United States · United States Congress · 17 February 1977
Natural Gas Act Amendments - Amends the Natural Gas Act to terminate Federal Power Commission authority to regulate sales of new natural gas in interstate commerce. Stipulates that prices for offshore sales of new natural gas shall not exceed the ceiling price for sales of new natural gas produced from onshore Federal lands. Stipulates that emergency sales of natural gas to curtailed customers who qualify as essential users shall not affect such exempt status. Authorizes the Commission to terminate such exemptions on or after April 15, 1978, if they are no longer deemed necessary to protect high priority consumers of natural gas. Directs the Federal Power Commission to conduct studies and make reports regarding the nature and availability of natural gas reserves. Requires that the Commission keep current information available relating to the estimated natural gas reserves for individual fields. Establishes procedures for the establishment of ceiling prices for new natural gas produced from offshore Federal lands through December 31, 1982. Authorizes the Commission to grant exemptions to price ceilings within high-cost production areas. Establishes procedures for adjustments to price ceilings established pursuant to this Act. Directs the Commission to prohibit the curtailment of adequate supplies of natural gas for essential agricultural purposes. Directs the Commission to prohibit the use of natural gas as boiler fuel where adequate alternatives are available. Authorizes exemptions from such prohibition where necessary to comply with pollution control or environmental protection and safety standards.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 1977
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow individuals to designate $1 to their income tax liability to be used for reducing the public debt of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 1977
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to limit the pari-mutuel gambling winning on horse and dogs races and jai alai which are subject to tax withholding to one-half of the proceeds exceeding $1,000 where the winnings are at least 300 times the size of the wager.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 1977
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to limit the application of the Tax Reform Act's elimination of the sick pay exclusion for persons who have not retired on total disability, to taxable years beginning after December 31, 1976.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1977
Makes it unlawful for any individual or entity to solicit to enroll or enroll any member of the armed forces in any labor organization or for any member to encourage others to join or to actively support any military labor organization. Sets forth penalties for violation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1977
Jobs Creation Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce the individual income tax rates. Allows a credit against the income tax up to $1,000, for ten percent of the increase in the total savings deposits and investments since the end of the previous year. Allows a limited income tax deduction by certain domestic corporations for dividends paid. Limits corporate deductions for dividends received from foreign corporations. Repeals corporate deductions for other dividends received. Allows the taxpayer to take a deduction for specified percentages of the acquisition costs of certain types of property, with a corresponding reduction in basis, in lieu of a depreciation deduction. Doubles the corporate surtax exemption to $100,000.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1977
Narcotic Sentencing Act - Title I: Mandatory Minimum Sentences - Amends the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 to set forth mandatory minimum terms of imprisonment for individuals; (1) manufacturing, distributing, or dispensing specified narcotic drugs or counterfeits thereof; (2) possessing such a substance with intent to distribute or dispense; (3) illegally importing or exporting such a substance; or (4) attempting or conspiring to commit any of the above offenses. Authorizes a court to sentence an individual to a shorter term of imprisonment or parole ineligibility where certain mitigating circumstances are present. Amends the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure to direct that a separate sentencing hearing be conducted when an individual is convicted of an offense for which a mandatory term of imprisonment is authorized under this Act. Title II: Conditions of Release - Instructs a judicial officer, in setting the conditions of release pending trial, to consider whether a person charged with an offense encompassed by title I of this Act poses a threat to the community or will commit similar offenses. Authorizes a judicial officer to deny pretrial release to a person charged with such an offense upon making any of specified findings in a separate hearing. Title III: Forfeiture of Proceeds of Illegal Drug Transactions - Subjects to forfeiture all proceeds of offenses under the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 and all moneys, negotiable instruments, and securities used or intended to be used in committing such crimes. Sets forth guidelines for the disposition of property so forfeited.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 1977
Truth in Government Accounting Act - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to prepare and make public annual consolidated financial statements for all expenditures of the United States utilizing the accrual method of accounting.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 1977
