United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1988
Plant-Opening and Jobs Creation Act of 1988 - Title I: General Tax Incentives - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce the tax rate on capital gains realized by corporations from: (1) 34 percent to 15 percent in the case of the alternative tax; and (2) 20 percent to 15 percent in the case of the minimum tax. Restores the permitted exclusion from the gross income of an employee of up to $5,250 of educational assistance provided under an employer's educational assistance program. (Under current law the exclusion expired as of January 1, 1988.) Eliminates the increase in both employer and employee tax rates under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (social security taxes) scheduled to go into effect in 1990 and thereafter. Reduces the unemployment tax rate from 6.2 percent to 6.0 percent as of 1989. (Under current law the reduction becomes effective in 1991). Title II: Enterprise Zones - Enterprise Zone Development and Employment Act of 1988 - Subtitle A: Designation of Enterprise Zones - Provides for the designation of enterprise zones by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (Secretary) for purposes of providing tax and regulatory relief and improving local services. Specifies that States and local governments shall nominate areas for designation. Limits to 100 the total number of areas that may be designated as enterprise zones. Limits the period during which: (1) the Secretary has authority to designate zones; and (2) the designations may remain in effect. Authorizes the Secretary to designate a zone only if the area meets certain locational, demographic, unemployment and poverty requirements. Requires nominating local governments, as a condition of the Secretary's designation, to agree in writing to follow a course of action that may include reducing tax rates, improving local services, simplifying or streamlining regulation of business, and providing job training to residents of the area. Describes areas to which the Secretary must give preference in selecting nominated areas for designation as enterprise zones. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress every four years on the effects of such enterprise zones' designation in accomplishing the purposes of this Act. Subtitle B: Federal Income Tax Incentives - Part I: Credits for Employers and Employees - Allows employers located in enterprise zones a nonrefundable income tax credit for qualified increased employment expenditures and employment of the disadvantaged. Sets the amount of such credit at ten percent of the increase in payroll plus a specified percentage of wages paid to certain disadvantaged workers through the first 20 years of the enterprise zone designation. Allows a nonrefundable income tax credit to enterprise zone employees for five percent of wages earned. Phases out both credits in the last four years of the enterprise zone designation. Part II: Credits for Investment in Tangible Property in Enterprise Zones - Allows businesses an additional investment tax credit for investments made in certain enterprise zone construction property located in enterprise zones. Limits the credit to ten percent for new enterprise zone construction property, including rental property. Requires that the property subject to such credit be located in an enterprise zone, be predominantly used in the zone, and be either constructed, reconstructed, renovated, etc. during the period of zone designation or acquired during that period. Requires the recapture of such credit upon the early disposition of the property. Part III: Nonrecognition of Qualified Enterprise Zone Capital Gain Where Acquisition of Enterprise Zone Business Property - Provides for the nonrecognition of capital gain on the sale of property if, within one year after such sale, the taxpayer acquires qualified replacement property (generally defined as property related to an enterprise zone or to a business within such a zone). Part IV: Deduction for Purchase of Enterprise Stock - Allows a taxpayer to deduct up to $100,000 of the aggregate amount paid for the purchase of enterprise stock on the original issue of such stock by a qualified issuer. Requires that the gain from the disposition of the stock be treated as ordinary income. Includes recapture provisions. Part V: Rules Relating to Private Activity Bonds - Provides that limitations on the cost recovery deductions for property financed with tax-exempt bonds shall not apply to enterprise zone property. Provides that the termination of the small issue exemption shall not apply to bonds whose proceeds are used to finance facilities in enterprise zones. Modifies certain small issue volume limitations with respect to enterprise zone facilities. Part VI: Ordinary Loss Deduction for Securities of Enterprise Zone Business Which Become Worthless - Permits an ordinary loss deduction for securities of enterprise zone businesses that become worthless during the taxable year. Part VII: Increase in Research Credit for Research Conducted in Enterprise Zones - Increases from 20 to 37 1/2 percent the tax credit for increasing research conducted in enterprise zones. Part VIII: Sense of the Congress with Respect to Tax Simplification - Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Secretary of the Treasury should simplify the administration and enforcement of any provision of the Internal Revenue Code