United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1978
Amends the Administrative Procedure Act to require Federal agencies to prepare and publish in the Federal Register an economic impact analysis of all proposed and final rules subject to the provisions of the Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 1978
Authorizes a $543,000,000 appropriation for reimbursing States for expenditures made with respect to services provided by such States under specified titles of the Social Security Act. Sets forth procedures and time limitations for making claims for for reimbursement and maximum amounts which a State may receive for providing services under the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 1978
Small Business Tax Relief Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow certain small businesses to compute taxable income under the cash method and without regard to inventories. Increases the corporate surtax exemption and reduces the corporate tax rates. Provides for limited recognition of the gain from the sale or exchange of a sole proprietorship prior to the age of 55, and non-recognition after age 55. Allows the amortization over a 36-month period of expenses of a business for property acquired to put the business in compliance with Federal law and which does not have any economic usefulness to the business. Increases the additional first year depreciation allowance for small businesses. Increases the investment tax credit for investments in certain small manufacturing facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 1978
Expresses the sense of the Congress that any right to, title to, or interest in the property of the United States Government agencies in the Panama Canal Zone or any real property and improvements thereon located in the zone should not be conveyed, relinquished, or otherwise disposed of to any foreign government without specific authorization of such conveyance, relinquishment, or other disposition by any Act of Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1978
Authorizes the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution to acquire the Museum of African Art. Establishes a Commission for the Museum of African Art to assist the Board in the operation and development of the Museum. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the purposes of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1978
Amends the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to authorize the Secretary of Commerce to make annual grants to assist States in carrying out public shoreline erosion management measures in the Great Lakes region. Authorizes grants to States to: (1) acquire private shoreline property where necessary to protect adjacent public land; (2) relocate existing structures endangered by erosion; and (3) carry out erosion management measures. Limits the amount of any such grant to 80 percent of the estimated cost of a State's proposed erosion management measures during the year such grant is made. Requires a State, as a condition of eligibility for such a grant, to implement an erosion management assistance plan approved by the Secretary. Sets forth the types of financial aid which a State erosion management assistance plan must provide to private shoreline property owners. Requires a State to furnish the Secretary with information and records concerning its erosion management assistance plan. Directs the Secretary, in allocating aid among the States, to consider: (1) the length of the Great Lakes shoreline within each State; (2) comparative recession rates of each shoreline; and (3) the proportion of shoreline in each State which is subject to high erosion. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1978
Confers jurisdiction upon Federal district courts to enforce a State child custody order against a parent who, in violation of such order, took the child to another State.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1978
Veterans' and Survivors' Pension Improvement Act - Title I: Amendments to Pension Program for Non-service-connected Disability or Death - Revises the list of specified catagories of payments excluded from the determination of annual income for benefit payment purposes. Requires persons applying for a non-service-connected disability pension to report the income and estate of each spouse and child on account of whom added pension is applied for or received. Sets increased flat pension and aid-and-attendance allowance rates, reduced by the amount of a veteran's annual income, and in specified instances, by the amount of a spouse's or child's income which is reasonably available to or for such veteran. Sets increased flat benefit rates, with similar reductions, for the surviving spouses and children of such veterans. Requires annual adjustments in such pension and benefit rates in conjunction with cost-of-living increases in Social Security benefits. Title II: Miscellaneous Provisions and Effective Dates - Sets the effective dates for provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1978
Authorizes the modification of a specified flood control project on the Saginaw River, Michigan. Directs the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Corps of Engineers, to implement a nonstructural flood control and recreation project on the Tittabawassee River, Michigan. Requires non- Federal cooperation for such project. Directs the Secretary to include the costs and benefits of non-Federal improvements initiated before a specified date in determining the non-Federal share of such project.
United States · United States Congress · 15 December 1977
Tuition Tax Credit Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a credit against an individual's income tax in an amount equal to 50 percent of the sum of the amounts paid by him to educational institutions as tuition (though no more than $500 for any single individual) for the attendance of the taxpayer, the taxpayer's spouse, or any of his dependents with respect to whom he is entitled to a personal exemption.
