management Council, respectively, to designate any underutilized fishery as a harvester underutilized fishery, a processor underutilized fishery, or both. Defines such an underutilized fishery as a fishery in which the capacity of United States vessels or food processors to harvest or process fish is below the normal range of fluctuation of the optimum yield of such fishery. Directs the Secretary, in consultation with the Council concerned: (1) to prepare and establish by regulation development plans for the underutilized fisheries which the Secretary determines have the most potential for commercial development; and (2) to designate such fisheries as "priority development fisheries." Authorizes the Secretary to make grants and enter into contracts with qualified persons to carry out an activity under such a plan. Prescribes terms, conditions, and limitations of such grants and contracts. Authorizes appropriations for carrying out this title. Title II: Amendments to the Merchant Marine Act, 1936 - Extends provisions of the Merchant Marine Act of 1936 which govern a capital construction fund for vessels built in the United States to govern such a fund for fishing vessels built in, and fishing facilities located in, a Commonwealth, territory, possession, or State of the United States. Authorizes the Secretary: (1) to guarantee the payment of obligations for financing or refinancing the construction, reconstruction, or reconditioning of fishery facilities capable of being used for priority development fisheries; and (2) to apply an economic soundness test with respect to guarantees of obligations for fishing vessels or facilities designed for use in such priority fisheries which is less stringent than the test applicable to other obligation guarantees under such Act. Directs the Secretary to establish within the Federal Ship Financing Fund three subfunds to contain moneys for obligation guarantees for: (1) fishing vessels and facilities meeting the more stringent test; (2) high risk fishing vessels and facilities meeting the less stringent test; and (3) vessels other than fishing vessels. Amends the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 to abolish the loan program for commercial fishing vessels and year. Transfers the funds of such program to the high risk subfund in the Federal Ship Financing Fund. Title III: Miscellaneous Provisions - Amends the Saltonstall-Kennedy Act to require the Secretary to use a portion of the duties collected on fishery products and transferred to the Secretary under such Act for carrying out the development plans for priority development fisheries.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 1979
Authorizes the President, on behalf of the Congress, to present a gold medal of appropriate design to Simon Wiesenthal in recognition of his contribution to international justice through the documentation and location of war criminals from World War II. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike bronze duplicates of such medal for sale to the public.
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 1979
African Development Foundation Act - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to establish the African Development Foundation to strengthen the bonds of friendship between the people of Africa and the United States and to assist in the development of Africa. Requires such Foundation to cooperate with indigenous organizations representative of Africa and other private, regional, and international organizations. Authorizes such Foundation to make grants, loans, and loan guarantees to African entities for developmental purposes. Requires the Foundation to give priority to community self-help projects with the maximum feasible participation of the poor. Sets forth the corporate powers of such Foundation. Provides for the appointment of a Board of Directors to manage such Foundation. Requires the Board to consult with a Council composed of individuals knowledgeable about development activities in Africa.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1979
Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians Act - Establishes the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians to: (1) determine whether a wrong was committed against American citizens and permanent resident aliens who were subjected to relocation or internment as a result of Executive Order Numbered 9066 and other associated Government acts; and (2) recommend appropriate remedies. Directs the Commission: (1) to hold public hearings in specified cities; and (2) within 18 months after enactment of this Act, to submit a final report of its findings and recommendations to Congress and the President. Terminates the Commission six months after such report is submitted.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 1979
Maritime Education and Training Act of 1979 - Amends the Merchant Marine Act of 1936 to integrate existing provisions of Federal law concerning maritime education and training by the United States Merchant Marine Academy (Academy), State maritime colleges, and civilian nautical schools. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish minimum requirements and a system of competition for selecting candidates to the Academy. Prohibits granting any preference in the selection process to members of the families of Academy alumni. Requires the Panama Canal Commission to nominate candidates from the areas and installations made available to the United States pursuant to the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977 and related agreements. Authorizes the Secretary to make a limited number of noncompetitive appointments to the Academy each year. Requires each candidate who is a U.S. citizen, as a condition of appointment, to sign an agreement committing the candidate: (1) to complete instruction at the Academy; (2) to obtain and maintain an officer's license in the United States merchant marine for six years following graduation; (3) to apply for and, if tendered, accept a six-year appointment as a commissioned officer in the United States Naval Reserve; (4) in lieu of such appointment, to serve the U.S. national