United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1986
Amends the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 with respect to air carrier mergers or acquisitions to require the Secretary of Transportation to impose, as a condition of approval of such transactions, labor protective conditions that are calculated to mitigate possible adverse effects upon air carrier employees' employment, wages, or working conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1986
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) Japan should allow U.S. semiconductor manufacturers full access to the Japanese semiconductor market; and (2) the President should take action to achieve such access, including action under the Trade Act of 1974.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1986
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that if the basis recovery rule for annuities of employees who contribute to their retirement program is changed in tax reform legislation, in no event should such change apply to individuals retiring before the date of enactment of such legislation.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1986
Amends Federal law relating to veterans' home loans to exempt such loans from any spending reduction order issued under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) or any other such legislation. Revises provisions concerning the definition and treatment of certain administrative expenses in connection with the Veterans' Administration Loan Guaranty Revolving Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 1986
Torture Victim Protection Act of 1986 - Amends the United Nations Participation Act of 1945 to impose civil liability on anyone who, under actual or apparent authority of any foreign nation, subjects any person to torture or extrajudicial killing. Grants jurisdiction over such cases to U.S. district courts only after claimants have exhausted all available remedies in the place in which the conduct giving rise to the claim occurred.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 1986
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President and the Secretary of State should insist at the Vienna Review Meeting of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, and in discussions with Communist Party and Soviet leaders, that imprisoned and exiled members of the Ukrainian and other Helsinki Monitoring Groups be released and allowed to emigrate to the countries of their choice. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the Secretary of State should ensure that the U.S. consulate in Kiev reports on Soviet human rights violations in the Ukraine; and (2) such information should be included in reports on compliance with the Helsinki Final Act.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 1986
Medicare Adult Day Care Amendments of 1986 - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for the establishment of adult day care programs providing certain health services to chronically-impaired adults in a group setting outside their homes for up to 100 days on a less than 24-hour basis. Requires providers of such services to have a multidisciplinary group of health care personnel conduct a written assessment of the status of each chronically-impaired adult before the adult's admission to the program and thereafter periodically develop a coordinate an individualized treatment plan for, and with the cooperation of, the adult. Defines a "chronically-impaired adult" as an individual 18 years of age or older who has a physical, emotional, or mental impairment which, but for the provision of adult day care, would require the provision of care in a hospital, skilled nursing, or intermediate care facility. Makes deductibles inapplicable to adult day care, requiring only the payment of a specified coinsurance amount. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue regulations regarding adult day care programs. Requires the Secretary to adopt the standards established by the National Institute of Adult Day Care as the minimum standards for qualifying as a provider of such care.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 1986
Air Carrier Antitrust Enforcement Restoration Act of 1986 - Amends the Clayton Act to provide for the enforcement by the U.S. Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission of provisions relating to the merger of air carriers.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1986
Manufacture and Public Distribution of Certain Copyrighted Material Act - Amends the copyright law to extend indefinitely the manufacturing clause, which prohibits the importation of certain English language books not manufactured in the United States or Canada. Eliminates the Canadian exemption, per se, after 1988. Permits exemptions from such restriction if a foreign country, including Canada, is certified by the United States Trade Representative as providing adequate copyright protection for U.S. nationals and such country freely trades in printed matter with the United States or adheres to a bilateral or multilateral agreement with the United States and supports internationally recognized workers' rights.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1986
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to disallow, while a declaration of national emergency is in effect: (1) a foreign income tax credit for any income, war profits, or excess profits taxes paid or accrued to Libya; (2) a business expense income tax deduction for any such taxes paid to Libya; and (3) the income tax exclusion of earned income of U.S. citizens living abroad for any income attributable to Libya. Describes such a declaration as a declaration by the President of a national emergency under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act after a finding that the policies and actions of Libya constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1986