Hobbs Act Amendment - Amends the Hobbs Act to impose penalties for interfering with commerce by willfully causing damage to the extent of at least $2,000 to any property of an employer, owner, or other person at or near a factory, construction site, or other place where work or business of the employer or owner is carried on or where such employer or owner transports, stores, or maintains property. Stipulates that a violation of such provisions or of the provision prohibiting interference with commerce through robbery, acts of violence, or extortion shall not be nullified or mitigated by the fact that such acts are also in violation of State or local law or took place in the course of a legitimate labor dispute or in pursuit of legitimate union objectives.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 1977
National Aquaculture Organic Act - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish a National Aquaculture Development Plan. Requires that such plan (1) identify each aquatic species which can be cultured on a commercial basis (priority aquatic species), and (2) contain a program of aquaculture development for such priority aquatic species. Directs the Secretary of Commerce or the Secretary of the Interior, whichever is appropriate, to review annually each aquatic species not identified as a priority species and the program established for each priority species. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to (1) establish and maintain an aquaculture information center, (2) maintain an inventory of public and private aquaculture being carried out in the United States, (3) arrange for the mutual exchange of information relating to aquaculture with foreign nations, and (4) submit an annual report to Congress on the implementation of the provisions of this Act. Establishes the Interagency Committee on Aquaculture comprised of the heads of various Federal agencies to insure that there is a continuing exchange of information relating to the aquacultural programs and projects of the various agencies and to review on a continuing basis the relevant programs and projects of all Federal agencies. Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce or the Secretary of the Interior to carry out any function under this Act through grants or contracts. Limits the amount of any grant made available under this Act to one-half of the estimated cost of the project for which the grant was made. Authorizes either Secretary to guarantee obligations issued for the financing of any aquaculture facility within the United States. Stipulates that the aggregate unpaid principal amount of all such guaranteed obligations shall not exceed $100,000,000. Authorizes the Secretary to collect a fee for guaranteed obligations not to exceed one-half of one percent per annum of the outstanding principal balance of the obligation. Sets forth the allowable interest rate, maturity date, and default procedures relating to such loans. Authorizes the appropriate Secretary to issue notes or obligations to the Secretary of the Treasury if the monies in the loan fund are insufficient to pay such a loan in the event of default. Authorizes the Secretary to make disaster loans available to individuals who have guaranteed loans under this Act. Establishes within the Treasury a Federal Aquaculture Assistance Fund for the purpose of guaranteeing loans or making disaster loans available under this Act. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish an insurance program for persons with guaranteed loans under this Act. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretaries of Commerce and the Interior to carry out the various provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1977
Amends Titles II (Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) and XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act and the Railroad Retirement Act to eliminate the requirement that an individual be entitled to disability benefits for at least 24 consecutive months in order to qualify for hospital insurance benefits under the Medicare program.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1977
Marine Resources Conservation and Development Act - Establishes in the United States Treasury the Marine Resources Conservation and Development Fund. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) pay into such Fund 70 percent of revenues paid in connection with leases on the Outer Continental Shelf Lands subsequent to enactment of the Marine Resources Conservation Development Act; and (2) pay to any State adjacent to such lands, 30 percent of such revenues. Makes the Fund available for use by the Secretary of the Interior for programs in marine resources conservation. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to establish an Advisory Board to assist in carrying out the purposes of this Act, and seven Regional Environmental Review Boards which shall review the provisions of this Act with respect to the exploration for, and the production and transportation of, minerals in the Outer Continental shelf. Authorizes the appropriation out of the Fund of such amounts as are necessary to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1977
Amends Title II (Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to eliminate the five month waiting period which is presently a prerequisite of eligibility for disability insurance benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1977
Directs the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs to permit a veteran, who is being supplied with drugs but who is not a patient in a Veterans' Administration facility, to determine whether the drugs will be supplied directly by the Administrator or from a source approved by the Administrator and whether the Administrator shall pay such source directly or reimburse the veteran who will pay for the drugs.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1977