defense or foreign commerce for five years; and (5) to report to the Secretary on compliance with such agreement. Authorizes the Secretary to order any cadet who violates the agreement to active duty to serve the unexpired portion of required service. Authorizes the chairmen of the congressional committees having legislative jurisdiction over the Academy to designate committee staff members as staff members for the Board of Visitors of the Academy. Directs the Governors of the States or territories cooperating to sponsor a regional college to identify the State or territory to conduct the affairs of such college. Declares that a regional maritime college is eligible for Federal assistance on the same basis as a State maritime college. Authorizes the Secretary: (1) to pay the costs to such a regional or State college (college) for fuel used for training cruises; and (2) to provide for training of college students on Government-owned and subsidized vessels or other vessels. Requires the Secretary to assist the colleges with the operation and maintenance of new vessels. Stipulates that a college, as a condition for receiving Federal assistance or a training vessel, must require Students to pass the examination for an entry-level merchant marine officer's license. Authorizes the Secretary of the Navy to appoint students graduating from a college which receives Federal assistance as Reserve midshipmen of the U.S. Navy or to commission such students as Reserve ensigns in the Navy. Authorizes the Secretary to make loans to college students. Requires that each student receiving a loan agree to certain conditions concerning use of the loan and post-graduate service obligations. Declares that such a loan shall be forgiven if the student: (1) completes all terms of the loan agreement; or (2) is separated from the college because of failure to meet the academic requirements of the college or the physical requirements for a merchant marine officer's license. Allows the Secretary to waive payment of the loan under specified circumstances. Includes service as an administrative enrollee of the United States Maritime Service (USMS) as Federal service for those enrollees appointed to civil service positions. Stipulates that: (1) such USMS service shall be counted either toward one periodic step increase or toward one additional step increase; and (2) after appointment to the civil service such enrollees are not entitled to certain USMS travel and health benefits. Authorizes the Secretary: (1) to lend surplus shipping equipment to the Academy, colleges, or other approved merchant marine training schools for instructional purposes; (2) to utilize resources of other Federal agencies, with the consent of such agencies, for maritime-education purposes; and (3) to employ instructors for maritime-education courses without regard to specified provisions of Federal law concerning the classification of civil service positions and General Schedule pay rates. Repeals certain provisions of Federal law relating to marine education and training.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 1979
Amends the Department of Transportation Act to direct the Secretary of Transportation to reallocate appropriations for rail service assistance solely to States which require supplementary assistance to mitigate the effect caused by the filing of large-scale abandonments by railroads in liquidation or reorganization under the Bankruptcy Act. Sets forth the factors to be considered in such reallocation, including the amount of mileage in the State for which the application for abandonment or discontinuance has been filed and the relationship between such mileage and the total rail mileage in such State.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 1979
Directs the Director of the International Communication Agency to make available to the Administrator of General Services the film, "Reflections: George Meany", for distribution in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 1979
National Fishery Development Act - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to transfer moneys made available to encourage exportation and domestic consumption of agricultural products to the Secretary of Commerce in amounts equal to 30 percent of the gross receipts from duties collected under customs laws on fishery products. Declares that such funds shall be maintained in a separate fund and used by the Secretary of Commerce to: (1) carry out a national program of fisheries research and development which promotes the free flow of domestically produced fishery products in domestic and international commerce by conducting fishery educational, technological, biological, and related research programs; and (2) provide financial assistance for fisheries development projects. Allows any person, regional fishery development foundation, or organization involved with the commercial fishing industry to make application to the Secretary of Commerce for such funds. Requires the person or organization obtaining such funds to submit periodic project status reports to the Secretary. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to include as part of the annual report to the National Marine Fisheries Service an analysis and evaluation of all programs funded under this Act. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to transmit to specified House and Senate committees, 60 days in advance of each fiscal year, a list of projects and a budget for each project which is proposed under this Act. Requires that not less than 50 percent of the moneys in the fund shall be made available annually to fund the fisheries development projects, and that the remainder of such moneys be made available to implement the national fisheries research and development program. Declares that moneys not obligated shall remain in the fund without fiscal year limitation. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to appoint not fewer than six officers who shall, with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, serve abroad to promote United States fishing interests. Requires the Secretary of State, upon the request of the Secretary of Commerce, to officially assign the officers to the diplomatic mission of the United States in the country in which such officers are placed, and to obtain for them diplomatic privileges and immunities. Transfers any balance of funds remaining in the fisheries loan fund created by the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956, as of September 30, 1980, to the Federal Ship Financing Fund established under the Merchant Marine Act of 1936. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to provide for the guarantee of obligations relating to fishing vessels engaged in developing fisheries which might not otherwise meet the normal economic soundness criteria established under the Merchant Marine Act of 1936.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 1979
