United States · United States Congress · 15 March 1989
Research and Experimental Credit Extension and Reform Act of 1989 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the income tax credit for qualified research expenditures by repealing the provisions that would terminate the credit for expenses incurred or paid after 1989. Revises the method for computing: (1) base period research expenses, adding a factor reflecting the gross national product growth rate; and (2) the tax credit, adding an alternative computation component. Applies the credit to in-house research expenses that the taxpayer pays or incurs for the principal purpose of using the research results in the active conduct of a future trade or business.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 1989
Resolution on a Plebiscite in Cuba - Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the Cuban people should be allowed to express their view on the country's political future by a secret ballot of approval or rejection of Fidel Castro's continued rule; (2) the Government of Cuba should allow opposition and human rights groups to organize publicly, grant opposition groups equal access to the national media, release all political prisoners, and invite a neutral, international commission to oversee the voting and ensure the legitimacy of the results; (3) should the rejection vote prevail, the regime should respect the will of the people and hold prompt national elections through which the Cuban people could freely choose their leaders; and (4) normalized relations between the Governments of the United States and Cuba should be restored if a democratic Cuban Government is elected by all the people.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1989
Television Violence Act of 1989 - Exempts from the antitrust laws any joint discussion, consideration, review, action, or agreement by or among persons in the television industry for the purpose of, and limited to, developing and disseminating voluntary guidelines designed to alleviate the negative impact of violence in telecast material, provided the joint action does not result in a boycott of any person. Terminates such exemption three years after enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1989
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the gross income of an individual up to $10,000 of distributions from an individual retirement account or qualified pension plan used within 180 days to purchase a residence that will be the first residence in which the taxpayer has a present ownership interest. Reduces the excludible amount for taxpayers with adjusted gross income above $30,000 ($50,000 for joint returns). Exempts from the penalty tax on early distributions from qualified retirement plans comparable withdrawals used to purchase the first residence in which the taxpayer's child has a present ownership interest.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1989
Eliminates post-1968 service in the National Guard as a prerequisite to civil service retirement credit for former National Guard technicians. Amends the National Guard Technicians Act of 1968 to eliminate post-1968 service as a prerequisite for National Guard technicians for receipt of credit in the determination of length of Federal civil service for purposes of leave, Federal employees' death and disability compensation, group life and health insurance, severance pay, tenure, and status. Sets forth rules for applying provisions of this Act to affected individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1989
Constitutional Amendment - Requires Representatives to be apportioned among the States according to their respective numbers, counting the persons in each State who are citizens or lawfully admitted for permanent residence.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1989
Fetal Tissue Regulation Act of 1989 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services from: (1) using human fetal tissue from an induced abortion for research or therapy; and (2) providing a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement unless the recipient agrees not to expend the assistance for such purposes. Requires the Secretary to terminate assistance to any recipient who violates the agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1989
Expresses disapproval of the refusal of the U.S.S.R. to recognize the sovereignty of the Baltic Republics. Designates June 14, 1989, as Baltic Freedom Day. Authorizes and requests the President to call upon the Soviet Union, the Federal Republic of Germany, and the Democratic Republic of Germany to renounce the acquisition or absorption of the Baltic Republics by the Soviet Union as a result of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 1989
General Aviation Standards Act of 1989 - Amends the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 (with respect to aviation accident investigations) to apply such Act, with specified exceptions, to any action for damages for harm arising out of a general aviation accident brought against a manufacturer, owner, or operator of a general aviation aircraft, or a person who supports or maintains such aircraft or any other person or governmental entity. Establishes guidelines for uniform standards of liability of general aviation manufacturers for such accidents. States that all actions for harm arising out of a general aviation accident shall be governed by the principles of comparative responsibility. Establishes, with specified exceptions, a limitation of actions period of 12 years from delivery of aircraft or harm-causing part to the purchaser for general aviation civil liability brought against a general aviation manufacturer. Declares admissible as evidence certain income tax and payroll tax liability for purposes of establishing financial harm arising out of a general aviation accident. Permits the award of punitive damages if a claimant establishes by clear and convincing evidence that the harm suffered was the direct result of conduct manifesting conscious, flagrant indifference to safety. Establishes a two-year limitation of actions period for actions arising out of such an accident. Confers original jurisdiction upon the Federal district courts, concurrently with State courts, for all civil actions for harm arising out of a general aviation accident. Provides procedures for removal from State to Federal district courts of such actions. Declares that this Act supersedes any State law regarding recovery of damages for harm arising out of a general aviation accident. Declares the intent of the Congress that sanctions be strictly enforced for violations of Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, including orders to pay to the other party the reasonable costs of legal fees. Requires the Secretary of Transportation to report to the Congress, within one year after the date of enactment of this Act, the results of a study determining whether persons awarded damages for general aviation accidents under this Act are unable to collect such damages, and the amount of any uncollectible damages.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 1989
