United States · United States Congress · 19 March 1985
International Security and Development Cooperation Act of 1985 - Title I: Military Sales and Related Programs - Amends the Arms Export Control Act to authorize appropriations to carry out the foreign military sales credit programs for FY 1986. Earmarks specified portions of such sales credits for Israel and for Egypt. Grants Greece, South Korea, the Philippines, Portugal, Thailand, and Turkey extended credit terms for arms sales credits or guarantees. Excludes a pro rata share of fixed base operation costs from the administrative surcharge charged for foreign military arms sales. Authorizes the President to provide free cataloging data and cataloging services to the North American Treaty Organization (NATO) or its member governments if NATO or a member government provides such data and services on a reciprocal basis to the United States. Authorizes the President to provide free contract administration services in connection with certain defense contracts with NATO. Changes the method of financing foreign military sales credits. Authorizes the President to finance foreign military sales on such terms and conditions as the President may determine. Authorizes the President to charge interest at a concessionary rate if it is in the national interest. Requires foreign military loans to be repaid within 12 years unless a longer period is specifically authorized by statute for such country or international organization. Authorizes and makes appropriations as may be necessary to pay claims under foreign military loan guarantees to the extent funds in the guarantee reserve are inadequate. Requires the President to report to the Congress, by April 1 of each year, an estimate of the sales and delivery of weapons and weapons-related defense equipment by all major arms suppliers to all major recipient countries in the developing world during the preceding year. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to carry out the European air defense agreements and, in carrying out those agreements, to: (1) provide certain articles and services to West Germany; and (2) accept from West Germany certain articles and services in return. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to take certain administrative actions in connection with the administration of the European air defense agreements. Makes special concessions in connection with the sale of certain Patriot missile fire units to West Germany. Authorizes inclusion of certain material (relating to letters of offer to sell major defense equipment) in the President's quarterly reports to the President on military exports to be contained in a classified addendum. Increases the criminal penalties for certain violations of the Arms Export Control Act. Imposes maximum civil fine for such violations. Includes charges for official reception and representation expenses in the administrative surcharge charged in connection with foreign military sales. Limits the amount of funds from such source that may be used for official reception and representation expenses. Declares that no law shall be construed to prohibit the sale or licensing for export of items essential to the safe operation of any defense article. Authorizes using the Special Defense Acquisition Fund to: (1) acquire defense articles and services in anticipation of their transfer, on a reimbursable basis, to the Department of Defense to replace items transferred from the inventory of the Department to foreign countries and international organizations if such items are not longer in production for use by U.S. armed forces; and (2) keep certain defense articles and services on continuous order in anticipation of their transfer to foreign countries and international organizations. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize appropriations for FY 1986 for military assistance programs. Provides that if military assistance funds are used to pay for foreign military sales the prices shall exclude the costs of salaries of members of U.S. armed forces. Authorizes the President, if it is in the national interest, to waive the requirement that proceeds from the sale of military assistance program equipment by a foreign country must be paid to the United States. Imposes a limit on the value of additions to stockpiles of defense articles in foreign countries for FY 1986. Makes permanent the current list of countries where more than six members of the U.S. armed forces may be assigned. Adds to that list Pakistan, Tunisia, Sudan, El Salvador, Honduras, and Venezuela. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 for international military education and training assistance. Authorizes the President to provide for attendance of foreign military personnel at professional military education institutions in the United States (other than Service academies) at no charge if such attendance is pursuant to a reciprocal exchange student agreement. Encourages the President to allocate a portion of the international military education and training funds to provide training in certain maritime law enforcement skills. Exempts such training from the prohibition against using foreign assistance funds for police training. Authorizes appropriations for peacekeeping operations for FY 1986. Authorizes the President, in the event of an unforeseen emergency that requires immediate assistance, to direct the drawdown of commodities and services from the inventory and resources of any Federal agency. Limits the amount of the value of such drawdown. Authorizes appropriations to reimburse such agency in such circumstances. Requires the President to notify the Congress before exercising such authority. Title II: Economic Support Fund - Authorizes appropriations for the Economic Support Fund for FY 1986. Earmarks a specified amount of such funds for emergency economic assistance. Deletes certain obsolete provisions. Title III: Development Assistance - Adds these principles to the principles guiding U.S. development assistance policy: (1) U.S. encouragement of policy reforms is necessary if developing countries are to achieve economic growth with equity; (2) development assistance should promote private sector activity in open and competitive markets in developing countries; (3) U.S. cooperation in development should recognize as essential the need of developing countries to have access to appropriate technology in order to improve food, water, health, housing, education, agriculture, and industry; and (4) U.S. assistance should focus on establishing and upgrading the institutional capacities of developing countries in order to promote long term development. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 for: (1) agriculture, rural development, and nutrition programs, including funds for aiding private and voluntary organizations engaged in world hunger issues; (2) population and health development; (3) education and human resources development; (4) energy, private voluntary organizations, and selected development activities; (5) contributions to the private sector revolving fund; and (6) the Sahel development program. Deletes the provision authorizing additional appropriations for the Child Survival Fund. Requires that priority consideration be given, in planning economic assistance programs, to programs that would help reduce illicit narcotics cultivation. Authorizes the agency primarily responsible for administering development assistance to use resources for activities aimed at increasing awareness of the effects of production and trafficking of illicit narcotics on source and transit countries. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 for the worldwide housing guarantee program. Deletes the limitation on the average face value of such housing guarantees issued in any fiscal year. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 for Export-Import Bank guarantees for financing transactions involving exports for the use of the private sector in Central American countries. Increases the authorization for FY 1985 for such guarantees. Increases the amount of development assistance funds which the President is authorized to spend to help meet the needs of disadvantaged children in Asia. Title IV: Central America Democracy, Peace, and Development Initiative - Sets forth U.S. policy with respect to Central America. Directs the President to ensure that assistance authorized by the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Arms Export Control Act to Central American countries is furnished in a manner which fosters demonstrated progress towards specified objectives. Terminates specified reporting requirements applicable to El Salvador. Expresses congressional support for the peace initiatives taken by the Contadora group and for the Document of Objectives which sets forth the framework for negotiating a peaceful settlement to the conflict in the region. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the President should enter into negotiations with Central American countries to establish a multilateral organization for the development of the Central American region; and (2) the organization should be based on specified principles. Authorizes the President to participate in such organization. Directs the Administration of the agency primarily responsible for administering the development assistance programs to prepare a proposal to carry out U.S. participation in such organization and to keep the Congress informed concerning the development of such proposal. Directs the President to transmit to the Congress the text of any agreement the President proposes to sign providing for the establishment of and U.S. participation in such organization at least 60 days before the President signs such agreement. Provides for congressional review of such agreement. Authorizes appropriations for non-military assistance for Central American countries for FY 1987 through 1989. Authorizes the President to furnish assistance to countries and organizations in order to strengthen the administration of justice in Latin America and the Caribbean. Requires the President to notify specified congressional committees at least 15 days before obligating funds for such purposes. Exempts from the prohibition against using U.S. funds to aid governments that nationalize property that monetary assistance made available to a government to compensate nationals of a country in accordance with a land reform program, if such land reform program is in the national interest. Title V: Miscellaneous Provisions - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 for: (1) American schools and hospitals abroad; (2) international organizations and programs; (3) international narcotics control; (4) international disaster assistance; and (5) anti-terrorism assistance. Changes the reporting requirements for the international narcotics control program. Requires the last quarterly report of each fiscal year to include a report on the total assistance provided during that fiscal year. Requires the President to transmit to the Congress a midyear report on such program. Repeals the provision which prohibits making available for anti-terrorism assistance programs equipment and commodities included in the U.S. Munitions List. Repeals the termination date for anti-terrorism assistance programs. Increases the dollar amount of agreements or grants for foreign assistance that can be made without meeting certain requirements. Authorizes the President to remove a country from the list of communist countries prohibited from receiving U.S. aid if the President reports to the Congress that such action is important to the national interest. Prohibits obligating any of the funds appropriated under the Arms Export Control Act for any programs not justified, or in excess of the amount justified, to the Congress for obligation for any fiscal year unless specified committees of the Congress are notified 15 days before such obligation. Excludes from such a notification requirement development assistance funds if the obligation will exceed the justified amount by no more than ten percent. Provides that such notification requirement does not apply to the reprogramming of less than $25,000 for use under the international narcotics control program or for use under the international military education and training program for a country for which a program under such program for that fiscal year was justified to the Congress. Requires the President to notify the Congress, within 30 days of enactment of any law appropriating funds to carry out the Arms Export Control Act, of each country and organization to which the United States intends to provide any portion of such funds. Deletes the provision which imposes specified reporting requirements on granting military or economic assistance which exceeds by ten percent or more the amount set forth in the President's annual report on allocation of foreign assistance funds. Amends the Arms Export Control Act to require the President to include all sales (currently cash sales, credits, and guaranty agreements) in the President's annual report to the Congress on military exports. