United States · United States Congress · 2 June 1988
Urges the Government of Iran to uphold the human rights of all its nationals, including members of the Baha'i faith, and to restore fully the rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Calls upon the President to: (1) monitor and report on developments affecting the Baha'i minority in Iran and in other countries; (2) cooperate with other governments in continuing to make appeals to Iran concerning the situation of the Baha'is; (3) initiate and support efforts in the United Nations and its agencies on behalf of the Baha'is; and (4) provide, and urge others to provide, for refugee and humanitarian assistance for those Baha'is fleeing their homelands to escape religious repression.
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 1988
National Gleaning Clearinghouse Act of 1988 - Establishes in the Extension Service of the Department of Agriculture a National Gleaning Clearinghouse to promote the collection and distribution of gleaned agricultural products and crops to assist persons in need.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 1988
Condemns the disruption of food production and relief efforts by parties involved in armed conflicts in Ethiopia, Sudan, Mozambique, and Angola. Urges the President and the Secretary of State to: (1) support proposals made by international relief organizations to negotiate agreements to ensure safe transportation and distribution of emergency food assistance; (2) pursue negotiations leading to the cessation of hostilities in such countries, including efforts to include countries providing military assistance to parties involved in the conflicts in the negotiations; and (3) seek the involvement of other countries of Africa and the United Nations as mediators to facilitate peace negotiations. Urges that: (1) all U.S. humanitarian assistance be made available to noncombatants on the basis of need and without regard to political considerations or affiliation; and (2) all countries providing military assistance shift their emphasis from military assistance to diplomatic efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1988
Older Americans Child Care Employment Amendments of 1988 - Amends the Older Americans Community Service Employment Act to require the Secretary of Labor to enter into agreements with public or private nonprofit agencies or organizations for the conduct of no more than 100 experimental projects employing individuals who are age 55 or older in providing day care to children. Requires that such agencies or organizations: (1) receive one-third of their funding from non-Federal sources; (2) charge families a day care fee which is proportional to their financial resources; (3) provide day care in facilities other than private residences; and (4) be subject to the most comprehensive State licensing requirements or regulatory standards applicable to similar day care providers in the State. Prohibits the making of grants pursuant to this Act to more than two agencies or organizations in each State in any fiscal year. Authorizes appropriations for such projects.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1988
Commends: (1) the Government of Thailand for its history of humanitarian treatment of refugees; (2) the relevant senior interagency group for its recommendation that the President increase the number of Jewish and Armenian refugees admitted from the Soviet Union without decreasing the number admitted from Southeast Asia; and (3) the President for following such recommendation. Urges the Government of Thailand to reinstitute its former policy of first asylum and officially end its policy of interdiction of arriving refugee boats. Urges the Department of State to continue working with the Government of Thailand and with other governments to meet Thailand's security concerns while responding to the humanitarian needs of Southeast Asian refugees. Urges the President and the State Department to admit the full number of Southeast Asian refugees that is fixed for admission to the United States in FY 1988 and maintain the number that may be admitted in FY 1989. Urges the Government of Vietnam to expand its Orderly Departure Program and cease its occupation of Cambodia in order to stem the flow of refugees out of Vietnam and Cambodia.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1988
Designates the period of July 25 through July 31, 1988, as National Week of Recognition and Remembrance for Those Who Served in the Korean War. Authorizes and requests the President to urge that the American flag be flown at half staff on July 27, 1988, in honor of those Americans who died as a result of their service in Korea.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1988
Declares that the Congress recognizes the heroic acts of civilian construction workers who participated in the defense of Wake Island during its invasion by Japan between December 8 and December 23, 1941.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1988
Debt for Development Act of 1988 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the use of up to $75,000,000 in loan repayments from developing countries in FY 1989 for development activities in those countries.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1988
Expresses the sense of the Congress that certain officers and the crew of the U.S.S. Bonefish should be recognized and commended for their efforts to save their fellow shipmates when an explosion and fire threatened their submarine.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1988
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1988 - Provides that no person shall be subjected to discrimination on the basis of handicap in: (1) employment practices and training covered by title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; (2) the sale or rental of housing covered by title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968; (3) any public accommodation covered by title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; (4) transportation services; (5) the actions, practices, and operations of State and local governments; and (6) broadcasts, communications, or telecommunications services. Lists the forms of discrimination which are prohibited by this Act, including: (1) denying any person the opportunity to participate in or benefit from a service, program, job, or other opportunity on the basis of his or her handicap; (2) establishing (or failing to remove) any architectural, transportation, or communication barriers that prevent the access or limit the participation of persons because of their handicap; (3) failing or refusing to make