United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1987
Intelligence Oversight Amendments of 1987 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to require the President to make a written finding that a Central Intelligence Agency operation in a foreign country (other than an intelligence gathering operation) is important to the national security and to furnish a copy of that finding, before the start of such operation, to specified Members of Congress and the Vice President, the Secretaries of State and of Defense, and the Director of Central Intelligence. Amends the National Security Act of 1947 to permit deferral of notice to the Congress of such intelligence activity for not more than 48 hours only in extraordinary circumstances affecting vital U.S. interests and only where time is of the essence.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1987
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the Administration's proposal to terminate funding for FY 1988 Soil Conservation Service programs should not be supported; and (2) such programs are needed and adequate funding for them should continue to be provided.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1987
Plastic Pollution Research and Control Act - Title I: Regulation of Disposal of Certain Materials at Sea - Directs the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to enforce specified regulations promulgated under the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 (the Annex V Regulations) and also to prescribe any regulations necessary to carry out this Act. Prohibits a person from disposing of any material from a ship of U.S. registry, or nationality, or operated under the authority of the United States, in violation of Annex V. Prohibits such disposal from a foreign vessel when such disposal is made from within a specified distance from the United States as enumerated under the Annex V Regulations. Requires any disposal violations to be immediately reported to the Secretary, and sets forth penalties for such violations. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, upon the request of the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating, to refuse or revoke the clearance or the permit to proceed of a ship liable for a penalty under this Act. Directs the Secretary to undertake inspections and investigations to enforce the provisions of this Act. Directs the President to ensure public-vessel compliance with the provisions of this Act. Title II: Negotiations, Research, and Regulation Regarding Fishing With Plastic Driftnets - Directs the President, acting through the Secretary of State and in consultation with the Secretaries of Commerce and of the Interior, to promptly initiate negotiations with each foreign government that conducts driftnet fishing operations that result in the taking of marine resources of the United States: (1) to arrange for cooperative monitoring of such operations; and (2) to agree on methods to reduce the unintended mortality of marine resources during such operations. Directs the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior, to conduct a study on the impacts of driftnet fishing on marine resources of the United States. Directs the Secretary to assess the need for developing a system for the marking, registration, and identification of driftnets in order to determine the origin of lost, discarded, or abandoned driftnets or fragments of driftnets. Directs the Secretary to evaluate the feasibility of developing decomposable material for use as fishnets. Establishes the Aleutian Island Seabird Protection Zone surrounding the Aleutian Islands off Alaska within which no driftnet fishing is permitted. Provides for the enforcement of such prohibition and penalties for its violation. Directs the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, to conduct a study on the impacts of discarded plastic materials on the marine environment, together with recommendations. Directs the President, within one year after the enactment of this Act, to report to the Congress the results of negotiations regarding driftnet fishing by foreign vessels. Directs the Secretary of Commerce, within 18 months after the enactment of this Act, to report to the Congress regarding various studies required under this Act. Authorizes appropriations to the Department of Commerce for FY 1988 and 1989 to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1987
Bus Regulatory Reform Act Amendments of 1987 - Requires the Interstate Commerce Commission (the Commission), when considering a petition for the discontinuance of bus transportation within on State, to take into account the extent to which interstate and intrastate revenues are less than the variable costs of transportation (currently it has to accord great weight to such revenues). Requires the Commission, when considering such a petition, to accord great weight to whether the transportation is the last motor carrier of passenger service to such point, and whether a reasonable alternative to such service is available. Requires the Commission, when making any findings related to the public interest concerning public transportation certification, to accord great weight to the recommendations of each State in which the transportation to be authorized will be provided. Declares that it is the Federal transportation policy to coordinate State and Federal regulatory actions to ensure bus service to rural communities which have no other means of public transportation. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Commission, the States, and national associations representing governmental agencies should cooperate in developing innovative regulatory approaches to ensure the preservation of bus service in areas which are threatened with the total loss of public transportation service.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1987
Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National Park Service, to conduct a study of the proper minimum altitude which should be maintained by aircraft flying over areas within units of the national park system. Directs the Secretary of Transportation, acting through the Federal Aviation Administration, to provide technical assistance to the Secretary of the Interior for such study. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to report to the Congress within two years after enactment of this Act regarding the study results. Requires the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to: (1) review, on the basis of aviation safety, current regulations pertaining to aircraft flights over units of the national park system addressed in the study conducted by the Secretary of the Interior; and (2) report to the Congress the results of such review together with recommendations for changes. Authorizes appropriations for such studies. Prohibits any fixed wing aircraft or helicopter from flying below specified minimum altitudes during such study and review periods over the surfaces of Yosemite National Park and Haleakala National Park. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to submit a final plan for air traffic management and noise abatement over Grand Canyon National Park to the Administrator. Prescribes guidelines under which the Administrator is required to implement such plan. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to report to the Congress whether such final plan has succeeded in substantially restoring the natural quiet in the Grand Canyon National Park. Exempts certain helicopter flights of river runners from prohibition under the noise abatement plan.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1987
Federal Oil and Gas Leasing Amendments Act of 1986 - Amends the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 to authorize the Secretary of the Interior (the Secretary), or the Secretary of Agriculture in the case of public domain National Forest System lands, to lease onshore Federal lands for oil and gas development by competitive bidding if the appropriate Secretary determines such lands to be suitable for such development. Increases land units for development from 640 acres to 2,560 acres. Requires the Secretary to: (1) invite public nomination of areas favorable for oil and gas discovery at least once each calendar quarter; (2) automatically offer to lease any area receiving two or more such public nominations if the Secretary has determined such areas to be available and suitable for leasing; (3) hold competitive oil and gas lease sales on a quarterly basis; and (4) issue a lease to the highest responsible qualified bidder. Authorizes the Secretary to extend the initial five-year lease term of a non-producing oil or gas lease only upon finding that the lessee could not adequately explore during the initial lease term due to certain circumstances not attributable to the lessee. Requires an extension application to include an exploration plan. Limits total extensions to five years. Proscribes guidelines for rentals and royalties. Requires the Secretary to: (1) report periodically to the Congress regarding fees, rentals, and royalty payments; (2) notify the appropriate State Governor and the general public of scheduled lease offerings and of the scheduled approval of lease development activities; (3) regulate all surface-disturbing operations conducted under a lease; and (4) determine surface-resources conservation activities. Conditions the granting of a drilling permit on an oil or gas lease upon: (1) the Secretary's approval of an operations plan covering all surface-disturbing activities; and (2) the posting of sufficient bond by the lessee to ensure reclamation of surface disturbing activities. Prohibits the Secretary from issuing any lease on national forest lands without the approval of the Secretary of Agriculture. Conditions the issuance of oil and gas leases on public lands (or public domain national forest lands) upon evaluation and approval of such leases in a land use plan meeting specified environmental requirements. Proscribes the issuance of oil and gas leases upon specified wilderness study lands. Authorizes either Secretary to issue permits for prospecting, seismic surveys, and core sampling not requiring road construction or improvements, if such activity is conducted in a manner compatible with the preservation of the wilderness environment. Prohibits the use of explosives in designated wilderness areas. Requires an exploration license for the commercial exploration of oil and gas on lands subject to this Act. Sets forth a one-year term for such license. Provides that exploration licenses for lands under the jurisdiction of other Federal agencies may only be issued by the Secretary upon such conditions as the surface management agency may prescribe regarding the use and protection of the nonmineral interest in those lands. Imposes a fine for commercial oil and gas exploration without a commercial exploration license.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1987
Agricultural Export Enhancement Act of 1987 - Amends the Export Administration Act of 1979 to prohibit the President from imposing national security export controls on agricultural exports if the exports are being made pursuant to a contract entered into before a specified date or if the exports are being made pursuant to an authorization issued under such Act unless and until the President certifies to the Congress that: (1) the controls are imposed in connection with a national emergency declared under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act; or (2) the United States has terminated diplomatic relations with the foreign country to which exports are to be controlled. Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to establish an agricultural export enhancement program under which the Secretary of Agriculture will provide to U.S. exporters, users, and processors and to foreign purchasers agricultural commodities acquired by the Commodity Credit Corporation in order to encourage the export of targeted commodities to targeted countries. Requires the Secretary to provide such commodities to such persons at no cost. Defines targeted commodity to include farm commodities that are in surplus supply and commodities that need export assistance. Requires the Secretary to issue annually for each targeted commodity a list of foreign countries that have shown the largest increase in the U.S. market share of the commodity. Directs the Secretary to allocate the targeted commodities in the form of bonuses to the maximum possible number of countries on such list. Guarantees access to the program to those eligible countries that have maintained the eligible U.S. market share of the targeted commodity over the previous two years. Declares that a