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to prohibit any Federal law from being construed to prohibit assistance to any country pursuant to the Peace Corps Act, the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945, or for certain training activities funded under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 for the trade and development program and for the operating expenses of the agency primarily responsible for development assistance. Authorizes using funds made available under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 for programs with Haiti to assist in halting significant illegal emigration from Haiti to the United States. Authorizes the President to make available funds authorized to be appropriated to carry out development assistance or economic assistance programs for FY 1985 and 1986 for the provision of food medicine or other humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to make certain technical amendments. Title VI: Food for Peace Program - Amends the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 to make famine relief commodities available to carry out programs subject to specified conditions. Authorizes using funds from the food for development program for education in developing countries. Title VII: Authorization for the Fiscal Year 1987 and Effective Date - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1987 to carry out programs and activities for which appropriations for FY 1986 are authorized by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 1985
Amends the Peace Corps Act to authorize appropriations for the Peace Corps for FY 1986 and 1987. Permits receipts from the sale of technical publications produced by the Peace Corps to be credited to the currently applicable Peace Corps appropriation.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
Anti-Apartheid Act of 1985 - Prohibits any U.S. person from making any loan to South Africa or to any organization owned or controlled by South Africa. Excludes from such prohibition a loan for any educational, housing, or health facility which: (1) is available to everyone on a nondiscriminatory basis; and (2) is located in an area accessible to all population groups. Declares that such prohibition shall not apply to loans for which an agreement is entered into before enactment of this Act. Directs the President to issue regulations prohibiting U.S. persons from making any investment (including bank loans) in South Africa. Excludes from such prohibition: (1) an investment which consists of earnings derived from a business enterprise in South Africa established before enactment of this Act and which is made in that business enterprise; or (2) the purchase of certain securities in such business enterprises. Prohibits any person, including U.S. banks, from importing into the United States any gold coin minted in or offered for sale by South Africa. Authorizes the President to waive the prohibitions against investments in South African businesses and against importing South African gold coins if: (1) the Government of South Africa meets at least one of seven conditions; (2) the President submits to the Congress a determination that such conditions are met; and (3) a joint resolution is enacted approving such determination. Authorizes the President to extend the waivers. Provides for expedited consideration of such joint resolution. Amends the Export Administration Act of 1979 to prohibit exporting computers, computer software, or goods or technology intended to service computers to or for use by South Africa or any organization owned or controlled by South Africa. Excludes from such prohibition donations of computers to primary and secondary schools. Declares that certain termination provisions of the Export Administration Act of 1979 shall not apply to such prohibition. Provides for enforcement of this Act. Sets forth penalties for violations of this Act. Directs the President to attempt to persuade through negotiations other countries to adopt restrictions on new investment in South Africa, on bank loans and computer sales to South Africa, and on the importation of krugerrands. Directs the President to submit annual reports to the Congress on the status of negotiations. Terminates the provisions of this Act and all the regulations issued to carry out this Act upon enactment of a joint resolution approving a determination submitted by the President to the Congress that apartheid in South Africa has been abolished.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
Grants congressional approval of the Compact of Free Association between the United States, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands. (Declares that the people of such territories are self-governing. States that the United States shall provide grant and program assistance to such territories. Declares that the United States has full authority and responsibility for the security and defense of such territories.) Declares that the defense sites of the United States established in the Marshall Islands or the Federated States of Micronesia in accordance with such Compact and its related agreements are within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States. Provides that upon the effective date of the Compact of Free Association the laws of the United States generally applicable to the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands shall continue to apply to the Republic of Palau. Makes the Republic of Palau eligible for such proportion of Federal assistance as it would otherwise have been eligible to receive under such laws prior to the effective date of the Compact.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1985
