United States · United States Congress · 8 February 1979
Repeals the Davis-Bacon Act, which requires the rate of wages for workers employed on Federal public buildings by contractors and subcontractors to be based upon the prevailing wages for corresponding classes of workers employed on similar projects in the same area.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 1979
Requires the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs to pay a monthly pension at a rate not to exceed $150 to: (1) each veteran of World War I who meets specified service requirements and whose annual income does not exceed $10,000; (2) certain qualified surviving spouses of each such veteran (whose own annual income does not exceed $10,000); or (3) the child or children of each such veteran.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 1979
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit taxpayers who do not itemize income tax deductions to claim a deduction from gross income for charitable contributions.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 1979
Provides that the United States shall pay reasonable litigation costs, including attorney fees in a Federal criminal case, to any defendant: (1) who is not convicted after trial; (2) whose prosecution is dismissed with prejudice; or (3) whose conviction is ultimately vitiated, unless such vitiation is by a pardon on grounds other than innocence.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1979
Amends the Disaster Relief Act of 1974 to provide that a declaration of a state of emergency is effective as of the date on which the emergency or major disaster commenced. Stipulates that the Governor of the affected State shall determine the date on which the emergency or major disaster commenced.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1979
Requests the Secretary of Defense to rescind that portion of the Department of Defense directive which permits deserters from military service to receive in absentia discharges.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 1979
Amends the Federal Mine Safety and Health Amendments Act of 1977 to provide that provisions of such Act shall not apply to stone mining or sand and gravel mining operations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1979
Repeals specified provisions of Federal law which restrict or prohibit the private carriage of letters. Exempts letters and packages carried by private express from the requirement that all letters and packages carried by a vessel in interstate commerce be delivered promptly to the local post office upon arrival in a port.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1979
Expresses congressional concern that Mexico be given full consideration as a major source for imported oil and natural gas in the formulation of our national and international energy policies. Encourages the President to agree to cooperate with Mexico on common concerns, including the mutually beneficial development of Mexico's oil and natural gas reserves.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1979
Constitutional Amendment - Declares the term "person," with respect to due process and equal protection, applicable to human beings irrespective of age, health, function or condition of dependency, including the unborn. Prohibits the deprivation of life of an unborn person, except pursuant to laws permitting medical procedures required to prevent the death of the mother.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1979
Amends the Clean Air Act to postpone for one year the application of certain restrictions to areas which have failed to attain national ambient air quality standards and to delay for one year the date required for adoption and submission of State implementation plans applicable to these areas.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1979
Removes the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and the Federal district courts to prohibit the consideration of any case arising out of a State statute, ordinance, rule, or regulation relative to abortion.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1979
Removes the jurisdiction of the United States Supreme Court and the Federal district courts over any case arising out of a State statute, ordinance, rule, or regulation which relates to the assignment of public school students to particular schools because of race, creed, color, or sex.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1979
Amends the Metric Conversion Act of 1975 to abolish the United States Metric Board established by that Act and to eliminate the Board's responsibilities in the area of metric conversion. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to carry out a program of coordination and education with respect to the metric system, and the Comptroller General to analyze and publish any adverse effects from increasing metric conversion.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1979
Constitutional Amendment - Directs Congress to assure that the total outlays of the Government during any fiscal year (except for repayment of debt) do not exceed 33 1/3 percent of the average national income for the three prior calendar years. Authorizes the suspension of such measure in the case of national emergency or war.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1979