country is eligible for a bonus if the country: (1) is a traditional buyer of a targeted commodity; (2) during a specified time period, has a U.S. market share for the targeted commodity for which the country would receive a bonus of at least ten percent; (3) maintains a trading relationship with the United States; and (4) during a specified time period, imports at least as much of the targeted commodity from the United States as the country imported from the United States during the preceding fiscal year. Provides a transitional bonus for a country that is not targeted to receive a bonus if the bonus is necessary to: (1) open a major new market; (2) counter an unfair trade practice of another country; or (3) reward good traditional customer countries in which the U.S. market share is too high to allow significant market share improvement. Sets forth the manner of determining the U.S. market share of a targeted commodity in cases involving countries that have received shipments of food aid. Requires the amount of a bonus, except in specified cases, to be calculated to make U.S. agricultural exports: (1) more attractive to other countries; and (2) more competitive on the world market. Imposes a limitation on the amount of any transitional bonus provided during FY 1988. Requires the bonus to be distributed over the course of one fiscal year, unless extended. Authorizes the Secretary to reduce or eliminate a bonus provided to promote the export of a targeted commodity to a targeted country under certain conditions. Provides for administration of the program. Authorizes the Secretary to provide to otherwise ineligible countries farm commodities to the extent necessary to help any such country meet the eligibility qualifications in future years. Provides for annual reviews of the amount of commodities provided such countries. Authorizes the Secretary to make green dollar export certificates available to commercial exporters of U.S. farm commodities. Makes such certificates redeemable for commodities owned by the Commodity Credit Corporation. Provides that the amount of such certificates made available to an exporter may be determined: (1) on the basis of competitive bids submitted by exporters; or (2) by announcement of the Secretary. Provides for administration of the certificate program. Requires the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees annually on the effects of the operation of the bonus program and the allocations made under the program. Imposes minimum and maximum levels on the amount of agricultural commodities used in the export enhancement program during each fiscal year. Terminates the authority for the export enhancement program after FY 1990. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President, Secretary of Agriculture, and other appropriate members of the executive branch should use their authority under specified Acts to promote and expand exports of U.S. agricultural commodities. Requires the Secretary and the Director of the Agency for International Development to report to specified congressional committees and to the President within one year of enactment of this Act on the potential to expand the use of specified statutory authorities to promote the export of agricultural commodities to countries that are traditional major recipients of food aid and agricultural export credit. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) provide to bona fide overseas market development cooperator organizations agricultural commodities acquired by the Commodity Credit Corporation to be used to expand overseas purchases and market development for U.S. agricultural commodities and value-added products; and (2) supplement certain other commodities provided under trade agreements with an additional bonus of commodities owned by the Commodity Credit Corporation. Requires the commodities provided under clause (1) to be in addition to current appropriations supporting market development activities carried out by such cooperator organizations. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) each food, economic, and development assistance program should involve a greater proportion of food aid; (2) the proportion of food aid in each such program should be increased until it is equal to at least 33 percent of the total amount of aid, except when such action would replace private U.S. agricultural sales; and (3) the President should report annually to the Congress on the extent to which foreign assistance programs meet such criteria.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1987
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a five-percent investment tax credit after 1987 for tangible property which: (1) is used as a part of manufacturing, production, or extraction or of furnishing transportation, communications, electrical energy, gas, water, or sewage disposal services; (2) constitutes a research facility used in connection with such activities; or (3) constitutes a facility used in connection with such activities for the bulk storage of fungible commodities.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1987
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should: (1) continue to express U.S. opposition to the internal exile of Igor Ogurtsov; and (2) urge the Soviet Union to release him before February 9, 1987, accept his application for an exit visa, and allow him to emigrate without forcing him to renounce his views.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1987
Self-Sufficiency for the Poor Act of 1987 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to require the President to use the foreign currencies paid by the government of a developing country (pursuant to the low interest loan program established by this Act) to make grants to intermediaries that provide credit and other assistance directly to the poorest people in that country for locally chosen self-help investment activities and small-scale private enterprise activities. Sets forth the types of assistance that may be provided by such intermediaries, including limited amounts of credit for individuals, training, and grants for small-scale projects. Describes the types of locally chosen self-help investment activities and small scale enterprises to be supported by such grants. Provides that organizations that have demonstrated effectiveness in providing assistance to the poorest people are eligible for such grants. Requires the local currencies to be disbursed as grants to the intermediaries as quickly as possible. Provides for the administration of the grants. Authorizes the President, in order to provide such grants, to use economic assistance funds to provide economic assistance to developing countries on a loan basis. Requires that a specified minimum amount of the economic assistance funds shall be used for such loans each year. Sets forth the terms of the loans. Provides for notification of the Congress of the reprogramming of economic assistance funds for such loans.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1987