Handgun Crime Control Act of 1985 - Title I: Amendments to Chapter 44 of Title 18, United States Code - Amends the Federal criminal code to direct the Attorney General to approve for manufacture, assembly, importation, sale, or transfer any approved handgun model which is used for lawful sporting purposes. Makes it unlawful for any licensed manufacturer, importer, dealer, or collector to manufacture, assemble, sell, deliver, or transfer any handgun (other than a curio or relic) which is not an approved model. Makes it unlawful for any non-licensee to sell or transfer any handgun (other than curio or relic) unless such person knows or has reasonable cause to believe such handgun is an approved model. Prohibits a pawnbroker from being licensed as a dealer in handguns or handgun ammunition. Directs the Attorney General to review State laws providing for permits to carry and purchase handguns and certify those meeting specified standards. Allows an individual possessing a permit under a certified State law to purchase a handgun if certain requirements are met. Makes it unlawful for a licensed dealer to transfer a handgun to a person not holding a permit under a certified State law unless certain procedures are followed. Requires in any such case that the transferee appear in person at the dealer's business premises. Requires the dealer, before delivery of the handgun, to forward a copy of a sworn statement by the transferee to the chief local law enforcement officer of the transferee's place of residence and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for an identity and record check. Prohibits delivery until 21 days after submission of the sworn statement. Makes it unlawful for any licensed importer, manufacturer, dealer, or collector to sell to the same person, or for any non-licensee to purchase, three or more handguns during a period of one year without the prior approval of the Attorney General. Makes it unlawful for any person to fail to report the loss, theft, or disappearance of a handgun in his possession to the authorities within 24 hours after discovering such loss. Requires all licensed importers, manufacturers, and dealers to maintain accurate records of all handgun transfers. Makes any person who negligently transfers a handgun in violation of this Act civilly liable for the death or injury of an individual as a result of the use of such handgun by the transferee during commission of an offense. Makes it unlawful for any person to transport any firearm or ammunition in interstate commerce if such transportation violates a State law in a place through which the firearm is shipped or an ordinance at the place of sale, delivery, or other disposition. Increases the license fee for handgun dealers from $10 to $500 and for manufacturers and importers from $50 to $5,000. Makes it unlawful for any illegal alien, dishonorably discharged member of the armed forces, or U.S. citizen who has renounced such citizenship to possess, transport, or receive any firearm or ammunition. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control Act to allow the court to abate the penalties for using or carrying a firearm during the commission of a felony if certain mitigating factors are present. Title II: Gun Control Functions Transferred to the Attorney General - Transfers to the Attorney General all functions of the Secretary of the Treasury under the Gun Control Act of 1968. Establishes the Firearms Safety and Abuse Control Administration within the Department of Justice. Requires the Attorney General to report annually to Congress on the activities of the Administration. Title III: Miscellaneous Provisions - Directs the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, in consultation with the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National League of Cities, to report on the intergovernmental problems involved in controlling illicit handgun traffic and the effectiveness of the Gun Control Act of 1968.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1985
United States Scholarship Program for Developing Countries Act - Directs the President, acting through the U.S. Information Agency (USIA), to provide an undergraduate scholarship program for citizens and nationals of developing countries to study at U.S. institutions of higher education. Requires that half of each payment to a student shall be in the form of a loan with repayment to be forgiven upon the student's prompt return to his or her country of origin for a period of no less than the number of years spent studying in the United States plus one. Sets forth guidelines for implementing the program. Directs the President, before allocating any funds, to consult with U.S. educational institutions, educational exchange organizations, U.S. missions, and the governments of participating countries on how to implement the guidelines. Authorizes the President to enter into agreements with foreign governments to further the scholarship program. Urges the Administrator of the agency primarily responsible for administering development assistance programs, in implementing such programs, to increase assistance for undergraduate scholarships for students of limited financial means from developing countries to study in the United States. Urges the Director of the USIA to expand opportunities for students from developing countries to receive financial aid for postgraduate study at U.S. institutions of higher education. Urges the President to take steps to expand the opportunities for Americans from all economic classes to study in developing countries. Authorizes the President to establish counseling and orientation services: (1) abroad to prepare foreign students for study in the United States; and (2) at U.S. schools to help them while they are in the United States. Directs the Board of Foreign Scholarships to advise and assist the President in the discharge of programs authorized by this Act. Requires the public and private sectors in the United States to be encouraged to contribute to the costs of the programs financed under this Act. Directs the President to engage the public and private sectors of developing countries in programs to maximize the use of program participants upon their return to their own countries. Authorizes the President to publicize the scholarship program abroad. Directs the President to encourage U.S. schools attended by students receiving scholarships under this Act to provide opportunities for U.S. students to develop their knowledge of the foreign students' cultures. Authorizes the President to provide English instruction abroad when necessary. Requires the President to report annually to the Congress on the activities taken pursuant to this Act. Requires the undergraduate scholarship program financed by the USIA for students from Central America for FY 1986 and 1987 to be conducted in accordance with this Act. Provides for funding to carry out other scholarship programs under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1985