a reasonable accommodation to permit a handicapped individual to have access to a program, activity, job, or opportunity; (4) imposing any unnecessary standard or criteria that screens out or places the handicapped at a disadvantage; and (5) denying services, programs, jobs, or other opportunities to any person because of that person's relationship to, or association with, a handicapped person. Permits the exclusion or denial of equal access to services, programs, jobs, or other opportunities to persons: (1) for reasons unrelated to the existence of their handicap; or (2) based upon the application of standards or criteria that are necessary and substantially related to the ability to perform essential components of the job, program, activity, or opportunity, and such performance can not be accomplished by a reasonable accommodation. States that it shall be an act of discrimination, in regard to housing, to discriminate in the sale or rental of a dwelling (or in the terms, conditions, or privileges of such sale or rental) to any buyer or renter because of the physical or mental impairment of: (1) the buyer or renter; (2) a person residing in, or intending to reside in, such dwelling; or (3) any person associated with the buyer or renter. States that it shall be an act of discrimination to: (1) refuse to permit reasonable modifications, at the expense of the handicapped person, to afford such person enjoyment of the premises; (2) refuse to make reasonable accommodation in rules, policies, practices, or services to afford handicapped individuals equal opportunity to use and enjoy the dwelling; or (3) fail to design and construct multifamily dwellings (after a specified date) which are not accessible to the handicapped. Provides certain limitations on the duties of accommodation and barrier removal. Sets forth guidelines for the establishment of requirements and promulgation of regulations by specified Federal entities with respect to: (1) the accessibility of buildings and transportation systems; (2) the implementation and enforcement of the requirements of this Act; (3) employment practices; (4) the sale and rental of housing; and (5) the removal of communication barriers. Establishes procedures for the administrative enforcement of the provisions of this Act. Establishes a civil right of action for individuals who are subjected to discrimination in violation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1988
Directs the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (the Service) to: (1) research and develop methods to accurately determine the number of migratory waterfowl that are harvested illegally each year in the United States; (2) develop a plan to increase its law enforcement presence and better coodinate its efforts with those of appropriate State agencies to halt such illegal harvesting; and (3) recommend whether specified wildlife conservation funds should be withheld from States that are not complying with the Service's regulations on illegal harvesting. Requires the Director of the Service to report on such findings to specified congressional committees within 90 days of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 1988
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that the income tax rules requiring cost capitalization shall not apply in connection with the qualified artistic work expenses of freelance writers, artists, and photographers. Excludes from qualified expenses those related to printing, photographic plates, motion picture films, video tapes, and similar items. Applies the same exemption with respect to qualified indirect costs of certain film producers, not including any direct costs of a motion picture film or video tape.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1988
Solar Development Initiative Act of 1988 - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 through 1991 for specified Federal solar energy research and development programs. Directs the Secretary of Energy to develop a complementary solar and renewable energy research program which: (1) has near-term commercial applications; and (2) enhances the international competitiveness of the solar and renewable energy industries. Authorizes appropriations for such program for FY 1989 through 1991. Directs the Secretary of Energy to establish an information-dissemination program for Federal procurement and loan officers regarding the application of solar heating and cooling technology in Federal buildings. Mandates that the renewable energy technologies programs established by the Secretary of Commerce be funded in FY 1989 through 1991 through the Department of Energy at a specified maximum level. Amends the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act to direct the President to take into account, when determining whether to designate a beneficiary country, the degree to which it undertakes self-help measures to promote energy self-sufficiency using locally available renewable energy resources. Mandates that the design for new Federal facilities for specified agencies include consideration of energy systems using solar energy or other renewable energy forms. Amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to mandate that a specified minimum percentage of loan authority be available only for solar and renewable energy loans. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the Overseas Private Investment Corporation to include among its special projects incentives, grants and studies for renewable energy and other small business activities. Prohibits the use of administrative funds for such projects. Amends the Small Business Act to: (1) repeal provisions regarding loans to small business concerns for solar energy and energy conservation measures; (2) mandate that a certain percentage of loan authority be used only for small business energy measures; and (3) direct the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to give due consideration to the export potential of solar and renewable energy products, and to include a list of solar and renewable energy loan guarantees in an annual report to the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 1988