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) no U.S. agency should provide aid to any country or organized group of people that has been found by a congressional committee to have bought, sold, transported, or dealt in illicit drugs; and (2) the Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control and the Committee on the Judiciary should continue to investigate reports that the Nicaraguan Contras have dealt in illicit drugs.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1986
Readjustment Counseling Program Amendments of 1986 - Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to remove the requirement that veterans readjustment counseling be administered solely at Veterans Administration (VA) health-care facilities as of October 1, 1988. Establishes the Veterans Administration Readjustment Counseling Professional Fellowship Program (the Program) to assist in providing an adequate supply of trained professionals to furnish readjustment counseling services to veterans for the VA. Requires an individual, in order to be eligible to participate in the Program, to: (1) be a Vietnam-era veteran; and (2) be accepted in an accredited educational program which leads to a degree in a field appropriate to furnishing readjustment counseling services. Requires a written contract between the Administrator of Veterans Affairs and any veteran participating in the Program. Requires any veterans participating in the Program to also be full-time employees of the VA: (1) on the date on which their application for such Program is submitted; and (2) on the date on which they become particpants in the Program. Authorizes the Administrator to award a scholarship to each veteran accepted into the Program. Requires the Administrator, in accepting applicants into the Program, to give priority to members of groups determined to be disadvantaged minority groups. Requires the Administrator to include in the annual report submitted to the Congress a report on the Program.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1986
Medicare Quality Protection Act of 1986 - Title I: Quality Assurance in Inpatient Hospital Settings - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and submit to the Congress a legislative proposal to improve the prospective payment system established under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act so that it more accurately approximates the costs of inpatient hospital services and accounts for variations in case complexity. Amends the Medicare program to require a hospital to give Medicare beneficiaries, upon their admission to the hospital, a written statement explaining: (1) the individual's rights to benefits for inpatient hospital and post-hospital Medicare services; (2) the circumstances under which such individual will be liable for charges for a continued hospital stay; (3) the individual's right to appeal denials of continued hospital services; and (4) the individual's liability for payment for services if such a denial of benefits is upheld on appeal. Amends part B (Peer Review) of title XI of the Act to require peer review organizations receiving a hospital inpatient's request for review of a hospital's decision that the patient no longer needs inpatient care to inform the patient of its decision within two days of receiving the request. Prohibits hospitals from charging patients for inpatient hospital services provided while patients wait for a peer review organization to respond to their timely review requests. Imposes a civil money penalty on hospitals which make payments to physicians and on physicians who knowingly receive payments which constitute an inducement to curtail the stay of, or services provided to, an identifiable patient. Directs the Secretary to study the adequacy of standards used for hospital compliance with Medicare participation conditions in assuring the quality of hospital services. Requires the Secretary to study the adequacy with which the prospective payment system compensates hospitals, and distributes such compensation among hospitals, for costs attributable to patients' extended hospital stays necessitated by delays in patient placement in skilled nursing facilities. Title II: Access to Appropriate Post-Hospital Care - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of the Medicare program to require hospitals to implement a discharge planning process which meets guidelines and standards, to be established by the Secretary, ensuring patients a timely and smooth transition to the most appropriate type of, and setting for, post-hospital or rehabilitative care. Extends the limitations on beneficiary liability for disallowed Medicare claims to cover home health services provided to certain unqualified individuals. Provides that skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies which keep their services for which Medicare coverage is denied below specified percentages and comply with certain administrative requirements shall not subsequently be denied payment for care provided. Sets forth reporting requirements. Directs the Secretary to develop a uniform needs assessment instrument enabling health care providers and fiscal intermediaries to evaluate an individual's need and ability to pay for post-hospital extended care, home-health, and long-term care services. Requires the Secretary to develop procedures to expedite fiscal intermediaries' determinations as to whether provider claims for post-hospital extended care and home health services may be reimbursed under the Medicare program. Directs the Secretary to provide for prompt response (within 24 hours) to beneficiary requests as to whether the beneficiary's Medicare coverage for post-hospital extended care services has been exhausted. Authorizes providers to represent beneficiaries on appeals of benefit determinations. Permits beneficiary appeals of the Secretary's denials of claims for home health service benefits. Amends the Social Security Amendments of 1983 to extend, through 1989, the annual report on the impact of the prospective payment system and require the inclusion of information