Amends rule X of the Rules the House of Representatives to establish a standing Committee on Internal Security to investigate and report on Communist and other subversive activities affecting the internal security of the United States, including activities intended to overthrow or alter the form of government in the United States by unlawful means or which incite or employ violence or any unlawful means to obstruct the lawful authority of the government.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Metric Conversion Repeal Act of 1979 - Repeals the Metric Conversion Act of 1975, which established the United States Metric Board in order to facilitate voluntary conversion to the use of the metric system of measurement.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income a corporate stock distribution to a stockholder based upon the reinvestment of stock dividends in the corporation by such stockholder pursuant to his election to participate in a qualified dividend reinvestment plan, as defined in this Act. Limits the amount of such exclusion to $1,500 per year. Establishes a rebuttable presumption that a distribution made by a corporation which purchases its common stock within one year of such distribution shall not be deemed a distribution pursuant to a qualified dividend reinvestment plan.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to permit the National Committee of American Airmen Rescued by General Mihailovich to construct a monument to General Mihailovich on Federal public land within the District of Columbia or its environs.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require annual cost-of-living adjustments, based on the Consumer Price Index, to: (1) individual income tax brackets; (2) the corporate surtax exemption; (3) the $1,000 personal exemption; (4) depreciation deductions; and (5) the adjusted basis of property for purposes of determining capital gains. Amends the Second Liberty Bond Act to require cost-of-living adjustments to interest rates on savings bonds and certificates issued pursuant to such Act and on certain other obligations of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends the National Labor Relations Act to prohibit the National Labor Relations Board, in determining an appropriate collective bargaining unit, from deciding that any craft unit is inappropriate, in any case where a different unit has been established by a Board determination or collective bargaining history, unless the Board considers the same factors as would be considered in the initial establishment of such a craft unit.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Prohibits the Secretary of the Treasury from implementing a proposed revenue procedure entitled, "Proposed Revenue Procedure on Private Tax-Exempt Schools," or any other guidelines for determining whether private schools have forfeited their tax-exempt status through the adoption of racially discriminatory policies, during the period beginning with the enactment of this Act and ending on December 31, 1980.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow individual taxpayers an income tax credit for the college or vocational school educational expenses paid by the taxpayer for his education or that of his spouse or dependents. Limits such credit to $1,000 per individual for the taxable year. Includes tuition and fees required for enrollment at an educational institution and books, supplies, and equipment within the definition of "educational expenses." Excludes expenses for meals, lodging, or similar personal expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Food and Drug Reform Act of 1978 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to eliminate the testing of new drugs and new animal drugs for effectiveness. Requires a label on such a drug stating that it has not been tested or reviewed for efficacy by the Federal Government. Reduces the reporting requirements on applications for new drugs and new animal drugs to require only a summary, not a full report, on each investigation, and to prohibit any required submission of such a report within four years of the date of submission of the application. Requires the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, prior to issuing, amending or repealing any regulation under such Act, to issue a comprehensive economic impact statement addressing specified questions. Requires semiannual reports to Congress on the status of each new drug and new animal drug application which has not been approved or disapproved 30 days before such submission. Establishes drug advisory committees which shall promptly review an application and submit recommendations to the Secretary within 90 days. Grants applicants the right to a mandatory review within 30 days after receiving an adverse recommendation. Requires the Secretary to publish the clinical and preclinical summaries of new drugs and new animal drugs whose applications are approved. Exempts small businesses from the requirement of preclinical test reports on drugs used solely in investigational research, if such research will be conducted by experts from a public or other nonprofit school of medicine, dentistry, or veterinary medicine. Requires Congressional review of the administration of such Act by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in 1982 and every six years thereafter. Directs the Secretary to establish within the Department an office to provide compliance assistance to small manufacturers of new drugs and new animal drugs.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the carryover basis provisions enacted by the Tax Reform Act of 1976 which provide that beneficiaries receiving property from a decedent's estate will retain the decedent's basis in the property. Restores prior law which "stepped up" or "stepped down" the property's basis to its market value at the time of death without imposing tax consequences on the appreciation or depreciation the property underwent while held by the decedent.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Constitutional Amendment - Provides that total appropriations shall not exceed estimated revenues. Authorizes the suspension of such prohibition in time of war or national emergency. Prohibits any increase in the national debt as it exists on the date this article is ratified. Sets forth a schedule for repayment of the national debt.