Nuclear Decommissioning Reserve Fund Act of 1989 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) decrease from 34 percent to 15 percent the rate of the tax imposed on the income of any Nuclear Decommissioning Reserve Fund; and (2) remove restrictions on permitted investments of Fund monies.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 1989
Designates September 15, 1989, as National POW/MIA Recognition Day. Recognizes the National League of Families POW/MIA flag as the official symbol of the United States' commitment to resolving the fates of Americans still prisoner or missing in action in Southeast Asia.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1989
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate the age (55 or older) and dollar ($125,000) restrictions with respect to the one-time income tax exclusion of gain on the sale of a principal residence.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1989
Calls upon the Soviet Union and its allies to withhold further military assistance to the Republic of Nicaragua and to withdraw military advisors and support personnel from that country. Calls upon the Republic of Nicaragua to: (1) reverse significantly the growth of its armed forces; (2) work toward a stabilization of the regional military balance and prevent the introduction of advanced weapon systems; and (3) separate the armed forces from the Sandinista political party.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1989
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require indexing, based on the Consumer Price Index, of the adjusted basis of capital assets that have been held for more than one year, for the purpose of determining capital gain or loss at the time of transfer.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 1989
Federal Law Enforcement Officers Death Penalty Act of 1989 - Amends the Federal criminal code to subject any person who is found guilty of the first degree murder of a Federal law enforcement officer, or certain other Federal officials or employees, to the penalty of death. Establishes procedures for the imposition of the death penalty in such cases. Provides that no person who was less than 18 years of age at the time of the offense may be sentenced to death. Sets forth mitigating and aggravating factors to be considered by the jury in determining whether the death sentence will be imposed. Requires the Government to serve notice upon the defendant a reasonable time before trial or acceptance of a plea that it intends to seek the death penalty, as well as notice of the aggravating factors upon which it will rely. Provides that no presentence report shall be prepared in such cases. Requires a separate sentencing hearing before a jury or the court (upon motion by the defendant) when the defendant is convicted and the Government has filed notice that it intends to seek the death penalty. Allows the Government and the defendant to present any information relevant to a mitigating or aggravating factor without regard to the rules of evidence, but permits information to be excluded where its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of creating unfair prejudice, confusing the issues, or misleading the jury. Conditions imposition of the death penalty on a unanimous finding by the jury or, if there is no jury, the court, that: (1) the aggravating factors found to exist sufficiently outweigh any mitigating factor found to exist; or (2) in the absence of a mitigating factor, the aggravating factors alone are sufficient to justify a sentence of death. Specifies that: (1) the jury or the court, regardless of its findings with respect to aggravating and mitigating factors, is never required to impose a death sentence; and (2) the jury shall be so instructed. 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 death sentence. Directs the court to impose the death sentence upon a finding that such sentence is justified. 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, and any special finding, to affirm the decision if: (1) the sentence was not imposed under influence of passion, prejudice, or arbitrariness; and (2) the information supports the special finding of the existence of an aggravating factor. Requires the court to provide a written explanation of its determination. Establishes procedures for the implementation of the death sentence.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 1989
Imposes a civil penalty upon any person who mails to any individual or group of individuals at their place of residence: (1) any unsolicited sexually oriented advertisement; or (2) any unsolicited obscene, lewd, lascivious, indecent, filthy, or vile article, matter, thing, device, or substance.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 1989
Amends Federal law to prohibit any State from imposing an income tax on the pension income of any individual who is not a resident or domiciliary of that State.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 1989
Urban Homestead Act of 1989 - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to make the tenant ownership program authority permanent. Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to provide financial assistance directly to resident management corporations for homeownership technical assistance. Expands resident management corporation authority to replace purchased public housing units.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1989
Family Leave Benefits Assistance Act of 1989 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an employer an income tax deduction of 50 percent of salary or wages and other employee benefit costs incurred with respect to an employee temporarily absent from work on account of the birth or adoption of a child or because of a serious health condition of a child, spouse, or parent. Prescribes criteria to be met by the employer plan that permits the parental or medical leave in question.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1989
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit an individual taxpayer an income tax deduction for travel, food, lodging, and transportation expenses in connection with the taxpayer's performance of services as a member of the armed forces reserves or the National Guard. Excludes the taxpayer's meal and entertainment expenses from deductability limitations in this context.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1989