in such reports regarding the quality, and accessibility to Medicare beneficiaries, of post-hospital services. Title III: Improved Review of Quality by Peer Review Organizations - Amends part B (Peer Review) of title XI of the Act to require hospitals to submit data to peer review organizations on a monthly basis. Requires peer review organizations to review selected cases where individuals are readmitted to a hospital within 30 days of their most recent hospital discharge to determine if the previous inpatient hospital services and post-hospital services met professionally recognized health care standards. Directs each peer review organization to commit a reasonable proportion of its activities to review of the quality of services provided in cases and settings where potential quality problems have been identified. Requires the Secretary to identify methods facilitating the discovery of such cases. Requires each peer review organization to have at least one consumer representative on its board of directors. Directs such organizations to investigate all written beneficiary complaints about the quality of Medicare services which are filed with the organization. Requires peer review organizations to share data with organizations responsible for accrediting providers or State officials responsible for assuring quality care if such data reflects a substantial failure by providers or practitioners to provide quality care. Title IV: Study to Develop a Strategy for Quality Review and Assurance - Directs the Secretary to arrange a study which will serve as the basis for establishing a strategy for reviewing and assuring the quality of care provided under the Medicare program. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress regarding the study within two years of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1986
Hazardous Materials Transportation Safety Amendments of 1986 - Transfers to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA): (1) the motor carrier safety functions of the Federal Highway Administration; and (2) the hazardous materials transportation functions of the Research and Special Programs Administration. Establishes in the NHTSA the Bureau of Motor Carrier Safety (the Bureau), headed by an Associate Deputy Administrator for Motor Carrier Safety who shall be appointed by the Secretary of Transportation (the Secretary). Outlines the motor carrier safety functions of the Associate Deputy Administrator. Establishes in the NHTSA the Office of Hazardous Materials Transportation, headed by an Associate Administrator for Hazardous Materials Transportation. Outlines the functions of such Associate Administrator. Requires the Associate Deputy Administrator for Motor Carrier Safety to: (1) notify each motor carrier of the safety rating for such carrier; and (2) publish such ratings annually. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1987 through 1988: (1) for motor carrier safety functions; (2) to increase to 150 the number of motor carrier safety inspectors; and (3) for the hazardous materials transportation program. Amends the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 to increase the authorizations used to reimburse the States' pro rata share of costs incurred to implement Federal motor vehicle safety rules. Amends the Surface Transportation Act of 1982 to direct the Secretary to make grants to States and political subdivisions for the designation of: (1) hazardous materials transportation routes; and (2) hazardous materials parking sites. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act to require registered carriers of hazardous materials to maintain records of the routes followed in the transportation of such materials. Requires persons engaged in the commercial transportation of certain hazardous materials to prepare an annual registration statement. Authorizes appropriations to make emergency response personnel (police and fire fighters) training grants available to States and local subdivisions for FY 1987 through 1991. Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish guidelines for emergency response training programs; (2) publish emergency response procedures; and (3) establish minimum qualifications for the licensing by the States of drivers of motor vehicles transporting hazardous materials. Prescribes guidelines for: (1) such licensing qualifications; and (2) training and retraining programs for personnel engaged in hazardous materials transportation. Requires the Secretary to: (1) conduct a hazardous materials flow study and to report the results of such study to the Congress; and (2) conduct a risks analysis regarding the transportation of high level nuclear waste and spent nuclear fuel to geologic repository sites and monitored retrievable storage sites, and report the results to the Congress and the Secretary of Energy. Nullifies certain truck brake regulations permitting front brake disconnections. Prohibits the Secretary from issuing new regulations to the same effect. Requires the Secretary to conduct public information programs regarding truck brakes safety.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1986
Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate a segment of the Kings River, California, as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1986
Prohibits the United States from making available any STINGER air defense guided missile (or any comparable portable ground-to-air missile) to any foreign military or paramilitary force other than: (1) the armed forces of a government with which the United States has diplomatic relations; (2) the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; or (3) any other international organization, all of whose members have diplomatic relations with the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1986
