United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1985
Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to furnish assistance for economic relief and rehabilitation for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland if specified conditions are met. Authorizes such assistance for Northern Ireland if: (1) at least 30 days before the funds are obligated the Administrator of the Agency for International Development (AID) reports to the Congress on plans for the use and disbursement of the funds and the Congress does not object to such plans within 30 days; (2) Great Britain commits itself to discussions aimed at achieving a political solution with all parties in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland; and (3) Great Britain declares its intention to withdraw from Northern Ireland. Authorizes assistance for the Republic of Ireland if all the above conditions for aid to Northern Ireland are met and Great Britain includes in its declaration of withdrawal from Northern Ireland its intention to seek or promote reunification of Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland. Authorizes appropriations for such purpose for FY 1986 through 1990. Provides for the establishment of an advisory board that will assist the Administrator of AID in administering such assistance. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the European Economic Community should also provide economic assistance to Northern Ireland once a political solution is developed.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1985
Amends part A (General Provisions) of title XI of the Social Security Act to extend the income and eligibility verification system so as to require an applicant or benefit recipient, as a condition of eligibility for or receipt of benefits under part A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) of title IV of such Act, title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) of such Act, title XIX (Medicaid) of such Act, the food stamp program, or the unemployment insurance compensation program, to declare in writing whether or not he or she is a U.S. citizen, and, if a U.S. citizen his or her immigration status and file number. Requires the Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization to implement a verification system of immigration status to be made available to all States by October 1, 1985.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1985
Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to prohibit giving nonmarket economy countries nondiscriminatory treatment (most-favored-nation treatment), to prohibit such countries from participating in certain U.S. credit and investment guaranty programs, and to prohibit the President from concluding any commercial agreement with such countries if such countries discriminate or permit discrimination because of religious, ethnic, or cultural orientation.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1985
Haym Salomon Memorial Act of 1985 - Authorizes the American Jewish Patriots and Friends of Haym Salomon to place in the Capitol Building or on the Capitol Grounds a statue of Haym Salomon, a revolutionary war patriot of Polish and Jewish background. Authorizes such organization to also erect a monument to Haym Salomon on Federal land in the District of Columbia. Subjects the selected site, design, and plans for the memorial to the approval of the National Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1985
Deplores and condemns the murder of Major Arthur D. Nicholson, Jr., and calls on the Soviet Union to apologize for his murder and to indemnify his family. Calls on the President to rename Checkpoint Charlie in honor of Major Nicholson.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1985
Supports the initiative of the Director of the U.S. Information Agency to: (1) arrange for a high level Soviet official to appear on American television provided the Soviet Union allows a high level American official to appear on Soviet television; and (2) plan for United States and Soviet participation in a worldwide discussion using an international satellite television network and allowing journalists to ask uncensored questions of such officials.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1985
Authorizes the President, on behalf of the Congress, to present gold medals to Jan Scruggs, Robert Doubek, and Jack Wheeler, in recognition of their tireless efforts to give the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to the Nation. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to sell bronze duplicates of the medal. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1985
Young Astronaut Program Medal Act - Commemorates the Young Astronaut Program by directing the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and deliver to the Young Astronaut Council no more than 750,000 medals with emblems, devices, and inscriptions determined by the Secretary. Authorizes the Council to dispose of the medals at a premium and to have them delivered as required in quantities of no less than 2,000. Directs that no medals be struck after December 31, 1987. Directs the Secretary to set the price of the medals at no less than the manufacturing cost plus a surcharge of ten percent of such cost. Requires the furnishing of security sufficient to fully indemnify the United States for such costs. Directs that the medals be struck in gold, silver, and bronze and in such size or sizes as determined by the Secretary. Gives the U.S. Comptroller General the right to examine the records of the Council which are related to the medals.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1985
Korean War Veterans Memorial Act of 1985 - Authorizes the American Battle Monuments Commission to erect a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia or its environs to honor members of the U.S. armed forces who served in the Korean war. Subjects the selected site, design, and plans for the construction of such memorial to the approval of the National Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission. Directs that, upon its completion, the memorial shall be turned over to the Department of the Interior which shall then be solely responsible for its maintenance. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow certified public accountants and enrolled agents authorized to practice before the Internal Revenue Service to represent taxpayers in certain Tax Court cases involving $10,000 or less.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 1985
Military Drug Interdiction Assistance Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Defense (upon request from the head of a Federal agency with jurisdiction to enforce the Controlled Substances Act or the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act) to assign members of the armed forces under his jurisdiction to assist drug enforcement officials in drug searches, seizures, or arrests outside the land area of the United States. Allows such assistance only if: (1) the assistance will not adversely affect the military preparedness of the United States; (2) the Attorney General verifies that the drug enforcement operation may not succeed without assistance by members of the armed forces; and (3) Federal drug enforcement officials maintain ultimate control over the activities and direction of any drug enforcement operation.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1985