Natural Wetlands Inventory and Evaluation Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to formulate and carry out a continuous program which classifies and inventories the nation's wetlands; measures the degradation and loss of wetlands; and evaluates the contribution of wetlands to fish and wildlife conservation and the quality of the human environment. Directs all departments and agencies of the Federal Government to furnish information concerning the extent of destruction, alteration and uses of wetlands under their respective programs. Authorizes the Secretary to contract with educational institutions, State fish and wildlife agencies, and private organizations to collect and analyze data appropriate for the purposes of this Act. Authorizes the appropriation of $750,000 for fiscal year 1978 and such sums for succeeding fiscal years as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1977
Amends Title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require that States include standards for determining need for continued skilled nursing services or intermediate care services in their plan for medical assistance. Directs the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to conduct investigative and oversight activities designed to determine whether there exists any basis to support a finding that the plan no longer complies with minimum requirements for such plan. States that an individual shall be deemed to be in need of skilled nursing facility services if such individual is determined to need care in such a facility on a daily basis.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1977
Community Child Care Act- Directs the Secretary of Labor to carry out a program for making grants to States to enable them to assist public and private nonprofit agencies in providing day care services: (1) for children from low-income families in order that their parents may work, or (2) where the parents are incapable of supporting themselves and their children. Authorizes appropriations of $150,000,000 for fiscal year 1977 and $250,000,000 for each succeeding fiscal year for purposes of this Act. Sets forth the procedure for allotment of such funds to the States. Requires any State which desires to receive grants under this Act to submit a plan to the Secretary of Labor. Sets forth the requirements which such a State plan must meet. Provides that to be eligible for assistance under a State plan, a child day-care program must: (1) be carried on by a public or private nonprofit agency; (2) provide for children aged between ten months and the age of compulsory school attendance; (3) require a minimum payment of $1 per day per child from parents who are working; (4) provide warm and nutritious meals; and (5) be staffed with qualified personnel. Sets forth the procedure of the administration of State plans. Provides for hearings and judicial review when State plan approval is denied or revoked.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1977
Amends the Clean Air Act and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to require that compliance orders issued under applicable air and water pollution control standards include cost-benefit analyses.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1977
Amends Title II (Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to provide that any individual who would have been fully insured at age 62, may qualify for disability insurance benefits if such individual has 40 quarters of coverage, regardless of when such quarters were earned. Stipulates that such coverage requirement is an alternative to the requirement that an individual have 20 quarters of coverage during the 40-quarter period immediately preceding his disability.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1977
Provides that limited expeditionary campaigns or occupations including those in the Philippines, Haiti, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, China and Mexico and the occupation of Germany after World War I shall be treated as periods of war for the purposes of eligibility for veterans' benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1977
Directs the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs to build a general medical, surgical and psychiatric hospital in the Halifax area of Volusia County, Florida. Authorizes the appropriation of such sums as are necessary to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1977
Requires the Board of the National Science Foundation to establish the Mineral Conservation Research and Development Commission for the purposes of; (1) keeping a current inventory of major nonfuel raw materials; (2) monitoring and reporting on United States vulnerability and import dependence on such materials; and (3) developing substitutes for these materials.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1977
Directs the Secretary of Commerce, during the intervals between decennial population censuses, to annually produce and publish current population data for each State, county and local unit of general purpose government which has a population of 50,000 or more and to biennially produce and publish such data for other local units of general purpose government. Requires that the most current population data available through either the decennial census or the censuses required under this Act, be used in the administration of any laws in which population is used to determine the amount of benefit received by a State or local unit of general purpose government. Directs the Secretary of Commerce and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to jointly develop and establish uniform methods and procedures for producing statistical information used in effecting the delivery of Federal benefits to State and local governments. Requires the Secretary and the Director to report to specified Congressional committees regarding the progress made in this respect within one year after the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1977