affected by this Act. Part IX: Regulations - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue regulations to carry out the provisions of this Act not later than six months after the date of enactment. Subtitle C: Regulatory Flexibility - Revises the definition of "small entity" for purposes of the analysis of regulatory functions to include qualified business, government, and nonprofit enterprises operating within enterprise zones. Authorizes Federal agencies, upon request by a designating government, to waive or modify rules and regulations pertaining to the implementation of projects or activities within an enterprise zone. Requires agencies to approve the request if the resulting benefits of job creation, community development, or economic revitalization outweigh the public interest in retaining the rule unchanged. Disallows waiver or modification of a rule that would directly violate a statutory requirement or present a danger to the public health and safety. Amends the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act to direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to promote the coordination of all enterprise zone programs and to consolidate all periodic reports required under such programs into one summary report. Subtitle D: Establishment of Foreign-Trade Zones in Enterprise Zones - Requires the Foreign-Trade Zone Board to consider on a priority basis and to expedite the processing of applications for the establishment of foreign-trade zones within enterprise zones. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to give priority to, and expedite applications for, the establishment of ports of entry necessary to establish such zones. States that, to the maximum extent practicable, foreign-trade zones should be established within enterprise zones. Title III: Trade Provisions - Subtitle A: Expanded Trade Negotiating Authority - Directs the President to begin negotiations with Mexico, the Caribbean Basin countries, and Canada to establish a North American free trade area. Requires any agreement reached through such negotiations to be reciprocal and to provide mutual reductions in trade barriers. Authorizes the President to enter into bilateral and multilateral trade agreements with foreign countries to establish expanded trade areas. Requires any agreement to ensure a mutual and reciprocal reduction of tariff and nontariff trade barriers. Authorizes the President to enter into trade agreements with any developing country for the purpose of establishing expanded trade areas and ultimately promoting a reciprocal reduction in trade barriers. Requires such agreements to provide for a gradual (within five years) reduction or elimination of tariff and nontariff trade barriers by the developing country. Authorizes the President to enter into such an agreement only if specified determinations are made. Requires termination or suspension of the agreement if the developing country fails to carry out its obligations under the agreement. Authorizes the President to enter into any multilateral trade agreement resulting from the Uruguay round of trade negotiations conducted under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Authorizes the President to exclude from any agreements negotiated under this title any article if such exclusion is necessary to achieve an agreement for an expanded trade area. Sets forth the requirements for implementation of trade agreements entered into under this title, including congressional oversight provisions. Subtitle B: Elimination of Unfair Trade Practices and Barriers to Trade - Requires the President, upon the determination that a foreign country consistently engages in unfair trade practices identified in a specified report, to: (1) suspend or terminate any negotiations with such country under Subtitle A if insufficient progress is being made in obtaining an agreement to expand trade; (2) initiate negotiations with any other country whose exports compete with the exports of such country in order to establish an expanded trade area with the other country; or (3) expedite any existing negotiations under Subtitle A with any other country whose exports compete with the exports of such country in order to establish an expanded trade area with the other country. Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to require the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to conduct an annual study concerning enumerated issues relating to both domestic and foreign trade barriers and their effect on U.S. commerce. Subtitle C: Anti-Protectionism and Trade Promotion - Requires the Director of the Congressional Budget Office to prepare for each bill or joint resolution reported by any congressional committee that may affect international trade an estimate of its costs and effects with respect to U.S. consumers. Requires these estimates to be submitted to the appropriate committees and to be included in their reports. Declares that it shall not be in order for either House of the Congress to consider any bill or joint resolution if the committee report does not contain such estimate. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to submit annually to the USTR, a list, by country, of current loan disbursements and any loan applications that are likely to be brought before loan review committees of multilateral development banks during the calendar year. Requires the USTR to identify the foreign countries on that list that take actions or maintain policies that restrict the sale of U.S. products in their markets or provide an unfair economic advantage for their products over U.S. products. Requires the Secretary and the USTR jointly to develop recommendations of trade liberalization actions for these countries. Directs the Secretary to instruct the U.S. executive director of each multilateral development bank and of the International Monetary Fund to: (1) oppose loans to any country on the list that refuses to accept the trade liberalization recommendations; and (2) oppose any "drawing" of any approved loan by such a country if it has failed to carry out the trade liberalization recommendations developed as a condition of the loan. Subtitle D: Provisions Relating to Intellectual Property, Etc. - Part I: Countries that Deny Adequate and Effective Protection - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to require the USTR to publish annually: (1) a list identifying foreign countries that deny adequate and effective protection of intellectual property rights or deny fair market access to U.S. persons who rely upon intellectual property protection; and (2) a list of the identified countries that the USTR determines to be countries that have the most onerous policies or practices in this regard and that are not entering into good faith negotiations or making significant progress to provide intellectual property protection. Provides for deletions and additions to the listing and for publication in the Federal Register of the identified countries. Part II: Protection under Tariff Act - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to include as unfair methods of competition and unfair import practices, but only in connection with products of already-established U.S. industries, the importation or sale of: (1) articles whose form or manufacturing process infringes a valid U.S. patent or trademark; or (2) a semiconductor chip product that infringes a U.S. registered mask work. Permits persons aggrieved by unfair import trade practices to petition the International Trade Commission to issue an order to exclude the article in question from entry into the United States during investigation. Increases civil monetary penalties for violations of Commission cease-and-desist orders. Provides for injunctions and for a general exclusion of an article from entry in cases when an alleged violator fails to answer a complaint or respond to an investigation. Permits the Commission, subject to notice and hearing requirements, to order the forfeiture of articles that violate proper import trade practices.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1988
Foreign Aid Insurance Act of 1988 - Requires each executive agency or military department responsible for economic or military assistance to foreign countries to take such actions as may be necessary to ensure that U.S. insurance companies have a fair and open competitive opportunity to provide insurance whenever such insurance is necessary or proper in connection with Government-assisted supplies or activities. Specifies that such actions shall include: (1) including in any contract or solicitation for procurement of such supplies or activities a clause requiring that U.S. insurance companies have a competitive opportunity; (2) certifying to the United States Trade Representative (USTR) that all necessary and practicable actions have been taken to provide U.S. insurance companies with competitive opportunities. Provides that if the USTR determines that any foreign government or country discriminates against U.S. insurance companies in connection with U.S. economic or military assistance, insurance for such activities may be provided only: (1) by U.S. insurance companies; or (2) by insurance companies of foreign countries which have entered into agreements concerning nondiscriminatory treatment of U.S. insurance companies or which have provided assurance of such nondiscriminatory treatment. Provides exceptions to such requirements if: (1) no insurance was reasonably available from a U.S. insurance company; or (2) the USTR certifies to the Congress that negotiations concerning discriminatory treatment of U.S. insurance companies are in progress. Requires the USTR to review the actions of each executive agency and military department required by this Act and to include a report concerning such actions in the USTR's required annual report to the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 1988
Protests Soviet human rights violations, especially its restrictive emigration regulations. Calls upon: (1) the Soviet Union to release all prisoners of conscience; and (2) the President to stress at the upcoming summit meeting in Moscow the inherent link between respect for human rights and the achievement of lasting peace.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1988
Earmarks a specified amount of funds made available to the Economic Support Fund for FY 1989 to be used for a grant to the National Endowment for Democracy to promote democracy in Nicaragua. Requires that such funds be used in a manner consistent with the Guatemala Peace Accords of August 7, 1987, and the Agreement between the Government of Nicaragua and the Nicaraguan Resistance of March 23, 1988. Specifies that such funds may be provided only to internal groups that have renounced violence and support a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Nicaragua.