On-Site Day Care Privatization Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an income tax credit to employers for the expenses of establishing and operating an on-site dependent care facility. Sets the amount of such credit at 15 percent of the expenses paid by an employer during the first year of operation of such a facility and ten percent of the wages paid to individuals performing dependent care services during the second year of operation of such a facility.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1985
Revenue Enhancement and Protection Program Tax Act of 1985 - Title I: Amnesty from Criminal and Civil Penalties - Provides for a one-time amnesty from criminal and civil tax penalties for taxpayers who: (1) file a written statement with specified information concerning any underpayment of tax; (2) pay the amount of such underpayment when filing the statement; and (3) within 30 days of notification of the amount of interest payable on any tax delinquent amount, pay the full amount of such interest or deliquency. Permits installment payments of tax due in certain cases. Provides that where the taxpayer fails to pay the full amount of such interest or deliquency. Permits installment payments pays any installment that is due under the agreement pursuant to these provisions, the balance shall be due immediately. Disallows an amnesty period for a taxpayer who has made any representation in seeking amnesty which is false or fraudulent in any material respect or to which a Justice Department referral is in effect as of the time the statement for amnesty is filed. Specifies that the amnesty period shall be a three month consecutive period during 1986 chosen by the Secretary of the Treasury. Grants the amnesty treatment only to underpayments of Federal tax for taxable periods ending before January 1, 1984. Provides that no information disclosed to the Secretary of the Treasury in seeking amnesty may be disclosed or open to inspection to any State agency, body, or commission. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of the Treasury to provide publicity about the amnesty program. Title II: Compliance Provisions - Subtitle A: Increase in Compliance Personnel - Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of the Treasury for revenue enforcement and compliance programs an amount equal to ten percent of the revenue attributable to the amnesty program. Authorizes appropriations for an additional 2,500 compliance personnel for the Internal Revenue Service. Subtitle B: Denial of Federal Contracts, Licenses, Etc. to Taxpayers With Tax Delinquent Accounts - Prohibits the award of any Federal contract to any person who has a tax delinquent account. Provides that no Federal business license may be issued with respect to any person who has a tax delinquent account. Requires the revocation of the Federal business license who has a tax delinquent account. Provides an exception to this rule for public health business licenses or business licenses specified in regulations issued by the Secretary of the Treasury. Subtitle C: Use of Private Collection Agencies - Permits the collection of taxes by private collection agencies. Subtitle D: Revision of Penalties - Imposes a tax penalty for: (1) failure to file information returns; (2) failure to file information statements; (3) failure to furnish required data; (4) failure to supply information on a return; and (5) filing false statements. Provides that the penalty for intentional disregard of any of the above requirements shall be ten percent of the gross proceeds or other amount required to be reported or $500, whichever is greater. Exempts the taxpayer from these penalties if the failure to comply with the provisions is due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect. Subtitle E: Publicity on IRS Enforcement - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to publicize the risks and consequences of noncompliance with the internal revenue laws, including seizures with respect to taxpayers owing large amounts of tax in such a way as to publicize such risks and consequences.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1985
Amends the Tariff Schedules of the United States to add Afghanistan to the list of communist countries the imports from which are subject to the column two rate of duty. Prohibits granting nondiscriminatory (most-favored-nation) treatment to the products of Afghanistan. Prohibits entering into a commercial agreement with Afghanistan pursuant to the Trade Act of 1974. Prohibits Afghanistan from participating in any program under which the United States extends credit, credit guarantees, or investment guarantees.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1985
Authorizes the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity to establish a monument on Federal land in the District of Columbia to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. Subjects the Fraternity's design and plans for the monument to the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, the Commission of Fine Arts, and the National Capital Planning Commission. Directs the Secretary to: (1) select a site for the monument with the approval of the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission; (2) prohibit its construction unless sufficient funds are available for its completion; and (3) provide for the maintenance of the monument upon its completion. Provides that U.S. funds may not be used to establish the monument. Directs that the authority to establish the monument is contingent upon its construction beginning within five years.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the executive branch should release appropriations for the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow the use of distributions from individual retirement accounts and individual retirement annuities for the purchase of a principal home by a first-time homebuyer.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) a specified U.S.-Canada trade declaration should be supported as a first step toward settling trade differences with Canada; (2) the President and his trade representative should augment their efforts to negotiate with Canada in order to achieve a reciprocal trade relationship between the United States and Canada; and (3) the United States and Canada should resolve the specific impediments to trade within one year of the trade declaration. Declares that the President should report to the Congress by March 18, 1986, on the steps taken to achieve a reciprocal fair trade relationship between the United States and Canada.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 1985
Requires each Federal department, agency, and instrumentality to report to the Congress by March 1 of each year on plans to implement the recommendations of the President's Private Sector Survey on Cost Control (Grace Commission report).