Northern Ireland Fair Employment Incentive Act of 1988 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to remove limitations on the amount of the foreign tax credit available with respect to taxes imposed on foreign source income generated in connection with a manufacturing facility located in a high unemployment area of Northern Ireland if 40 percent or more of the facility's employees are members of a religious minority in Northern Ireland. Reduces the foreign tax credit for entities that have operations in Northern Ireland and are in violation of a fair employment standard there during the pertinent taxable year. Prescribes these standards to include conditions to assure both avoidance of religious or political discrimination and the practice of equal opportunity and affirmative action programs. Requires affected taxpayers to present annual compliance reports to the Secretary of the Treasury. Penalizes entities that fail to report. Revises the definition of "subpart F income" (types of income generally suited to tax haven activity) to exclude from tax deferral provisions amounts attributable to the Northern Ireland source income of entities in violation of the fair employment standards.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1988
Salvadoran Foreign Assistance Reform Resolution - Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the U.S. foreign assistance program for El Salvador should be revised to promote a negotiated settlement and a reduction of human suffering; (2) the ratio of assistance should be reversed in FY 1989 so that the amount spent on the war effort is only one-third of the amount spent for reform and development activities; (3) such assistance should not be distributed in a manner which would promote the interests of any particular political party; (4) such assistance should be distributed through church-related and other nongovernmental organizations and international organizations selected by the Agency for International Development; and (5) the President should report quarterly to the Congress on the restructuring of such assistance, the economic results of such restructuring, and any reports of corruption in its distribution.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 1988
Confers jurisdiction upon the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, or another district in which a named railroad corporation does business, to review and render judgment on a Public Law Board decision with respect to the discharge of a named individual from his employment with such corporation.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 1988
Designates the Federal office building located at the corner of Locust Street and West Cumberland Avenue in Knoxville, Tennessee, as the John J. Duncan Federal Office Building.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 1988
Global Poverty Reduction Act - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to direct the President to develop a plan to ensure that U.S. development assistance contributes measurably toward eradicating the worst aspects of absolute poverty by the year 2000. Requires that such plan include target dates for reaching specific measurable goals whose attainment would contribute to direct improvements in the living standards of the poorest 40 percent of the population. Specifies that such goals shall include reducing the mortality rate of infants under age five, increasing the female literacy rate, and reducing the percentages of populations below the absolute poverty level by specified amounts by the year 2000. Directs that primary emphasis of development activities to restore the renewable natural resource base shall be on small-scale, affordable, low-risk local projects featuring close consultation with, and involvement of, local people at all stages of project design and implementation. Requires the President to submit the plan to the Congress by July 1, 1989. Requires all U.S. development assistance to be directed at attaining plan goals between October 1, 1989, and December 31, 2000. Requires the President to submit annual reports to the Congress detailing progress toward achieving plan goals. Directs the Comptroller General to review and comment on each report issued. Directs the President to host an international development conference for heads of governments of development assistance donor and recipient countries by October 16, 1989, to conclude an international agreement on eliminating the worst aspects of absolute poverty by the year 2000.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1988
Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the excise tax on diesel and aviation fuels. Prohibits imposition of the tax on the sale of these fuels by a producer or importer for use by the purchaser in a nontaxable use (defined to include, among other uses, any off-highway business use, use as supplies for vessels or aircraft, State or local governmental use, and use by a nonprofit educational organization). Permits the exemption only if both the seller and purchaser have registered with the Secretary of the Treasury. Requires producers, importers, and purchasers taking part in reduced-tax sales to file with the Secretary information returns containing specified data. Requires producers and importers, in addition, to furnish corresponding statements to their purchasers. Establishes penalties for failure to file required returns.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1988
Amends title IV (National Research Institutes) of the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Center for Nursing Research to acquire, construct, improve, or repair laboratories and other research facilities to increase the capacity of institutions of higher education to conduct nursing research. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants and enter into contracts for such purposes. Requires the Director, from amounts appropriated under this Act, to reserve 15 percent to carry out such purposes through grants to, and contracts with, institutions that received less than an aggregate of a specified amount in Federal financial assistance for research and development in the preceding two fiscal years. Requires matching funds, in cash or in kind, from non-Federal sources. Directs the Secretary to require technical and scientific peer review of applications for grants and contracts. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 through 1991.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1988
Designates January 26, 1989, as Sean MacBride Day, marking the 85th anniversary of the birth of the late Sean MacBride, cofounder of Amnesty International and sponsor of the MacBride Principles opposing religious discrimination in Northern Ireland.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1988
Requests the President to issue a proclamation commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act, which occurs on June 25, 1988. (The Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act, formerly known as the Wagner-O'Day Act, provides employment and ancillary support services to blind and handicapped individuals.)
