United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Handgun Control Act of 1979 - Makes it unlawful for any person to import, manufacture, sell, buy, transfer, receive, transport, own, or possess any handgun or handgun ammunition. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to exempt from this prohibition handguns: (1) required for the operation of licensed pistol clubs; (2) utilized by Federal, State, and local agencies or by licensed security guard services; or (3) manufactured before 1890 and which are unserviceable and intended for use as collector's items. Specifies procedures for the licensing of pistol clubs, including conditions for approval of applications by the Secretary of the Treasury and administrative and judicial review of a license denial or revocation. Sets forth requirements for the operation of licensed pistol clubs, including record keeping of the receipt, sale, or other disposition of handguns. Imposes criminal penalties on persons violating the provisions of this Act, including those persons making misrepresentations in required records or license applications. Subjects to seizure and forfeiture any handgun used, or intended to be used, in violation of this Act or any other Federal criminal law. Establishes procedures for the reimbursement of persons voluntarily delivering handguns to a law enforcement agency.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Solar and Energy Conservation Commercialization Act - Amends the National Housing Act to specify additional types of solar energy systems eligible for financial assistance under such Act. Stipulates that such systems shall include solar heating and cooling and hot water systems, geothermal and wind energy systems, and other energy conservation measures and equipment such as insulation, heat pumps, and devices to improve furnace efficiency. Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make grants and loans to individuals and families to assist in the purchase of solar, renewable source, and energy conservation measures and equipment. Authorizes grants and loans for similar purposes to neighborhood, community, or nonprofit groups. Amends the Small Business Act to authorize the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to make loans to small businesses to assist in the purchase and installation of solar, renewable source, and energy conservation improvements and equipment. Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the Administrator of the Small Business Administration, and the Federal Energy Administrator to cooperate in carrying out the provisions of this Act and to jointly submit an annual report to the President and the Congress on activities carried out under this Act. Authorizes appropriations for fiscal years 1980 through 1983.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to require the International Trade Commission, upon finding that an increase in customs duties is necessary to provide relief from import competition, to examine the impact of such increase on domestic retail prices and to report to the President.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act of 1979 - Makes it unlawful, under the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act, for any person to manufacture, import, or package for sale or distribution within the United States any cigarettes the package of which: (1) fails to bear the required health warning statement; and (2) fails to bear a statement of the tar and nicotine content of each cigarette in such package, as determined by the Federal Trade Commission. States that it shall be unlawful for any person to disseminate or cause to be disseminated any cigarette advertisement which fails to contain the required statements and which is either disseminated by United States mails or in commerce or which is likely to induce, directly or indirectly, the purchase in, or have an effect upon, commerce of cigarettes. Requires cigarettes for export to contain the required statements in the language of the country to which such package is exported.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Electric Utilities Rate Reform Act of 1979 - Directs State and local electric utility regulatory authorities to implement and maintain rate schedules which distribute costs to consumer classes in accordance with consumption patterns. Requires that rate schedules accurately reflect long-run incremental costs of service and that price differentials between consumer classes reflect actual document differentials in cost of service. Prohibits regulatory authorities from allowing recoupment of promotional and advertising expenses, unless such expenses finance efforts encouraging the conservation of electricity or the shifting of electricity consumption from peak load periods to off-peak load periods. Establishes standards to regulate monthly changes in rates by the use of fuel adjustment clauses. Establishes standards of determining the effective date of proposed changes in rates and schedules. Authorizes the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to provide financial assistance to non-Federal regulatory authorities as necessary to meet additional costs incurred as a result of complying with provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Internal Revenue Administration Act - Establishes the Internal Revenue Administration as an independent agency in the executive branch of the Federal Government for the purpose of administering and enforcing the Internal Revenue Code. Prescribes the terms and conditions of office for the Administrator of the Internal Revenue Administration. Transfers all present functions, instructions, rules, or regulations which were promulgated or administered by the Secretary of the Treasury or his delegate with respect to the enforcement of the Internal Revenue Code, to the Internal Revenue Administration.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends title II (Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to provide that the automatic cost-of-living increases in benefits be made on a semiannual basis (rather than only on annual basis as at present).
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Visual Artists Moral Rights Amendment of 1979 - Gives the author of a pictorial, graphic, or sculptural work, or the author's legal representative, the right to claim authorship of such work independently of his or her copyright, and to object to any distortion or alteration thereof, and to enforce any other limitation recorded in the Copyright Office that would prevent prejudice to the author's honor or reputation during the copyright term.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Energy and Materials Conservation Education Act of 1979 - Establishes within the Office of Education a Council on the Conservation and Nonuse of Energy-Materials. Directs such Council to advise the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare regarding programs assisted under this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to establish a program of grants and contracts with educational institutions and other public or private nonprofit agencies or organizations to support educational, research, demonstration, and pilot projects designed to achieve conservation and nonuse of energy materials. Provides guidelines for the kinds of activities to be funded under this Act, and the funding application requirements. Authorizes appropriations for fiscal years 1980 and 1981.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Sludge Management Act of 1979 - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to study the environmental, health, and economic effects of subsurface landfilling sludge on soils and ground water, and alternate methods of sludge disposal. Directs the Administrator to develop guidelines for sludge disposal and land-spreading in order to protect the public health and welfare. Authorizes the Administrator to make grants to States and localities of up to 40 percent of the cost of removal of sludge from navigable waters of the United States or any adjacent shoreline. Directs the Administrator to establish an Environmental Protection Agency Task Force on sludge removal. Authorizes the establishment of programs of training, demonstration, and surveys relating to the restoration of water quality where degraded by sludge. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to prohibit grants for treatment works, unless the applicant demonstrates that adequate, confined sludge disposal methods will be provided.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Public Access to Agency Proceedings Act of 1979 - Establishes within the Department of Justice an Office of Public Participation to award attorney's fees and other costs of participation in any rulemaking, licensing, or other agency proceeding. Requires such an award if a participant has contributed or will contribute to a fair determination of the issues in the proceeding, the monetary benefit to such person is small in comparison to the costs involved, the person lacks resources to become involved without such an award, and the interest represented by such person is not adequately represented by the existing parties to the proceeding. Permits payment within a specified time period after the close of the proceeding or during or before the proceeding where the ability of the person to participate in the proceeding will be significantly impaired without such advance award. Requires repayment of such award if such participant has acted in a dilatory fashion or is guilty of fraud or misrepresentation. Requires Federal courts to award attorney's fees and other costs of participation to any person challenging a Federal agency action in court if such person substantially prevails. Permits taxing such award against the agency involved for good cause shown or against any other party who has acted in a dilatory fashion during the proceeding.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Truth in Savings Act - Declares the purpose of this Act to be the meaningful disclosure of terms and conditions of the payment of earnings on individual savings deposits. Establishes a method to determine annual percentage rate, periodic percentage rate, and annual percentage yield. Directs the Federal Reserve Board to issue appropriate regulations which provide for uniform disclosures and regulations as the Board determines are necessary. Establishes savings institutions disclosure requirements to be applied to any individual upon request at the time before such individual initially places funds in an individual savings deposit in a savings institution. Authorizes the Federal Reserve Board to establish additional disclosure requirements. Requires a savings institution to notify its depositors ten days in advance of any change in policy or procedure with respect to any item of information required to be disclosed. Requires advertisements relating to the earnings payable on an individual savings deposit to state with equal prominence the annual percentage rate and the annual percentage yield. Prohibits any indication of any percentage rate or percentage yield based on a period in excess of one year or based on the effect of any grace period. Designates governmental agencies which have responsibility for enforcing compliance with the requirements of this Act. Establishes civil liability for a savings institution which fails to comply with this Act. Permits a savings institution to avoid liability if it notifies individuals of the violations within 15 days of discovery or if a preponderance of evidence shows that the violation was unintentional and resulted from a bona fide error. Provides a maximum $5,000 fine for willful and knowing violation of the requirements of the Act. Authorizes the Board to obtain the view of any other Federal or State agency exercising regulatory or supervisory functions with respect to any class of savings institutions subject to this Act. Limits effect of the Act on pertinent State laws and on the validity and enforceability of any contract or obligation under State or Federal law. Requires the Board to make an annual report to Congress concerning the administration of its functions under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Personal Safety Firearms Act of 1979 - Title I: Registration - Makes it unlawful to possess a firearm not registered as provided by this title. Exempts from this prohibition firearms, previously unregistered, which are: (1) held by a licensed dealer for sale; (2) continuously possessed by an individual up to 180 days after the effective date of this Act; or (3) possessed by Federal, State, or local governments. Requires a purchaser of a firearm from a person other than a licensed dealer to make application with the Secretary of the Treasury for the registration of the firearm. Directs a seller of a registered firearm to return the certificate of registration to the Secretary. Requires a licensed dealer to accept from a purchaser a completed application for registration of the firearm and to file such application with the Secretary. Specifies data to be included in such application. Prohibits a licensed dealer from: (1) receiving firearms by pledge or pawn without a registration certificate; and (2) selling ammunition without seeing a purchaser's certificate. Requires the possessor of a firearm to notify the Secretary within ten days of loss, theft, or destruction of the firearm. Imposes criminal penalties for violation of the registration requirements and for the knowing falsification of information required by this title. Authorizes the Secretary to pay reasonable value for the voluntary relinquishment of firearms. Title II: Licensing - Specifies requirements for an adequate permit system for the possession of firearms, and directs the Secretary of the Treasury to determine which States have adopted such systems. Makes it unlawful to transfer any firearm or ammunition to any person who does not have a valid State or Federal permit. Specifies qualifications which must be met before a licensed dealer shall issue a Federal gun license. Requires dealers to maintain records of all licenses issued. Title III: Specifications for Approved Handguns - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to not approve for sale or delivery by a licensed dealer, importer, manufacturer, or collector any handgun model unless samples of such model are evaluated and found to meet certain standards. Specifies standards for pistols and revolvers, including dimensions, frame construction, weight, caliber, and safety features. Authorizes the Secretary to issue additional standards made necessary by changes in the technology or manufacture of handguns. Directs the Secretary to compile and publish annually in the Federal Register a list of approved handgun models, and to furnish such list to approved licensees. Sets forth procedures where handgun models are found not to comply with the relevant standards. Makes it unlawful for any person to reduce the length of a previously approved handgun if, as a result of such reduction, the handgun no longer meets the approved standards.