Medicare Fair Hospital Deductible Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to change the date by which the Secretary of Health and Human Services must determine the inpatient hospital deductible for the year. Limits the increase in such deductible to no more than the cost-of-living increase reflected in benefit payments under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Act. Provides that the extended care coinsurance amount for any spell of illness in any year shall equal one-twelfth of the inpatient hospital deductible for illnesses beginning in such year.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 1986
Expresses the sense of the Congress that, in light of specified international human rights agreements, the Soviet Union should approve the exit visa applications of Doctor Naum Meiman and his wife, Inna Kitrosskaya, and arrange for them to go to the country of their choice. Urges the President to: (1) protest the Soviet Government's refusal to consider the exit visa applications of Dr. Meiman and his wife; (2) call upon all other signatory nations of the Helsinki Accords to join in such protest; and (3) instruct the U.S. delegation to the meeting of experts on human contacts organized under the auspices of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, to be held in Bern, Switzerland, to pursue this matter.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 1986
Acid Deposition Control Act of 1986 - Title I: Stationary Sources - Amends the Clean Air Act to require States to develop and submit to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) an emissions limitation compliance schedule for sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen from fossil-fuel-fired electric utility steam generating units. Requires a two-phase reduction in such emissions, the first to be achieved by 1993, the second by 1997. Requires each State to develop and submit to the Administrator a plan to achieve emissions reductions from other fossil-fuel-fired steam generating units by 1977. Directs the Administrator to conduct and update a comprehensive annual inventory of emissions of sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen from stationary sources, identifying achievable reductions which could be made by 1997. Requires States to submit to the Administrator for approval a plan for achieving such reductions. Grants States discretion in their choice of compliance measures. Requires the Administrator to report to the Congress by July 1, 1993, on phase I reductions and the feasibility of meeting phase II reductions. States that phase II reductions will not take effect if the Congress enacts legislation to that effect. Sets forth emissions rates a State without an approved reductions plan must follow. Authorizes the Administrator to impose a fee on the generation and importation of electric energy between December 31, 1988, and December 31, 1996, to subsidize the interest on qualified pollution control debt incurred by the utility. Establishes civil penalties for fee violations. Establishes in the Treasury the Acid Deposition Control Fund to receive such fees and provide interest subsidy payments for pollution control systems meeting specified standards. Revises the standards for nitrogen oxides emissions for new electric utility steam generating units which burn bituminous or subbituminous coal and for certain fossil-fuel-fired steam generating units. Requires certain smelters to be in compliance with the applicable emissions reduction standard by January 2, 1988, without extension or delay. Title II: Control of Emission from Mobile Sources - Sets oxides of nitrogen emission standards for motor vehicles for model years 1988, 1989, and beyond. Modifies hydrocarbon standards for trucks after model year 1989. Directs the Administrator to regulate sulfur in diesel fuel for 1989 and beyond. Requires either the use of onboard hydrocarbon control technology or the use of gasoline vapor recovery of hydrocarbon emissions emanating from fueling motor vehicles. Title III: International Cooperation - Expresses the concern of the Congress over transboundary pollution between the United States and Mexico and directs the Secretary of State and the Administrator to conclude an agreement within three months of enactment. Requires such an agreement to cover specified copper smelters. Requires the Secretary and the Administrator to report to the Congress within six months on negotiating such agreement. Requires EPA to perform atmospheric field experiments to determine the effects of sulfur dioxide emissions, before and after pollution controls, of the Nacozaria smelter, Mexico, on specified western States. Directs the Secretary to establish an international agency, or utilize an existing agency, to report on the effects of transboundary air pollution from copper smelters on public health and welfare in the United States and in Mexico.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 1986
Truth in Negotiations Amendments of 1986 - Amends Federal law relating to defense contracts to require that all cost or pricing data submitted by a contractor or subcontractor must be in accordance with applicable regulations and any cost principles as directed by the head of the agency concerned. Outlines provisions concerning adjustment of a contract price at an administrative or judicial hearing as it relates to cost and pricing data submitted by a contractor and defenses to such adjustments. Outlines the liability to the United States of a contractor who is overpaid by the Department of Defense as the result of submission by the contractor of inaccurate, incomplete, or noncurrent cost or pricing data. Repeals current Federal provisions concerning such overpayments by the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 1986
Prohibits the issuance of a letter of offer with respect to specified proposed sales of Sidewinder, Stinger, and Harpoon missiles and services to Saudi Arabia, as described in the April 8, 1986, certifications from the President to the Congress under the Arms Export Control Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 1986