Correctional Services Improvement Act - Title I: Correctional Centers and Services - Authorizes the Attorney General to plan, construct, operate, and transfer the following types of correctional centers in accordance with this Act: (1) demonstration correctional centers for the commitment or treatment of accused persons awaiting trial, persons sentenced to terms of one year or less, and persons on probation or parole: (2) regional youth correctional centers for the commitment and treatment of youths and young adults sentenced pursuant to the Federal Youth Corrections Act; and (3) demonstration correctional centers for special offender groups of persons sentenced to terms in excess of one year or committed for an indeterminate period, including such offender groups as the mentally ill or defective, the violent and dangerous, and women. Authorizes the Attorney General to contract with appropriate State and local authorities of the region in which a center is constructed to make available center facilities, services, and programs. Empowers the Attorney General to transfer, subject to specified conditions, a center to the State in which it is located upon making certain findings. Authorizes the Attorney General to prescribe minimum standards relative to the construction, operation, and programs of jails, other correctional facilities, and correctional services owned or operated by a State or political subdivision thereof and in which persons accused or convicted of Federal crimes may be confined or treated. Title II: Coordination of Federal Correctional Activities - Replaces the Advisory Corrections Council with a Federal Corrections Coordinating Council. Directs the Council, in addition to performing the duties of the Advisory Corrections Council, to issue guidelines for the operation of the Board of Parole, the Youth Division of the Board of Parole, and the Division of Probation of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, and to establish a program of continuing research and experimentation to develop more effective techniques for the treatment and rehabilitation of criminal offenders. Empowers a Federal court to require as a condition of probation or parole that a person reside in and/or participate in the program of a residential community treatment center. Title III: Federal Corrections Institute - Establishes a Federal Corrections Institute to provide training for representatives of Federal, State, and local law enforcement officers, judges and judicial personnel, probation and parole personnel, correctional personnel, and other persons connected with the treatment and rehabilitation of criminal offenders. Creates an advisory commission to supervise the policy and operation of the Institute. Directs each candidate for admission to the Institute to apply to a specified State agency, which, in turn, is directed to select an appropriate number of candidates and forward their applications to the Institute for final selection. Title IV: Eligibility for Parole; Youth Correction Act Amendments - Repeals the requirement that a Federal prisoner serve one-third of the sentence imposed or 15 years, whichever is less, in order to be eligible for parole unless the court imposing the sentence specified otherwise. Retains the power of the court to designate a minimum term of up to one-third of the sentence which must be served before the prisoner may be released on parole. Amends the Federal Youth Corrections Act to direct the release of youth offenders sentenced pursuant to specified provisions thereunder: (1) conditionally at the expiration of two-thirds of the maximum term authorized by law for the offense of which the offender stands to be convicted and (2) unconditionally before the expiration of such maximum term if the offender has not before that time been released in accordance with other specified time limits. Permits the Youth Correction Division of the Board of Parole to discharge a committed youth offender unconditionally at any time after conditional release. Stipulates that the authority of the Attorney General to determine the place and conditions of confinement of Federal prisoners shall extend to all juveniles. Requires that committed youth offenders and juvenile delinquents be given credit toward release for any time spent in custody in connection with the acts or offenses for which commitment was ordered. Title V: Commitment of Dangerous Persons Found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity - Directs that not guilty verdicts, in prosecutions in which the defendant raises the defense of insanity, specify whether the defendant was found not guilty by reason of insanity at the time of the offense or whether the defendant was found not guilty for other reasons. Requires that the court in which the criminal proceedings were conducted determine by hearing the dangerousness of a defendant found not guilty due to insanity whenever the court or the United States attorney believes that such person, if unconditionally released, would constitute a danger to himself or others. Sets forth guidelines relative to such hearings. Directs the court, upon a finding of dangerousness, to either order that the defendant be released under its supervision and subject to such conditions as it may impose or commit such person to the custody of the Surgeon General for commitment to a suitable mental institution. Specifies procedures through which such conditions of release may be modified and such commitment terminated.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1977
Grants access to criminal records in the custody of the Attorney General to non-law enforcement officials and agencies of any State or city if the laws or regulations of such jurisdiction authorize or require such official or agency to acquire criminal record information in the performance of duty. (Amends 28 U.S.C. 534)
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1977
Amends Title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide administrative and judicial review of claims which arise under the supplementary medical insurance program. Sets the minimum requirement for amount in controversy for a hearing at $50 and for judicial review at $500.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1977