Federal Firearms Law Reform Act of 1979 - Title I: Amendments to Gun Control Act - Amends the Gun Control Act of 1968 to redefine: (1) "manufacturer" to mean any person engaged in the "business of manufacturing" (instead of "manufacture" of) firearms or ammunition; and (2) "dealer" to exclude dealers in ammunition and persons engaged in the business of repairing firearms. Adds a new definition, "engaged in the business", with respect to manufacturers, dealers, and importers. Includes as a manufacturer of ammunition a person whose gross sales of his own ammunition exceed $1,000 in any calendar year. Includes as a dealer in firearms a person who deals in firearms as a regular course of business with the principal objective of livelihood and profit through the repetitive purchase and resale of firearms. Replaces the current term "crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year" with a new definition of "disabling crime." Eliminates certain activities regarding ammunition from the coverage of the current prohibitions. Revises current provisions respecting the interstate sale or transfer of firearms. Revises the current prohibition against selling a firearm or ammunition to certain persons (such as persons under indictment for a felony or addicted to drugs) to apply such prohibition only to persons convicted of a disabling crime. Revises the current prohibition against certain persons transporting a firearm or ammunition in interstate commerce to: (1) extend such prohibition to possession or receipt in commerce or affecting commerce of any firearm or ammunition; (2) conform such prohibition to the new "disabling crime" provision; and (3) include as additional categories illegal aliens, persons dishonorably discharged from the Armed Forces, and persons who have renounced their United States citizenship. Makes the same changes to the current prohibition against certain persons who receive a firearm or ammunition which has been transported in interstate commerce, but applies such prohibition to persons who are employed by specified individuals. Excludes ammunition dealers from the current licensing requirements. Stipulates that the Secretary of the Treasury may revoke a license only where the holder of such license has "knowingly" violated a provision of the Act or regulation. Bars the Secretary from denying or revoking a license on the basis of violations under this Act which are alleged in criminal proceedings instituted against a licensee, but for which such individual has not been convicted. Imposes as a condition for the inspection or examination of records, documents, and any firearm or ammunition kept by an importer, manufacturer, or dealer pursuant to this Act that the Secretary has reasonable grounds to believe that a violation has occurred and that evidence may be found on the premises of such persons. Restricts the firearm information obtained from licensees which the Secretary may make available to State or local governments. Establishes a limited recordkeeping requirement for firearms collectors. Stipulates that the general penalty under this Act shall apply to whoever "willfully" violates any provision. Prohibits, with respect to a person's second or subsequent conviction for illegally using or carrying a firearm during the commission of a felony, the granting of parole before completion of the minimum sentence. Amends the forfeiture provision to subject to seizure any firearm or ammunition "involved in or used" in any violation of the Act (instead of "involved in or used or intended to be used"). Requires a court to award attorney's fees to the prevailing party (other than the United States) in an action or proceeding for the return of seized firearms or ammunition. Allows the court to award such fees in any other action upon a finding that the action was initiated in bad faith. Amends the rulemaking authority of the Secretary to provide that no regulation may require (1) the transfer of records required under this Act to a facility owned, managed, or controlled by the United States or any State or (2) the establishment of any system of registration of firearms, firearms owners, or firearms transactions. Requires a 90-day public comment period for proposed regulations (no period is currently specified). Allows one House of Congress to disapprove by resolution any firearms regulation within 90 days of continuous session of the promulgation of such rule. Set forth procedures for such resolutions. Prohibits the Secretary from prescribing any rules identical to regulations disapproved by Congress without the enactment of additional legislation respecting his authority. Prohibits the Secretary from prescribing regulations which require purchasers of black powder to complete affidavits or forms attesting to their exemption from certain provisions of the Federal criminal code. Makes any law or regulation promulgated by any State prohibiting the transfer of an unloaded and not readily accessible firearm or ammunition null and void. Title II: Amendments to title VII of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 - Repeals title VII of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act (relating to the receipt, possession, or transportation of firearms by felons, veterans dishonorably discharged, mental incompetents, illegal aliens, and persons renouncing their United States citizenship).