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1985
Authorizes the Inspector General of the Department of Defense to suspend payments under a contract with the Department of Defense, or revise the schedule for payments under such a contract if the Inspector General determines that: (1) based on audits there have been excessive charges; and (2) other remedies available by law and under the contract are insufficient to eliminate promptly waste, fraud, and abuse with respect to the contract. Allows the Secretary of Defense, in the interest of national security, to overrule such an action by the Inspector General. Requires the Secretary to report to specified committees of the Congress on the reasons for overruling such action.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1985
Authorizes the President, on behalf of the Congress, to present a gold medal to the parents of Father Jerzy Popieluszko in recognition of their son's accomplishments. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to provide for the sale of bronze duplicates of the medal.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1985
Designates the week beginning on April 13, 1986, as National Garden Week. Urges the wearing of garden flowers during that week as a symbol of appreciation for the contributions of the Nation's gardeners.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that each State should develop a curriculum for instructing schoolchildren in the history of the Holocaust, including the history of the Nazi rise to power in Germany, the social and economic forces which were the foundations of Nazism, and the resulting horrors which were perpetrated against humanity by the Nazis.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1985
States that on the occasion of President Jose Napoleon Duarte's trip to the United States, the House of Representatives applauds him and the Government of El Salvador and expresses its appreciation for his leadership in the campaign to immunize the children of El Salvador.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1985
Korean War Memorial Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to erect and maintain a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia or its environs to honor members of the U.S. armed forces who served in the Korean War. Subjects the selected site, design, and plans for the construction of such memorial to the approval of the National Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1985
Establishes in the legislative branch of the Government the Perot Commission on Americans Missing in Southeast Asia to conduct an investigation and report to the Congress its findings with respect to the existence and the release of prisoners of war in Southeast Asia. Sets forth specified administrative procedures and powers of the Commission. Requires the Commission to terminate 30 days after the filing of its report to the Congress or on January 3, 1987, whichever occurs first.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1985
Establishes the United States Boxing Commission as a nonprofit corporation. Lists the purposes and powers of the Commission which include: (1) proposing changes in the rules of professional boxing to ensure the safety of the participants; (2) establishing a uniform set of rules for State Boxing Commissions to follow; (3) researching the causes of boxing related injuries; (4) establishing standards for physical and mental examinations; (5) providing a voluntary pension and life and health insurance fund for professional boxers; (6) issuing annually renewable certification cards to boxers, trainers, cut men, referees, ringside physicians, and other boxing assistants who have met all Commission standards; (7) establishing, regulating, and discontinuing subordinate organizations; and (8) establishing criteria for membership. Requires the Commission to submit annual reports to the Congress. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 and 1987. Directs the Comptroller General to undertake a study to determine the amount of dues and other assessments necessary to fund the operations of the Commission and submit the results of such study to the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1985
Authorizes the President to call a White House Conference on Library and Information Services, to be held not later than 1989, to develop recommendations for improvement of such services and their public use. Requires that the Conference be planned and conducted by the National Commission on Libraries and Information Sciences. Authorizes the Librarian of Congress, the Director of the National Library of Medicine, and the Director of the National Agricultural Library, upon request, to detail personnel to the Commission. Requires the Conference to submit a final report to the President within 120 days following its close. Directs that the final report be made public, and within 90 days after receipt by the President, transmitted to the Congress with recommendations. Establishes an advisory committee to assist in planning and conducting the Conference. Includes among its appointed members the Secretary of Education and the Librarian of Congress. Authorizes appropriations as necessary.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the public schools of the United States should be encouraged to include a study of the Holocaust in their history curricula.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1985
States that the Congress condemns: (1) Nicaraguan actions that hinder freedom of religion; and (2) the association of the Nicaraguan Government with international terrorist organizations, including the Palestine Liberation Organization. Calls upon the President, in communications with Nicaragua, to raise the issues of religious persecution of and compensation for members of the Jewish, Miskito, and other communities who have been forced to leave because of interference with freedom of religion.
![Official portrait of Rep. DioGuardi, Joseph J. [R-NY-20]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000359_200.jpg)