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Secretary of Agriculture should take immediate steps to investigate alternative animal identification procedures in lieu of hot-iron cheek branding.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1986
Non-Smokers' Protection Act of 1986 - Establishes the policy of the United States to provide an environment free from tobacco smoke to the maximum extent practicable in Government buildings. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Surgeon General, to promulgate regulations to carry out such policy. Requires such regulations, at a minimum, to provide that smoking be prohibited in buildings or building sections occupied by the Government. Authorizes the Secretary to exempt certain limited areas from such restriction and grants precedence to the rights of nonsmokers in any dispute. Requires the posting of signs where smoking is permitted in a building. Directs the Secretary to solicit comments from labor organizations prior to promulgating regulations. Prohibits such regulations from superseding those that provide more stringent restrictions on smoking. Declares that nothing in this Act prevents more stringent regulations from being promulgated.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1986
Prohibits any U.S. agency from obligating or spending funds, except for specified humanitarian assistance, to support overtly or covertly military or paramilitary operations in Nicaragua or against the Nicaraguan Government. Authorizes the President to transfer certain funds from the Department of Defense to the migration and refugee assistance account of the Department of State. Requires such transferred funds to be used to assist in the safe and orderly relocation and resettlement of Nicaraguans who are currenty in Honduras or Costa Rica (and to provide humanitarian assistance for those Nicaraguans until they are resettled). Authorizes providing such assistance only through the International Committee of the Red Cross or the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and only upon its determination that such assistance is necessary.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1986
San Luis Rey Indian Water Rights Settlement Act - Provides for the settlement of water rights claims between the United States and the La Jolla, Rincon, San Pasqual, Pauma, and Pala Bands of Mission Indians (California). Requires the Secretary of the Interior, upon the settlement of all water rights claims, to deliver water to the Indian Water Authority in the vicinity of the Bands' Reservations. Requires the Indian Water Authority to reimburse the United States for operational and maintenance costs (except construction costs) incurred in the delivery of such water. Requires the Indian Water Authority to pay costs associated with the conveyance of such water through non-Federal facilities. Prohibits the Secretary from being obligated to deliver such water if: (1) such delivery would require the construction of new Federal facilities; (2) consent is denied for the use of non-Federal facilities; or (3) necessary contracts have not been executed. Requires the Secretary to use project use power from the Central Valley Project to deliver water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to the Indian Water Authority. Requires the Indian Water Authority to reimburse the United States at the project use rate for irrigation water for the operation and maintenance costs incurred in providing power for the delivery of water. Sets forth limitations on the costs of providing such power. Establishes the San Luis Rey Indian Water Authority. Provides that the Authority, upon the approval of the Secretary, may lease, sell, and manage any water or power resource on or off the Reservations of the Bands. Authorizes the Secretary to lease, grant rights-of-way across, or transfer title to any Indian tribal or allotted land which is used to divert, convey, and store the waters of the San Luis Rey River for the local entities, including the Rincon and Bear Valley powerplants.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1986
Effective Schools and Even Start Act - Requires each State receiving an allotment under a certain provision of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981 after enactment of this Act to use a specified portion of such allotment to: (1) plan for, and review proposed changes in, effective schools programs; (2) implement and support effective schools programs; (3) obtain technical assistance and consultant services with respect to effective schools programs from qualified nonprofit educational organizations; (4) design, develop, and publish educational materials on effective schools programs; (5) develop and implement data collection and analysis systems concerning effective schools programs; (6) promote State and local educational agency awareness of effective schools information; (7) conduct evaluations of effective schools programs; and/or (8) otherwise identify and disseminate information concerning exemplary effective schools programs. Requires the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) to provide assistance in order to inform State educational agencies of the requirements of this Act and to help such agencies comply with such requirements. Requires the Secretary to make grants from specified funds appropriated pursuant to the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981 and the Adult Education Act to provide a program of adult literacy training which includes involving parents and children together in an effort to enhance the likelihood of educational achievement. Sets forth the elements to be included in such program. Defines an eligible program participant as a parent or child (aged three to seven) from a family: (1) that includes a parent who is eligible for participation in an adult basic education program under the Adult Education Act; and (2) that resides with a child (aged three to seven) in a certain type of school attendance area. Declares that any agency that operates an adult basic education program