United States · United States Congress · 18 July 1983
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide that if a hospice program does not provide its own nursing care, such care must be provided through a certified Medicare provider.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 1983
Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to prohibit the President from making new agricultural products or byproducts eligible articles under the Generalized System of Preferences as of January 1, 1984. Declares that no agricultural products or byproducts which are like or directly competitive with U.S. products shall be eligible under the Generalized System of Preferences after January 1, 1985.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 1983
Expresses the sense of Congress that the States should: (1) adopt the International Symbol of Access to identify vehicles carrying the physically handicapped and grant only to such vehicles access to special parking privileges; and (2) enter into agreements of reciprocity relating to special parking privileges granted to handicapped persons.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 1983
Delays by one year the deadline after which Federal employees or Members of Congress must include interest on any amount deposited into the Treasury for the purpose of obtaining civil service retirement credit for military service.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 1983
Changes the amount a Federal employee or Member of Congress must pay to receive civil service retirement credit for certain military service. Requires such individuals to pay the same percentage of basic military pay as would have been payable had such pay been provided for civilian service. Delays by one year the deadline after which such individuals must include interest on such amounts paid to receive retirement credit.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1983
Victims of Crime Act of 1983 - Title I: Crime Victim Compensation - Directs the Attorney General to make grants to qualified state programs for the compensation of victims of crimes. Provides that such grants shall total: (1) 50 percent of allowable compensation paid to victims of State crimes designated by the State to be appropriate for compensation; and (2) 100 percent of allowable compensation to victims of crimes which would constitute designated crimes but are subject to exclusive Federal jurisdiction. Specifies criteria for a State plan to qualify for grants, including that the program: (1) offer compensation for medical expenses and loss of wages; (2) condition compensation on cooperation with law enforcement officials; and (3) deny or reduce recovery where the claimant contributed to the injury. Title II: Crime Victim Assistance - Allows the Attorney General to make grants to the chief executive of each State for the financial support of crime assistance programs. States that such program must provide crisis intervention and mental health counseling services to victims and their families. Title III: Crime Victims Fund - Establishes within the U.S. Treasury the Crime Victims Fund. Provides that the Fund shall consist of: (1) fines collected in Federal criminal cases; (2) proceeds of all forfeitures in Federal criminal cases; and (3) taxes imposed on pistols and revolvers. Title IV: Changes in Criminal Fine Levels and Related Matters - Amends the Federal criminal code to establish alternative, increased fines for any person convicted of a Federal offense. Requires the Federal courts to impose a penalty assessment on all persons convicted of Federal offenses. Title V: Effective Dates - Establishes effective dates.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1983
National Fishing Enhancement Act of 1983 - Sets forth standards for the design, construction, and location of artificial reefs. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to develop guidelines for a national artificial reef plan. Sets forth terms and conditions for permits for the construction of such reefs. (Defines artificial reefs as structures constructed in navigable waters for the enhancement of fishery resources and fishing opportunities.) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide a tax credit for qualified artificial reef expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1983
Authorizes the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate jointly to present, on behalf of the Congress, a bronze medal to families of American personnel missing or otherwise unaccounted for in Southeast Asia. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1983
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should: (1) renew the agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union on space cooperation for peaceful purposes; (2) initiate talks with the Soviet Union and other interested governments on opportunities for cooperative East-West space ventures as an alternative to an arms race in space; and (3) submit to the Congress a report detailing the provisions of such agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1983
Northern Ireland Fair Employment Practices Act - Requires any U.S. person who has or controls an enterprise in Northern Ireland which employs more than 20 people to insure that in operating such enterprise the following employment principles are implemented: (1) desegregation in any employment facility; (2) equal employment for all employees; (3) equal pay for equal work; and (4) increase in the representation of individuals from underrepresented religious groups in managerial, supervisory, administrative, clerical, and technical jobs. Directs the Secretary of State to establish an Advisory Council in Northern Ireland to advise the Secretary with respect to the implementation of such employment principles and to review the annual reports which each U.S. person covered by this Act must submit to the Secretary on the progress made in implementing such principles. Directs the Secretary to establish in the United States an American Advisory Council to make policy recommendations regarding labor practices of U.S. persons in Northern Ireland and to review such persons' progress in implementing such employment practices. Directs the Secretary: (1) to take specified actions to insure compliance with the implementation of such employment principles; and (2) to review the compliance of such persons at least biennially. Sets forth penalties for noncompliance. Authorizes the President to waive compliance with the implementation of such principles if such compliance would harm U.S. national security, unless Congress adopts a concurrent resolution disapproving the waiver. Provides for expedited consideration of such resolution. Requires that other Federal agencies cooperate in carrying out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1983