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Small Business Contracting Equity Act - Amends the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act to require the payment of interest on contract payments which are overdue under Federal contracts with small businesses.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act to require the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to include in his annual report to Congress on the health consequences of smoking, information concerning the effects on nonsmokers of involuntary inhalation of cigarette smoke.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Federal Reserve Board Selection Reform Act - Amends the Federal Reserve Act to allow the President to appoint an individual to serve on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors whom he intends to designate as chairman and who is from the same Federal Reserve district as a current member of such Board.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends title II (Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act and the Railroad Retirement Act to qualify an individual for disability insurance if such individual has the required number of quarters regardless of when such quarters were attained.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends the Arms Export Control Act to extend the period of time during which Congress can adopt a concurrent resolution objecting to a proposed arms sale.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Small Business Procurement Reform Act of 1979 - Requires any Government procurement contract to which a notice for bidding is published in the Commerce Business Daily to remain open for bidding for at least 30 days. Establishes exceptions to such requirement in specified circumstances. Amends the Small Business Act to establish a goal of 20 percent participation by small business concerns within each Federal agency for the procurement of items which the Small Business Administration determines can be produced by small business. Directs each Federal agency to take all feasible steps to subdivide large procurements into smaller components on which small businesses can bid. Requires any Federal agency to provide small business concerns, upon request, copies and summaries of laws and regulations materially affecting the performance of contracts open for bids under $100,000. Establishes Government contract arbitration panels within the Small Business Administration to facilitate the resolution of disputes between any small business concern and any Federal agency having procurement authority. Establishes the Small Business Procurement Advisory Committee.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends the Public Health Service Act by authorizing the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to make grants under the Safe Drinking Water Act to public water systems to clean and update water supply lines. Sets limits on the amount granted to each recipient and priorities on allotments of sums appropriated.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to exclude the value of a family's residence in calculating family contribution for purposes of basic educational opportunity grant eligibility.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate from the classes of excludable and deportable aliens those aliens who: (1) are anarchists; (2) are opposed to organized government; or (3) are members or advocates of the Communist or a totalitarian party. Amends the Subversive Activities Control Act of 1950 to remove the prohibition against the application by a member of a Communist organization for a U.S. passport, and the issuance of a passport to such a member.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Truth in Lending Improvement Amendments of 1979 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to require each appropriate regulatory agency to conduct biennial examinations of every creditor subject to the requirements of such Act. States that whenever any agency has reason to believe as a result of the examination that there has been a substantial violation, as defined by this Act, it shall publish in the Federal Register the name of the creditor and specified information concerning the violation, not more than 30 days after the date on which the examination report has been completed. Requires such agency to notify the creditor of the violation and of the date by which the agency will publish such information. Permits the creditor to submit a written response to the apparent violation which the agency must publish in the Federal Register. Requires the creditor to notify the consumer, upon the direction of the agency, when specified requirements of the Truth in Lending Act appear to have been violated. Directs the agency to notify such consumer if the creditor fails to do so. States that such notice shall include: (1) the fact that the agency found a violation; (2) the nature of the violation; and (3) the rights of the consumer under this Act. Exempts a creditor from civil liability for failure to comply with the requirements of this Act if, within 30 days after discovering an error or, being informed of any error by an enforcing agency and before an action is begun or before the creditor notifies the consumer of the error and makes adjustments to the consumer's account, the creditor insures that the person will not be required to pay a finance charge in excess of the percentage rate or amount actually disclosed.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Employment Services Revitalization and Reform Act of 1979 - Amends the Wagner-Peyser Act to direct the Secretary of Labor to establish an outreach program for the provision of technical and management assistance through the United States Employment Service to State public employment offices for the following: (1) implementation of annual management plans, (2) implementation of improved employment services, (3) implementation of pilot programs assisted by the Service, and (4) evaluation of the cost-effectiveness and potential improvements in performance associated with changes in priorities, programs and objectives. Directs the Secretary to establish within the Service a national clearinghouse for employment service information. Sets forth requirements for State public employment service annual management plans, including: (1) provisions for the identification of employment opportunities, and for job placement and counseling, for specified categories of workers, (2) a program to encourage the active participation of employers in the public employment office system, and (3) conformity with certain budgeting principles. Directs the Secretary, through the Service, to implement a financial assistance program for certain job placement projects under State public employment offices. Directs the Secretary to carry out a comprehensive examination of the merits and the cost-effectiveness of establishing a system of Federal public employment offices in lieu of the system of State offices established under the Wagner-Peyser Act.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Press Protection Act - Prohibits any person acting under color of law, without a prior adversary court proceeding, from searching any place or seizing any things in the possession, custody, or control of any person engaged in the gathering or dissemination of news for the print or broadcast media, unless with a warrant issued by a court upon probable cause that such person has committed or is committing a criminal offense. Establishes a criminal fine of not more than $10,000 for violation of this Act, and creates a civil cause of action for any person aggrieved by a violation. Allows punitive damages of up to $10,000, and reasonable attorneys' fees.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends the Federal Reserve Act to shorten the term of members of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System from 14 to eight years. Empowers the President to remove any member of such Board for cause.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends the Export Administration Act of 1969 to prohibit the export of any agricultural commodity pursuant to an agricultural commodity export agreement unless the exporter has obtained an agricultural export license from the Secretary of Commerce. Prohibits approval of such license unless the Secretary of Commerce determines that: (1) there will be a sufficient domestic supply of the commodity for a 12-month period; (2) the proposed transaction will not increase consumer prices; and (3) the proposed transaction will not increase domestic unemployment. Exempts from this Act exports in a quantity for which the price is less than $10,000,000. Stipulates that such agreements, occurring within a 30-day period between the same parties and for the same commodity shall be considered a single agreement for purposes of this exemption.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of religion, unless the employer can demonstrate that accommodation of an employee's religious practices is not possible without severe pecuniary or other material loss.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends the Federal Reserve Act and the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to prohibit members of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation from holding any position in a bank holding company during their terms in office and for two years thereafter.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Nondiscrimination in Insurance Act of 1979 - Prohibits any discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin regarding contracts for, or terms of, insurance policies. Permits insurers, who regularly provide insurance solely to persons of a single religious affiliation, to continue to do so. Authorizes the Federal Trade Commission to administer and enforce this Act. Requires aggrieved persons to file such discrimination charges with State or local agencies in certain circumstances. Sets forth the procedures on charges filed with the Commission. Requires insurers to keep records and make reports as the Commission shall prescribe. Provides penalties for disclosure of information by employees of the Commission. Authorizes civil actions in U.S. district courts by the Commission if a conciliation agreement cannot be secured from the insurer. Allows an aggrieved person to institute a civil action against the insurer if the Commission has not instituted a civil action within certain time periods. Specifies the judicial relief available, if the court determines that the insurer has committed a discriminatory action.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Age Discrimination in Employment Amendments of 1979 - Amends the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 to remove the existing 70-year upper age limit to which the prohibitions of such Act apply, thereby extending the protection of such Act to all individuals who are at least 40 years of age. Specifies that there shall be no exceptions to the prohibitions of such Act because of the nature of employment of an individual, or retirement benefits to which an individual may be entitled. Repeals provisions restricting the employment or compensation of an individual in the Federal civil service, Government of the District of Columbia, Foreign Service, or Army Corps of Engineers after such individual retires with an annuity or reaches retirement age. Repeals automatic separation requirements based on age and length of service which relate to employees of the Alaska Railroad, the Panama Canal Company, the Canal Zone Government, and to air traffic controllers and Federal law enforcement officers and firefighters.