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
Congressional and Judicial Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1988 - Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require that personnel actions affecting employees or applicants in the legislative and judicial branches of the Government be free from any discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, handicap, or age. Allows Members of Congress to take into consideration an individual's domicile and political affiliation. Establishes within the judicial branch an Employment Review Board. Provides that members of the board be appointed from the retired judges of the Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals. Authorizes an aggrieved individual to file a written complaint with the Board. Establishes procedures for the Board to investigate, settle, hear, and determine the claims alleged. Provides that if a violation is found an order for relief may compel the defendant to: (1) employ or reinstate such individual on such terms and conditions as may be appropriate, except that the Board may not compel any committee or Member of Congress to employ or reinstate, or modify the terms and conditions of employment of, any individual; (2) pay compensatory damages; and (3) pay fees and allowances of witnesses and reasonable attorneys' fees. Authorizes the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to review, enjoin, set aside, suspend, modify, or enforce orders of the Board. Requires members of the Board to submit written reports to the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct of the House of Representatives and the Senate Select Committee on Ethics describing complaints during the reporting period involved.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 1988
Designates the outpatient clinic of the Veterans Administration located in Brick Township, New Jersey, as the James J. Howard Veterans' Outpatient Clinic.
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 · 28 April 1988
Protests Soviet human rights violations, especially the restrictive emigration regulations. Calls upon the President to use the upcoming summit meeting in Moscow to stress the inherent link between respect for human rights and the achievement of lasting peace.
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 · 27 April 1988
Directs the Attorney General, in coordination with the Secretary of State, to provide visa (H-1) extensions of at least one year for alien nurses whose visas expire between January 1, 1988, and September 30, 1989.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1988
Recycling Act of 1988 - Establishes the Center for Plastics Recycling Research of Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey, in Piscataway, New Jersey, as the national center (Center) for plastics recycling. Requires that such Center: (1) establish and operate a clearinghouse of information relating to plastics; and (2) make grants to four other colleges and universities covering 50 percent of the funds required by each such college or university to assist the Center in conducting specified plastic recycling research activities, with the remaining funds being provided by the State in which such college or university is located. Authorizes appropriations for such activities for each of the first three fiscal years beginning after this Act's enactment. Directs the Secretary of Education to conduct a three-year public outreach program providing information to secondary school students, State and local governments, and the general public regarding: (1) the harmful environmental effects of the improper disposal of plastic and non-plastic wastes; (2) the importance of proper municipal waste disposal; (3) the benefits of recycling; and (4) methods to encourage voluntary recycling activities. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish and operate the National Clearinghouse on Recycling to gather, catalog, and disseminate information on recycling-related issues and activities, including: (1) current and prospective recycling technologies; (2) the development and marketing of recycled waste products; and (3) intergovernmental arrangements for the public and private management of recycling activities. Requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to study and report to the Congress within one year of this Act's enactment on the adverse effects of the improper disposal of paper, glass, aluminum, and other nonplastic articles on the environment and on waste disposal, and the various methods to reduce or eliminate such effects. Requires that the results of such study be integrated with the results of a plastic pollution reduction study required under the Marine Plastic Pollution Research and Control Act of 1987. Directs the EPA to make grants to State and local governments covering 50 percent of the costs of conducting demonstration projects related to recycling. Requires that at least one such grant each year be awarded to a State whose laws mandate the collection, for purposes of recycling, of two or more types of household or commercial wastes. Authorizes appropriations for such grants for three years.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 1988