Limits U.S. contributions to the United Nations to an amount which bears the same ratio to the total budget of the United Nations as the total population of the United States bears to the total population of all the member states of the United Nations.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1989
Authorizes the National Committee of American Airmen Rescued by General Mihailovich to establish a monument to General Draza Mihailovich in the District of Columbia or its environs in recognition of the role he played in saving the lives of more than 500 U.S. airmen in Yugoslavia during World War II. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to select, with the approval of the National Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission, a suitable site on public grounds for such memorial. Subjects the design and any plans for the memorial to the approval of the Secretary, the National Commission of Fine Arts, and the National Capital Planning Commission. Declares that, except for specified items, neither the United States nor the District of Columbia shall bear any expense in the establishment of such memorial. Directs the Secretary to permit groundbreaking for construction of the monument only after determining that sufficient funds are available for completion of the monument. Directs that the maintenance and care of the monument shall be the responsibility of the National Committee of American Airmen Rescued by General Mihailovich.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1989
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that individual school districts should incorporate youth service programs as course electives in secondary school curricula.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1989
Amends the Export Administration Act of 1979 to repeal restrictions on the export of Alaskan North Slope oil. Provides that exports of such oil shall not be subject to restrictions contained in other specified Acts.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1989
Gold Bond Act of 1989 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue Government obligations that: (1) total $100,000,000,000 or 250,000,000 ounces of gold, whichever is greater; (2) have an annual investment yield not exceeding 1.75 percent; (3) mature at the later of 40 years after issuance or October 1, 2029; (4) have principal and interest redeemable at maturity in one ounce gold (Eagle) coins; (5) shall be known as "Eagle bonds"; and (6) the enforcement of which, as to payment of both principal and interest in Eagle coins, is perpetually immune from any assertion of sovereign immunity from suit by the United States, any claimed privilege of the United States to refuse to pay out or deliver Eagle coins or gold in any form, or any claimed power of the United States to require any person to surrender, or to seize from any person, Eagle coins or gold in any form legally held by such person. Requires the Secretary to issue gold certificates: (1) that have values of one ounce, one-half ounce, and one-tenth of an ounce gold (Eagle) coins; (2) that are redeemable at face value on demand, (3) that shall be known as "Eagle certificates"; and (4) the enforcement of which, as to redeemability at face value on demand, shall be perpetually immune from any assertion of sovereign immunity from suit by the United States, any claimed privilege of the United States to refuse to pay out or deliver Eagle coins or gold in any form, any claimed power of the United States to require any person to surrender Eagle certificates, Eagle coins, or gold in any form, any claimed power of the United States to involuntarily acquire from any person Eagle certificates, Eagle coins, or gold in any form, and any claimed power of the United States to redeem Eagle certificates in any coin or currency other than Eagle coins. Prohibits the issuance of Government securities with maturities of less than one year after October 1, 1989. Prohibits Federal Reserve banks and commercial banks from owning Eagle bonds. Allows foreign central banks, foreign commercial banks, and private individuals in foreign countries to acquire Eagle bonds by depositing gold with any central bank which holds earmarked gold at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Authorizes the issuance of additional Eagle bonds to replace Treasury bills issued before October 1, 1989, as such Treasury bills mature. Specifies that such additional Eagle bonds may not be issued for maturity periods of less than 25 years. Requires the Secretary to maintain a sinking fund of gold coins the purpose of which is to keep the market value of Eagle bonds at or near par. Provides for the replenishment of such fund. Declares to be unconstitutional and repeals provisions prohibiting the Government from paying out or delivering any gold coin and withdrawing the consent to sue or make a claim on a gold clause public debt obligation.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1989
Gold Standard Act of 1989 - Permits the Secretary of the Treasury, beginning on October 1, 1989, to issue only obligations that: (1) yield not over 2.5 percent annually; (2) may not be redeemed before October 1, 2029, or issued for less than a 25-year maturity; (3) are redeemable in gold Eagle coins; and (4) are known as Eagle Bonds. Requires all U.S. currency to be redeemable in gold Eagle coins which shall be the standard unit of value of money for the United States beginning on October 1, 1990. Directs the Secretary to: (1) mint and issue Eagle coins; (2) maintain all forms of U.S. currency and coin at a parity of value with the Eagle coin; (3) post a daily bid and ask price for gold for the period of October 1, 1989, to October 1, 1990; and (4) establish and fix the official rate of parity between the Eagle coin and the dollar as the arithmetic mean between the bid price and the ask price for gold on October 1, 1990. Prohibits the Secretary from limiting the amount of gold traded at any bid or ask price.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1989
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the States should ratify the proposed amendment to the Constitution which provides that no law varying the compensation for the services of Members of Congress shall take effect until an election of Representatives has intervened.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1989
Urges the President to commence negotiations with the Government of Mexico to conclude a free trade agreement to provide for the mutual elimination or reduction of duties on imports.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 1989