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1979 - Title I: Findings, Policy, and Definitions - Declares it the purpose of this Act to preserve for the benefit of present and future generations certain lands in the State of Alaska in order to: (1) preserve unrivaled scenic, geologic, and wildlife values; (2) perpetuate significant and diverse eecosystems; (3) protect and preserve cultural values of Native and non-Native people; (4) provide recreation; (5) maintain wilderness resource values; (6) preserve rivers; (7) maintain opportunities for research; and (8) utilize natural resources, consistent with sound ecological principals. Provides that: (1) intangible values should be considered on an equal basis with tangible values; (2) the management policies should cause the least adverse impact possible to people who depend on subsistence uses of resources; (3) the interests of the State of Alaska and the Native Corporations shall be continually considered in carrying out provisions of this Act to maintain a viable economy and provide employment for citizens of Alaska. Title II: National Park System - Designates as units of the National Park System: (1) Ainakchak National Monument; (2) Bering Land Bridge National Monument; (3) Cape Krusenstern National Monument; (4) Gates of the Arctic National Monument; (5) Kenai Fjords National Monument; Kobuk Valley National Monument; (7) Lake Clark National Monument; (8) Noatak National Monument; Wrangell-Saint Elias National Monument; (10) Yukon-Charley National Monument; and (11) Katmai National Monument. Expands and redesignates: (1) Mount McKinley National Park by the addition of Denali National Monument to be redesignated as Denali National Park; and (2) Glacier Bay National Monument by the addition of 40,000 acres to be redesignated as Glacier Bay National Park. Establishes as units of the National Park System: (1) Aniakchak National Preserve; (2) Lake Clark National Preserve; and (3) Noatak National Preserve. Establishes and designates as units of the National Wilderness Preservation System certain lands in: (1) Aniakchak National Park and Preserve; (2) Bering Land Bridge National Park; (3) Cape Krusenstern National Park; (4) Denali National Park; (5) Gates of the Arctic National Park; the Arctic Wilderness; (6) Glacier Bay National Park; (7) Katmai National Park; (8) Kenai Fjords National Park; (9) Kobuk Valley National Park; (10) Lake Clark National Park and Preserve; (11) Noatak National Park; (12)Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park; and (13) Yukon-Charley National Park. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to study the nondesignated areas within the boundaries of the National Park System and report to the President and Congress on the suitability of all roadless areas for preservation as wilderness. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to administer all Alaska lands, waters, and interests in accordance with applicable laws and this Act. Incorporates the redesignated national monuments specified in this Act as part of the appropriate national park. Makes available for the appropriate national park any funds that were available for the corresponding monument. Subjects the portion of the Alaska Railroad right-of-way within Denali National Park to the applicable laws and regulations. Permits the continuation of reindeer grazing within Bering Land Bridge National Park. Prohibits the Secretary, generally, from acting to restrict unreasonably the exercise of valid commercial fishing rights or privileges obtained pursuant to State or Federal law, with respect to the Malaspina Glacier area of Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park and the Dry Bay area of Glacier Bay National Park. Title III: National Wildlife Refuge System - Redesignates Becharof National Monument as Becharof National Wildlife Monument and Yukon Flats National Monument as Yukon Flats National Wildlife Monument. Designates as units of the National Wildlife Refuge System: (1) Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge; (2) Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge; (3) Copper River National Wildlife Refuge; (4) Iliamna National Wildlife Refuge; (5) Innoko National Wildlife Refuge; (6) Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge; (7) Koyukuk National Wildlife Refuge; (8) Nowitna National Wildlife Refuge; (9) Selawik National Wildlife Refuge; (10) Teshekpuk National Wildlife Refuge; (11) Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge; and (12) Utukok National Wildlife Refuge. Expands the following units of the National Wildlife Refuge System: (1) Arctic National Wildlife Range; (2) Cape Newenham National Wildlife Refuge; (3) Clarence Rhode National Wildlife Range and Hazen Bay National Wildlife Refuge; and (4) Kenai National Moose Range. Designates as wilderness and components of the National Wilderness Preservation System certain lands in: (1) Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (to be known as Alaska Maritime Wilderness, Aleutian Islands Wilderness, Unimak Wilderness and Semidi Wilderness); (2) Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge (to be known as Pavlof wilderness and Chiginagak Wilderness); (3) Arctic National Wildlife Range; (4) Becharof National Wildlife Monument; (5) Copper River National Wildlife Refuge; (6) Innoko National Wildlife Refuge; (7) Izembek National Wildlife Range; (8) Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge; (9) Kenai National Wildlife Range; (10) Kodiak National Wilderness Refuge; (11) Koyukuk National Wildlife Refuge; (12) Nowitna National Wildlife Refuge; (13) Nunivak National Wildlife Refuge; (14) Selawik National Wildlife Refuge; (15) Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge; (16) Togiak National Wildlife Range; (17) Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge (to be known as Andreafsky Wilderness and Kisaralik Wilderness); and (18) Yukon Flats National Wildlife Monument (to be known as Hodzana Wilderness and White Mountain Wilderness). Directs the Secretary of the Interior to review all areas within the National Wildlife Refuge System established or expanded by this Act as to their suitability for preservation as wilderness. Directs the President to advise Congress as to the Secretary of the Interior's recommendations. Declares that all Executive orders and other administrative actions which were in effect on the day before the date of enactment of this Act will remain in force, except to the extent that they are inconsistent with this Act or the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. Makes available for the purposes of any conservation unit established under this Act all funds that were previously available. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to administer each wildlife refuge subject to valid existing rights and in accordance with applicable law and this Act. Prohibits the Secretary from permitting uses or granting easements in the above-designated refuges which are not compatible with the major purposes of the refuge. Withdraws, subject to valid existing rights, all public lands in each refuge from all forms of appropriation under the mining laws and from operation of the mineral leasing laws. Authorizes the Secretary to permit oil and gas development under a leasing program. Directs the Secretary to undertake to enter into cooperative management agreements with Native Corporations, the State, or persons owning land within or adjacent to a refuge. States that each such agreement shall provide that the land subject to the agreement shall be managed by the owner in a manner compatible with the major purposes of the refuge, and in a manner which will not diminish opportunities for subsistence uses in the refuge. Sets forth terms and conditions for such agreements. States that the Congress finds that barren-ground caribou are a migratory species deserving special protection and that the Western Arctic and Porcupine herds of such caribou are of national and international significance. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study of the barren-ground caribou herds north of the Yukon River, and, acting through the Secretary of State, to initiate negotiations with the Government of Canada in order to enter into a treaty to protect the Porcupine caribou herd and its habitat. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct an assessment of the bald eagle in the Chilkat River area in order to determine habitat use, dynamics of salmon runs on which the eagles feed, seasonal movement patterns, and effects on the eagle population of developments by man. Directs the Secretary to develop a proposal to conserve bald eagles and other wildlife in the region, insure compatible land uses, provide for land lease agreements to facilitate the proposal. Title IV: National Forest System - Expands as units of the National Forest System the Tongass National Forest and the Chugach National Forest. Designates as wilderness and components of the National Wilderness Preservation System certain lands in: (1) Chugach National Forest, to be known as Nellie Juan Wilderness, College Fjord Wilderness, Red Peak Wilderness, and Tonki Cape Wilderness); (2) Admiralty Island National Monument; (3) Tongass National Forest, (to be known as Endicott Wilderness, Etolin Island Wilderness, Idaho Inlet Wilderness, Karta Wilderness, and King Salmon Capes Wilderness; (4) Misty Fjords National Monument; (5) Tongass National Forest, to be known as Petersburg Creek-Duncan Canal Wilderness, Prince of Wales Wilderness, Rocky Pass Wilderness, Russell Fjord Wilderness, Stikine- LeConte Wilderness, South Baranof Wilderness, Tebenkof Wilderness, Tracy-Arms-Ford Terror Wilderness, and West Chichagof-Yakobi Wilderness). Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to study and report to the President and Congress in accordance with the Wilderness Act recommendations as to the suitability of the Western Prince William Sound for preservation as wilderness. Specifies that the provisions of this Act apply only to the lands within Alaska and nothing in this Act shall be interpreted to expand, diminish, or modify provisions of the Wilderness Act with respect to lands outside of Alaska. Allows the Secretary of Agriculture to permit fishery research, management, enhancement, and rehabilitation activities within national forest wilderness areas designated by this Act in accordance with the goal of restoring and maintaining anadromous fish production in the Tongass National Forest. Sets forth factors to be considered in allowing such activity. Directs that previously existing public use cabins within national forest wilderness may be permitted to continue subject to necessary restrictions deemed to preserve the wilderness character of the area. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to construct and maintain a limited number of new cabins and shelters. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to permit commercial fishery activities within national forest wilderness in accordance with principles of sound fisheries management. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to modify any existing national forest timber sale contracts applying to lands designated by this Act as wilderness by substituting other national forest lands of corresponding quality, quantity, and access, to the extent practicable. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to acquire timber rights to those lands selected for the village of Angoon under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act by purchase or exchange for timber rights elsewhere within the Tongass National Forest. Allows, at the election of the shareholders of Kootznoowoo, Inc., the conveyance of timber rights to lands selected by the corporation to the Secretary of Agriculture, and within one year after such a conveyance the conveyance to Kootznoowoo, Inc. of timber rights which are of equal value to those conveyed to the Secretary. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to designate alternative lands, of equal or greater timber value, for the benefit of Shee Atika, Inc., in satisfaction of the rights of the Natives of Sitka as provided by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. Specifies that such lands shall be located in southeast Alaska other than Admiralty Island. Sets forth procedures for conveyance of surface and subsurface rights, and the release of such rights. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to reimburse Shee Atika, Inc., Goldbelt, Inc., and Kootznoowoo, Inc. for reasonable and necessary land selection costs. Specifies that permits issued by the Forest Service, before the enactment of this Act, for a dwelling or campsite in the Admiralty Island National Monument, Misty Fjords National Monument, or any wilderness area, shall expire not later than ten years after the enactment of this Act. Provides a limited exception to such permit expiration for Thayer Lake Lodge. Amends the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to prohibit land conveyed to a Native Corporation pursuant to this Act or the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, which is within a contingency area designated in a U.S. timber sale contract, to be subject to such contract or to entry or timbering by the contractor. Prohibits a timber contractor form entering or cutting timber from land in a contingency area that has been withdrawn or selected by a Native Corporation until such Corporation has received all conveyances. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to improve timber production from high quality timber growing sites in the Tongass National Forest through a program of precommercial thinning. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish an insured or guaranteed loan program for purchasers of national forest materials in Alaska to assist such purchasers in the acquisition of equipment to use wood products which might not otherwise be utilized. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out a study and report to Congress to identify opportunities to increase timber yields on national forest lands in Alaska, and to reduce inefficient timber uses or waste of national forest produced fiber. Title V: National Wild and Scenic Rivers System - Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act by adding to the Wild and Scenic Rivers System the following rivers (or segments thereof) which are outside the boundaries of other conservation system units: Birch Creek, Colville, Copper, Delta, Etivluk-Nigu, Fortymile, Gulkana, Alagnak, Killik, Nowitna, Stony, Unalakleet, and Yukon (Ramparts section). Adds to the system the following rivers (or segments thereof) which form the boundary of, or are within, any national preserves in Alaska: Aniakchak (including its major tributaries), Chilikadrotna, Mulchatna, Stonu, and Telaquana. Adds to the system portions of the following rivers which form the boundary of, or are within, any national wildlife refuge in Alaska: Nowitna, Porcupine, Sheenjek, Andreafsky, Ivishak, Kanektok, Kisaralik, Wind, Beaver Creek, Copper, Selawik, Squirrel, and Utukok. Requires that detailed boundaries and development plans be established for specified rivers within one to three years of the date of enactment of this Act. Designates the following rivers to be studied for possible inclusion in the system: Holitna-Hoholitna, Ikpikpuk, Koyuk, Kuskokwim, Melozitna, Mulchatna, Nelchina-Tazlina, Nuyakuk, Situk, Susitna. Sets forth time requirements for completion of such studies. Authorizes the Secretary to seek cooperative agreements with the owners of non-Federal lands adjoining rivers which are newly designated units of the Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Permits the Secretary to establish a river protection zone extending two miles from the banks of such rivers. Withdraws the minerals in Federal lands within the boundaries of such rivers and within each such river protection zone from all forms of appropriation under United States mining laws. Authorizes the Secretary to permit the use of snowmobiles for customary purposes by local residents and by authorized subsistence users, if such use was occurring on or before January 1, 1979. Authorizes the Secretary to promulgate regulations to protect the quality and quantity of water in the Wulik River. Allows the Secretary to grant rights-of-way for oil and gas pipelines across the Iditarod Trail or a wild and scenic river when there exists no alternative route. Sets forth the requirements for obtaining a permit for an oil or gas pipeline. Title VI: Federal-State Coordination - Establishes the Alaska Advisory Coordinating Council, cochaired by the Secretary of the Interior and the Governor of Alaska and composed of the Alaska field directors of the Federal land managing and planning agencies; the Commissioners of the Alaska Departments of Natural Resources, Fish and Game, and Environmental Conservation; and representatives from a Village Corporation and a Regional Corporation. Requires that all Council meetings be open to the public, with at least 15 days prior notice in the Federal Register and in newspapers of general circulation in Alaska. Directs the Council to conduct studies and advise the Secretary, other Federal agencies, the State, and Native Corporations regarding land and resource uses in Alaska, including natural resource management, economic development, and other land administration programs. Authorizes the Council to recommend cooperative planning and management zones where the management of lands or resources of one member materially affects another. Authorizes Federal members of the Council to enter into cooperative agreements with Federal agencies, with State and local agencies, and with Native Corporations for mutual consultation, review, and coordination of resource management plans within such zones. Authorizes the Secretary to provide technical and other assistance to landowners whose lands or resources are subject to a cooperative agreement, for fire control, trespass control, law enforcement, resource use, and planning. States that such assistance may be provided without reimbursement if the Secretary determines that doing so would further the purposes of the cooperative agreement and would be in the public interest. Provides that the Council will terminate in ten years, unless extended by Congress. Directs the Council to establish a citizens' advisory committee of land-use advisors. Establishes the Alaska Land Bank Program to facilitate the coordinated management and protection of Federal, State, and Native and other private lands. Authorizes certain private landowners to enter into agreements with the Secretary for ten years, with five year renewal periods, concerning the management of the affected lands. Sets forth required terms of such agreements, as well as benefits to private landowners. Provides, as to Native corporations and other persons or groups that have received or will receive lands or interests therein pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act on this title, immunity from adverse possession, Federal and State taxation, and judgment in any action at law or equity to recover sums owed or penalties incurred by any Native Corporation, or any officer, director, or stockholder of any such Corporation. Title VII: Subsistence - Declares the first priority of this Act to be consumptive uses of fishing and other renewable resources for nonwasteful subsistence uses by local rural residents. Stipulates that restrictions on the taking of populations of fish and wildlife on such lands for subsistence uses in order to protect the continued viability of such populations, or to continue such uses, shall be based on: (1) customary and direct dependence upon the populations as the mainstay of livelihood; (2) local residency; and (3) the availability of alternative resources. Directs the Secretary, if the State fails to do so, to establish: (1) at least seven Alaska subsistence resource regions which, taken together, include all public lands; (2) such local advisory committees within each region, as necessary, based upon a finding that the existing State fish and game advisory committees do not adequately assist in the preparation of the reports required of the regional councils; and (3) a regional advisory council in each subsistence region, to be composed of residents of the affected region. Sets forth the duties of such regional councils in regard to subsistence uses of fish and wildlife within the regions, including the preparation of annual reports to the Secretary. Requires that such reports contain identifications, evaluations and recommended strategies for the management of fish and wildlife populations within the regions, as well as recommendations concerning policies, standards, guidelines, and regulations to implement such strategies. Directs the Secretary to follow the advice of such councils unless he determines in writing that such advice is not supported by substantial evidence, violates recognized principles of fish and wildlife conservation, or would be detrimental to the satisfaction of subsistence needs. Directs the Secretary to take certain administrative action if it is determined that the program or implementation is not in compliance with this Act. Gives the Secretary authority to close public areas to all consumptive uses except subsistence uses by local residents. Sets forth procedures for hearings and appeal by the State. Gives the Secretary emergency authority to temporarily close any public land to subsistence uses if necessary for public safety, administration, or to insure the natural stability and continued productivity of one or more fish or wildlife populations. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements or to otherwise cooperate with other Federal agencies, the State of Alaska, Native Corporations, and other appropriate persons and organizations, (including, through coordination with the Secretary of State, other nations) in order to protect subsistence resources and uses. Prohibits the appropriate Federal agency from withdrawal, reservation, lease, permit, or other use, occupancy or disposition of lands within their jurisdiction if the effect would be to significantly restrict the subsistence uses unless the head of the agency: (1) gives notice to the appropriate State agency, local committees and regional councils; (2) gives notice of, and holds, a hearing in the vicinity of the area involved; and (3) makes specific determinations regarding the purpose and the effect of the restriction. Directs the Secretary to insure the access to subsistence resources on public lands to persons engaged in subsistence uses. Directs the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service to undertake research on fish and wildlife subsistence activities on the public lands. Title VIII: Administrative and Miscellaneous Provisions - Authorizes the Secretary to acquire by purchase, donation, or exchange any lands within the boundaries of any conservation system unit. Stipulates that land owned by the State, a political subdivision or a Native Corporation may only by acquired with their consent. Sets forth administrative provisions relating to such acquisitions. Allows the Secretary to permit on conservation system units the use of snow machines, motorboats, airplanes, and nonmotorized transportation methods, subject to reasonable regulation. Directs the Secretary to authorize and permit temporary access by the State or a private landowner to any conservation system unit, the Alaskan National Petroleum Reserve, or public lands for the purposes of survey and geophysical study and adequate access State or privately owned land and valid mining claims. Removes certain restrictions from sections of the North Slope Haul Road. Authorizes the Secretary to acquire up to 7,500 acres of archaeological or paleontological sites outside of the Cape Krusenstern National Park, Bering Land Bridge National Park, Kobuk Valley National Park, and the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Park. Requires the Secretary, prior to acquiring any such property in excess of 100 acres to submit notice of the proposed acquisition to the appropriate committees of the Congress, and publish notice of such proposed acquisition in the Federal Register. Directs the Secretary to provide advice, assistance, and technical expertise to an applying Native Corporation or Native Group for the purpose of preserving cultural resources, without regard to whether title to such resources is in the United States. Authorizes the Secretary to establish an information and education center for visitors to Alaska, on no more than 1,000 acres of land adjacent to the Alaska Highway. Authorizes the Secretary to establish such centers in Anchorage and Fairbanks, and authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to establish such a center in Juneau, Ketchikan, or Sitka. Sets forth provisions relating to program planning, construction, operation and administration of such centers. Authorizes the Secretary to establish administrative sites and visitor facilities within the conservation units, if compatible, or outside the units. Directs the Secretary to locate such sites and facilities on Native lands where practicable and desirable. Sets forth the authorities of the Secretary in regard to establishing such sites and facilities. Directs the Secretary, under reasonable terms, to permit a person who on or before January 1, 1979, was adequately providing any type of visitor service to a conservation system unit, to continue providing the services if they are consistent with the purposes of the unit. Requires that the Secretary, in selecting persons to provide visitor services, give preference to Native Corporations most directly affected by the conservation system unit, and local residents. Directs the Secretary to establish a local-hire program, under which the Secretary will consider for selection qualified local residents to positions in any of the units, without regard to civil service regulations which require minimum periods of formal training or experience, other preference provisions, or numerical limitations on personnel. Requires the Secretary to submit annual reports and recommendations to Congress on such program. Requires the Secretary to prepare detailed management plans for national park and wildlife refuge units and submit them to Congress within five years of the date of enactment of this Act. Sets forth requirements for such plans, factors which must be considered, public hearings requirements, and requirements for reports to the appropriate committees of Congress. Closes all areas of the National Park System in Alaska to the taking of fish and wildlife, except for authorized subsistence use, fishing, and sport hunting as the Secretary may permit within national preserves. Stipulates that other conservation units will be subject to applicable Federal and State law. Requires that the boundary maps described in this Act shall be on file and available for public inspection in the office of the Secretary of Interior and Secretary of Agriculture. Specifies that in the event of discrepancies between the acreages stated in this Act and those depicted on such maps, the maps shall be controlling. Prohibits the boundaries of areas added to the national systems to extend beyond the mean high tide line to include lands owned by the State unless the State concurs. Directs that a map and legal description of each change in land management status effected by this Act be published in the Federal Register and filed with the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate, and that each such description shall have the same force as if included in this Act. Directs that the Secretary shall make each such map and description available for public inspection. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to make minor adjustments in the boundaries or areas added to or established by this Act, as appropriate, following reasonable notice in writing to Congress. Permits reasonable access to and operation and maintenance of existing air and navigation aids and facilities for weather, climate, and fisheries research and monitoring in accordance with applicable law. Authorizes reasonable access to and operation and maintenance of, existing facilities for national defense purposes, notwithstanding any other provision of this Act. Permits the establishment of new facilities for national defense purposes within any conservation unit after consultation with the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture by the head of the applicable Federal department, in accordance with terms and conditions as may be mutually agreed in order to minimize the adverse effects within such unit. Amends the Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to establish the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park to provide that lands owned by the State or any political subdivision may be acquired by exchange or donation and that the State may include minerals in any such transaction. Withdraws all public lands within a specified area near the Denali National Park from all forms of entry or appropriation under the mining laws and from operation of mineral leasing laws of the United States, for the purpose of establishing Denali Scenic Highway. Directs the Secretary to study the desirability of establishing a Denali Scenic Highway and within three years after the date of enactment to report to the President, who shall advise the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of any legislation to create such a scenic highway (if so recommended). Stipulates that a holder of a permit to use any conservation system shall be strictly liable for damage to any lands, fish, wildlife or other renewable resource, unless such damage was caused by an act of war or the negligence of the United States. Limits damages for such strict liability to $50,000,000 for any one incident. Exempts the State from strict liability. Withdraws all public lands within the conservation system units in Alaska, subject to valid existing rights, from the mining and mineral leasing laws of the United States. Directs any holder of a valid existing mineral claim or lease to exercise their rights in accordance with regulations promulgated by the Secretary to assure such activities are compatible with the conservation unit. Denies valid lease status to certain noncompetitive oil and gas leases. Allows any holder of a mining claim who feels he has suffered loss to bring an action against the United States in the U.S. District Court for Alaska. Directs the Secretary to assess the oil, gas, and other mineral potential on all public lands in the State of Alaska in order to expand the data base with respect to mineral potential of such lands. Title IX: Improvements in Administration of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act - Amends the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to cancel all stock issued previous to December 18, 1991, and to issue shares of appropriate class stock to each stockholder. Makes further provisions for permissible restrictions on stockholders; amendments to the articles of incorporation; and stock alienation, annual audits, and transfer of stock ownership. Includes provisions for: (1) the Secretary waiving the whole section requirement at the request of a Village Corporation in certain specified situations; (2) the selection of land by Regional Corporations where the public lands consist only of the mineral estates; (3) the conveyance of title to the Federal or State Government or the proper municipal corporation to the surface estate for existing airport sites; and (4) the conveyance of fee title of existing cemetery and historical places to the appropriate Regional Corporation. Dissentitles any Regional Corporation which asserts a claim with the Secretary to certain subsurface estate of lands selected under such Act which are in a Wildlife Refuge, to any in lieu surface or subsurface estate. Requires that any such claim must be asserted within 180 days after enactment. Amends the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to exempt from Federal, State, and local taxation the receipt of land or any interest pursuant to this Act to equalize the values of properties. Stipulates the manner to determine the taxable basis of such interests for the purpose of future taxable dispositions. Exempts from taxation real property interests conveyed pursuant to this Act to a Native individual or Native Corporation which are not developed or leased to third parties. States that fire protection of Native land provided by the Department of the Interior shall cover "wildland." Makes provisions for the conveyance of real property by a Village Corporation to a shareholder of such Corporation to provide homesites. Authorizes the Secretary to withdraw twice the amount of unfulfilled entitlement where lands selected and conveyed to a Village Corporation is insufficient to fulfill the Corporation's entitlement. Withdraws from further entry all lands located in patented townsites or which are the subject of an application for patent on the date of enactment of this Act. Provides for the conveyance of unoccupied townsite lands. Requires the Secretary to act on any pending townsite entry and to issue patent, if appropriate, to the townsite trustee. Approves Alaska Native allotment applications which were pending before the Department of the Interior on December 18, 1971, and which describe land that was unreserved on December 13, 1968, except when provided otherwise by the applicable provisions of this Act. Makes exceptions to such approval for: (1) allotment applications describing land within the boundaries of a conservation system unit established before or by this Act and the described land not withdrawn; (2) allotment applications describing land patented or deeded to the State of Alaska, or land selected by, or tentatively approved or confirmed to the State of Alaska as of December 18, 1971 and not withdrawn; (3) allotment applications where a Native Corporation files a protest stating the applicant is not entitled and the land is withdrawn for selection by the Corporation; (4) allotment applications where the State of Alaska files a protest stating the land in the allotment application is necessary for access to public lands; (5) allotment applications where a person or entity files a protest and the land is a situs of an improvement by that person or entity; and (6) an allotment application that was pending before the Department of the Interior on December 18, 1971, which was knowingly and voluntarily relinquished by the applicant. Sets forth procedures for the Secretary to adjust descriptions of lands in allotment applications to eliminate conflicts. Allows the allotment applicant to amend the land description in the allotment if such description describes land that the applicant did not intend to claim. Directs the Secretary to notify the State and all interested parties of such intended correction and gives parties an opportunity to file a protest. Deems vacant, unappropriated and unreserved land described in an allotment application pending before the Department of the Interior on December 18, 1971, which was at such time withdrawn, reserved, or classified for powersite or power-project purposes unless the described land is included as part of a project under the Federal Power Act or is presently utilized for purposes of transmitting or generating electrical power. Reserves such land to be alloted subject to a right or reentry for a 20-year period after the effective date of this Act. Directs the Secretary to identify and adjudicate any record entry or application for title made under an Act other than the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, the Alaska Statehood Act, or the Act of May 17, 1906, prior to issuing a certificate for an allotment subject to this Act. Directs the Secretary to determine whether such entry or application represents a valid existing right. Disallows the affecting of existing rights acquired by actual use of the described lands prior to its withdrawal or classification. Sets forth fiscal year adjustments for appropriation of funds. Directs the Secretary to pay by grant to each of the Native Group Corporations $50,000 to $100,000 depending on the population of each group, to be used for planning, development, and other authorized purposes. Subjects the decisions made by the Secretary under this title or the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to judicial review only if an action is initiated before a court of competent jurisdiction within two years after the Secretary's decision has become final and after the party seeking review has exhausted any administrative appeal rights. Subjects the decisions made by a Village Corporation to reconvey land under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to judicial review only if the action is initiated before a court of competent jurisdiction within one year after the date of the filing of the map of the boundaries under applicable law.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Authorizes the Attorney General to institute a civil action for or in the name of the United States in an appropriate district court whenever he has reasonable cause to believe that a State or its agents are subjecting persons confined in any correctional facility, juvenile correction center, mental hospital, nursing home, or facility for the chronically ill, retarded, or physically handicapped to conditions which deprive such persons of their Federal constitutional or statutory rights. Permits such action only if the Attorney General believes that such deprivation of rights is part of a pattern or practice of denial, if the suit is of general public importance, and after notice and consultation with State officials. Directs the Attorney General to promulgate minimum standards for the resolution of grievances of persons involuntarily confined. Requires individuals confined in State correctional institutions to exhaust State administrative remedies which meet the minimum standards developed by the Attorney General before bringing a civil action under the Civil Rights Act.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Comprehensive Oil Pollution Liability and Compensation Act - Title I: Domestic Oil Pollution Liability, Compensation, and Fund - Establishes in the Treasury of the United States the Comprehensive Oil Spill Liability Fund for the purpose of paying for otherwise uncompensated losses resulting from oil pollution, for research related to the purposes of this title, and for necessary administrative and personnel costs. Enumerates the sources of monies to be deposited in such fund, including a fee, not to exceed three cents per barrel of oil, imposed upon owners of facilities receiving oil. Obligates owners of such oil to reimburse the refinery or terminal owner the full amount of the fee levied on such person's oil. Impose a civil penalty on any person required to pay or collect such fees who fails to do so. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to issue obligations to the Secretary of the Treasury at times when fund assets are insufficient to meet fund liabilities. Lists the types of injuries which may be compensated under this Act and the potential claimants who have standing to assert claims involving each such type of damage. Imposes joint, several, and strict liability on the owners and operators of each pollution source. Specifies liability limits, except in cases of gross negligence or willful misconduct, for ships and other vessels. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish limits on the liability of classes of facilities used for transporting, producing, processing, storing, or transferring oil. Requires the owner or operator: (1) of any such facility; or (2) of any ship which uses such facility or navigable waters of the United States, to establish and maintain evidence of financial responsibility in an amount sufficient to satisfy applicable liability limits. Directs the person in charge of a vessel or facility to immediately notify the Secretary of Transportation of any pollution incident in which the vessel or facility is involved. Specifies procedures whereby the Secretary may, in the absence of such an admission, designate and advertise pollution sources. Directs the Secretary, in instances in which: (1) the owner and operator of a vessel or facility designated by the Secretary deny such vessel's or facility's involvement; (2) the source of the discharge is a public vessel; or (3) the Secretary is unable to designate the pollution source, to advertise procedures for presenting claims directly to the fund. Requires all other claims, with limited exceptions, to be initially presented to the owner or operator, or to such person's grantor. Permits claimants to either present a claim to the fund or to bring an action in an appropriate United States district court when an owner or operator and a guarantor deny liability or fail to settle the claim within a specified period. Sets forth procedures for the disposition and appeal of claims submitted to the fund. Requires both the plaintiff and the defendant in a court action brought against an owner, operator, or guarantor to forward copies of all pleadings to the fund. Permits the fund to intervene in such actions. Subrogates any person or governmental entity, including the fund, paying compensation to all the claimant's claims and rights under this Act. Specifies procedures for and the measure of recovery in actions brought by the fund against owners, operators, or guarantors of alleged pollution sources. Permits a claimant to elect to pursue his remedy for damages under this Act or under any applicable State law and precludes submission of that claim under the alternative procedure. Sets penalties for persons failing to comply with specified provisions in this Act. Title II: Effective Dates; Conforming Amendments: - Specifies the effective date of this Act. Amends specified laws, including the Deepwater Port Act of 1974 the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Act, to conform with the provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Health Security Act - Title I: Health Security Benefits - Makes every resident of the United States, and every nonresident citizen when in the United States, eligible for covered services. Authorizes the Health Security Board to enter into reciprocal agreements for coverage of (1) nonresident aliens when in the United States, and (2) U.S. citizens residing abroad. Entitles every eligible person to have payment made by the Health Security Board for any covered service provided within the United States by a participating provider, if such service is necessary or appropriate for the maintenance of health or for the diagnosis or treatment of, or rehabilitation following, injury, disability, or disease. Extends coverage to: (1) professional physician services, wherever furnished, including primary and specialized services, and psychiatric services to outpatients under specified conditions; (2) dental services, including preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic services (exclusive of most orthodontic services), for children under age 15, with the covered age group increasing annually by two years until all persons under age 25 are covered; (3) institutional services, including inpatient and outpatient hospital services, skilled nursing home services, the services of home health service agencies, and other necessary services, including pathology and radiology services, with specified limitations; and (4) pharmaceutical benefits, including two categories of drug use: (A) prescribed medicines administered to inpatients or outpatients within participating hospitals, or to enrollees of comprehensive health service organizations; and (B) drugs necessary for the treatment of certain chronic illnesses or conditions requiring long or expensive drug therapy. Directs the Board to establish, disseminate, and review annually: (1) a list of drugs for use in participating institutions, organizations, and associations; (2) a list of diseases and drugs for use outside such organizational settings, which shall include drug therapy for chronic conditions; and (3) lists of therapeutic devices, appliances, and equipment (including eyeglasses, hearing aids, and prosthetic appliances), and the conditions under which such items are covered benefits. Requires drugs to be listed by their established names as defined in the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and also, to the extent the Board deems appropriate, by trade names. Extends coverage to other professional and supporting services, including: (1) the professional services of optometrists and podiatrists; (2) diagnostic and therapeutic services of independent pathology laboratories and radiology services; (3) mental health day care services under specified conditions; (4) alcoholism and drug abuse treatment in free-standing ambulatory centers; (5) family planning and rehabilitation services in certain free-standing centers; (6) emergency and nonemergency transportation services which are essential to overcome problems of access to covered services; and (7) other supporting services, such as psychological, physiotherapy, nutrition, social work, or health education services, which are furnished on behalf of certain approved organizations. Excludes from coverage: (1) health services furnished or paid for under Federal or State workmen's compensation laws; (2) primary or secondary school health services to the extent specified by regulation; (3) cosmetic surgery; (4) the furnishing of unapproved drugs and appliances; (5) certain medical or surgical procedures which the Board finds are experimental or too costly or scarce to provide on a nationwide basis; (6) certain services which are already furnished or available from another provider; and (7) services of a professional practitioner which are furnished in a non-participating hospital. Makes professional practitioners who are licensed on the effective date of enactment of this title eligible providers, but requires practitioners after such date to meet national standards established by the Board in addition to existing State standards. Specifies general eligibility requirements for participating providers, including the filing with the Board of an agreement (1) not to discriminate in providing services to eligible persons; (2) not to make unauthorized charges; and (3) to comply with reporting requirements. Sets forth specific eligibility requirements for various types of participating providers, including (1) general and psychiatric hospitals; (2) skilled nursing homes; (3) home health service agencies; (4) group practice organizations; (5) individual practice associations; and (6) other health service organizations and providers, including independent pathology laboratories and radiological services, ambulance services, and providers of drugs, devices, appliances, and equipment. Sets forth criteria for the utilization review of hospitals and skilled nursing homes. Requires such homes to have in effect an agreement with at least one participating hospital for the transfer of patients and medical and other information as appropriate. Limits the eligibility of providers operating newly constructed or enlarged facilities which are unnecessary for the furnishing of adequate services. Prohibits damages in malpractice judgments to be awarded for the cost of remedial services which the injured party is entitled to receive under this Act. Excludes institutions and employees of the Department of Defense, Veterans Administration, and institutions and employees of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare serving merchant seamen, Indians, or Alaskan Natives, from serving as participating providers, but allows reimbursement for services furnished by such institutions to eligible persons who are not part of their normal clientele. Permits a physician, dentist, optometrist, or podiatrist licensed in one State, and meeting the national standards, to furnish Health Security benefits in any other State. Grants similar authority to other professional and nonprofessional health personnel. Establishes the Health Security Trust Fund, to receive the net assets of existing (Medicare) funds taken over by the Health Security program, the yield of the Health Security taxes, and the Government's contribution from general revenues amounting to 100 percent of the yield from these taxes. Directs the Board to fix for each fiscal year the maximum amount which may be obligated for expenditure from the trust fund, subject to a ceiling determined by specified formulas. Establishes in the Trust Fund a health services account, a health resources development account, an administration account, and a residual general account. Provides for the allocation of the health services account among the regions of the country, based on the aggregate expenditures for covered services in each region during the most recent 12-month period, and: (1) adjusted to reflect changes in the consumer price index and the expected numbers of eligible beneficiaries and participating providers; and (2) modified by the Board to reduce inequalities in per capita expenditures, to the extent that the quality of services are unimpaired. Directs the Board to divide for each fiscal year the allocation to each region into available funds to pay: (1) institutional services, (2) physician services, (3) dental services, (4) the furnishing of drugs, (5) the furnishing of devices, appliances, and equipment, and (6) other professional and miscellaneous services. Directs the Board to allot such funds among the health service areas established in each region under this title. Provides that payments for covered services furnished to eligible persons by participating providers shall be made from the health services account in the Trust Fund. Sets forth specific payment requirements for the various types of participating providers. Entitles every independent professional practitioner to elect to be paid by the fee-for-service method. Entitles every independent practitioner in the general practice of medicine, and every dentist furnishing covered dental services, to elect to be paid by the capitation method upon the filing of an agreement with the Board. Authorizes the Board to pay independent practitioners full-time or part-time stipends instead of, or in addition to, these methods of compensation. Allows the Board to experiment with other methods of reimbursement which do not increase service costs or encourage the overutilization or underutilization of services. Provides that hospitals, skilled nursing homes, and home health service agencies shall be paid approved operating costs as set forth in an annual budget approved by the Board. Provides that health organizations shall be paid for covered services by the capitation method. Directs the Board to determine from time to time a maximum price for the cost of a drug to a provider. States that payments for a drug furnished by an independent pharmacy shall consist of its cost to the pharmacy, not to exceed the maximum price, plus a dispensing fee, which shall be established by the Board after consultation with representatives of the pharmaceutical profession. Provides for the reduction of payments to providers for unnecessary capital expenditures. Authorizes the Board to: (1) assist in the establishment, expansion, and operation of group practice organizations, other public or nonprofit health service agencies, and nonprofit organizations furnishing comprehensive dental services; and (2) provide for the recruitment, education, and training of needed health personnel, including practitioners who will agree to practice in urban or rural areas of acute shortage. Authorizes special improvement grants: (1) to any public or other nonprofit health agency or institution to establish improved coordination and linkages with other providers of services; and (2) to organizations providing comprehensive ambulatory care, to improve their utilization review, budget, statistical, or records and information retrieval systems, to acquire equipment needed for those purposes, or to acquire equipment useful for mass screening or for other diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. Authorizes grants for the development and conduct of programs of personal care services. Authorizes appropriations for the purposes of the health services development fund. Creates an administrative structure within the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare with exclusive responsibility for the administration of the Health Security Program. Establishes a five-member, full-time Health Security Board serving under