United States · United States Congress · 14 October 1978
American Tax Reduction Act - States as the purposes of this Act: (1) the reduction of the public debt; (2) the imposition of limits on Federal spending; (3) the inducement of Members of Congress to eliminate unneeded Federal programs; (4) the reduction of individual income taxes; (5) tax relief for homeowners; and (6) the indexation of tax rates to reflect inflation of income. Title I: Individual Income Tax Rate Reductions - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce individual and estate and trust income tax rates for 1979, 1980, and 1981 and to make a permanent reduction in such rates for years after 1981. Title II: Provisions Relating to Capital Gains - Reduces the alternative tax on capital gains to 15 percent of the net capital gain. Eliminates capital gains as an item of tax preference for purposes of the minimum and maximum tax. Allows a taxpayer to elect to offset against taxable income all capital losses not in excess of taxable income. Permits a one year carryover of losses in excess of taxable income. Permits a one-time exclusion from gross income of $100,000 of the gain from the sale or exchange of a principal residence. Title III: Provisions Relating to Indexing for Inflation - Requires inflation adjustments to income brackets for purposes of the individual income tax, the normal tax on corporate income, and the surtax exemption. Requires a similar adjustment to capital assets for purposes of determining gain or loss and for estates and gifts in determining the tax at the time of transfer. Title IV: Reduction in Federal Spending - Limits Federal spending to 18 percent of the gross national product by 1983. Prohibits the consideration of any bill in Congress which would cause the spending limit to be exceeded. Title V: Reduction of the Public Debt - Requires the application of two percent of the annual Federal budget to the retirement of the Federal deficit.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 1978
Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to guarantee those obligations incurred by units of local government to finance activities necessary to alleviate a shortage or potential shortage of potable water where the Secretary determines available grant funding is insufficient. Enables such a guarantee to be made even if the application and/or the total outstanding debt of a unit of local government fails to meet statutory requirements. Authorizes the Secretary to accept as security to assure repayment of such guaranteed debt: (1) a commitment by a local government to impose a unit surcharge on water; or (2) other financial resources of a local government.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 1978
Provides that, in accordance with the separation of powers under the Constitution, the President should not unilaterally take any action abrogating or affecting the validity of any of the security treaties comprising the post-World War II complex of treaties, including mutual defense treaties, without the full and explicit approval of the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 1978
Prohibits the Secretary of the Treasury from issuing, before December 31, 1980, any final or proposed regulations, revenue procedures or rulings which set forth guidelines for determining whether tax-exempt educational institutions are operating on a non-discriminatory basis.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 1978
Declares that the Congress opposes the President's promulgation of wage, price, or other economic stabilization standards enforced by a direct or implied threat that compliance with such standards by unions, industries, or other private economic groups will be materially considered in the exercise of administrative discretion by Federal agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 1978
Gold Medallion Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to offer gold for sale to the public in the form of gold medallions. Provides for the issuance of such medallions.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 1978
Technology Transfer Ban Act - Amends the Export Administration Act of 1969 to state that goods and technology may contribute to the military potential of possible adversary nations. Declares it to be the policy of the United States to prohibit the transfer to any Communist country of goods or technology which have any potential for military, law enforcement, or intelligence gathering purposes and to encourage friendly countries to exercise similar controls. Authorizes the President to impose export controls for national security purposes regardless of their availability from sources outside the United States. Directs the President to require a license for export of goods and technology to any Communist country. Provides a procedure for Congress to disapprove the issuance of such license. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to review any proposed export of goods or technology to any Communist country and recommend disapproval if such export has potential military, law enforcement, or intelligence gathering value, which could prove detrimental to the national security of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 1978
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States, while seeking to improve relations with the People's Republic of China, shall continue to maintain full diplomatic relations with the Republic of China and shall not alter its Mutual Defense Treaty with such country.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1978
Amends National Labor Relations Act standards relative to severance of members of a particular craft from a broader collective bargaining unit for the purpose of establishing a separate craft unit to, among other revisions, require the National Labor Relations Board to consider the same factors as would be considered in an initial establishment of a craft unit.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1978
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Olympic Committee should immediately take such measures as necessary to have the International Olympic Committee select a site for the 1980 summer Olympic games outside the Soviet Union.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1978
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Olympic Committee take the necessary measures to have the International Olympic Committee transfer the 1980 summer Olympics to a site outside the Soviet Union, and that the United States should consider withdrawal from such Olympics and establishing an alternate competition if such transfer does not occur.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 1978
Provides that an individual shall not be treated as an employee for purposes of the employment tax if a taxpayer did not treat him as an employee for any period prior to January 1, 1980, and had no reasonable basis for so doing. Sets forth criteria for determining whether a taxpayer had a reasonable basis for not treating an individual as an employee. Prohibits the Internal Revenue Service from issuing regulations or rulings before January 1, 1980, regarding the employment status of any individual for purposes of the employment tax.