Exempts from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act naval nuclear propulsion information in the absence of a finding that such disclosure will not be inimical to the interests of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1977
Occupational Safety and Health Act Amendments - Prohibits, under the Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1970, the Secretary of Labor from proposing any rule promulgating a new occupational health or safety standard before: (1) he has as part of each such proposal reviewed and published in the Federal Register the financial impact of such proposed standard; and (2) he has determined with due regard for that impact that the benefit to be derived from such standard justifies such proposal. Directs the Secretary to provide for an emergency standard to take effect immediately after publication in the Federal Register if he determines: (1) that there is clear and recognized evidence of employees being exposed to serious danger from exposure to substances or agents determined to be toxic or physically harmful or from new hazards; and (2) that such emergency standard is necessary to protect employees from such danger. Requires the Secretary to provide at least five days' advance notice to the employer to be inspected that an inspection will be made where: (1) such notice would afford the employer an opportunity to have qualified management personnel or consultants present during the inspection; and (2) where the Secretary has determined that such notice would not unreasonably hamper or defeat the purposes of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Directs the Secretary to visit the workplace of employers for the purposes of affording consultation and advice to such employers, upon the request of the employers.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1977
Removes the limitation on the amount of outside income which an individual may earn while receiving benefits under title II (Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1977
Provides for a new Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs whose principal duty shall be the overall supervision of the reserve component affairs of the Department of Defense. Changes the existing position of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs to Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower. (Amends 10 U.S.C. 136, 175; 5 U.S.C. 5315)
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1977
Directs the Secretary of the Army to establish a national cemetery in Florida at an appropriate location giving due regard to those areas with the heaviest population of veterans, and to acquire such land as may be required for the establishment of such national cemetery.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1977
Establishes an Antitrust Revision Commission to: (1) study the operation of existing antitrust statutes, as interpreted by judicial, executive, and administrative decisions, and their effect upon competition, price levels, employment, profits, production, consumption, and the capability of the economy to best sustain the Nation at home and abroad; (2) study the enforcement procedures of the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, and other agencies of Government as they relate to the antitrust laws; and (3) make recommendations for improvement in the statutory framework as well as in enforcement, administration, and procedures wherever appropriate. Specifies the membership, method of appointment, and manner of compensation of the members of the Commission. States that the Commission shall make a report of its findings and conclusions no later than one year after its first meeting, and that the Commission shall cease to exist 60 days after the submission of such report.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1977
Authorizes the President to suspend credit for exports, under the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945, upon determination that any foreign country is restricting exports to the United States or is maintaining increased prices for exports to the United States which adversely affect the rate of inflation, the employment rate, or the rate of economic growth of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1977
Amends the Local Public Works Capital Development and Investment Act of 1976 to increase the amount authorized to be appropriated under such Act to $6,000,000,000.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1977
Constitutional Amendment - Requires the President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to review, at specified times, the estimated revenue and budgeted expenditures of the Government and, if expenditures are found to exceed revenues, to levy a surtax so that receipts equal expenditures. Authorizes the suspension of such measures in the case of a grave national emergency declared by Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 1977
Declares it the sense of the House of Representatives that the Government of the United States should maintain its rights and jurisdiction over the Panama Canal and the Panama Canal Zone.
United States · United States Congress · 26 August 1976
Authorizes the President to issue a proclamation designating the week beginning October 3, 1976, and ending October 9, 1976, as "National Volunteer Firemen Week."
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 1976
Amends the Federal Civil Defense Act of 1950 to declare it to be the policy and intent of the Congress that the needs of the States and their political subdivisions with respect to preparations for other than enemy-caused disasters be taken into account in providing Federal civil defense assistance under such Act. Authorizes States to use funds made available under such Act to provide emergency preparedness and operations in the event of disasters other than enemy-caused disasters.
![Official portrait of Rep. Chappell, Bill, Jr. [D-FL-4]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c000321_200.jpg)