National Economic Cooperation Act of 1983 - Amends the Employment Act of 1946 to add a new title on national economic cooperation. Establishes a National Economic Cooperation Council. Sets forth the purposes of the Council, including the requirement that the Council report annually to the President and the Congress on the state of the national economy. Requires that the general policies and administrative direction of the Council shall be controlled by a Board composed of nine members appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Sets forth the qualifications of members of the Board. Requires the principal administrative officer of the Council to be an Executive Director appointed by the Board. Requires the Council to promote the growth and vitality of the U.S. economy by: (1) collecting and analyzing relevant data concerning economic trends and market opportunities; (2) evaluating existing and alternative government and business policies in terms of their impact on the capacity of American enterprises to take advantage of those trends and opportunities; (3) recommending government and business strategies and practices which will improve that capacity; (4) developing such concensus among the branches of government, labor, and business as is necessary to implement such strategies and practices; and (5) evaluating State and local policies and practices in terms of their impact on the economy. Sets forth methods for the Council to follow in carrying out such functions. Authorizes the Council to make special reports as necessary, in addition to its annual report. Sets forth the authority of the Council to conduct hearings. Establishes within the Council a Bureau of Economic Information and a Bureau of Economic Analysis and Policy. Sets forth the duties of such Bureaus. Directs the President to designate a Special Adviser for Economic Coordination who: (1) shall be the principal official responsible for the coordination of executive branch trade and economic functions and activities; and (2) shall serve as the principal liaison official between executive branch departments and agencies and the Council. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 through 1989. Sets forth general administrative provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1983
Reye's Syndrome Act of 1983 - Amends title XI (Genetic Disease, Hemophilia Programs, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) of the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish, through the National Institute of Neurological, Communicative Disorders, and Stroke, the Reye's Syndrome Coordinating Committee. Directs such Committee to: (1) make grants and enter into contracts for clinical research and treatment; and (2) establish mobile research teams. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 through 1986. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress within six months following the end of the Committee's authorization.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1983
Secondary Mortgage Market Equity Act - Amends the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation Act and the Federal National Mortgage Association Charter Act to set forth a formula for increasing the maximum mortgage limitation for a one- to four- family residence in certain areas where high prevailing housing sales prices have limited housing opportunities.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1983
National Acid Deposition Control Act of 1983 - Title I: Acid Deposition Control and Assistance Program - Amends the Clean Air Act to establish new requirements for acid deposition control. Sets forth direct federally mandated emission reductions and retrofit technology for the 50 fossil fuel fired electric utility generating plants which had the largest total emissions of sulfur dioxide during the calendar year 1980. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to: (1) identify each such plant which emitted sulfur dioxide during calendar year 1980 at an annual average rate equal to or exceeding three pounds per million Btu; (2) within two months after enactment of this Act, publish a list of the 50 plants which have the largest total emissions; (3) notify the owner or operator of each of the 50 plants listed; and (4) within four months after such enactment, and after notice and opportunity for comment, publish a final list of the 50 plants with the largest total emissions. Requires the owner or operator of each plant on the final list to submit to the Administrator, by January 1, 1985, a compliance schedule, including increments of progress. Directs the Administrator to approve or disapprove such schedule, within one year after submission, and after notice and opportunity for hearing. Directs the Administrator, if such schedule is not submitted by the deadline or is not approved, to promulgate a compliance schedule for such plant on January 1, 1986. Provides for modification and publication of such schedules. Requires that each compliance schedule provide that: (1) a technological system of continuous emission reduction be used for each steam generating unit in the fossil fuel fired electric utility generating plant concerned; and (2) sulfur dioxide emissions from such plant for the calendar year 1990 and each calendar year thereafter shall not exceed 1.2 pounds per million Btu heat input and ten percent of the total annual sulfur dioxide emissions during calendar year 1980 (90 percent reduction) or 0.6 pounds per million Btu and 30 percent of the total annual sulfur dioxide emissions during the calendar year 1980 (70 percent reduction). Sets forth procedures for determining plant compliance with such emission limitation. Requires that: (1) contracts be entered into for the purchase and installation of the technological systems of continuous emission reduction by January 1, 1988; (2) such systems be installed and in operation by January 1, 1990; and (3) the emission limitation be achieved for each calendar year after 1989. Directs the Administrator, from the Acid Deposition Control Fund established under this Act, to pay for 90 percent of the costs of construction and installation of the technological system of continuous emission reduction necessary for each such plant to comply with the emission limitation. Directs the Administrator, after consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, to promulgate regulations under which such payments: (1) may be made to utilities only if they will be used entirely to reduce those electric rate increases which would otherwise result from such construction and installation; and (2) shall be made at such times as will minimize rate increases. Sets forth requirements for State plans for additional emission reductions of sulfur dioxide. Directs the Administrator, within four months after the enactment of this Act, to compute a State share, for each of the 48 contiguous States, of a 10,000,000 ton reduction in annual emissions of sulfur dioxide by 1993 below that of 1980. Sets forth a formula for computation of State shares. Permits the Governors of two or more States to reallot State shares among agreeing States, if there is an equal or greater total reduction in annual emissions of sulfur dioxide through such reallotment. Sets deadlines and procedures for submission and approval of State plans for such State shares. Directs the Administrator to promulgate a State plan on January 1, 1988, if no State plan has been: (1) submitted by June 1, 1985; or (2) approved by January 1, 1988. Requires State plans for State shares to provide for emission limitations applicable to any stationary sources in the State for which the actual annual sulfur dioxide emission rates have been calculated by the Administrator for the calendar year 1980, other than a source which is one of the listed 50 electric utility plants subject to direct federally mandated emission reductions. Requires that the emission limitations for each stationary source subject to the State plan establish an allowable average annual sulfur dioxide rate at a level such that the total reduction would equal the State share, with specified credits for States in which any of the 50 listed plants are located. Permits State plans for State shares to provide for compliance with emission limitations through use of technological systems of continuous emission reduction or any other appropriate requirements. Directs the Administrator, from the Acid Deposition Control Fund (established within this Act), to pay for 90 percent of the costs of the construction and installation at an electric utility generating plant of any technological system of continuous emission reduction necessary to comply with requirements under a State plan for a State share of sulfur dioxide emission reductions. Subjects such payments to regulations relating to reduction of increases in utility rates. Establishes a trust fund in the Treasury of the United States to be known as the Acid Deposition Control Fund, consisting of amounts generated by fees imposed under this Act. Directs the Administrator to make payments from the fund first to facilities covered by direct federally mandated emission reductions and then to facilities covered by State share plan requirements. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to be the trustee of the Fund and to report to the Congress for each fiscal year ending on or after September 30, 1984, on its financial condition and the results of its operation during such fiscal year and on its expected condition and operations during the next five fiscal years. Sets forth Fund investment duties of the Secretary. Imposes, under regulations promulgated by the Administrator, a fee of one mill for each kilowatt hour of electric energy: (1) generated in the contiguous 48 States by an electric utility; and (2) imported into the contiguous 48 States. Exempts from such fee electric energy: (1) used at the electric generating facility concerned; or (2) generated by a nuclear generating facility. Makes such fee effective with respect to electric energy generated, or imported, after December 31, 1984. Makes the fee cease to apply on the earlier of: (1) December 31, 1995; or (2) the date on which all payments required under this Act have been made. Authorizes the Administrator to terminate the fee at an earlier date upon estimation that sufficient funds have been collected to fund all such required payments. Directs the Administrator to promulgate within six months after enactment of this Act regulations setting forth the time and manner required for payment of such fee and related reporting requirements. Establishes civil penalties for: (1) electric utilities (or importers of electric energy) which fail or refuse to pay such fees or to file required reports; and (2) any person who makes false or misleading statements in such required documents. Directs the Administrator to bring civil actions in such cases. Establishes additional criminal penalties for electric utilities (or importers of electric energy) which knowingly commit such violations. Makes conforming amendments. Title II: Control of Nitrogen Oxide Emissions - Directs the Administrator to revise standards of performance for new stationary sources for emissions of nitrogen oxides from electric utility steam generating units which burn bituminous or subbituminous coal and which commence construction after the enactment of this Act. Prohibits the emission of nitrogen oxides from such units at a rate which exceeds: (1) 0.30 pounds per million Btu, in the case of subbituminous coal; and (2) 0.40 pounds per million Btu, in the case of bituminous coal. Adds to provisions relating to emissions from mobile sources to set the following nitrogen oxide emission standards for model year 1986 and after truck and truck engines: (1) gross vehicle weight of 6,000 pounds or less - 1.2 grams per vehicle mile; (2) 6,000 to 8,500 pounds - 1.7 grams per vehicle mile; and (3) more than 8,500 pounds - 4.0 grams per brake horsepower-hour.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1983
Restricts payment of the penalty for late enrollment under part A (Hospital Insurance) or part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to a period equal to twice the number of years enrollment was delayed (currently, the penalty is assessed for the rest of a beneficiary's life).
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1983
Establishes the Commission on Capital Markets to evaluate the regulation of financial intermediaries by the Federal and State governments and the functioning of such intermediaries in the accumulation and allocation of capital within the United States economy. Sets forth the information to be included in such evaluation. Requires the Commission, within nine months after the initial meeting, to submit to Congress a report on the results of its evaluation. Terminates the Commission ninety days after the submission of its final report. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1983
Provides for the application of tax rules governing the inclusion in gross income of stock received by a taxpayer in connection with the performance of services where: (1) the transfer of such stock occurred in November or December of 1973 under the exercise of a stock option granted in November or December of 1971; (2) the corporation granting such stock option was acquired by another corporation in a reorganization in December of 1973; (3) the stock had a certain fair market value as of July 1, 1974; (4) the transferee of the stock sold substantially all of the stock received in the reorganization in 1975 or 1976; and (5) such transferee makes an election for the application of such tax rules. Limits the applicability of such tax rules to the extent that their application would result in a reduction of the taxpayer's tax liability in excess of $100,000. Waives the statute of limitations with respect to any overpayment or deficiencies of tax resulting from the application of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1983
Urban Grant University Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to extend through FY 1990 the authorization of appropriations to carry out the Urban Grant University Program under title XI of such Act. Revises grant application provisions to direct the Secretary of Education to consider the degree to which there is evidence in the application of a commitment by any entities within the community, which may include the applicant university, to pay a specified non-Federal share of project costs. (Current law requires consideration only of the loal government's commitment to pay such non-Federal share.)