High Risk Occupational Disease Notification and Prevention Act of 1985 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct research into improving the means of: (1) surveillance of employees exposed to occupational health hazards; and (2) medical monitoring and treatment of employees exposed to occupational hazards. Provides that such research shall be conducted primarily through the occupational and environmental health centers established under this Act. Lists areas such research is to include (among which are: studying the etiology and development of such diseases; developing means of medical surveillance of exposed employees; and developing educational programs). Directs the Secretary to undertake or sponsor additional epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory research to identify and define additional employee populations at risk of occupational disease. Provides that: (1) this expanded research shall be conducted or sponsored by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH); and (2) in conducting such research, NIOSH shall have access to prior and current employment, occupational, and health-related data and information maintained by Federal agencies. Authorizes the Secretary, in carrying out such research, to employ experts and consultants. Establishes a Risk Assessment Board, within NIOSH, to: (1) review current medical and other scientific studies and reports concerning the incidence of disease associated with employment; (2) report to the Secretary on the state of current research on such diseases; and (3) designate, from such review, employee populations at risk of disease associated with hazardous occupational exposures. Sets forth factors which the Board must consider in identifying such populations at risk. Directs the Board, within ten days of making a finding that a class or category of workers is a population at increased risk (30 percent greater incidence of disease than a comparable worker population not exposed to the hazardous occupational exposure) or a population at high risk (100 percent greater incidence than the comparable worker population not exposed), to recommend to the Secretary that individuals within such populations be notified and, in cases of high risk, be eligible for services and information under this Act. Gives priority for Board review to those employee populations exposed to hazardous occupational exposures for which there already exists a permanent standard under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Requires the Board to transmit to the Secretary its findings and recommendations on these employee populations within one year after the effective date of this Act. Directs the Secretary, upon determination that a given class or category of employee is a population at risk of occupational disease, to notify each individual within such population at risk. Sets forth the required contents of such notification, including counseling information. Directs the Secretary to establish a telephone "hot line" for the personal physicians of employees who have received such notification, to provide additional medical and scientific information concerning the nature of the risk and its associated disease. Directs the Secretary to prepare and distribute other medical and health promotion material and information on any risk subject to such notification requirements and its associated disease as the Secretary deems appropriate. Provides that, in carrying out such notification responsibilities, the Secretary shall have access to information and data contained in any Federal agency records, solely for the purpose of obtaining names, addresses, and work histories of employees subject to such notification. Directs the Secretary to establish and certify occupational and environmental health centers. Provides that such centers shall be selected from: (1) educational resource centers of NIOSH and similar centers of the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences; and (2) at a later date, existing health care facilities, in an appropriate number to obtain even regional distribution of such centers throughout the United States. Sets forth criteria for selection of such centers. Requires such centers to be capable of providing research resources, diagnosis, treatment, medical monitoring, and family services for employees notified under this Act who are at high risk of occupational disease. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop criteria governing the most appropriate type of medical monitoring; and (2) develop a program for training of existing personnel and procuring specialized equipment required under criteria for certification of such centers. Prohibits discrimination by any employer, insurance carrier, or any other person against any employee on the basis that the employee has been notified by the Secretary of being at risk of any occupational disease. Requires that the employee retain the same rates of pay, benefits and seniority as in the former job if, based upon sound medical advice or monitoring initiated under this Act, it is determined that the employee should be transferred to a less hazardous or non-exposed job. Prohibits any health care financing system from discriminating against an employee who has been notified by the Secretary under this Act in the payment of the costs associated with a medical monitoring program, or any subsequent treatment, including treatment required by a medical monitoring examination or the onset of disease. Sets forth procedures for review of discrimination complaints. Provides for reinstatement and specified compensation for employees who are discriminated against in violation of this Act. Sets forth civil penalties for persons or institutions that violate such discrimination prohibitions. Provides for injunctive relief against violations of this Act or any rule or regulation promulgated under this Act. Requires each health care financing system (including public and private health insurance programs, and the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and disability benefits under the Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance program) to provide appropriate testing, evaluation, and medical monitoring services to employees as required under this Act. Requires that the cost of testing, evaluation, and medical monitoring required by an employee as a result of hazardous occupational exposure and notification under this Act be included as a covered item in any health care financing system available to such employees through their employment or as individual purchasers of health insurance. Provides that any treatment provided by a health care financing system to an employee for a subsequent disease that was subject to a notification under this Act may constitute an insurance subrogation claim against a workers' compensation program or insurance carrier. Provides that notification of risk to an employee under this Act and subsequent medical evaluation and monitoring shall not constitute a workers' compensation claim, nor shall such notice toll any statute of limitations with respect to such a claim, except as specifically provided by law under a workers' compensation statute. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 and subsequent fiscal years.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1985