United States · United States Congress · 15 December 1977
Omnibus Anti-Terrorism Act - Title I: Aircraft Piracy - Authorizes civil penalties for carrying an accessible weapon aboard an aircraft and for imparting or conveying information known to be false regarding one of specified crimes aboard an aircraft. Specified criminal penalties for threatening to commit air piracy or any other of certain crimes aboard an aircraft. Title II: Findings and Purposes - States Congressional findings relative to the purpose of this Act and defines specified terms used therein. Title III: Reorganization of Executive Office of the President - Establishes a Council to Combat Terrorism in the Executive Office of the President. Includes among the council's functions: (1) assisting the President to implement this Act; (2) assisting in the preparation of lists of countries aiding terrorist enterprises and of dangerous foreign airports, and (3) coordinating Federal efforts to combat terrorism. Directs the President to: (1) report to Congress on each act of terrorism which involves or affects United States citizens; and (2) impose sanctions against countries on the list of countries aiding terrorists and against airports on the list of dangerous foreign airports. Title IV: Reorganization of the Department of State - Establishes a Bureau for Combating International Terrorism in the Department of State. Urges the President to seek international agreements which assure cooperation in combating terrorism. Lists provisions which should be given priority in negotiating such agreements. Requires the President to: (1) develop programs to insure full implementation of the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Civil Aviation; (2) approve all defense article sales and credit made to any individual or group; and (3) include the names of all types of explosives on the United States Munitions List. Title V: Reorganization of the Department of Justice - Establishes an office for Combating Terrorism in the Department of Justice. Directs the President to extend existing safety and security requirements to supplemental means of air transportation. Requires all explosives to contain identification and detection taggants. Title VI: Aircraft Sabotage and Piracy - Amends provisions of title 18 of the U.S. Code that specify prohibited acts regarding the destruction of aircraft or aircraft facilities to, among other revisions, set forth penalties for committing violence against a passenger which is likely to endanger an aircraft in service, and for communicating false information which result in endangering the safety of an aircraft in flight. Sets forth penalties for a person found in the United States who has committed against or aboard a foreign aircraft an offense in violation of the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Civil Aviation.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 1977
Federal Election Campaign Reform Act - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to (1) permit designated committees to make expenditures for Presidential candidates, (2) exempt from a candidate's contribution limits payments for certain media advertisements by other candidates which advocate election of such candidate, and (3) direct the Federal Election Commission to establish uniform recordkeeping and reporting procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 22 November 1977
Declares it the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare should not include in the National Guidelines for Health Planning any guidelines which would directly or indirectly cause the closing of any small, rural hospital which is the only hospital providing primary care services to a local community.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 1977
Beverage Container Reuse and Recycling Act - Prohibits the sale of carbonated beverages in beverage containers by retailers and distributors unless such containers carry a refund value of not less than five cents. Requires that retailers and distributors pay the amount of the affixed refund value of brands of beverages bought and sold by such retailers or distributors. Prohibits States from imposing any tax on the collection or return of refund values established by this Act. Prohibits distributors and retailers from selling beverages in metal beverage containers with detachable openings. Imposes penalties of up to $1,000 and/or 60 days imprisonment for violation of the provisions of this Act. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to monitor the rate of reuse and recycling as a result of this Act. Stipulates that the labeling of refund values shall be required within three years of the date of enactment of this Act. Stipulates that the prohibition on detachable metal openings shall take effect one year after the date of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 1977
Establishes within the House of Representatives a Select Committee on the Committee System to study the establishment, jurisdiction, and operation of House committees.