Health Care Savings Account Act of 1989 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow employees and employers, including self-employed individuals, a 60 percent tax credit for contributions to a health care savings account for the benefit of the employee or self-employed individual. Limits total contributions to an account to the aggregate amount of hospital insurance tax paid with respect to the account beneficiary. Describes conditions that must be met by the account. Excludes from the gross income of the beneficiary any account contributions made by an employer. Exempts an account from taxation (except for the tax on unrelated business income of a charitable organization) unless the distributee engages in specified transactions in connection with it. Excludes from gross income any account distributions used to pay the eligible medical expenses of the beneficiary or qualifying spouse. Imposes a ten percent surtax on account distributions used for other than health care purposes or made before the distributee is aged 65 or older. Imposes penalty taxes in connection with: (1) excess contributions or prohibited transactions associated with an account; (2) distributions from an account that reduces a distributee's account level below a specified amount; and (3) failure to effect spousal rollover of an account upon the spouse's death. Imposes penalties for failure to make required reports concerning an account. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to reduce the Medicare benefits of a health care savings account beneficiary by 60 percent of the maximum amount of Medicare-related expenditures that could be reasonably underwritten (by an insurance company) for the average Medicare beneficiary, given certain assumptions. Establishes special rules for individuals who cannot obtain insurance to cover their added deductible at the standard premium rates. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish rules in connection with recalculations of deductibles when a qualifying spouse becomes eligible for Medicare. Establishes catastrophic health care expense protection for certain individuals who qualify for Medicare and have met specified contribution requirements with respect to one or more health care savings accounts. Describes conditions under which a qualifying spouse becomes eligible for this protection.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 1989
Denies most-favored-nation treatment for products from India. Authorizes the President to restore such treatment if he determines, and certifies to the Congress at least 30 days prior to the time such restoration takes effect, that: (1) there are no jailed prisoners who have not been charged with a specific crime and given a fair trail; (2) internationally-recognized human rights groups are being allowed to visit such prisoners; and (3) India has taken steps to curb human rights abuses.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 1989
Urges the President to initiate consultations with Japan to determine the desirability of negotiations for the purpose of entering into a trade agreement creating a free trade area between the United States and Japan. Specifies limitations and objectives with respect to such negotiations.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 1989
Postal Reorganization Act Amendments of 1989 - 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 be exempt from any sequestration order under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) and shall not be counted for purposes of calculating the Federal deficit.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 1989
Current Level Enhanced Rescission Act of 1989 - Amends the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to include in any special message the President sends to the Congress in connection with a proposed rescission of budget authority amendatory language to enable the affected programs to continue to function lawfully at the proposed new budget level. Amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to authorize the President, on the same day the President approves any appropriation bill, to transmit to the Senate and the House of Representatives one or more special messages proposing to rescind amounts of budget authority included in the bill. Limits: (1) the amounts subject to rescission (the proposal may not reduce a program below its previous fiscal year level); and (2) each special message to one item of budget authority. Prescribes procedures to govern the expedited treatment of such messages in the Senate and the House of Representatives. Makes any proposed rescission amount available for obligation unless both Houses of Congress agree to the bill or joint resolution accompanying the related special message within 60 days of its transmission.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 1989
Anabolic Steroid Restriction Act of 1989 - Amends the Federal criminal code to provide criminal penalties for knowingly: (1) receiving, depositing, or causing to be deposited or delivered by mail any anabolic steroid or controlled substance for use in humans other than the treatment of disease pursuant to the order of a physician, except as otherwise permitted by law; and (2) using any communication facility in committing, causing, or facilitating a violation of such prohibition. Makes any property involved in a violation of this Act subject to forfeiture.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 1989
Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to approve projects within urbanized areas with populations of 50,000 or more for expanding the capacity of open-to-traffic routes on the Interstate Highway System, including construction of noise barriers, acquisition of right-of-ways for future construction of mass transit facilities, and acquisition of land for construction of parking lots. Sets forth a formula for apportionment of highway funds for such projects. Specifies: (1) the period of availability of funds apportioned to a State for Interstate System capacity expansion; (2) conditions that must be met in order to use lapsed funds for discretionary projects; and (3) the Federal share (80 percent) of any such expansion projects. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1993 through 1996.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 1989
Truth in Social Security Accounting Act of 1989 - Amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to exclude, beginning with FY 1991, Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund receipts and outlays in Federal deficit determinations for purposes of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act).