Volunteer Protection Act of 1987 - Prescribes circumstances under which volunteers working for nonprofit organizations or government entities shall be immune from personal civil liability. Requires each State to certify to the Secretary of Health and Human Services before the beginning of each fiscal year (commencing with FY 1989) that it has enacted or has in effect a State law which provides such immunity. Requires the Secretary to reduce by one percent the fiscal year allotment which would otherwise be made to such State to carry out the Social Services Block Grant Program under title XX of the Social Security Act if such law is not in effect.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 1987
Arms Export Reform Act of 1987 - Requires the President to submit to the Congress a certification in the case of any letter of offer under the Arms Export Control Act, any application for an export license, and any lease or loan agreement relating to certain military equipment regardless of the dollar amount involved in such sale, export, lease, or loan, specifically: (1) turbine-powered military aircraft, rockets, missiles, anti-aircraft artillery, and associated control target acquisition and electronic warfare equipment and software; (2) helicopters designed or equipped for combat operations; (3) main battle tanks and nuclear-capable artillery; and (4) submarines, aircraft carriers, battleships, cruisers, frigates, destroyers, and auxiliary warships. Sets forth the information to be contained in the President's certification to the Congress. Prohibits the issuance of any such letter of offer and export license and the making of any such lease or loan to: (1) the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, any member country of such Organization, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, or any country which is a party to the Camp David Accords, or an agreement based on such Accords, if the Congress enacts a joint resolution of disapproval within 15 days of receiving the certification; and (2) any other country or international organization unless the Congress enacts a joint resolution or other provision of law authorizing such sale, export, lease, or loan. Declares that the congressional actions described in the previous sentence shall not be required if the President states in the certification that an emergency exists which requires the proposed sale, export, lease, or loan. Provides for expedited consideration of such joint resolutions.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 1987
Family Education Assistance Act of 1987 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an individual taxpayer an income tax deduction for contributions to a savings account established to pay the education expenses (tuition, supplies, meals, and lodging) at an institution of higher education or a vocational school of a child of the taxpayer, of a child of a brother, sister, stepbrother, or stepsister of the taxpayer, of an individual for whom the taxpayer has been appointed as guardian, or of a descendant of a child of the taxpayer. Limits the amount of such deduction to $1,500 (adjusted for inflation) for each account per calendar year. Provides that no account may have more than one beneficiary and that no individual may be a beneficiary of more than one account. Disallows any deduction for contributions to an education savings account for any beneficiary who has attained the age of 19. Requires any balance in an education savings account to be distributed after the individual for whose benefit the account is established attains age 30. Includes the distributions from an education savings account in the gross income of the payee or distributee except for those amounts distributed or used to pay educational expenses incurred by the individual for whose benefit the account is established. Provides that an education savings account is exempt from taxation except for the tax on unrelated business income. Revokes the tax exemption of the account where the individual for whose benefit the account is established engages in certain prohibited transactions with the account. Imposes a ten percent penalty tax on distributions which are not used for educational expenses. Requires the trustee of an education savings account to file reports with the Secretary of the Treasury on the maintenance of the account. Imposes a penalty for failure to file any required report. Extends the deduction for contributions to an education savings account to taxpayers who do not otherwise itemize deductions. Imposes: (1) a six percent excise tax on excess contributions to an education savings account; and (2) a five percent excise tax on amounts connected with any prohibited transaction with respect to such an account. Excludes from the gross income of an individual distributions from an education savings account used exclusively for that individual's educational expenses. Provides that distributions from an education savings account shall not be taken into account in determining support to the extent such distribution is excluded from gross income of the individual for whose benefit the account has been established.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 1987
Declares that the Congress: (1) protests continued Soviet violations of international human rights, especially its restrictive emigration regulations; (2) states that such human rights abuses seriously affect negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union; (3) calls upon the Soviet authorities to release all "Prisoners of Conscience" and permit all "refuseniks" and other specified people to emigrate; and (4) dedicates itself to support, as a priority during the 100th Congress, the restoration of internationally recognized human rights to all Soviet citizens, especially restoration of the right to emigrate to Soviet Jews and others who have requested exit visas.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 1987