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 1977
Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make assistance payments for the purpose of aiding any lower-income family in making rental payments with respect to real property on which is located a mobile home owned by such family and utilized by such family as its principal place of residence.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 1977
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development should not implement the proposed reorganization of the field and insuring offices of the Department of Housing and Urban Development prior to the time when the appropriate committees of the Congress have had an opportunity to hold hearings on such reorganization.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 1977
Telephone Privacy Act - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit unsolicited commercial telephone calls to a telephone subscriber who has notified the telephone company that he does not wish to receive such calls. Directs the Federal Communications Commission to prescribe regulations specifying the manner in which a telephone subscriber shall notify the telephone company that he does not wish to receive unsolicited calls. Prescribes criminal penalties for violations of this Act. Excludes from the definition of "unsolicited commercial telephone calls" calls made in response to an express request of the individual called or made in connection with an overdue debt or contractual obligation.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 1977
Small Business Impact Statement Act - Directs the head of each Federal agency to prepare a small business impact statement in connection with each rule made by such agency unless the agency head, with the approval of the Office of Advocacy of the Small Business Administration determines that such rule will not have a substantial effect on a significant number of small business. Sets forth information which must be present in each small business impact statement. Prescribes steps which each agency head must follow in preparing any small business impact statement including publication of the statement in the Federal Register.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 1977
National Crude Oil Supply and Transportation Act -- Expresses the intent of Congress that the continuation of a transportation system to deliver Alaskan crude oil to Northern Tier or inland States be accomplished through expedited administrative procedures. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish a time schedule for the completion of required environmental impact statements in order to select a crude oil transportation system by February 1, 1978. Establishes criteria to be considered by the Secretary in selecting a transportation route. Establishes procedures for Congressional review and disapproval of the Secretary's decision. Directs the Secretary and other appropriate Federal officials to take all actions necessary to provide rights of-way, permits, leases, and other authorizations necessary for the instruction, operation and maintenance of the transportation system approved under this Act. Declares that the actions of Federal officers and agencies under this Act shall not be subject to judicial review by the courts. Allows for claims that: (1) actions under this Act will deny Constitutional rights; and (2) actions taken are beyond the scope of authority conferred by this Act, provided that such claims are filed within 60 days following the date of the challenged action. Vests exclusive jurisdiction to hear such claims in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, acting as a special court. Stipulates that any judicial proceedings should be completed at the earliest possible date. Declares that nothing in this Act shall authorize or imply an exemption from any provision of the antitrust laws.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 1977
Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act to permit States to impose inspection, marking, labeling, packaging, and ingredient requirements that are more stringent than Federal standards.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 1977
Declares the sense of the House of Representatives that the Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on Public Works and Transportation should immediately hold joint hearings to: (1) document any inequities in the administration of the Federal drought assistance program respecting the share of Federal funds given to smaller communities; and (2) determine the policies, practices, and priorities which the Farmers Home Administration and the Economic Development Administration should adopt in administering such program.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 1977
Establishes within the House of Representatives the Commission on South Korean Influence to conduct an investigation into alleged South Korean influence-buying in Congress. Vests exclusive jurisdiction to investigate such alleged South Korean influence buying in the Commission. Directs the House Committee on standards of Official Conduct to cease its investigation into such matter.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 1977
Employee Bill of Rights Act - Amends the Congressional findings and policies declared in the National Labor Relations Act. Stipulates that only bargaining representatives who are chosen by secret ballot may be deemed exclusive representatives with whom employers have a duty to bargain collectively. Deems it an unfair labor practice for a labor organization to threaten or impose any fine or other economic sanction against any person in the exercise of rights under the National Relations Act. Permits a labor organization, employer, or ten percent of the members of the appropriate bargaining unit to request a referendum regarding a potential or existing strike. Deems it an unfair labor practice for a labor organization to call or maintain a strike if a majority of employees voting in such a referendum vote not to strike or if such a referendum is requested before a strike begins and the results have not yet been certified. Provides that if an employer, labor organization, or group of employees, submit a dispute to binding arbitration under an existing collective bargaining agreement, or have agreed to submit, arbitration shall be the exclusive forum and no unfair labor practice proceeding involving the same subject matter may be instituted before the National Labor Relations Board unless determinations of such arbitration are inconsistent with rights granted under the National Labor Relations Act. Permits any number of a religion, body, or sect which has traditionally objected to membership in and financial support of labor organizations to refrain from joining or supporting a union. Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act to prohibit use of any procedure by which union dues and other assessments are deducted from employees paychecks in soliciting and collecting contributions for a segregated campaign fund.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 1977