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 1989
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to remove limitations on the deductibility of contributions to individual retirement plans by active participants in employer-maintained plans.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1989
Volunteer Protection Act of 1989 - Prescribes circumstances under which volunteers working for nonprofit organizations or government entities shall be immune from personal financial liability for acts on behalf of the organization or entity. Sets forth exceptions to and conditions on the granting of such immunity that a State may impose. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to increase by one percent the fiscal year allotment which would otherwise be made to a State to carry out the Social Services Block Grant Program under title XX of the Social Security Act if such State has, within two years, certified to the Secretary that it has enacted a State law which provides such immunity. Provides for the continuation of such increase based on an annual recertification.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1989
Designates July 27, 1989, as National Korean War Veterans Recognition Day and expresses the gratitude of the Congress and the Nation for the contributions made by the Korean War veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1989
Establishes congressional procedures for consideration of special messages submitted by the President proposing to rescind all or part of any item of appropriation provided in an approved appropriation bill.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1989
States the sense of the Congress that the President or the Congress should immediately abrogate the Panama Canal Treaties of 1977 and the Treaty Concerning the Permanent Neutrality and Operation of the Panama Canal and that the Congress should repeal the Panama Canal Act of 1979.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1989
Truth in Government Accounting Act of 1989 - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to prepare and make public annual consolidated financial statements for the United States based on accrual accounting procedures. Directs the Secretary to publish such statements each year on a date not later than the date the President submits the Federal budget to the Congress. Directs the Secretary to notify the public of the availability of such statements, including placing notice on all tax forms. Requires the Comptroller General to audit the consolidated financial statements each fiscal year. Requires the President to include in each budget a summary of how the use of accrual accounting procedures would affect the estimated Federal expenditures, appropriations, and receipts. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to prepare all of the budgets submitted to the President according to both accrual accounting procedures and the cash basis accounting method.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1989
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to prohibit State or local governments from taxing OASDI benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1989
Directs the Comptroller General to conduct an annual audit of the Federal Reserve Board, the Federal Advisory Council, the Federal Open Market Committee, and all Federal Reserve banks and their branches. Requires the Comptroller General, within six months after the end of each fiscal year, to report to the Congress on the results of such audit.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1989
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to conduct a full inventory of U.S. gold reserves and analyze the sufficiency of security measures for such reserves. Requires the General Accounting Office to review and transmit such inventory to the Congress. Amends the Gold Reserve Act of 1934 to require congressional authorization to sell gold bullion. Amends the Trading With the Enemy Act to repeal the President's authority to regulate transactions in gold or silver coin or bullion during the time of war. Amends the Federal Reserve Act to repeal the Secretary's authority to require the exchange of gold coins, bullion, and certificates for other U.S. currency if necessary to protect the U.S. currency system. Directs the Secretary to redeem in gold all Federal Reserve and U.S. notes. Authorizes the Secretary to issue gold certificates for redeeming such notes and gold coins in denominations by weight.
![Official portrait of Rep. Dannemeyer, William E. [R-CA-39]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000044_200.jpg)