Amends the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 to require that air carriers include on each passenger's airline ticket specified information regarding the air service record of such air carrier, together with a postcard addressed to the Consumer Affairs Office of the Department of Transportation which contains a complaint form concerning flight cancellation, delay, or luggage handling. Requires such air carriers to display such information at designated locations and to publish a policy statement regarding flight delays and cancellations. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to investigate possible deceptive flight schedules and possible flight cancellations made for economic reasons. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress on investigation results. Requires the Secretary to review periodically the accuracy of such service record information. Declares that falsification of such information shall be treated as an unfair or deceptive practice, and directs the Secretary to initiate appropriate proceedings.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1987
Congressional Pay Reform Act of 1987 - Amends the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 to specify that pay adjustments for Members of Congress shall become effective on March 1 following the beginning of the next Congress after the Congress during which such adjustment is approved. Amends the Federal Salary Act to require the President to transmit to the Congress, within a specified time period, recommendations for rates of pay of Members of Congress and legislative and judicial employees. (Currently such recommendations are included in the Federal budget.) Prohibits the House of Representatives and the Senate from considering any bill or joint resolution carrying an appropriation for compensation of Members of Congress for any fiscal year if such bill or joint resolution carries an appropriation, or a limitation of appropriations, for any other purpose. Requires a recorded vote on such bill or resolution.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1987
Prohibits the trustee in a bankruptcy case from rejecting any executory or other contract that provides for hospitalization or health benefits for current or former employees of the debtor.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 1987
School Dropout Demonstration Assistance Act of 1987 - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 through 1990 for grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) for demonstration programs of dropout prevention, reentry, and information. Allots specified percentages of such funds to various categories of LEAs. Limits the Federal share of project cost to no more than 90 percent in the first fiscal year, 75 percent in the second, and 60 percent in the third. Sets forth grant application requirements, including plans for dropout information collection and reporting systems. Sets forth authorized activities for which such grants may be used. Requires that: (1) at least 30 percent of grant funds be used for dropout prevention activities; (2) at least 30 percent of grant funds be used for dropout reentry persuasion and assistance activities; and (3) not more than 15 percent of any grant be used for administrative costs. Requires that grants be used to supplement other funds. Requires grant recipients to cooperate with the coordination and dissemination efforts of the National Diffusion Network and State educational agencies. Directs the Secretary of Education to report annually to the appropriate committees of the Congress on the activities under this Act. Sets forth provisions for auditing and withholding payments.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1987
Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to provide for the accreditation to the U.S. delegations to international trade negotiations of members of the House Committee on Agriculture and of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Provides that such members shall serve as additional official advisors to trade negotiations dealing specifically with agricultural commodities and their products.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1987
Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to permit community development block grants to be used for uniform emergency telephone number systems.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1987
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the use of ethanol blended fuels should be established to reduce air pollution and surplus grain stocks and that such use should be encouraged through information and technical assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1987
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) no Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) physician payment methodology should be implemented which is based on hospital discharge classifications or requires mandatory assignment; and (2) no drastic change in the Medicare physician payment methodology should be undertaken without the receipt of reports required by legislation enacted in the 99th Congress and a detailed analysis of the long-range impact of such change on the provision of health care.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1987