Drug-Free America Act of 1988 - Amends the Controlled Substances Act to establish criteria for the imposition of the death penalty when, during the course of a continuing criminal enterprise drug offense, an individual knowingly causes the death of another. Requires the Government, for such offense, to serve notice upon the defendant a reasonable time before trial or acceptance of a plea, disclosing that it intends to seek the death penalty and the aggravating factors upon which it will rely. Requires a separate sentencing hearing before a jury, or the court upon motion by the defendant, when the defendant is found guilty or pleads guilty to such offense. Allows the defendant and the Government to present any information relevant to sentencing without regard to the rules of evidence, but permits information to be excluded if its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice, confusion of the issues, or misleading of the jury. Directs the court, or the jury by unanimous vote, to impose the death penalty upon finding that such sentence is justified based on consideration of both aggravating and mitigating factors. Sets forth some mitigating factors to be considered by the jury or the court when imposing its sentence. Includes as aggravating factors: (1) the intentional nature of the act which resulted in the victim's death; (2) previous convictions for offenses for which life imprisonment or death is authorized; and (3) the especially heinous, cruel, or depraved nature of the offense. Requires the court to instruct the jury not to consider the race, color, national origin, creed, or sex of the defendant in its consideration of the sentence. Allows the court to impose a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for such offenses when the death penalty is not imposed. Establishes procedures for appeal from a death sentence. Requires the Court of Appeals, upon consideration of the record and the information and procedures of the sentencing hearing, to affirm the decision if: (1) the sentence was not imposed under the influence of passion, prejudice, or arbitrariness; and (2) the information supports the finding of aggravating factors or the absence of mitigating factors. Requires the court to provide a written explanation of its determination. Provides increased criminal penalties for the possession of a mixture or substance which contains cocaine base (crack). Establishes recordkeeping and reporting requirements for the manufacture, distribution, importation, and exportation of listed precursor and essential chemicals. Prohibits the distribution of such chemicals unless the recipient provides a certification of lawful use and proper identification. Establishes exemptions from such requirements: (1) for the distribution of such chemicals between agents or employees within a single facility; (2) for the delivery of such chemicals to or by common carriers; (3) if the Attorney General determines that such requirements are not necessary for the enforcement of this Act; and (4) if products containing such chemicals are lawfully marketed under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Establishes an import-export permit requirement for listed precursors and a declaration requirement for listed essential chemicals. Includes as precursor chemicals: (1) N-Acetylanthranilic acid; (2) Anthranilic acid; (3) Ergotamine tartrate; (4) Ergonovine maleate; (5) Phenylacetic acid; (6) Ephedrine; (7) Pseudoephedrine; (8) Benzyl cyanide; (9) Benzyl chloride; and (10) Piperidine. Includes as essential chemicals: (1) Potassium permanganate; (2) Acetic anhydride; (3) Acetone; and (4) Ethyl ether. Establishes a mechanism and criteria for adding or deleting chemicals from such lists. Prohibits the transfer of commercial tableting and encapsulating machines unless a certification of lawful use and proper identification are provided. Establishes reporting requirements for such transfers. Establishes criminal penalties for the unlawful: (1) possession, manufacture, distribution, sale, importation, or exportation of a precursor or essential chemical; and (2) possession, manufacture, distribution, or importation of drug manufacturing equipment, tableting or encapsulating machines, and gelatin capsules. Subjects all listed precursor and essential chemicals, drug manufacturing equipment, tableting and encapsulating machines, and gelatin capsules which have been imported, exported, manufactured, possessed, or distributed in violation of such Act (as well as all conveyances and equipment) to forfeiture to the United States. Directs the Attorney General to maintain an active program, both domestic and international, to curtail the diversion of precursor and essential chemicals. Grants the Attorney General subpoena power with respect to precursor and essential chemicals. Provides additional civil penalties for certain Controlled Substances Act violations involving heroin or cocaine. States that individuals who have been convicted of violations involving a controlled substance, or of criminal violations regarding certain reporting or recordkeeping requirements, shall be ineligible for any license or permit issued under the authority of the United States for a specified period of time. Provides that any permit or license held at the time of the conviction shall be revoked. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require States receiving Alcohol and Drug Abuse and Mental Health Services Block Grants to make grants for demonstration projects which provide treatment services to expectant mothers. Establishes in the Executive Office of the President the Office of the Director of National Drug Control Policy to be headed by a Director, who shall be responsible for: (1) developing, reviewing, implementing, and enforcing U.S. policy with respect to drug control and abuse; (2) directing and coordinating U.S. efforts to halt the importation, manufacture, distribution, and use of illicit drugs; and (3) preparing a National and International Drug Control Strategy. Terminates the National Drug Enforcement Policy Board 90 days after the appointment of the Director. Makes conforming amendments to the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984 and the Drug Abuse Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation Act. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 through 1996. Makes supplemental appropriations for Coast Guard drug enforcement activities. Authorizes Coast Guard vessels and aircraft to fire at or into vessels which are liable to seizure or examination that do not bring-to after being ordered to do so by an authorized vessel or aircraft. Grants the commanding officer of the authorized vessel or aircraft immunity for such actions. Allows the Commandant of the Coast Guard to indemnify members or employees of the Coast Guard against any claim arising out of an act committed within the scope of their official drug enforcement duties. Amends the Controlled Substances Act to extend jurisdiction over possession offenses to U.S. vessels and aircraft (and vessels and aircraft subject to the operation of the law of the United States). Subjects any U.S. citizen or resident on board any vessel to Federal criminal penalties for manufacturing, possessing, or distributing a controlled substance. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the suppression of international narcotics trafficking is a major security objective of the United States and the most important national security objective within the Western Hemisphere. Allows the Secretary of Defense to provide equipment to, or assign members of the armed forces to assist, foreign governments in the enforcement of drug laws. Provides for the assignment of members of the armed forces to assist Federal agencies in drug interdiction activities. Requires the Secretary to prepare a plan to implement such provision. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to evaluate alternatives to the use of deadly force as a means of forcing suspected drug-smuggling aircraft entering the United States to land. Requires the Secretary to submit such recommendations to the Congress in the form of proposed legislation. Directs the Secretary to submit proposed legislation to the Congress relating to special restrictions and inspections for vessels and aircraft arriving from drug-producing countries. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to modify the factors to be considered by the President when determining whether to certify a country as having cooperated with United States drug interdiction programs. Directs the President to consider whether such countries have taken the steps necessary to eliminate the laundering of drug-related profits. Amends Federal law to include electronic fund transfers within the definition of "money instruments." Amends the National Forest System Drug Control Act of 1986 to provide additional law enforcement authority for the Forest Service in dealing with Controlled Substances Act violations by: (1) removing the limitation on the number of Service personnel who may exercise specified law enforcement powers; and (2) permitting the exercise of such powers by Service personnel outside of the boundaries of the National Forest System. Grants the Service authority, with respect to the specified law enforcement powers, to: (1) coordinate investigations and enforcement activities and prepare national and regional strategy plans in coordination with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and (2) cooperate with the Attorney General in carrying out the seizure and forfeiture provisions of the Controlled Substances Act as such activities relate to the manufacture, distribution, or dispensing of controlled substances within the System. Establishes criminal penalties for polluting Federal lands while manufacturing, distributing, or dispensing a controlled substance. Amends the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 to grant the Postal Service certain seizure and law enforcement authority with respect to Controlled Substances Act violations. States that all moneys and proceeds from such seizures shall be deposited in the Postal Service Fund (and later withdrawn and paid into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund). States that any person convicted of a drug-related offense shall be ineligible for any form of student assistance provided under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. Requires any person applying for such assistance to file a statement with the institution certifying that the person has not been convicted of a drug-related offense. Requires the Secretary of Education to prescribe methods for verifying such statements. Amends the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1986 to require State educational agencies to distribute funds for State and local programs for drug abuse education and prevention programs on the basis of relative enrollments in public and private, nonprofit schools (currently, on the basis of the relative number of children in the school-age population) within an area. Requires local applications for funds for a three-year period to include a description of: (1) the extent and nature of the current drug and alcohol problem in the schools of the applicant; (2) the applicant's drug and alcohol policy; and (3) how the applicant will monitor program effectiveness. Requires applicants to submit a progress report to State educational agencies for the preceding two years in order to receive funds for the third year. Requires the report to show reasonable progress toward accomplishing program objectives or a modified plan to meet such objectives. Requires States to report annually to the Secretary with specified information on programs funded under this Act. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 through 1991 to carry out the provisions of such Act. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 to the building and facilities account, Federal Prison System, for the construction, acquisition, remodeling, and equipping of prisons. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the National Institute of Justice should conduct a research project to obtain, on a voluntary basis, and analyze urine samples from individuals who are arrested to determine whether they use controlled substances. Amends the Federal criminal code to make regular drug testing and refrainment from any use of controlled substances mandatory conditions of parole and probation. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to require Drug Law Enforcement Program grant recipients to provide additional matching funds. Amends the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to exclude any individual who uses or is addicted to illegal drugs from the definition of an individual with handicaps, for purposes of specified provisions. Amends specified Federal law which prohibits discrimination against Federal employees or applicants for Federal employment to provide that such prohibition shall not be construed to permit or require the employment of an individual who uses illegal drugs.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 1988
Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require one of several specified health warnings to appear on the labels of bottles containing alcoholic beverages. Specifies required contents, including warnings relating alcohol consumption to birth defects, impairment of driving ability, hypertension, liver disease, and possible addiction. Directs that each such warning: (1) be in a conspicuous and prominent place on the container; (2) be randomly displayed by a manufacturer or packager in as equal a number of times as is possible on each brand of the beverage; and (3) be randomly distributed in all parts of the United States where such brand is marketed. Exempts from the foregoing requirements alcoholic beverages sold or distributed for export or for consumption outside the United States, except those sold or distributed to members of the U.S. armed forces located outside of the United States. Provides that compliance with the warning label requirements of this Act does not exempt any person from any common law duty to warn.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 1988
Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday Commission Extension Act - Makes permanent the Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday Commission. (Current law terminates the Commission on April 20, 1989.) Makes the term of Commission members one year, except for Coretta Scott King (life term) and members of the family surviving Martin Luther King, Jr. (at the discretion of the family). Replaces provisions requiring all expenditures of the Commission to be from donated funds with provisions authorizing appropriations for each fiscal year. Makes payment of expenses for Commission members and staff salary subject to the availability of funds.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 1988
Declares that the Congress acknowledges and appreciates the commitment, devotion, and sacrifices of present and former military families. Designates November 21, 1988, as National Military Families Recognition Day.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 1988
Amends the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 to prohibit any person from dumping sewage 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 1992; (2) pay 15 percent of such fees to the Administrator for sludge disposal research, reporting, and permit activities; and (3) pay ten percent of such fees to the Department in which the Coast Guard is operating for use by the Coast Guard in enforcing sewage sludge ocean dumping laws. Authorizes the Administrator to waive the fee requirement for permittees who have entered into a compliance agreement with the Administrator which phases out and terminates ocean dumping of sewage sludge by 1993 and sets forth a schedule for the implementation of an alternate sludge disposal system. Directs the Administrator to report to the Congress at six-month intervals on land-based disposal options for sewage sludge and the progress made by permittees toward the cessation of ocean dumping of such sludge. Outlaws the ocean dumping of municipal sludge after 1992. Imposes a civil fine for each dry ton of sludge dumped in violation of this Act's requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1988
Marine Research Act of 1988 - Amends the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 to authorize the establishment of Regional Marine Research Centers (Centers) to plan, coordinate, and support research, monitoring, and assessment activities concerned with the quality of the marine environment. Authorizes the Governors of a majority of States in a marine research region to develop and submit for approval to the Marine Research Coordination Board (Board) a combined, interstate proposal for a Center which identifies the research organizations which will participate in the Center and the goals of such Center. Identifies the marine research regions as the Gulf of Maine, Greater New York Bight, Mid-Atlantic Bight, Tropical, Gulf of Mexico, Southern California Bight, North Pacific, Gulf of Alaska and Arctic Seas, Insular Pacific, and Great Lakes Regions. Requires each Center to develop and submit for the Board's approval every three years a marine research plan which: (1) identifies research needs and priorities in the region over the next ten years; (2) inventories all federally-funded projects regarding the marine environment expected to be conducted in the region during the three-year term of the plan; (3) explains the means by which the Center will select and supervise projects to be funded under this Act; (4) describes each project expected to be assisted with appropriations authorized pursuant to this Act; and (5) lists the equipment and supplies used commonly for research projects in the region. Authorizes the Board to make annual administrative, research, and equipment grants to Centers which submit applications for such grants. Sets forth reporting requirements. Requires each Center to support baseline monitoring of fundamental marine environmental conditions and submit periodic reports on the status of marine environmental quality and resources in the region to the Board. Requires that such reports be made available to the public, State Governors, and local, State, and Federal agencies. Authorizes the establishment of the Marine Research Coordination Board at the Federal level to manage and coordinate the efforts of the Centers and report periodically to the Congress on the activities and findings of such Centers. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 through 1993.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 1988