Readiness Enhancement of Air Force Reserve Special Operations Act of 1985 - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 for the operation and maintenance of: (1) a Special Operations Wing of the Air Force Reserve; and (2) the Directorate of the Department of Defense Task Force on Drug Law Enforcement. Directs the Secretary of Defense, not later than September 30, 1985, to report to specified congressional committees concerning the expenditure of funds authorized by this Act. Outlines information to be included in such report.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1985
Amends the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 to extend hospice benefits under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act for two years, until October 1, 1988.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1985
Interstate Compact - Grants congressional approval to the Southeast Interstate Compact on Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management, which provides for cooperation among the States of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia in the management of low-level radioactive waste on a continuing basis.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1985
Commission on Congressional Financing Act - Establishes the Bipartisan Commission on Congressional Campaign Financing to consider and study laws, regulations, and public commentary relating to the financing of congressional elections. Requires such study to give particular attention to the extent to which current campaign financing practices undermine public confidence in the Government. Requires the Commission to consider the following changes in the present system of campaign financing: (1) increasing or decreasing allowable contributions; (2) initiating a plan of public financing; (3) making available free or subsidized broadcasting time; or (4) examining the role of independent expenditures. Directs the Commission to make reasonable efforts to achieve the broadest bipartisan consensus in arriving at its recommendations. Requires the Commission, not later than one year after enactment of this Act, to submit to the Congress its final report. Terminates the Commission 90 days after submission of such report. Requires the Director of the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress and the Chairman of the Federal Election Commission, not later than two months after enactment of this Act, to transmit briefing papers to the Bipartisan Commission which catalog and synthesize pertinent reports, analyses, and recommendations. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the residential energy income tax credit for solar energy property for five years (from 1985 to 1990). Phases out the percentage of expenditures which may be taken into account for such credit between the years 1986 and 1990. Limits to $6,000 the maximum amount of expenditures for solar hot water systems which may be taken into account for purposes of such credit. Specifies additional standards which solar hot water systems and active space heating systems must meet in order to qualify for such credit. Increases and extends for five years (from 1985 to 1990) the energy investment tax credit for specified types of solar energy property.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1985
Authorizes the Armored Force Monument Committee, the United States Armor Association, the World Wars Tank Corps Association, the Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge, the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment Association, the Tank Destroyer Association, the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, and 16th Armored Division Associations, and the Council of Armored Division Associations to erect a memorial in or near Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, to honor and commemorate the American Armored Force. Directs the Secretary of the Interior, with the approval of the National Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission, to select the site and approve the design and plans. Obligates the United States to expenses of maintenance only. Requires the commencement of the erection of the memorial within five years with a certification of sufficiency of funds necessary before commencement.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1985
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should: (1) continue to express U.S. opposition to the exile of Igor Ogurtsov; and (2) urge the Soviet Union to provide Igor Ogurtsov with medical care, grant his release from exile, and accept his application for an exit visa and allow him to emigrate without forcing him to renounce his views.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1985
Authorizes the President, on behalf of the Congress, to present a gold medal to the family of Harry Chapin in recognition of Harry Chapin's efforts to address issues of world hunger. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to provide for the sale of bronze duplicates of the medal.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1985
Administrative Law Judge Corps Act - Amends Federal law to establish, in Washington, D.C., an Administrative Law Judge Corps (the Corps) comprised of all current administrative law judges. States that the chief administrative law judge shall be the chief administrative officer of the Corps as well as its presiding judge. Specifies the qualifications for chief judge. States that such judge shall be appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate. Directs the chief judge to submit a written report to the President and the Congress. Establishes divisions (to number between four and ten) within the Corps, with each division headed by a division chief judge appointed by the President, with the consent of the Senate. Identifies initial divisions and their respective areas of jurisdiction. Specifies qualifications required for division chief judges. States that the Corps' policymaking body shall be the Council of the Corps (the Council), comprised of the chief judge and the division chief judges. Authorizes the Council to approve or disapprove: (1) the assignment of judges to divisions; (2) creation, abolition, or reorganization