United States · United States Congress · 14 August 1978
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should use his influence to induce the Soviet Union to withdraw all troops occupying Czechoslovakia by December 1978, and to reevaluate sales and export licenses to the Soviet Union and participating Warsaw Pact countries if such withdrawal is not effectuated.
United States · United States Congress · 10 August 1978
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Environmental Protection Agency, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the Federal courts should expedite all remaining administrative and judicial proceedings with respect to the Seabrook Nuclear Station project (New Hampshire), and that all licensing and permitting procedures for the construction and operation of nuclear generating stations should be reviewed and modified to improve the efficiency of such procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1978
Truth-in-Regulation Act - Requires the Environmental Protection Agency and all Federal regulatory agencies to prepare with respect to each rule promulgated by such agencies: (1) a statement comparing the private costs of such rule with the benefit such rule would have on the environment; and (2) an environmental impact statement. Establishes standing task forces in each community affected by proposed agency rules to assess the economic and employment impact of each such rule. Requires Congressional approval of any such rule which will cause an increase in unemployment.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1978
Anti-Dumping Enforcement Act - Amends the Antidumping Act, 1921, to require the Secretary of the Treasury to notify the International Trade Commission upon the publication of a finding that the price of imported products is less than the foreign market or construction value. Eliminates the requirement that the Secretary postpone publication of such a finding pending a determination by the Commission on whether "dumping" is occurring. Decreases the time periods during which the Secretary must complete the investigation of "dumping" allegations. Imposes liquidation deadlines upon imported merchandise upon which a special "dumping" duty has been imposed. Requires the establishment of a task force for each investigation of "dumping" allegations to serve as an intermediary between the Secretary and the industrial and labor groups interested in the investigation.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1978
Urban Growth Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce corporate income tax rates. Increases the corporate surtax exemption to $100,000. Makes the regular investment tax credit permanent. Allows an additional ten percent investment tax credit for new property placed in depressed areas. Increases the limitations on the investment credit to allow it to offset 100 percent of the taxpayer's current liability. Increases the credit allowable for employment of new employees by an amount equal to one percent of the unemployment insurance wages paid to qualified employees during periods of unemployment exceeding seven percent nationally. Allows accelerated amortization of depreciable equipment (with a 60 month period) and facilities (with a period equal to one-half each facility's useful life) which are placed in high unemployment areas. Repeals the income tax exclusion of dividends received by individuals. Allows qualified domestic corporations an unlimited deduction for dividends paid. Provides flat limitations on corporate deductions for dividends from foreign corporations where the taxpayer is not claiming a net operating loss. Allows the current deduction of federally-required, nonproductive expenditures as business expenses. Provides for annual cost-of-living adjustments to depreciation allowances, property bases, and the interest paid on United States savings bonds and certificates, as well as the redemption value of all United States obligations of a year or more, including savings bonds and certificates.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1978
Amends the Metric Conversion Act of 1975 to abolish the United States Metric Board established by that Act and to eliminate the Board's responsibilities in the area of metric conversion. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to carry out a program of coordination and education with respect to the metric system, and the Comptroller General to analyze and publish any adverse effects from increasing metric conversion.