Veterans' Administration Adjudication Procedure and Judicial Review Act - Title I: Adjudication Procedures - Codifies, for Veterans Administration (VA) adjudication purposes, the burden of proof and reasonable doubt standards currently provided for by VA regulation. States that a claimant has the burden of submitting sufficient evidence to justify a claim, and that if an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence exists regarding the merits of a claim, the VA is to resolve such doubt in favor of the claimant. States that VA subpoenas may be served either by personal delivery or by registered or certified mail. Requires the chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals to submit an annual report to the appropriate congressional committees concerning the Board's current handling of cases and projections for the subsequent fiscal year. Requires the Board to: (1) provide notice to a claimant and an opportunity for a hearing before a decision may be based on "additional official information" received after a Board decision has previously been made; and (2) make its decision exclusively on evidence and material of record in the proceeding. Removes the requirement that new material sufficient to allow the Board to reopen a previously disallowed claim be in the form of official reports. Provides that the Board's discretionary authority to reopen a claim will not be diminished by a judicial decision following an appeal as provided for by this Act. Requires the Board to mail to the claimant notice of its decision and the reasons for such decision. Provides that, upon the request of a claimant, the Board shall provide an independent advisory medical opinion when there exists substantial medical disagreement with respect to a material issue in a veteran's appeal. Sets forth new procedural rules for adjudication hearings regarding: (1) oaths, affirmations, and witness examination; (2) admissibility of evidence; (3) procedural rights of claimants; (4) disqualification of a hearing officer; (5) the record of the proceedings and the claimant's right to examine and obtain a copy of such record; and (6) the exclusiveness of veterans' adjudication procedures and rights prescribed by the Administrator. Requires the Administrator to provide at each stage of the appeal proceedings written notice to a claimant of the claimant's procedural rights. Directs the Administrator to conduct a study of two alternative claims resolution methods: one, a new intermediate-level adjudication process; the other, an enhanced schedule of formal Appeals Board hearings. Directs the Administrator to report to the Congress on such studies. Title II: Veterans Administration Rule Making - Includes the VA's rulemaking procedures under the relevant provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act. Title III: Judicial Review - Provides for judicial review of VA decisions in the Federal court system. States, with regard to jurisdiction: (1) the definition of final decision; (2) that judicial review of a final decision in a claim for benefits may be obtained in a civil action brought within 180 days of the Board's mailing of notice of its decision, and that such action shall be brought in Federal district court; (3) that the VA shall file the various materials constituting the record in a case together with its answer to the claimant's complaint; (4) that the court may render a decision on the pleadings; and (5) that the judicial review procedures established under this Act shall not apply to insurance and home loans. States, with regard to the reviewing court's scope of review, that such court: (1) shall decide questions of law and interpret constitutional, statutory, and regulatory provisions, but that questions of fact (unless unsupported by substantial evidence) will not be subject to a trial de novo; and (2) in reviewing a final decision of the VA which is adverse to a party solely because such party failed to comply with VA procedures, may only review questions concerning such procedures. Sets out provisions regarding remand, survival of actions, and appellate review. Title IV: Attorneys' Fees - Authorizes the Administrator to allow attorneys' fees above the present $10 maximum if the appealing party's claim is allowed by the VA after an initial denial. States that such fee shall be the lesser of: (1) the fee agreed upon by the party and attorney; (2) $500, unless the Administrator approves a greater amount; or (3) if the party and attorney have entered into a contingent-fee agreement, not more than 25 percent of the total of any past-due benefits awarded on the basis of such party's claim. Provides for the approval of attorneys' fees in successful veterans' claims brought before a court as provided for under this Act. States that such fees shall be determined by such court, and in contingent-fee agreements such fees shall not exceed 25 percent of the total of any past-due benefits awarded on the basis of such claim. Authorizes attorneys' fees of up to $750 in certain unsuccessful veterans' claims. Prohibits the VA from authorizing payment to a claimant's attorney based on past-due benefits unless such benefits are owed as of the date of the VA's or a court's award. States that such provisions regarding attorneys' fees shall only apply to claims for benefits under the laws administered by the VA and shall not apply in cases in which the VA is the plaintiff or in which other attorneys' fees statutes are otherwise controlling. Title V: Effective Dates - Sets forth the effective dates for this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1987
Amends the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act, 1930 to require commission merchants, dealers, and brokers to label imported perishable commodities with the name of the country of origin.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1987
Amends the Tax Reform Act of 1986 to repeal provisions revising the taxable years of: (1) partnerships; (2) S corporations; (3) personal service corporations; and (4) trusts. States that the Internal Revenue Code shall be applied and administered as if such provisions had not been enacted.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1987
Community Development Block Grant Improvement Act of 1987 - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to set minimum distribution requirements for home loans and loan guarantees for low and moderate income persons. Sets FY 1986 support levels as minimum levels for subsequent fiscal years. Increases income levels for purposes of defining low and moderate income. Defines "persons of very-low income." Requires community development block grant applications to be submitted to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development prior to the receipt of any grant funds. Prohibits a grantee from using such funds in a manner that will result in the involuntary displacement of low- and moderate-income persons. Requires grant applications to include a neighborhood economic development strategy. Authorizes multiyear grants for nonentitlement areas.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1987