and serves an area which has an especially high concentration of children from low-income families is eligible to apply for a grant under the Even Start program. Sets forth the requirements for a grant application. Requires that two-thirds of the applications selected for final review shall be from urban areas and one-third shall be from rural areas. Provides for the creation of a review panel to make the final selection of grant recipients. Requires any State educational agency required to use funds for an effective school program to amend its application under a specified section of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981 to reflect the activities to be conducted with such funds. Requires such a State educational agency and an Even Start program applicant who has been selected to receive funding to enter into a program agreement with the Secretary. Sets forth the information to be included in such agreements. Requires the Secretary to analyze the effective schools programs conducted pursuant to this Act and report to the Congress on such programs by September 30, 1989. Requires the Secretary to provide for annual evaluations of the effectiveness of Even Start programs in providing specified services. Requires the results of the evaluations to be submitted to the national diffusion network for possible dissemination.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1986
Fair Trade and Economic Justice Act - Title I: Declares U.S. policies, including to promote an open and fair international trading system and to treat as an unfair practice competitive and advantages derived from denial of worker rights. Title II: Negotiating Objectives Regarding the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and Enforcement of Internationally Recognized Worker Rights - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to include among the actions to be taken on trade agreements the enhancement of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) through: (1) the adoption of an additional GATT article declaring that the exploitation of workers is an unjustifiable means for a country to gain a competitive trade advantage; (2) the amendment of the GATT to affirm such principle; or (3) the adoption and implementation of a code or internationally recognized worker rights. Prohibits the President from entering into any negotiation with respect to any trade agreement unless the President first reports to specified congressional committees on the actions that will be taken to protect workers' rights and to redress the trade disadvantage of countries that rely primarily on direct taxes for revenue needs. Prohibits any trade agreement entered into after enactment of this Act from taking effect with respect to the United States unless the President consults with specified congressional committees on the progress being made to protect workers' rights. Title III: Relief from Unfair Trade Practices - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to establish in the International Trade Commission (ITC) the Office of Unfair Trade Investigations. Sets forth the functions of such Office, including: (1) carrying out the functions assigned on October 1, 1985, to the ITC's Office of Unfair Import Investigations; and (2) monitoring the operation of U.S. and foreign trade laws, policies, and practices. Requires the Office to take certain actions if a foreign country or instrumentality is suspected of: (1) subsidizing or dumping exports to the United States; (2) engaging in unfair trading practices; or (3) violating U.S. trade rights under trade agreements. Sets forth factors to be considered by the Office. Authorizes the U.S. Court of International Trade to review an Office determination of whether a country's foreign trade policies deny internationally recognized worker rights. Prohibits the Office from taking action in certain cases. Requires the ITC to ensure that the Office has sufficient manpower and resources to carry out its functions. Transfers from the President to the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) certain functions relating to enforcement of U.S. trade rights under trade agreements and response to certain foreign trade practices. Requires the USTR, if notified that a foreign act, policy, or practice is a cause of injury or threat of injury to a domestic industry or is injurious industrial targeting, to decide which of the following actions to take, in addition to actions taken under the GATT: (1) suspension, withdrawal, or prevention of application of trade benefits; (2) imposition of import duties or restrictions on the production and services of such foreign entity; (3) negotiation of orderly marketing agreements; (4) development of actions to restore or improve the international competitiveness of the injured or threatened industry; and/or (5) the denial of most favored nation treatment to products of the foreign entity. Requires the USTR, upon receiving such notification, to begin negotiations on an agreement to eliminate the injurious act, practice, or policy. Authorizes the USTR, subject to presidential disapproval, to: (1) restrict the terms and conditions of certain service sector access authorizations; or (2) deny the issuance of such authorizations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1986
Expresses the House of Representatives' disapproval of any proposal to establish a Social Security Court or limit, in any other manner, the jurisdiction of U.S. district courts over appeals of administrative decisions concerning entitlement to social security benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1986
Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act - Requires States to provide by law for elections for Federal office: (1) absentee registration and absentee voting for uniformed services voters and overseas voters; and (2) the use of alternative write-in absentee ballots by overseas voters. Directs the President to designate the head of an executive department to have primary responsibility for the administrative functions of this Act, including: (1) prescribing an official postcard form containing a voter registration and an absentee ballot application; (2) prescribing an alternative write-in ballot for overseas voters; (3) prescribing forms and designs for balloting materials; (4) distributing election materials; and (5) reporting to the Congress in even-numbered years on its effectiveness. Provides for the distribution of official postcards. Sets forth recommendations to the States in carrying out provisions of this Act. Authorizes the use of the alternative write-in ballots in lieu of absentee ballots under specified circumstances. Directs the Postmaster to expedite the transport of election materials and declares such materials free of postage.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1986
Directs the President to provide, within seven days, to the House of Representatives documents relating to the use of specified funds appropriated for humanitarian assistance for the Nicaraguan democratic resistance.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1986
Establishes a presumption of service-connection for disability purposes for former prisoners of war suffering from the following conditions after active service: (1) organic residuals of hypothermia; (2) spastic colon; and (3) arthritis due to trauma. Decreases from six months to 90 days the amount of time a former prisoner of war must have been incarcerated to be eligible for outpatient dental services.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1986
Parental and Medical Leave Act of 1986 - Title I: General Requirements for Parental and Medical Leave - Entitles employees to parental leave for specified periods in cases involving the birth, adoption, or serious health condition of a child. Entitles employees to temporary medical leave for specified periods in cases involving inability to work because of a serious health condition. Sets forth conditions for certification for such types of leave. Provides that such leave may be without pay. Allows employees to substitute other types of paid leave to cover part of such leave period. Sets forth employment and benefits protections relating to such leave. Provides for administrative enforcement of this title by the Secretary of Labor, as well as enforcement by civil action. Sets forth provisions for injunctive relief, monetary relief, and attorneys' fees. Requires employers to post notice of the pertinent provisions of this title. Title II: Parental Leave and Temporary Medical Leave for Civil Service Employees - Amends specified Federal law to entitle civil service employees to parental leave and temporary medical leave for specified periods. Provides that such leave will be without pay. Allows employees to substitute other types of paid leave for part of such leave. Sets forth protection for job position and health insurance benefits of employees using such leave. Directs the Office of Personnel Management to prescribe regulations for administration of this title which are consistent with the regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Labor under title I of this Act. Title III: Commission on Paid Parental and Medical Leave - Establishes the Commission on Paid Parental and Medical Leave. Requires the Commission to report on its study of paid parental and medical leave to the Congress within two years after the Commission first meets. Terminates the Commission within 30 days after its final report. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - Sets forth the effect of this Act on existing laws and existing employment benefits. Directs the Secretary of Labor to prescribe regulations to carry out title I of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1986
Declares that the House of Representatives calls upon the President to urge: (1) Jean-Claude Duvalier to return to the Haitian people the wealth he has taken illegally; and (2) other countries to deny him asylum until he returns such funds.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1986
Medicare Part C: Catastrophic Health Insurance Act of 1986 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to add a new part C entitled "Program for Catastrophic Coverage, Long-Term Care, and Certain Preventive Benefits." (Redesignates the current part C as part D.) Provides coverage for individuals who are entitled to part A (Hospital Insurance) benefits, are enrolled under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance), and enroll with a public or private organization having a contract with the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide part C services (part C organizations). Requires part C organizations to provide services without imposing deductibles, copayments, or coinsurance, or imposing time restrictions on benefits for inpatient hospital services or extended care services. Requires, in addition, that part C organizations provide: (1) routine biennial physical checkups; (2) routine eye care, including an annual vision examination and prescription eyeglasses; (3) dental services, including teeth cleaning, extractions, examinations, and dentures; (4) hearing examinations and aids; and (5) intermediate and long-term care services provided in the least restrictive environment. Directs part C organizations to provide additional health benefits to enrollees if the adjusted community payment rate for required services is less than the average per capita payment to the organization for the annual contract period. Authorizes the Secretary's contract with part C organizations to provide additional optional services if such services will not substantially discourage enrollments. Requires part C organizations to reimburse other organizations which provide medically and immediately necessary services to their enrollees in circumstances where such services could not reasonably have been obtained through the enrollee's organization. Requires the Secretary to make advance monthly payments to part C