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 1983
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Organic Act - Title I: Declaration of Findings, Purposes, and Policies - Sets forth the findings, purposes, and policies of Congress concerning marine and atmospheric resources. Title II: Establishment; Powers; Functions - Establishes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as an independent agency. Provides for the principal officers, with an Administrator as the head of NOAA, and sets out the functions, responsibilities, and powers of the Administrator. Requires the recipient of a grant, loan, or other form of financial assistance from NOAA to keep records on the disposition of the funds. Grants the Administrator access to such records to determine if the funds were used in accordance with applicable law and regulations. Title III: Coordination - Requires the Administrator to consult with other Federal departments and agencies to insure that inconsistent and duplicative requirements are not imposed on regulated industries or individuals. Directs the Administrator to consult with the Secretary of State on agreements, treaties or understandings with foreign nations or international bodies concerning areas in which NOAA has domestic responsibility. Title IV: Enforcement - Sets forth the enforcement powers of NOAA's authorized officers. Authorizes the Administrator to utilize the personnel, services, and facilities of any State agency to assist with his enforcement authority. Sets forth provisions concerning the issuance of citations, the disposition of seized property and vessel penalties. Grants jurisdiction to the U.S. district courts for cases arising out of this Act. Sets out the remedies the Administrator may seek for violations of law for which he has enforcement authority. Grants to individuals the right to institute civil actions for violations of laws administered by NOAA. Title V: Miscellaneous Provisions - Transfers the functions and authority from the existing National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the Department of Commerce to the new NOAA. Transfers personnel, property, records, and funds to the new NOAA. Permits the President to make interim appointment of officers for the NOAA until permanent officers may be appointed with the advice and consent of the Senate. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the President to submit biennial authorization requests to the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 1983
Telecommunications Regulation Reform Act of 1983 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to direct the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to revise, reduce, or eliminate telecommunication regulatory requirements with respect to: (1) any communication service or facility as competition develops and the need for regulation diminishes; or (2) any carrier that does not have the ability to affect any market price significantly. Directs the Commission to consider the extent to which a facility faces competition from alternative facilities that provide comparable service at comparable cost and that have sufficient capacity to ensure competitive pricing in the absence of regulation when establishing the appropriate level of regulation. Prohibits the FCC or any State commission from: (1) considering the revenues derived from any unregulated products or services offered by any common carrier in determining the revenue requirements of any service of such carrier, unless such carrier has filed a tariff with the FCC or such State commission that includes any cost of providing such unregulated products or services; (2) restricting the resale or shared use of any interexchange or enhanced service other than an international communication; or (3) regulating the manufacture, sale, or supply of any enhanced service, product, terminal equipment, or inside wiring, except that the FCC or a State commission shall have authority over the conduct of business between the regulated operations of common carriers and exchange common carriers and the unregulated operations of such carriers to ensure that the users of such service do not bear any costs associated with entry into such enhanced service market and to prevent any anticompetitive practice by carriers between offerings of enhanced services and offerings of common carrier or exchange services. Requires every exchange common carrier by the later of January 1, 1986, 30 days after receiving any written request, or the date specified by the FCC, to offer to all interexchange customers an element-by-element tariff for exchange access which is equal to access provided by such exchange common carrier to the interchange services that it or any other carrier offers. Directs the FCC to postpone the application of such requirements to any carrier which lacks appropriate electronic switching equipment or to any rural exchange if such postponement will avoid undue burdens on the carrier or its customers. Declares that no such postponement shall relieve any carrier from the terms of any judgment under Federal antitrust laws. Requires every exchange carrier to allow customers to interconnect to transmission services or facilities which it offers any terminal equipment, inside wiring, or transmission services or facilities. Prohibits any exchange common carrier from discriminating between affiliated and unaffiliated persons or among unaffiliated persons in providing communication services used in connection with terminal equipment, enhanced services, information publication services, or any other service. Requires any carrier to allow interconnection between any communication service it offers and any terminal equipment, inside wiring, or communication service or facility upon reasonable request. Directs any person which controls and offers inside wiring to promptly allow persons making reasonable requests to interconnect such wiring with any terminal equipment, inside wiring, or communication service or facility that meets FCC technical standards.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 1983
Telecommunications Competition Act of 1983 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require that any telephone operating company shall retain any terminal equipment which it provided on the effective date of this Act and shall continue to make the equipment available to customers under tariffs in force as of such date until the equipment is fully depreciated except that: (1) State commissions shall permit increases in such tariffs to reflect any reasonable increases in the costs of providing such equipment; and (2) the customer may purchase such equipment for a price fixed by the State commission. Authorizes operating companies to offer other terminal equipment to the public at any time after January 1, 1984, if the equipment: (1) is manufactured by unaffiliated persons; and (2) is offered through a separate subsidiary which meets specified requirements. Permits an operating company to offer an enhanced service to the public only through a separate subsidiary which meets such requirements. Prohibits an operating company from discriminating between the products, services, and requirements of a dominant carrier and those of other persons in the: (1) procurement of facilities, products, and services; (2) establishment and dissemination of technical standards and specifications for procurement and interconnection; (3) interconnection and use of the facilities of the operating company or in the charges for each element of such use; and (4) provision of new services and planning for and implementation of the construction or modification of facilities used to provide exchange access. Sets forth a schedule according to which an operating company shall be required to purchase a specified percentage of its requirements in each product category from manufacturers who are unaffiliated with a dominant carrier. Directs the Federal Communications Commission, ten years after enactment of this Act, to review the effectiveness of this schedule in establishing and maintaining a policy of competitive procurement. Defines an operating company as a carrier owned or controlled by a dominant carrier on January 1, 1983.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 1983