of divisions; and (3) re-assignments of division chief judges. Authorizes the Council to determine matters of general Corps policy, including: (1) the issuance of regulations for Corps proceedings; (2) creation or abolition of divisions or regional offices; (3) contractual transactions; and (4) delegation of functions to division chief judges. Establishes a Judicial Nomination Commission (the Commission) to submit a list of qualified nominees for positions of chief judge and division chief judges. Specifies officials who shall appoint a member to the Commission. Sets the terms of initial Corps appointments and the procedure for filling vacancies. Prescribes a procedure for recommending appointments to the President. Directs the Corps to appoint new judges from a register maintained by the Office of Personnel Management. Confers jurisdiction upon members of the Corps to adjudicate cases under specified sections of the Administrative Procedure Act. Requires cases arising under such sections to be referred to the Corps. Directs the Council to issue regulations for assigning such cases. Provides guidelines for the removal and discipline of administrative law judges. Establishes a Complaints Resolution Board within the Corps to recommend action upon complaints against the official conduct of judges. Details the membership of such Board and the procedures to be followed. Declares Board proceedings and the contents of complaints to be privileged and confidential. Exempts documents and reports considered by the Board from the disclosure and publication requirements of the Freedom of Information Act. Exempts the Board from compliance with the public meeting requirements of specified Federal law. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1985
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a clinical trial in order to determine the efficiency and economic feasibility of providing Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) coverage for personal emergency response systems. Requires each personal emergency response system to include, for purposes of the clinical trial: (1) communication equipment located in the home which transmits signals for emergency medical assistance over the telephone; (2) a local response center to monitor such signals; and (3) medical personnel or other persons to provide emergency medical assistance. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to transmit to the Congress a report containing the findings and conclusions of the clinical trial, along with any legislative recommendations.
United States · United States Congress · 20 February 1985
Authorizes expenditures by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs for the first session of the 99th Congress, including the procurement of consultant services.
United States · United States Congress · 19 February 1985
African Famine Relief and Recovery Act of 1985 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to provide assistance for famine relief, rehabilitation, and recovery in Africa. Requires that not less than 80 percent of the funds appropriated for such relief shall be used for grants to private and voluntary organizations and international organizations. Requires that at least 18 percent of funds appropriated for such relief shall be used for emergency health projects. Requires that a specified amount of funds appropriated for such relief shall be transferred to the operating expenses of the Agency for International Development for management support activities relating to emergency food assistance for Africa. Authorizes supplemental appropriations for FY 1985 for such relief. Authorizes supplemental appropriations for FY 1985 to the Department of State for migration and refugee assistance in Africa. Requires that not less than 54 percent of the funds appropriated for such assistance shall be made available to the United Nations Development Program Trust Fund for refugee assistance in Africa. Requires the remaining amount to be used by the Bureau for Refugee Programs of the Department of State for emergency relief and recovery efforts in Africa. Requires that amounts appropriated pursuant to this Act shall be available only for aid in those African countries that have suffered during 1984 and 1985 from exceptional food supply problems due to drought and other calamities. Requires such assistance to be provided without regard to the prohibition against aid to countries which have nationalized or expropriated property of U.S. citizens. Requires that the President shall ensure that such assistance is provided to the famine victims for whom it is intended. Requires the President to report to the Congress by June 30, 1985, on: (1) the emergency needs for African famine assistance; and (2) the projected FY 1985 contribution by the United States to meet an appropriate share of such needs. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should submit a request for supplemental funding for emergency African famine assistance if available funding is insufficient to meet the projected contribution.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1985
Solar Energy and Energy Conservation Bank Reauthorization Act of 1985 - Title I: Reauthorization of Bank - Amends the Solar Energy and Energy Conservation Bank Act to extend the life of the Solar Energy and Energy Conservation Bank until September 30, 1991. (Under current law, the Bank will cease to exist after September 30, 1987.) Requires that 25 percent of the payments by the Bank to financial institutions to provide financial assistance for the installation of solar energy systems in residential, commercial, and agricultural buildings be allocated for active solar energy. Requires an equitable distribution of financial assistance between residential and multifamily residential buildings. Permits all financial institutions to apply directly to the Bank for financial assistance. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 through 1991 for the financial assistance program under the Solar Energy and Energy Conservation Bank Act for the purchase and installation of residential and commercial energy conserving improvements and solar energy systems. Amends the Federal National Mortgage Association Charter Act to eliminate the condition under which the Board of the Bank would not exercise its authority to purchase loans for energy conserving improvements or to purchase mortgages secured by newly constructed homes with solar energy systems. Title II: Financial Assistance to Promote Construction of Highly Energy Efficient Buildings - Amends the Solar Energy and Energy Conservation Bank Act to authorize the Bank to make payments to financial institutions for financial assistance to builders of newly constructed or substantially rehabilitated highly energy efficient buildings (a residential building which utilizes no more than 60 percent of the energy utilized by a building of a similar size that meets the cost-effective energy conservation standards established by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in effect as of June 30, 1980). Permits financial assistance to be so provided only if the expenditures for new construction or substantial rehabilitation of highly energy efficient buildings are made after the enactment of this Act. Specifies the maximum amount of financial assistance which may be provided for new construction or substantial rehabilitation of highly energy efficient buildings. Sets forth conditions on such financial assistance which are in addition to the general conditions on financial assistance provided by the Bank under such Act. Amends the Federal National Mortgage Association Charter Act to authorize the Bank to purchase mortgages secured by newly constructed or substantially rehabilitated highly energy efficient buildings.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1985
Authorizes the Black Revolutionary War Patriots Foundation to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia to honor the courageous slaves and free black persons who gave of themselves during the American Revolution. Directs the Secretary of the Interior, with the approval of the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission, to select the site, approve the design and plans, and provide for maintenance. Prohibits the use of any Federal funds for the memorial's construction. Terminates the Foundation's authority to establish such memorial within five years from the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) in order to encourage private investment in developing countries, it is necessary to encourage the private sector to be involved with other nations in efforts to alleviate hunger; and (2) American institutions in the public and private sectors should jointly develop commitments and a plan to end world hunger.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1985
Amends the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 to revise restrictions on certain imported vehicles that do not conform to Federal standards. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to exempt certain motor vehicles or equipment from such restrictions for purposes of research, investigation, study, demonstration, training, national security, competitive racing events, or completion in the United States of an incomplete foreign-built vehicle or equipment item. Authorizes the Secretaries of Transportation and of the Treasury to promulgate joint regulations which authorize the importation of non-conforming vehicles or equipment if an individual has never imported such a vehicle before and seeks to do so for personal use to meet unforeseen cases of extreme hardship or extraordinary circumstances.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the targeted jobs income tax credit from 1985 to 1990. Increases the amount of wages which may be taken into account for such credit from $6,000 to $10,000 per year. Revises the definition of "members of economically disadvantaged families" to increase from 70 percent to 80 percent of the Bureau of Labor Statistics' lower living standard the amount of income a family may have in order to qualify as a member of a targeted group.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1985
Requires that funds be made available from appropriations under the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies Appropriation Act, 1985 to enable the National Institutes of Health to award 6,500 new and competing research grants in FY 1985.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1985
National Computer Systems Protection Act of 1985 - Amends the Federal criminal code to make it a Federal offense to knowingly access a computer owned by or operated on behalf of a financial institution without authorization; or access a computer with authorization for purposes to which such authorization does not extend and thereby obtain, modify, or destroy property of another. Provides for imprisonment for not more than ten years and a fine of not more than $250,000. Requires the Attorney General to: (1) consult with representatives of State and local governments concerning the exercise of Federal jurisdiction; (2) report annually to the Congress concerning the exercise of such jurisdiction; and (3) report to the Congress on the long-term impact of Federal jurisdiction in this area.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1985
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the payment of title II benefits to individuals who have been deported pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act because of activities conducted under the direction of association with the Nazi government of Germany or its allies.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1985
Expresses the opposition of the House of Representatives to efforts to reduce the availability of housing under the section 202 assistance program operated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development for the elderly and handicapped.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1985
Designates the U.S. Post Office Building, Flushing, New York, as the Benjamin S. Rosenthal Post Office Building. Requires the Postmaster General to install an appropriate plaque indicating such designation.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1985
Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1985 - Amends the Education Amendments of 1972, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to provide a definition of the phrase "program or activity." Defines such term as all of the operations of: (1) a department or agency of a State or of a local government; (2) the entity of such State or local government that distributes Federal assistance and each such department or agency to which the assistance is extended; (3) a university or a system of higher education; (4) a local educational agency or other school system; (5) a corporation, partnership, or other private organization; or (6) any other entity consistent with the coverage provided above.
![Official portrait of Rep. Fascell, Dante B. [D-FL-19]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/f000041_200.jpg)