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1979
Sales Representatives Protection Act - Title I: Contracts Between Sales Representatives and Principals - Requires a principal to furnish specified information to a sales representative concerning orders placed through the representative's account and a monthly accounting of commissions due such representative. Enumerates items which must be set forth in any contract between a sales representative and a principal. Title II: Indemnification - Exempts principals conforming with such information requirements from the indemnification provisions set forth in this Act. Requires a principal who, without good cause, terminates a contract between such principal and a sales representative, or reduces the rate of commission for orders solicited on behalf of such principal, to indemnify the representative according to this Act. Requires a principal who reduces the size of the geographic territory assigned to a representative for a specified account, which results in a specified reduction in commissions, to indemnify such representative. Sets forth formulae for the indemnification of such representatives. Title III: Miscellaneous - Allows a plaintiff to bring an action to enforce any rights or liabilities created by this Act in a United States district court. Stipulates the procedure for such action.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1979
Amends the Black Lung Benefits Act to stipulate that certain benefits paid to miners who filed claims under title IV of such Act shall not be considered workers' compensation benefits for the purposes of title II of the Social Security Act (Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance).
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 1979
Campaign Contribution Reform Act of 1979 - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit any multicandidate political committee (other than a multicandidate committee of a political party) from making contributions to a candidate for the office of Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress and his or her authorized committees which in any calendar year exceeds: (1) $5,000 with respect to any general or special election and a primary election relating to such election; or (2) $7,500 (but not more than $5,000 for one election) with respect to a general or special election and both a primary and runoff election relating to such election. Prohibits a candidate for the office of Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress or any authorized political committee from accepting contributions from political committees, other than committees of a political party, aggregating more than $50,000 in any calendar year, except in the case of a candidate who is a candidate in a general election and a special election, such candidate may accept such contributions aggregating: (1) $50,000 with respect to such general and any primary election relating to such general election; and (2) $50,000 with respect to such special election and any primary election relating to such special election. Specifies that any contribution made in a year, other than the calendar year in which the election is held, is considered to be made in the calendar year in which such election is held, and any contribution made after the date of such election shall be considered a contribution with respect to such election only if such contribution is used to pay obligations incurred with respect to such election. Specifies that any extension of credit for goods or services relating to advertising on broadcasting stations, in newspapers or magazines, by direct mail or other similar types of general public political advertising shall be considered a contribution, if such extension of credit is: (1) in an amount of more than $1,000; and (2) for a period of more than 30 days.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1979
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income up to $500 ($1,000 for married individuals filing jointly) of the interest earned on savings accounts in a bank, savings and loan association, or credit union. Requires a gradual phase-in of the maximum amount of the exclusion between 1980 and 1984.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 1979
Expresses the sense of the House that: (1) the report of the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare entitled "Report on Home Health Services Under Titles XVIII, XIX, and XX" is not responsive to the requirements set forth in the Medicare-Medicaid Anti-Fraud and Abuse Amendments; and (2) such report shall be returned to the Secretary and revised to comply with such requirements.
![Official portrait of Rep. Bonker, Don [D-WA-3]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b000620_200.jpg)