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a refundable income tax credit for the amount of contributions made to the Federal retirement system by Federal employees newly covered under the social security system after December 31, 1983. Disallows such credit for contributions made to a Federal retirement system: (1) established after the enactment of this Act; or (2) modified after the enactment of this Act for purposes of coordinating such system with the social security system. Terminates such credit after December 31, 1985.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 1983
Consumer Telecommunications Act of 1983 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to direct the Federal Communications Commission to establish a system of charges to: (1) compensate exchange carriers (carriers that provide telephone exchange service on a universal basis) for exchange access (the provision of services and facilities for interexchange communication); and (2) reform the system of jurisdictional separation of property and expenses. Declares the purposes of such system to be to: (1) achieve equal treatment among all interexchange carriers with regard to exchange access; (2) compensate exchange carriers for the costs of distributing interexchange transmissions; (3) continue the universal availability of basic communications service provided by exchange carriers at reasonable charges; (4) assure that exchange access costs are determined in a manner that ensures public accountability; (5) achieve flexibility in accommodating changes in technology and market conditions; and (6) establish incentives for investment and technological development and avoid uneconomic incentives that discourage reliance by interexchange carriers upon exchange carriers as distributors of interexchange transmissions. Directs the Commission to: (1) ascertain the costs incurred by exchange carriers to provide exchange access; and (2) apportion such costs between exchange (local) service and interexchange (long distance) service in a manner that ensures the universal availability of basic communications service at reasonable rates. Directs the Commission to ensure that the costs of non-traffic-sensitive facilities used to provide exchange access are allocated to interexchange services based on their relative use of such facilities; and (2) the costs allocated to interexchange service are recovered from interexchange carriers and customers of interexchange services. Establishes the Universal Service Fund to subsidize and thereby ensure basic communications service in rural or remote areas at reasonable charges. Directs the Commission to establish practices to determine amounts to be contributed to the Fund by interexchange carriers and customers. Entitles to Fund payments any exchange carrier whose statewide costs for exchange service per customer line, or for connecting lines to interexchange carriers, exceed 115 percent of the national average costs. Permits an eligible carrier to recover up to 60 percent of such excess costs from the Fund. Authorizes a State commission to require any exchange carrier to lease and maintain on request a single basic one-line telephone instrument to any subscriber in such State for a tariff that includes all costs of providing and maintaining such instrument. Entitles any person who makes a written request to: (1) receive a nonexclusive license to any patent held for a dominant carrier upon paying a reasonable royalty; and (2) use any patent held by a common carrier for purposes of interconnecting with such carrier's teminal equipment or transmission services. Requires the tariffs for such services to include a reasonable royalty for the use of such services. Requires that technical information relating to such patents be provided to such persons for a reasonable charge, except that such person may be required to agree not to use such technical information for products not manufactured in the United States. Requires any such royalties derived from any patent held for a dominant carrier to benefit common carriers, exchange common carriers, and their ratepayers to the extent that such entities bore the costs of developing or acquiring such patent. Authorizes the Commission and each State commission to: (1) ensure that the customers of regulated communications services do not bear any costs of entry into or participation in unregulated markets by common carriers or exchange carriers; and (2) prevent any anticompetitive practice by any carrier.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1983
National Child Support Enforcement Act - Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of title IV of the Social Security Act to require that in order for any State to be eligible for payments pursuant to title IV or title XIX (Medicaid) of the Act, to have enacted and implemented a State law providing for the collection of child support through a mandatory wage withholding system satisfying the requirements of this Act. Requires a State system to: (1) apply in every case where child support has been ordered by a court or administrative process of the State; (2) provide for withholding from wages per pay period of child support payments due, plus any past-due support (to a maximum of 25 percent of gross pay); (3) require that any charges or fees imposed covering the costs of collection be paid by the individual from whom the amounts were collected; (4) utilize the services and facilities available under part D to locate individuals owing support, administer the withholding process, and distribute amounts withheld; and (5) include such other provisions as the Secretary of Health and Human Services determines necessary and appropriate.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1983
Energy Security Tax Incentives Act of 1983 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend for ten years from 1985 to 1995 the availability of the investment tax credit for affirmative commitments made for solar, wind, and geothermal energy property. Requires that such affirmative commitments must be made by specified dates.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1983
Directs the House of Representatives Page Board to furnish, by contract or otherwise, educational services for pages. Sets forth qualifications for House pages.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 1983
Urges the President to take steps to negotiate a treaty with the Soviet Union to provide for mutual cooperation to deal with the threat of accidental nuclear war caused by acts of terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 1983