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 1988
Postal Reorganization Act of 1988 - Declares that the receipts and disbursements of the Postal Service Fund: (1) shall not be included in the totals of the Federal budget or the congressional budget; (2) shall be exempt from Federal budget limitations on expenditures and net lending; and (3) shall not be counted for purposes of calculating the Federal deficit. Repeals certain limitations on postal borrowing authority. Increases the limitations on postal borrowing authority.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1988
Employer Reversion Moratorium Act of 1988 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to prohibit distributions to an employer, before October 1, 1989, of plan assets in connection with any single-employer defined benefit plan termination announced on or after March 9, 1988. Makes plan fiduciaries jointly and severally liable for breach of fiduciary duty unless assets distributed upon plan termination are either distributed to plan participants and beneficiaries or paid into a trust whose terms provide for final disposition in accordance with applicable law in effect on October 1, 1989. Requires the dissolution of such a trust and the distribution of its assets during the month of October 1989.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 1988
Age Discrimination Claims Assistance Act of 1988 - Extends the statute of limitations applicable to bringing civil actions in the Federal courts on certain claims under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 that were filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission before the date of enactment of this Act. Directs the Commission to send out notices regarding the claims for which the statute of limitations has been extended. Directs the Commission to report to specified congressional committees on such claims, notices, alleged unlawful practices eliminated or attempted to be eliminated, and civil actions filed.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1988
Amends the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 to prohibit any person from dumping municipal sludge into the ocean without having obtained from the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency a permit imposing a special disposal fee for each dry ton dumped. Requires permittees to: (1) deposit 75 percent of such fees in a trust account for subsequent use on projects to eliminate ocean dumping after 1991; and (2) pay 25 percent of such fees to the Administrator for sludge disposal enforcement, research, reporting, and permit activities. Authorizes the Administrator to waive all or part of the fee requirement for permittees who have entered into and are adhering to a binding, enforceable agreement for the phasing out and termination of the ocean dumping of municipal sludge by 1992. Directs the Administrator to report to the Congress at six-month intervals on land-based disposal options for municipal sludge and the progress made by permittees toward the cessation of ocean dumping of such sludge. Outlaws the ocean dumping of municipal sludge after 1991. Imposes penalties for each day of noncompliance with this Act's requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1988
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Federal Reserve Board should take steps to prevent electronic fund transfers between financial institutions in Panama and financial institutions in the United States until the President certifies (pursuant to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961) that Panama has cooperated fully with the United States in preventing illegal traffic in drugs.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 1988
Women in Development Act of 1988 - Requires the Administrator of the Agency for International Development (AID) to take specific steps to strengthen the Agency's women in development policy, including: (1) incorporating the active participation of local women and local women's organizations in its development activities; (2) instructing Agency staff and contractors to collect sex-disaggregated data and to insure that country strategies, projects, and programs are designed so that the percentage of women receiving assistance in proportion to the higher of their traditional participation in the targeted activities or their proportion of the population; (3) insuring that project and program evaluations include an assessment of the extent to which the project integrates women in the development process and of the project's impact on women; (4) increasing the number and responsibility of women in professional positions within AID; and (5) establishing within AID a task force on women in development. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to require that a minimum (currently, maximum) of $10,000,000 in funds made available for foreign assistance programs be used for programs to promote the participation and integration of women in the development process in developing countries. Requires the Administrator to report to the Congress annually on the implementation of this Act. Authorizes appropriations to be made available for the United Nations Development Fund for Women and the United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1988
Expresses disapproval of the refusal of the U.S.S.R. to recognize the sovereignty of the Baltic Republics. Designates June 14, 1988, as Baltic Freedom Day. Authorizes and requests the President to submit the issue of the Baltic Republics to the United Nations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1988
Designates March 29, 1988, the birthday of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, as Education Day, U.S.A. Calls on heads of state of the world to join the President of the United States in this tribute by signing an international scroll of honor.