the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. Sets forth the responsibilities and duties of the Board and the Secretary with respect to this title and the provision of comprehensive health care. Provides that this title shall be administered by the Board through the regions of the Department and, within each region, through health service areas, which shall be the same as those areas established by the Secretary under the Public Health Service Act. Establishes a National Health Security Advisory Council, with the Chairman of the Board serving as the Council's Chairman and 20 additional members not in the employ of the Federal Government. Authorizes the Advisory Council to appoint professional or technical committees to assist in its functions. Directs the Advisory Council to advise the Board on matters of general policy in the administration of the program, the formulation of regulations and the allocation of funds for services. Directs the Board to appoint regional and local advisory councils for each region and each health service area. Provides for the participation of appropriate State agencies in the administration of the Health Security program. Specifies responsibilities of the Board, including: (1) informing the public and providers about the administration and operation of the Health Security program; (2) making a continuing study and evaluation of the program, including the adequacy, quality, and costs of services; (3) making detailed statistical and other studies on a national, regional, or local basis of any aspect of the title; (4) developing and testing records and information retrieval systems; (5) developing, in collaboration with the pharmaceutical profession, improved administrative practices for the reimbursement of independent pharmacies; and (6) developing and testing incentive systems for improving the quality of care, and methods of peer review of drug utilization and of other service performances. Directs the Board to make evaluations and issue guidelines with respect to health manpower education and training. Requires the Board, in accordance with regulations, to make determinations of: (1) entitlement to benefits; (2) who are participating providers; (3) whether services are covered; and (4) amounts to be paid to providers. Entitles a provider or other aggrieved person to an administrative appeal from such determinations, and authorizes judicial review of a final decision. Sets forth procedures for the suspension or termination of participating providers. Authorizes the Board to issue to any participating provider, other than an individual professional provider, a directive with respect to the discontinuous of services for the purpose of payment, or the initiation of covered services. Authorizes the Board, with the advice and assistance of the Commission on the Quality of Health Care, to issue and review regulations assuring the quality of care furnished under this Act. Directs the Board to establish reasonable continuing education requirements for physicians, dentists, optometrists, and podiatrists. Sets forth conditions under which major surgery and other specialized services designated in regulations are covered under this program. Authorizes the Board, on recommendation of the Commission on the Quality of Health Care, to contract with Professional Standards Review Organizations to monitor the quality of institutional and other services. Establishes the positions of a Deputy Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, and an Under Secretary for Health and Science. Authorizes appropriations for the purposes of this title. Stipulates that no provision of this Act shall alter any contractual obligation of an employer to provide health services to his employees and their dependents. Title II: Health Security Taxes - Converts the existing Medicare hospital insurance payroll taxes into Health Security taxes, and raises the rates to one percent on employees and 3.5 percent on employers. Excludes from the gross income of employees, for income tax purposes, payment by their employers of part or all of the Health Security taxes on the employees. Converts the existing Medicare self-employment tax into a Health Security self-employment tax, raising the rate to 2.5 percent. Adds a new 2.5 percent tax on health security unearned income (unless such income is less than $400 a year), subject to the same maximum on taxable income as is applicable to the employee and self-employment taxes. Title III: Commission on the Quality of Health Care - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare a Commission on the Quality of Health Care, with the primary responsibilities of: (1) initiating and continuing development of methods of assessing the quality of health care furnished under this Act; and (2) submitting to the Secretary and the Health Security Board appropriate findings and recommendations. Directs the Commission to give special consideration to care furnished for those illnesses and conditions which have relatively high incidence in the population and which are relatively amenable to medical or other care. Title IV: Repeal or Amendment of Other Acts - Makes conforming and technical amendments to specified Acts. Repeals the Medicare program. Stipulates that after the effective date of benefits received under this Act no State shall be required to furnish any service covered under Health Security as a part of its State plan for participation under Medicaid. Title V: Studies Related to Health Security - Directs the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury to study the practicability of extending the coverage of health services for U.S. residents in other countries. Directs the Secretary to study the means of coordinating the Federal health benefit programs for merchant seamen and Indians and Alaskan Natives, veterans, and members of the Armed Forces with the Health Security benefit program.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Consumer Food Labeling Act - Title I: Truth in Food Labeling Act - Truth in Food Labeling Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require that the labels on all foods disclose each of their ingredients in order of predominance and the percentage of each ingredient in the food. Title II: Nutritional Labeling Act - Nutritional Labeling Act - Requires the processor to label any packaged consumer food product with specified information, including an analysis of nutritional contents, net weight and drained weight, where appropriate. Requires such label to state the nutritional value of the commodity, and to appear in conspicuous and easily legible type in distinct contrast with other matters on the package. Requires the conspicuous statement of any difference in weight or volume which may have occurred in the repackaging of a consumer product from a container of any given net content to a container of a different net content. Empowers the appropriate agencies to prescribe regulations and to petition for injunctive relief to carry out and enforce the provisions of this Act. Prescribes a civil penalty of up to $1,000 for willful violation of any provision of this Act. Title III: Open Dating of Perishable Food Act - Open Dating of Perishable Food Act - Amends the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act to require the manufacturer or packager of a perishable or semiperishable food to state on its label the pull date for such food and the optimum temperature and humidity conditions for its storage by the ultimate consumer. Requires pull dates also on shipping containers or wrappings. Prohibits, with specified exceptions, the display, offer for sale, or sale of any such food whose pull date has expired. Prohibits the change, alteration, defacement, or removal of any pull date before sale of such food to the ultimate consumer. Prescribes criminal penalties for the violation of this Act. Requires the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to report annually to Congress on the enforcement of this Act. Title IV: Marketing Practices Disclosure Act - Marketing Practices Disclosure Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require that labels on packaged foods contain the names and places of business of the manufacturer, the packer, and the distributor, not, as currently, only one of them. Title V: Consumer Food Grading Act - Consumer Food Grading Act - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to develop and promulgate a system of retail quality grade designations for consumer food products expressed in a uniform nomenclature, giving consideration to nutritional quality and wholesomeness of food products, as well as acceptability. Title VI: Unit and Item Pricing Act - Unit and Item Pricing Act - Amends the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act to require retailers to mark plainly the total selling price of any packaged consumer commodity on its package, and the retail unit price on either the package or a point of display, like a shelf, in close proximity thereto. Exempts from the requirements of this Act certain small retail outlets, and any retail outlet in any State or political subdivision which has enacted mandatory unit pricing laws which are, in the judgment of the Federal promulgating authority, superior to the requirements of this Act. Title VII: New Ingredient Notification Act - New Ingredient Notification Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require any food product to carry a label setting forth in a conspicuous manner any change in its ingredients for six months after such change. Title VIII: Misleading Brand Names Act - Misleading Brand Names Act - Amends the Federal Trade Commission Act to make it an unfair or deceptive act or practice to advertise a brand name of a product which inherently misleads the public as to the product's value, quantity, quality of contents, or performance.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to add Title V: Financing of General Election Campaigns for the House of Representatives. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to maintain, in the Presidential Election Campaign Fund, the House of Representatives Election Campaign Account. Sets forth eligibility requirements to be met by candidates for election to the House of Representatives seeking payments from such Account. Limits expenditures from personal funds which may be made by candidates meeting such eligibility requirements. Entitles eligible candidates to matching payments and sets forth the procedure for determining the amounts of these payments. Stipulates that the aggregate payments to all candidates in an election shall not exceed three times the maximum amount payable in matching funds. Suspends certain expenditure limitations on eligible candidates if any candidate not eligible to receive payments pursuant to this Act makes expenditures or receives contributions in excess of specified amounts. Sets forth the procedure for requesting matching payments. Sets forth procedures to be followed by the Secretary of the Treasury in maintaining the House of Representatives Election Campaign Account. Directs the Federal Elections Commission to conduct examinations and audits of the campaign accounts of ten percent of the eligible candidates. Provides for the participation of the Commission in judicial proceedings arising under this Act. Authorizes appropriations necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Older Americans Employment Rights Act of 1979 - Defines the term "age" for purposes of equal employment opportunities under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, to mean a person's being considered too old, but only if such person has attained the age of 40 years. Prohibits employment discrimination because of age, under the Civil Rights Act.