Child Protection Act of 1983 - Amends the Federal criminal code dealing with the sexual exploitation of children. Increases the penalties for the sexual exploitation of children from $10,000 to $100,000 and, on a subsequent conviction from $15,000 to $200,000. Prohibits the distribution of material involving the sexual exploitation of minors even it is not found to be "obscene". Eliminates the requirement that persons distributing such material in interstate commerce do so for purposes of sale.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 1983
Veterans Administration Adjudication Procedure and Judicial Review Act - Title I: Adjudication Procedures - Codifies, for Veterans Administration (VA) adjudication purposes, the burden of proof and reasonable doubt standards currently provided for by VA regulation. States that a claimant has the burden of submitting sufficient evidence to justify his or her claim, and that if an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence exists regarding the merits of a claim, the VA is to resolve such doubt in favor of the claimant. States that VA subpoenas may be served either by personal delivery or by registered or certified mail. Increases the maximum size of the Board of Veterans' Appeals from 50 to 65 members. Requires the chairman of such Board to submit an annual report to the appropriate congressional committees concerning the Board's current handling of cases and projections for the subsequent fiscal year. Requires the Board to: (1) provide notice to a claimant and an opportunity for a hearing before a decision may be based on "additional official information" received after a Board decision has previously been made; and (2) make its decision exclusively on evidence and material of record in the proceeding. Removes the requirement that new material sufficient to allow the Board to reopen a previously disallowed claim be in the form of official reports. Provides that the Board's discretionary authority to reopen a claim will not be diminished by a judicial decision following an appeal as provided for by this Act. Requires the Board to mail to the claimant notice of its decision and the reasons for such decision. Provides that, upon the request of a claimant, the Board shall provide an independent advisory medical opinion when there exists substantial medical disagreement with respect to a material issue in a veteran's appeal. Sets forth new procedural rules for adjudication hearings regarding: (1) oaths, affirmations, and witness examination; (2) admissibility of evidence; (3) procedural rights of claimants; (4) disqualification of a hearing officer; (5) the record of the proceedings and the claimant's right to examine and obtain a copy of such record; and (6) the exclusiveness of veterans' adjudication procedures and rights prescribed by the Administrator. Requires the Administrator to provide at each stage of the appeal proceedings written notice to a claimant of the claimant's procedural rights. Directs the Administrator to conduct a study of two alternative claims resolution methods: (1) a new intermediate-level adjudication process; and (2) an enhanced schedule of formal Appeals Board hearings. Directs the Administrator to report to Congress on such studies. Title II: Veterans Administration Rule Making - Includes the VA's rulemaking procedures under the relevant provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act. Title III: Judicial Review - Provides for judicial review of VA decisions in the Federal court system. States with regard to jurisdiction: (1) the definition of final decision; (2) that judicial review of a final decision in a claim for benefits may be obtained in a civil action brought within 180 days of the Board's mailing of notice of its decision, and that such action shall be brought in Federal district court; (3) that the VA shall file the various materials constituting the record in a case together with its answer to the claimant's complaint; (4) that the court may render a decision on the pleadings; and (5) that the judicial review procedures established under this Act shall not apply to insurance and home loans. States, with regard to the reviewing court's scope of review, that such court: (1) shall decide questions of law and interpret constitutional, statutory, and regulatory provisions, but that questions of fact (unless unsupported by substantial evidence) will not be subject to a trial de novo; and (2) in reviewing a final decision of the VA which is adverse to a party solely because such party failed to comply with VA procedures, may only review questions concerning such procedures. Sets out provisions regarding remand, survival of actions, and appellate review. Title IV: Attorneys' Fees - Authorizes the Administrator to allow attorneys' fees above the present $10 maximum if the appealing party's claim is allowed by the VA after an initial denial. States that such fee shall be the lesser of: (1) the fee agreed upon by the party and attorney; (2) $500, unless the Administrator approves a greater amount; or (3) if the party and attorney have entered into a contingent-fee agreement, not more than 25 percent of the total of any past-due benefits awarded on the basis of such party's claim. Provides for the approval of attorneys' fees, in successful veterans' claims brought before a court, as provided for under this Act. States that such fees shall be determined by such court, and in contingent-fee agreements such fees shall not exceed 25 percent of the total of any past-due benefits awarded on the basis of such claim. Authorizes attorneys' fees of up to $750 in certain unsuccessful veterans' claims. Prohibits the VA from authorizing payment to a claimant's attorney based on past-due benefits unless such benefits are owed as of the date of the VA's or a court's award. States that such provisions regarding attorneys' fees shall only apply to claims for benefits under the laws administered by the VA and shall not apply in cases in which the VA is the plaintiff or in which other attorneys' fees statutes are otherwise controlling. Title V: Effective Dates - Sets forth the effective dates for this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 1983
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) State regulatory commissions should carefully review requests for telephone rate increases; (2) the Federal Communications Commission should ascertain the impact on telephone rates of regulatory changes and judicial decisions and should furnish the House with an estimate of the number of people who would suffer an economic hardship or be forced to discontinue telephone service as a result of such changes and decisions; and (3) specified House committees should consider legislation that will assure affordable telephone service for all the people of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 1983