States that this Congress should expeditiously determine the future telecommunications policy of this Nation. Requests the Federal Communications Commission to defer implementation of any further new telecommunications policies until Congress has completed its study on the matter and determined what such future policy should be.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 1977
Directs the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a one year review of toxic and carcinogenic substances including: (1) current capabilities to predict the effect on humans of substances found to induce cancer in animals; (2) the benefits and risks to the public of such substances; (3) the validity of benefit-risk analysis of such substances; and (4) the relationship of Federal regulatory policies concerning the use of such substances for food and for non-food purposes. Directs the Institute to report its findings and legislative and administrative recommendations to the Congress and the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare within one year. Authorizes the continued use of saccharin for eighteen months. Prohibits the Secretary from taking any action under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to prohibit or restrict the sale or distribution (other than requiring labeling) of saccharin.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 1977
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Federal Communications Commission should maximize local primary radio broadcast service in any proceeding respecting the provision of class I-A and I-B radio service. Prohibits the operation of a standard broadcast station with power in excess of 50,000 watts.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 1977
Young Families' Housing Act - Graduated Payment Mortgage Insurance Act - Amends the National Housing Act to permit the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to insure, on a regular basis, mortgages and loans with provisions for varying rates of amortization corresponding to anticipated variations in family income. Sets a percentage limit on the mortgage value ratio of mortgages which will be insurable under this Act. Prescribes eligibility requirements for such insurance. States that mortgages or loans insured pursuant to this Act shall not be subject to State usury laws in most cases. Individual Housing Account Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a deduction for amounts paid in cash into an individual housing account. Defines the term "individual housing account" for the purposes of this Act. Limits annual tax deductions to $2,500 and lifetime deductions to $10,000. Makes provisions for tax treatment upon distribution of such accounts. Exempts individual housing accounts from taxation under the Internal Revenue Code.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 1977
Amends the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 to make the provisions, formerly applicable to persons between 40 and 65 years of age, applicable to anyone 40 years of age or older.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 1977
Unemployment Compensation Cost Equalization Act - Entitles, under the Social Security Act, states whose rates of insured unemployment is at least six percent to partial reimbursement on an ascending sliding scale of unemployment compensation costs incurred above a certain amount.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 1977
Directs that United States attorneys be appointed and subject to removal by the Attorney General rather than the President. Eliminates set terms for United States attorneys.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 1977
Amends the Flood Control Act of 1958 to authorize the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to implement a construction plan for flood damage reduction on the Tittabawassee River at Midland, Michigan, in lieu of structural flood damage reduction; or combination thereof.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1977
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow certain individuals to compute the amount of the deduction for retirement savings on the basis of the earned income of their spouses.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1977
Prohibits denial of employment (except by an employer with no more than ten employees) of any person because of any obligation as a member of a Reserve component of the Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 1977
Product Liability Insurance Tax Equity Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to qualify trusts established for the payment of product liability claims as tax exempt organizations. Allows taxpayers a business income tax deduction for contributions to such trusts only to the extent they exceed the reasonable costs of product liability insurance for the deducting taxpayer.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1977
Constitutional Amendment - Permits religious observances in governmental institutions and public places. Permits reference to a supreme being in a governmental or public document, activity, place, or on money. Declares that this amendment shall not constitute establishment of religion.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 1977
National Food Stamp Reform Act - Extends the Food Stamp Act of 1964 through fiscal year 1982. Excludes from the definition of "food" which may be purchased with food stamps alcoholic beverages, tobacco, ice cubes, artificial food colorings, powdered and liquid cocktail mixes, carbonated beverages, cooking wines, and chewing gum; and any other food, class of food, food product or condiment which the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the President of the National Academy of Sciences - National Research Council (Food and Nutrition Board), determines to have a negligible or low nutritional value or to be an insignificant enhancement of palatability. Includes residents of federally subsidized housing for the elderly in the definition of "household". Redefines "elderly person" as someone 65 years or older (currently, 60 years of age). Defines "nutritionally adequate diet" as a diet sufficient to feed a family of four persons, consisting of a man and a woman between 20 and 54 years of age, one child between ages nine and eleven and one child between six and eight, and which meets additional specified conditions. Directs the Secretary to establish uniform national standards of eligibility for participation by households in the food stamp program. Requires the income standards of eligibility in every State to be the nonfarm income poverty guidelines prescribed by the Office of Management and Budget, adjusted annually; but limits the standards for Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam to those of the 50 States. Sets a 90-day accounting period for certification or recertification of food stamp applicants. Limits the maximum allowable financial resources (liquid and nonliquid assets) of a household to $1,500, except that, for