organizations in accordance with a per capita rate of payment for each class of enrollee, such rates to be determined annually pursuant to a specified formula. Authorizes retroactive payment adjustments to account for any difference between the actual number of individuals enrolled and the number estimated to be enrolled in determining the advance payment. Authorizes part C organizations to charge or permit providers to charge liable third parties or enrollees, to the extent they have been paid by third parties, for the organizations' services. Requires the Secretary's part C payments to be made exclusively to part C organizations. Provides that, where an individual receiving inpatient hospital services enrolls in a part C organization, such organization shall not be financially responsible for those services. Provides, however, that where part C enrollment is terminated while inpatient hospital services are being provided, the organization is financially responsible for such services from the date of enrollment to the date of discharge. Provides part C enrollees with protection against the risk of and responsibility for a part C organization's insolvency. Requires part C organizations to provide meaningful procedures for hearing and resolving grievances between the organization, or its service providers, and enrollees. Authorizes enrollee appeal to a local review board, at least one-half of which is composed of representatives of part C eligible individuals. Provides for further appeal to the Secretary where the amount in controversy is at least $100 and judicial review of the Secretary's determination if that amount equals or exceeds $1,000. Requires part C organizations to have an ongoing quality assurance program which stresses health outcomes and provides for the review of its health care services by health care professionals. Requires peer review organizations to review part C health care services. Directs the Secretary to annually review such services. Sets forth miscellaneous terms required in a part C organization's contract with the Secretary, including provisions facilitating the flow of information from such organizations. Requires each organization to have an annual 30-day open enrollment period and the Secretary to establish a single 30-day period where several organizations service the same area. Requires part C organizations to inform individuals seeking to enroll regarding benefits provided, premiums required, and such other information as the Secretary may require. Prohibits an organization's distribution of applications or promotional and informational materials unless such materials have been submitted to the Secretary at least 45 days before distribution and have not been disapproved. Terminates an individual's enrollment upon such individual's: (1) loss of entitlement to part A (Hospital Insurance) benefits; (2) termination from part B (Supplemenal Medical Insurance) enrollment; or (3) failure to pay part C premiums. Sets forth the procedure to be used in determining the monthly premium required of part C enrollees. Limits the monthly premium which may be required to a specified percentage of an individual's gross income, except in the case of late enrollments. Deposits such payments in the Federal Medicare Part C Trust Fund. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements with States in order to effect the part C enrollment of eligible groups covered under certain State public assistance programs. Establishes the Medicare Part C Trust Fund in the Treasury. Transfers to such trust fund those amounts in other Medicare trust funds which would have been expended under parts A and B had the enrollee chosen coverage under those programs.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1986
Amends Federal law regarding emergency relief projects for specified Federal aid highways (including Interstate highways) to increase from $30,000,000 to $100,000,000 the amount of funds which may be obligated in any State for natural disasters and catastrophic failures occurring in 1986.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1986
Expresses the support of the House of Representatives for the Haitian people as they try to rebuild their nation and make a peaceful transition to democracy.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1986
Makes supplemental appropriations for FY 1986 to the: (1) Department of the Army for the flood control and coastal emergencies account of the Corps of Engineers--Civil; (2) Federal Emergency Management Agency for disaster relief; and (3) Department of Agriculture for watershed and flood prevention operations of the Soil Conservation Service and the emergency conservation program of the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service. Provides that the limitation on the amount of funds that may be obligated from the emergency highway repair fund of the Secretary of Transportation in relation to a single disaster in any State shall not apply to disasters occurring in FY 1986.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1986
Minimum Wage Inflation Adjustment Act of 1986 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the minimum wage to not not less than $3.65 an hour in 1987 and not less than $3.95 an hour after 1987.
United States · United States Congress · 20 February 1986
Prohibits the Administrator of Veterans Affairs from taking any action to dispose of certain land and improvements at two Veterans Administration medical centers located in West Los Angeles and in Sepulveda, California.
United States · United States Congress · 20 February 1986
Amends the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to provide that any deferral of budget authority proposed by the President shall not take effect unless the Congress, within 45 legislative days after receiving the President's proposal, completes action on a bill making such deferral.
![Official portrait of Rep. Edwards, Don [D-CA-10]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/e000064_200.jpg)