Water Quality Renewal Act of 1983 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (also known as the Clean Water Act) to authorize appropriations for FY 1983 through 1988 for: (1) specified research, investigation, and training programs in water pollution control; (2) State and interstate pollution control programs; (3) undergraduate programs in water quality control; (4) grants for developing waste treatment management plans for areas with substantial water quality control problems; (5) water pollution control programs in agricultural areas; (6) agreements among Government agencies providing for maximum use of existing programs for water quality control; (7) grants to States for lake pollution control; and (8) carrying out such Act generally. Increases the authorization for grants for construction of waste treatment works for FY 1984 and 1985. Authorizes appropriations for such grants for FY 1986 through 1988. Revises the timetable for compliance of all pollutants with effluent limitations. Requires as new conditions for the modification of treatment requirements with respect to the discharge of pollutants from a publicly owned treatment works that an applicant for such modification demonstrate that: (1) in the case of a treatment works serving a population of 50,000 or more, there is in effect a specified pretreatment program for toxic pollutants introduced into such works for which there is no pretreatment requirement in effect; and (2) the effluent which is discharged from such works is receiving primary treatment and meets the criteria for water quality established by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Revises the meaning of the phrase "discharge of any pollutant into marine water." Requires that a water quality standard which is revised after January 1, 1983, maintain the designated uses of the navigable waters involved in effect on such date, except that such a standard may contain a less restrictive use if the State demonstrates that: (1) the existing designated use is not attainable because of natural background or irretrievable man-induced conditions; or (2) the application of effluent limitations needed to attain the existing designated use would result in substantial and widespread adverse economic and social impact. Requires a State to revise water quality standards to preserve the quality of those waters within the State exceeding the level necessary to support the designated use contained in existing water quality standards. Requires a State to consider the need to adopt numercial criteria in addition to other water quality criteria' with respect to specified toxic pollutants whenever such State reviews a water quality standard. Requires the maintenance and protection of water the quality of which exceeds levels necessary to support the propagation of fish and wildlife and to allow recreation in and on the water, unless a State chooses, after compliance with intergovernmental coordination and public participation requirements, to allow lower water quality because of essential economic or social development for which there is no feasible alternative. Prohibits a degradation of water quality which will interfere with or injure instream water uses. Prohibits degradation in high quality waters which constitute an outstanding national resource. Requires a State to minimize the effects of development on water quality in any case where water quality degradation is permitted. Requires the Administrator to publish in the Federal Register a list of all navigable waters in each State the water quality of which is being impaired by the discharge from specific sources of toxic pollutants. Directs the Administrator to establish an individual control strategy for each listed segment of navigable waters which shall reduce the discharge of toxic pollutants from such sources so as to allow the achievement of water quality which provides for the protection and propagation of fish, shellfish, and wildlife and provides for recreation in and on the water. Increases the civil penalties for violations of requirements with respect to water quality standards under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. Requires the Administrator to convene a management conference whenever the attainment or maintenance of water quality in an estuary requires the control of sources of pollution in more than one State. Provides that such a management conference shall establish and provide for the implementation of a master plan which addresses the pollution problems of the estuary involved. Authorizes the Administrator to make grants to States participating in such a management conference which are equal to 55 percent of a State's cost of implementing a master plan for a fiscal year. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 through 1988 for such grants. Authorizes appropriations to the Administrator for FY 1984 through 1988 for: (1) administrative expenses with respect to management conferences; (2) grants for the development of master plans for estuaries; and (3) monitoring the implementation of such master plans. Prohibits the specification of a disposal site in navigable waters for the discharge of dredged or fill material unless the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, determines that the discharge of such material at such site will not have an unacceptable adverse effect on the aquatic environmental and that there is no less adverse practicable alternative to the proposed discharge. Requires that an application for a permit to discharge dredge or fill material into navigable waters at a specified disposal site be filed with the district engineer of the Corps of Engineers for the district where the discharge is to be made. Requires the district engineers to notify the Administrator, the Secretaries of the Interior and Commerce, and other appropriate Federal agency heads of any such application. Specifies the time periods within which such agencies may submit comments on such applications. Requires the district engineer to give full consideration to such comments in deciding whether to issue a permit. Requires the district engineer to notify the Administrator or the appropriate Secretary if a permit to which the Administrator or the Secretary is opposed is to be issued. Specifies the time periods within which the district engineer must publish a decision with respect to a permit application. Provides that a denial of a permit application shall be the final decision of the Secretary of the Army. Provides that a decision to issue a permit shall be the final decision of the Secretary of the Army unless the Administrator, the Secretary of the Interior, or the the Secretary of Commerce requests a review of such a decision in any case in which the Administrator or either Secretary opposed the issuance of a permit. Specifies the time periods within which the Secretary of the Army must issue a final decision following such a request. Requires the Administrator to study and report to Congress on the effects of the impoundment and discharge of waters by dams upon the quality of navigable waters.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1983
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that losses attributable to disasters determined to warrant assistance under the Disaster Relief Act of 1974 shall be allowable as an income tax deduction without regard to whether they exceed ten percent of the adjusted gross income of the taxpayer.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1983