households or two or more persons with one or more members 65 years or older, such resources are limited to $2,250. Specifies holdings excluded from the determination of such resources. Requires household income for purposes of the food stamp program to be the gross income of the household less: (1) a deduction of $25 a month for any household in which there is at least one elderly person; and (2) an additional deduction equal to 15 percent of all earned income to compensate for taxes, mandatory deductions, and work expenses. Includes in gross income: (1) all monetary payments to or on behalf of any household member except payments made for medical costs; (2) all income tax refunds and Federal income tax credits; (3) the value of all in-kind items; and (4) the value of all benefits received under any publicly or privately funded assistance program. Excludes from gross income: (1) payments for medical costs made on behalf of the household; (2) compensation for services performed by a student residing with the household who is not yet 18; (3) Uniform Relocation Assistance payments; (4) infrequent or irregular quarterly income; (5) all loans except deferred repayment education loans; and (6) the cost of producing self-employed income. Authorizes the Secretary to establish temporary emergency eligibility standards for households which are victims of a disaster. States that no household shall be eligible for participation in the Food Stamp program which includes an able- bodied adult between the ages of 18 and 65 who: (1) incurs a reduction of income as a result of voluntarily reducing his or her number of hours of employment without good cause; (2) fails to register for employment at a State or Federal employment office; (3) has refused to accept employment or public work within 30 miles of the person's principal residence; (4) fails to actively seek employment; or (5) is enrolled in an institution of post-secondary education as a substitute for full-time employment. Excludes from this class of ineligible individuals mothers with dependent children, primary or secondary school students, post-secondary level students or trainees' employed part-time, enrollees in a drug addiction or alcoholic treatment program, and persons working at least 30 hours per week. States that refusal to work at a plant site because of a strike or other labor dispute shall be deemed to be a refusal to accept employment. Declares that no person shall be eligible who is not a citizen or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence. States that no minor shall be considered a household member if such minor resides in a household in which no other member has a legal duty to support him unless: (1) the individual who had such a duty is financially unable to perform it; or (2) no individual with such duty exists. Requires each household receiving food stamps to report its income at least once each month. Declares that no household that knowingly transfers liquid or nonliquid assets for the purpose of qualifying or attempting to qualify for the food stamp program shall be eligible to participate in the program for a minimum of 90 days. States that no person who receives supplementary security income benefits under title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) of the Social Security Act, State supplementary payments under such title, or payments under specified provisions of title II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) of such Act, shall be considered a member of a household for any month, if for such month, such individual resides in a State in which the Supplemental Security Income benefit has been increased specifically to include the bonus value of food coupon allotments. Requires food coupons to be designed with spaces for the user to sign upon receipt and redemption. Requires coupon users to present suitable identification; including signature and photograph, when redeeming coupons at approved food stores. States that the value of the food coupon allotment to which eligible households will be entitled shall be an amount sufficient to allow a household to purchase a nutritionally adequate diet. Requires the semi-annual adjustment of the value of an allotment based on changes in the cost of food. Establishes as the charge a household shall pay for its coupon allotment the lesser of: (1) the percentage of its income which would be expended for food by an average household of its size and income range in the same region of the country; or (2) 30 percent. Provides, under the requirements for State plans for the administration of the food stamp program, for closer State supervision of eligibility by households. Requires the State agencies administering the program to conduct nutrition education programs for recipients. Directs each State agency to establish an earnings clearance system for the purpose of checking the actual income and assets of a household against those reported by the household. Provides that if a State agency does not comply with the provisions of the Food Stamp Act, the Secretary may refer the matter to the Attorney General with a request for an injunction, or he may direct that there be no further issuance of coupons in the political subdivisions where such failure has occurred until such time as satisfactory corrective action has been taken. Establishes a national system for providing information to State agencies in order to assist them in preventing households from receiving food stamps in more than one State or in more than one political subdivision within a State. Sets a civil penalty not in excess of $10,000 for each violation of the Food Stamp Act of 1964 or regulations issued pursuant to it by specified persons, including State agencies. Directs the Secretary to pay to each State agency out of funds appropriated by Congress an amount equal to 75 percent of all direct costs of State food stamp program investigations, prosecutions, and State activities related to recovering losses sustained in the food stamp program. Specifies information to included in the Secretary's annual report in addition to information already given.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 1977
Authorizes the President of the United States to designate the week beginning on the Sunday preceding the fourth Thursday in November of each year as "National Family Week".
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 1977
Franchising Termination Practices Reform Act - Requires a franchisor to notify a franchisee at least 90 days in advance of the franchisor's intention to terminate the franchise and to state the reasons for termination. Prohibits a franchisor from cancelling a franchise or failing to renew a franchise unless the franchisor is effecting a market area withdrawal or the franchisor has good cause for failure to renew and has given proper notice. Makes any franchisor who has violated the requirements of this Act civilly liable to the aggrieved franchisee.
![Official portrait of Rep. Cederberg, Elford A. [R-MI-10]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c000263_200.jpg)