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a refundable income tax credit for expenses incurred in the care of elderly family members. Sets such credit at 30 percent of the expenses incurred for taxpayers with incomes of $25,000 or less. Reduces the rate of such credit, but not below 20 percent, by one percent for each $2,000 of taxpayer income in excess of $25,000. Limits such credit to taxpayers with an adjusted gross income of less than $75,000. Imposes a maximum $10,000 limit on the amount of elderly care expenses that can be taken into account. Defines "qualified family member" as any individual who: (1) is related to the taxpayer by blood or marriage; (2) is at least 70 years of age, is diagnosed with senile dementia of the Alzheimer type, or is disabled; and (3) has a family income of $15,000 or less. Defines "qualified elderly care expenses" as payments for: (1) home health agency services; (2) homemaker services; (3) adult day care; (4) respite care; or (5) certain health care equipment and supplies.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1987
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the proposed rescissions of budget authority for the Department of Housing and Urban Development for the community development block grant program (R87-46) and for the urban development action grant program (R87-47) should not be approved. Requires that funds withheld under these proposed rescission requests be made available for obligation. Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to resume the funding allocation and application processing appropriate to the respective grant programs.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1987
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Congress should reject the President's recommendation in his 1988 budget proposal to repeal the partial excise tax exemption for alcohol fuels.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 1987
Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Procedure Amendments of 1987 - Amends the Clayton Act to eliminate the 15-day waiting period (and thus require a 30-day waiting period) following notification of a proposed acquisition in the case of a cash tender offer. Requires the 30-day acquisition waiting period to be extended for an additional 30 days (or 60 days if, after the acquisition, the U.S. assets or probable annual U.S. sales of the acquiring person would exceed $1,000,000,000) if the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or the Attorney General requires submission of additional information or documentary material concerning the proposed acquisition. Extends premerger notification requirements to any situation where any voting securities or assets of a person with annual net sales or total assets of $100,000,000 or more are being acquired by any person with total assets or annual net sales exceeding $1,000,000 (currently, $10,000,000). Includes within the definition of an acquiring person for purposes of such notification and waiting period requirements two or more separate persons acting in concert. Directs the FTC to require that a premerger notification disclose: (1) whether the acquiring person intends to sell or close any facility or to terminate or alter any operation as a result of the acquisition; (2) the number of jobs likely to be lost as a result of such acquisition over each of the subsequent five years; (3) the revenue to government entities likely to be lost over each of the subsequent five years; (4) the aggregate liabilities and equities the acquiring person has before, and is likely to have after, such acquisition; and (5) each asset of the person to be acquired that is likely to be used in any way to obtain credit or financing to carry out the acquisition. Directs the Assistant Attorney General and the FTC to make such economic impact statement available to the public immediately after such a notification is filed.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 1987
Amends the Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to require the Secretary of Agriculture to make excess cheese acquired by the Commodity Credit Corporation available free, upon a showing of need, to a requesting State.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 1987
Targeted Fiscal Assistance Act of 1987 - Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 to repeal provisions that terminated the general revenue sharing program. Restores program provisions as they existed before enactment of such Act. Replaces the general revenue sharing program with the Targeted Fiscal Assistance (TFA) program. Authorizes appropriations for TFA for FY 1987 through 1989. Provides for special allocations of TFA funds for Indian tribes, Alaskan native villages, and the District of Columbia. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to allocate TFA funds to each State (for subsequent allocation to local governments) according to a specified formula based on the need factor, the general tax effort factor, and the relative fiscal gap factor, as defined in this Act, for each State. Entitles local governments to a portion of such State funds according to a specified formula based on the following factors, as defined in this Act, for each unit of local government relative to all units in such State: (1) the unit's population; (2) the unit's general tax effort factor; and (3) the unit's relative income factor. Eliminates provisions allowing State variation of local government allocations. Revises procedures for determining maximum and minimum limitations on local government entitlements.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 1987
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow the use of distributions from individual retirement accounts and individual retirement annuities for the purchase, construction, or reconstruction of a principal residence by a first-time homebuyer. Reduces the basis of the dwelling by the amount of the distribution if the distribution is not includible in gross income.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 1987
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an income tax deduction for interest paid or incurred on a qualified educational loan. Defines "qualified educational loan" as any indebtedness incurred to pay the educational expenses of the taxpayer or the taxpayer's spouse or dependent. (Present law requires that such a loan be secured by an interest in real property.)