Fair Tax Act of 1983 - Title I: Reduction of Individual and Corporate Tax Rate-Subtitle A: Reduction of Rates - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reivse individual tax rates. Imposes a flat tax rate of 14 percent on the taxable income of individuals. Imposes a surtax of between 12 and 16 percent of the amount by which adjusted gross income exceeds specified levels. Imposes a flat tax rate of 30 percent on the taxable income of estates and trusts. Imposes a flat tax rate of 30 percent on the taxable income of corporations. Subtitle B: Increase in Personal Exemption for Taxpayer and Standard Deduction - Increases the personal exemption for an individual taxpayer and spouse to $1,600 and $1,800 for an individual who is a head of a household. Raises the standard deduction to $6,000 in the case of a joint return or a surviving spouse or $3,000 in the case of an individual, or a married individual filing a separate return. Subtitle C: Repeals Related to Reduction in Rates - Repeals provisions relating to: (1) tax tables for individuals; (2) minimum tax for tax preferences; (3) personal service corporations; (4) special averaging rules for lump-sum distributions; (5) accumulated corporate surplus; (6) personal holding companies; (7) income averaging; and (8) graduated corporate tax rates. Repeals the indexing of tax rates. Applies the trust throwback rules only to amounts distributed from foreign trusts. Title II: Base Broadening-Subtitle A: Credits - Repeals the general tax credit, the investment tax credit, the possessions tax credit and the income tax credits relating to: (1) the elderly and the permanently and totally disabled; (2) contributions to candidates for public office; (3) home purchases; (4) residential energy conservation; (5) producing fuel from a nonconventional source; (6) alcohol used as fuel; (7) increasing research activities; (8) employee stock ownership; and (9) clinical testing for certain drugs. Allows an income tax deduction for household and dependent care expenses necessary for employment. (Present law allows an income tax credit for such expenses.) Subtitle B: Exclusions - Repeals the partial income tax exclusion for interest and dividends. Repeals the exclusion for: (1) qualified transportation furnished by an employer; (2) cafeteria plans furnished by an employer; (3) dependent care assistance programs; (4) dividend reinvestment in public utilities; (5) payments to encourage mining for defenses purposes; (6) earned income of citizens living abroad; (7) certain allowances; (8) income from sources within the United States; and (9) income from sources within Puerto Rico. Treats as taxable income: (1) tier two railroad retirement benefits; (2) amounts paid by an employer for group-term life insurance; (3) unemployment compensation; (4) the annual increase in the the cash surrender value of life insurance policies; (5) interest on industrial development bonds and mortgage subsidy bonds; and (6) amounts contributed by an employer to accident and health plans. Provides that the transfer of a corporation's stock in satisfaction of indebtedness will be treated as having satisfied the indebtedness with money equal to the fair market value of the stock. Provides a limited exclusion from income for scholarships and fellowships. imposes the surtax on the gain from the sale of a principal residence. Amends the Merchant Marine Act to repeal the tax exemption for deposits into, and withdrawals from, a capital construction fund. Subtitle C: Deductions - Repeals the deduction for two-earner married couples, and the deduction for adoption expenses. Limits the amount of the interest deduction for individuals. Repeals the deduction for State and local personal property and sales taxes. Restricts the charitable contribution for corporations to 50 percent of the charitable contributions during the year. Increases the floor on the deduction for medical and dental expenses from five percent to 10 percent. Subtitle D: Repeal of Special Capital Gains Treatment - Repeals the alternative tax on capital gains for corporations, and the deduction for individuals for capital gains. Limits the amount of the capital loss deduction without regard to distinctions between short term and long term capital losses. Eliminates the distinction between short-term and long-term gains and losses. Title III: Capital Cost Recovery-Subtitle A: Simplified Cost Recovery Systems - Allows individuals and corporations a deduction from gross income for a percentage of the balance in a recovery account for each year. Includes in the recovery account the cost of recovery property which is depreciable property used in a trade or business or held for the production of income which is placed in sevice after December 31, 1984. Establishes six classes of recovery property and specifies a class life for each. Assigns property to each class according to the class life of the property. Sets forth rules for the calculation of the recovery percentage on the basis of the class life of the property. Allows individuals and corporations a deduction for depletable property determined as a percentage of the balance in a recovery account for each year. Establishes six classes of depletable property and assigns a class life to each. Assigns a ten year class life for oil, gas, and geothermal wells. Subtitle B: Other Changes - Repeals the income tax deductions for: (1) intangible drilling and development costs for oil, gas, and geothermal wells; (2) depreciation; (3) amortization of pollution control facilities; (4) improvements made by a leasee on a lessor's property; (5) certain depreciable assets; (6) amortization of reforestation expenditures; (7) percentage depletion; (8) development expenditures; and (9) mining and exploration expenditures. Allows a ten-year period for the amortization of construction period interest and taxes. Allows a deduction of circulation expenses for a newspaper, magazine, or other periodical ratably over a ten-year period. Excludes amounts chargeable to a capital account from such treatment. Provides for the deduction of 50 percent of tertiary injectant expenses in the taxable year and 50 percent of such expenses in the succeeding taxable year. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - Subtitle A: Foreign Income - Requires an individual who owns stock in a corporation which is a controlled foreign corporation to include in income a pro rata share of the corporations's earnings and profits for such year. Reduces such amount by any amount required to be included in in income by reason of the amount being foreign personal holding company income. Repeals the domestic international sales corporations (DISC) provisions for taxable years beginning after December 31, 1984. Subtitle B: Other Miscellaneous Provisions - Repeals the tax exemption for credit unions. Reduces the limit on benefits which may be paid to a participant under defined benefit plans and defined contribution plans. Repeals the cost-of-living adjustment for defined benefit plans. Continues the cost-of-living adjustment for purposes of calculating a participant's average compensation for his high three years. Requires farmers to compute their taxable income using the accrual method of accounting with the capitalization of preproduction expenses. Exempts taxpayers who do not have gross receipts exceeding $1,000,000. Requires farming syndicates to use the accrual method of accounting without regard to gross receipts. Provides that farmers who must use the accrual method cannot expense the following: (1) soil and water conservation expenditures; (2) fertilizer; and (3) expenses for clearing land. Requires the deferral of income or loss must be taken into account in determining tax liability under completed contract method of accounting. Requires that the taxpayer with adjusted gross income in excess of $100,000 must make estimated payments equal to 90 percent of current year tax. Requires the recognition of the gain or loss on distributions of property by corporations. Eliminates the special bad debt reserves of financial institutions. Title V: Effective Dates - Sets forth the effective dates of the provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1983
Designates the U.S. Post Office Building, 41-65 Main Street, Flushing, New York, as the Benjamin S. Rosenthal Post Office Building. Requires the Postmaster General to install an appropriate plaque indicating such designation.