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Sunset Act of 1979 - Title I: Reauthorization of Government Programs - Sets forth a ten-year schedule for reauthorization of all Federal programs according to budget function and subfunction as set forth in the Budget of the United States Government for Fiscal Year 1979. Sets forth the procedure in the House of Representatives and the Senate for the consideration of any bill, resolution, or amendment which authorizes new budget authority. States that it is not in order for either House to consider any legislation which authorizes the enactment of new budget authority for a program for a period of more than ten years, for an indefinite period, or for any fiscal year beginning after the next reauthorization date applicable to such program. Provides that before the Congress can appropriate funds for any program, after its first reauthorization date, there must be a specific authorization in law to support the appropriation. Requires the committees of the Senate and House of Representatives to conduct a sunset review of programs during the Congress in which such programs are scheduled for review. Requires that the report accompanying such reauthorization contain specified information, and that the report be completed during the Congress in which the program is scheduled for reauthorization. Exempts from the requirements of this Act specified programs such as interest on Federal debts, health care services, general retirement and disability payments, as well as litigation activities which have as their objectives the protection and implementation of civil rights guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States and specified retirement pay and benefits. Allows the reauthorization schedule set forth in this Act to be changed by concurrent resolution of the two Houses of Congress and sets forth the procedure for such change. Requires all legislation and other matters related to changes in the dates for programs under this Act to be referred to the committee with legislative jurisdiction over any program affected by the proposal and, sequentially, to the Committee on Rules in the House of Representatives and to the Committee on Rules and Administration in the Senate. Requires such committees to report any concurrent resolution or bill referred to it by a committee of legislative jurisdiction within 30 days, with a statement on each of its recommendations. Makes provisions for any proposed change which has been reported by a committee before June 1, 1980. Title II: Program Inventory - Directs the Comptroller General and the Director of the Congressional Budget Office, in cooperation with the Director of the Congressional Research Service, to prepare an inventory of Federal programs. Declares that the purpose of such program inventory is to advise and assist Congress in carrying out the reauthorization and reexamination requirements and to link such reauthorization and review process with the budget process. Requires the Comptroller General to submit such program inventory to each House of Congress no later than January 1, 1980. Sets forth the contents of the inventory program, including the type of authorization provided for such programs' new budget authority; and the manner in which related program areas may be grouped for evaluation and review. Permits the congressional committees, the Congressional Budget Office, and the Congressional Research Service to review the program inventory and suggest revisions. Requires that the program inventory be revised at the end of each session of Congress, and that such revisions be reported to each House. Requires that periodic reports tabulate the progress of congressional action on bills and resolutions authorizing budget authority for programs in the inventory. Requires the Comptroller General and the Director of the Congressional Budget Office to submit periodic reports to the Congress on the adequacy of the functional and subfunctional categories for grouping programs of like missions or objectives. Title III: Program Reexamination - Requires each committee of the Senate and the House of Representatives to reexamine selected programs or groups of programs over which it has jurisdiction. Sets forth procedures for such review, and criteria for selection of program areas for evaluation. Directs each committee to consult with the appropriate committees of either the House of Representatives or the Senate in order to achieve coordination of program reevaluation and inform itself of the related activities of or available assistance from the General Accounting Office, the Congressional Budget Office, the Congressional Research Service, the Office of Technology Assessment, and appropriate instrumentalities in the executive and judicial branches. Requires each committee to deliver a report on the reexamination to the Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk of the House at the date specified in the funding resolution first reported by such committee in 1981 and thereafter for the first session of each Congress. Allows two or more committees which have legislative jurisdiction over the same programs or portions of the same programs to examine such programs jointly and submit a joint report. Stipulates that such report: (1) contain the findings, recommendations, and justifications of the program; and (2) include specified information including, but not limited to, an assessment of the cost-effectiveness of the program and an identification of any trends, developments, and emerging conditions which are likely to affect the nature and extent of the problems or needs which the program is intended to address. Requires each executive department or agency which is responsible for a program selected for reexamination to submit a report to the Office of Management and Budget and to the appropriate committees of the Congress on its findings, recommendations, and justifications of specified aspects of the program. Title IV: Citizens' Commission on the Organization and Operation of Government - Establishes, as an independent instrumentality of the United States, the Citizens' Commission on the Organization and Operation of Government to conduct a nonpartisan study and investigation of the organization and methods of operation of all departments, agencies, independent instrumentalities, and other authorities of the executive branch of the Government, and to make such recommendations as it determines are necessary to promote economic, efficient and improved services in the transaction of public business. Requires the Commission to submit interim reports to the President and the Congress, and to submit a final report with its findings and recommendations. Requires the Comptroller General to report once a year for two years after submission of the Commission's final report on the status of actions taken as a result of the report. Specifies the composition of the 15-member Commission and sets forth the duties and powers of the Commission. States that the Commission shall cease to exist 90 days after submission of its final report. Authorizes to be appropriated until September 30, 1984, without fiscal year limitations, $4,000,000 to carry out the provisions of this Title. Title V: Regulatory Impact - Requires the President to submit, at the beginning of each of the five congresses beginning with the 97th Congress, an analysis of the purposes, function, and efficiency of 16 specified regulatory agencies. Requires the President to submit legislative plans, based on such analyses, for the improvement of operations of such agencies. Establishes a schedule according to which plans for specified agencies will be submitted early in each of the five congresses for which the required analyses are submitted. Directs the President, with each plan, to submit a report on the cumulative impact of government regulatory activity on specific industry groupings. Directs the Comptroller General and the Director of the Congressional Budget Office to assess each of the agencies included in the President's plan and to analyze the plan, and submit such information to the Congress. Title VI: Government Accountability - Requires the President, beginning with the first year of the 97th Congress, to submit biennially, as part of the budget, a report on the management of the executive branch. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to provide an evaluative report on Federal programs to the President to be included with the President's report. Title VII: Tax Expenditures - Requires the Director of the Congressional Budget Office, after consultation with the Joint Committee on Taxation of the Congress, to prepare an inventory of tax expenditure provisions and to submit a report on such inventory to the Committee on Ways and Means of the House and the Senate Finance Committee. Defines the term "tax expenditure provision" as any provision of Federal law which allows a special exclusion, exemption, or deduction in determining liability for any tax or which provides a special credit against any tax, a preferential rate of tax, or a deferral of tax liability. Specifies the contents of the report which include an estimate of the revenue loss from each tax provision. Requires the Director to: (1) submit a revised inventory to each House of Congress by December 1, 1980; (2) revise the inventory after the close of each session of Congress and report such revisions to Congress; and (3) periodically report on congressional action on bills and resolutions which create or affect tax provisions. Directs the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Committee on Finance to prepare a reauthorization schedule for all tax provisions similar to the schedule set out for Federal programs in title I of this Act. Requires Congress to take final action on the reauthorization schedule for tax provisions before the end of the 96th Congress. Provides that each tax expenditure provision shall expire unless it is reauthorized by a law enacted during the Congress in which it is scheduled for review. Sets forth procedures and restrictions for the consideration of bills reauthorizing tax provisions, which are similar to the restrictions and procedures governing bills authorizing new budget authority for Federal programs as described in title I. Requires that the report accompanying a reauthorization bill include specified information. Permits Congress to prescribe technical rules as may be necessary to mitigate adverse effects which might result for taxpayers who rely on a certain tax provision. Title VIII: Miscellaneous - Amends the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921 to permit the committees of Congress to obtain from the agencies of the Government estimates or requests for appropriations or requests for increases in an item of any such estimate or request, and recommendations as to how the revenue needs of the Government should be met. Declares that nothing shall require the public disclosure of records which are specifically authorized under criteria established by an Executive order to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or foreign policy and are in fact properly classified pursuant to such Executive order, or which are otherwise specifically protected by law. Sets forth administrative procedures and requirements. Directs the President, with the cooperation of the head of each appropriate agency, to submit to the Congress a "Regulatory Duplication and Conflicts Report" for all programs scheduled for reauthorization in the next Congress. Stipulates that each such report identify duplicative or conflicting rules and regulations promulgated by executive departments, independent agencies, and State and local governments and contain recommendations which address such conflicts or duplications. Defines the term "required authorization waiver resolution" for purposes of this Act. Sets forth the procedure which the chairman of the committee of the Senate or the House of Representatives having legislative jurisdiction over programs must follow in order to introduce a required authorization waiver resolution. Makes it the duty of the Committees on Governmental Affairs and on Rules and Administration of the Senate and the Committees on Government Operations and on Rules of the House of Representatives to review the operation of the procedures established by this Act and to submit a report every five years beginning December 31, 1986. Authorizes to be appropriated through fiscal year 1990 such sums as may be necessary to carry out the review requirements and for the compilation of the inventory of Federal programs.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Constitutional Amendment - Lowers to 22 years the age requirement for membership in the House of Representatives and to 27 years for membership in the Senate.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
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 · 15 January 1979
Establishes in the House of Representatives a Select Committee on Inflation to investigate and study the causes of inflation in the United States, particularly the effect of wages and prices on the cost of goods and services.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Establishes the Claude Pepper Senior Citizen Congressional Intern program which authorizes each Member of Congress to hire each year one senior citizen intern to serve within the District of Columbia for one of two two-week periods. Specifies that such intern shall be compensated at a rate not to exceed $300 per week.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States continue to provide world leadership in working for modernization and reform of the United Nations. Requests the President to direct the Department of State and the Ambassador to the United Nations to formulate proposals for the more effective functioning of the United Nations and to report to the appropriate congressional committees before September 30, 1979.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 1978
Specifies that each State entitled to more than one Representative in the 99th Congress or any subsequent Congress shall establish a number of districts equal to the number of Representatives to which that State is entitled. Directs the districts to be established as soon as practicable after the latest decennial census, but in no case later than three years. Sets forth the standards for establishing districts in order to insure fair and effective representation in the House of Representatives. Declares that any State legislature may establish by law standards for establishing fair and effective districts. Sets forth judicial procedures to insure compliance with this Act.
![Official portrait of Rep. Drinan, Robert F. [D-MA-4]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000499_200.jpg)