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 1987
Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Children and Youth Education Act of 1987 - Directs the Secretary of Education to make grants and contracts for programs or projects designed to meet the educational needs of gifted and talented children and youth, including the training of teachers or their supervisors. Sets forth authorized uses of such funds. Directs the Secretary to establish a National Center for Research and Development in the Education of Gifted and Talented Children and Youth through grants to or contracts with one or more institutions of higher education or State educational agencies, or a combination or consortium of such institutions and agencies. Sets forth program priorities, including the identification and inclusion of gifted and talented children and youth who may not be identified through traditional assessment methods. Sets forth provisions for participation of private school children and teachers. Directs the Secretary to appoint an advisory committee to advise on the administration of this Act. Directs the Secretary to establish or designate an administrative unit within the Department of Education to administer the programs authorized by this Act, coordinate all programs for gifted and talented children and youth administered by the Department, and serve as a focal point of national leadership and information on the educational needs of gifted and talented children and youth and the availability of educational services and programs designed to meet those needs. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1987 through 1991 to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 1987
Driftnet Impact Monitoring, Assessment, and Control Act of 1987 - Amends the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act to revise provisions concerning the presence of a U.S. observer aboard foreign fishing vessels fishing in a U.S. fishery conservation zone. Provides for the waiver of such requirement for specified vessels harvesting anadromous species. Provides that the Secretary of Commerce (the Secretary) shall not approve a foreign vessel's fishing permit application where the facilities aboard such vessels are so inadequate that the health, safety, and welfare of an observer on such vessel cannot be assured. Requires the Secretary, through the Secretary of State, to immediately negotiate with foreign governments conducting driftnet fishing operations off the U.S. coast an arrangement for the reliable monitoring and assessment of the number of fish, seabirds, and other marine creatures killed, discarded, or lost by such government's driftnet fishing vessels in waters beyond the jurisdiction of the United States. Prohibits the Secretary from issuing a permit to any foreign vessel whose government does not enter into such a monitoring arrangement within one year after the enactment of this Act. Directs the Secretary, within one year after the enactment of this Act, to report to the Congress on the implementation of such arrangements. Directs the Secretary, within one year after the enactment of this Act and annually thereafter, to report to the Congress on the impact upon living marine resources of all driftnet fishing off the coasts of the United States. Requires enforcement costs to be taken into consideration when determining fishing permit fees to be charged. Directs the Secretary to implement a net bounty system to pay persons recovering and turning over to the Secretary lost, abandoned, or discarded driftnet or other plastic fishing net material. Requires such payments to be made from the Fishery Vessel and Gear Damage Compensation Fund. Directs the Secretary to develop recommendations to establish a driftnet marking, registry, and identification system to determine the vessel origin of lost, discarded, or abandoned driftnets or driftnet fragments. Directs the Secretary, no later than six months after the enactment of this Act, to report to the Congress concerning such recommendations and their implementation. Establishes a seabird protection zone surrounding the Aleutian Islands off Alaska within which no driftnet fishing is permitted. Directs the Secretary, in cooperation with the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating, to enforce such driftnet fishing prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 1987
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to provide that a beneficiary shall be entitled to a prorated benefit for the month in which he or she dies.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 1987
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow homeowners to deduct the full amount of prepaid interest in connection with the refinancing of their principal residences for the taxable year in which paid.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 1987
Full Credit Card Cost Disclosure Act - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to require that all credit card applications and solicitations include information regarding the annual interest rate, finance charge conditions, and other related charges and fees. Requires such information, as prescribed by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, to be prominently displayed in table form.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 1987
State Nuclear Safety Participation Act of 1987 - Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to authorize the States to establish and enforce standards for the protection of the public health and safety from radiological hazards of commercial and industrial production and utilization facilities. Requires that such safety standards be equal to or greater than Federal standards. Requires the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to notify States within ten miles of such a production or utilization facility that it intends to issue an operating license. Sets a 60-day deadline for such notification. Authorizes States to veto the issuance of licenses upon a written submission that the operation of such a facility would be inconsistent with the protection of the public health and safety. Prohibits the Commission from issuing an operating license unless: (1) each affected State has certified to the Commission its approval of and intention to implement emergency plans (including evacuation plans) approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); (2) FEMA has notified the Commission in writing of such approval; and (3) the Commission finds that such plans adequately protect the public health and safety. Mandates the joint conduct of annual offsite emergency preparedness exercises by all States located within ten miles of such production or utilization facilities. Requires FEMA to evaluate the adequacy of such exercises, and directs the Commission to review the FEMA findings. Prohibits the Commission from granting an operating license to any facility whose emergency plans and preparedness are determined to be inadequate. Directs the Commission to report to the Congress within two years after enactment of this Act regarding the findings of a study to determine the adequacy of the emergency contingency plans of production and utilization facilities which have been issued an operating license on or before the date of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 1987
Permits the reappointment on a case-by-case basis of a specified number of air traffic controllers who were separated from service for participation in a strike initiated on August 3, 1981. Requires such reappointments to be made in FY 1987 and 1988 by the Secretary of Transportation, according to prescribed guidelines. Expresses the sense of the Congress that such reinstatements should not: (1) cause the separation or reduction in grade of any other air traffic controller; or (2) interfere with training opportunities which would otherwise be afforded to air traffic controllers seeking to become fully qualified.
![Official portrait of Rep. Eckart, Dennis E. [D-OH-11]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/e000031_200.jpg)