Hazardous Materials Transportation Information Act of 1988 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a region-by-region analysis of the flow of hazardous materials on highways, water, and railroads in the nine regions from which the Census Bureau derives its Commodity Transportation Survey database. Specifies the contents of such analysis, including amount of transported materials, corridors used, and incidents. Requires the Secretary to report analysis results to the Congress and each State within one year.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1988
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Secretary of Transportation (the Secretary) should: (1) investigate the management of Texas Air Corporation and Eastern Air Lines since the acquisition of Eastern by Texas Air to determine (according to prescribed guidelines) the effect of such management upon the public interest; (2) use the investigation findings as a basis for decisions in pending and future cases involving proposed changes in domestic and international operations of Eastern; (3) not authorize the operation of any entity as a subsidiary of Texas Air in performing any air transportation operations until completion of a review to determine whether such performance is consistent with the public interest; (4) not authorize any Texas Air subsidiary to engage in air transportation until the application for such certificate has been reviewed; (5) not authorize Orion Air to provide contract services with Eastern unless Orion establishes conclusively its capability of conducting such operations with the highest degree of safety; (6) not expedite consideration of Orion's request to operate under contract with Eastern by diverting employees of the Department of Transportation or the Federal Aviation Administration from their responsibilities of ensuring the safety of previously authorized operations; and (7) require, as a condition of any approval of Orion's request to operate under contract with Eastern, that purchasers of tickets for such service must be informed at the time of making reservations of the identity of the carrier having operational responsibility for such service.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1988
Declares that the President should: (1) posthumously award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Charles E. Thornton, Lee Shapiro, and Jim Lindelof in honor of their efforts to document the Afghan struggle for freedom; and (2) present the award to those individuals' families on March 21, 1988, the start of the new year in Afghanistan.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1988
Supports U.S. assistance to the Afghan resistance. Declares that any settlement in Afghanistan must: (1) provide for Afghan self-determination; (2) outline a definite timetable of less than ten months for the complete withdrawal of Soviet troops; and (3) provide for the safe return of refugees. Supports Pakistan's efforts to achieve a settlement agreement in current negotiations in Geneva with Pakistan. Urges the President to support a solution acceptable to the Afghan resistance, insist on the withdrawal of Soviet advisers with the troops, require the Soviets to terminate all forms of military assistance to the Kabul regime, and ensure continued international assistance to the Afghan refugees until all Soviet bloc forces have been withdrawn. Expresses the House of Representatives': (1) support for increased U.S. humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people during and following a Soviet withdrawal; (2) support for an international observer force to monitor Soviet compliance with a withdrawal agreement; (3) belief that the U.S. Government should not restrict assistance to the Afghan resistance until the President has determined that the Soviets have ended their occupation and that the mujahadeen can maintain its integrity during the transition period leading to new elections; and (4) sense that U.S. obligations are contingent on Soviet compliance with any withdrawal agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1988
Amends Federal law to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury, with the approval of the President, to issue educational savings bonds, a form of non-transferable savings bond that: (1) pays interest only if redeemed after 12 months of issuance; and (2) ceases to bear interest at the end of the 20th year after issuance. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the gross income of an individual any interest on educational savings bonds redeemed within 300 months of issuance to the extent: (1) the aggregate face amount of the bonds is $2,000 or less; and (2) the interest is used to pay the higher education expenses (tuition, fees, books, supplies, meals, and lodging) of a dependent at either an institution of higher education or a vocational school.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1988
Designates the week of June 26 through July 2, 1988, as National Safety Belt Use Week. Authorizes and requests the President to: (1) urge the people to wear safety belts and use child safety seats; and (2) encourage State and local governments and concerned organizations and officials to promote greater use of these safety devices.
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
Calls upon the President to: (1) maintain U.S. military and humanitarian assistance to the Afghan resistance until the Soviet Union withdraws its forces from Afghanistan; and (2) ensure that any political solution to the war in Afghanistan guarantees the self-determination of the Afghan people.
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.
![Official portrait of Rep. Courter, Jim [R-NJ-12]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c000809_200.jpg)