United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1983
Amends the Small Business Act to specify the maximum interest rate on disaster loans made by the Small Business Administration (SBA) to homeowners or small businesses for disasters commencing on or after October 1, 1982. Provides that such loans, subject to reductions in insurance payments received by a loan applicant, shall cover 100 percent of the loss suffered. Limits such loans to $500,000 per disaster, unless a loan applicant is a major source of employment in the disaster area, in which case such limitation may be waived at the discretion of the Administrator of the SBA. Requires the interest rate for such loans to be the rate that is in effect when the disaster commenced. Prohibits the SBA, subject to reductions for insurance payments received by a loan applicant, from reducing the amount of such loans for homeowners to less than $100,000 for loss of real property or $20,000 for personal property. Provides that upon presentation by a loan applicant of proof of loss, damage or injury, the SBA will cancel a portion of the principal of any loan used to cover damage to real property that is occupied as a primary residence or personal property contained therein resulting from a disaster commencing on or after October 1, 1982. Specifies the portion of the loan principal to be cancelled for certain loan amounts. Authorizes funds to the SBA for FY 1984 for direct loans to small businesses for facility rehabilitation and for disaster relief. Extends for one year the prohibition on disaster loan assistance by the SBA to agricultural enterprises.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 1983
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal provisions which terminate the income tax exclusion for amounts received by an employee under an educational assistance program.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 1983
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should take steps to: (1) issue a proclamation commemorating the Ukrainian famine of 1933; (2) issue a warning that the continued enslavement of the Ukrainian nation is a threat to world peace; and (3) convey to the Soviet people U.S. sentiments for the recovery of Ukrainian freedom and independence.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1983
Balanced Monetary Policy Act of 1983 - Amends the Federal Reserve Act to require the Board of Governors and the Federal Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve System to establish yearly targets for money and total credit aggregates and for real interest rates consistent with historic levels. Requires the Board and the Federal Open Market Committee to take necessary actions to assure that such targets are achieved, on average, on an annual basis. Requires a written report to specified Congressional committees if such targets cannot or should not be achieved because of unfavorable economic conditions. Requires the Board of Governors to transmit specified information to Congress biannually. Requires the Board to announce publicly changes in objectives and plans at the time those changes are determined. Requires the President to state for the System's record the administration's position on each vote on monetary policy taken by the Board and by the Federal Open Market Committee.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1983
Homeowners Loan Corporation Charter Act of 1983 - Establishes the Homeowners Loan Corporation as an independent Federal agency. Sets forth provisions governing the Board of Directors, general powers, and capital stock of such Corporation. Authorizes the Corporation to acquire home mortgages facing foreclosure in exchange for obligations and to make cash advances to pay the taxes, assessments, and maintenance expenses of the property involved as well as other incidental expenses of the exchange. Limits the value of any obligation exchanged for a mortgage to: (1) the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insurable amount for the home involved; and (2) 80 percent of the appraised value of the home. Requires that each acquired mortgage be carried as a first lien or refinanced as a home mortgage by the Corporation. Limits the amortization period and interest on such acquired mortgages. Directs the Corporation to set the monthly mortgage payment for an assisted homeowner at an amount that, when combined with the homeowner's monthly housing expense, does not exceed 30 percent of the homeowner's monthly net effective income. Directs the Corporation to establish certain procedures for monitoring the financial circumstances of such homeowners. Allows the Corporation to extend the time for an installment payment or to revise the term of a mortgage upon consideration of a mortgager's circumstances. Authorizes the Corporation to make loans to homeowners for taxes, assessments, and maintenance expenses if the property involved is not otherwise encumbered, and to make cash advances on behalf of a homeowner to a mortgage holder who refuses to accept Corporation obligations, subject to the same provisions governing interest, amortization, and extensions as are applicable to acquired mortgages. Authorizes the Corporation to acquire mortgages and make loans and cash advances under this Act in any Federal Home Loan Bank district only when the mortgage delinquency rate for three consecutive months for either such district or the nation exceeds a specified amount. Provides for the termination and reinstitution of such authority based on such mortgage delinquency rate. Directs the Corporation to notify mortgagees in a district when instituting program assistance. Includes as conditions of eligibility for mortgage acquisition or cash assistance under this Act the requirements that: (1) the mortgage is not federally insured; (2) the homeowner has incurred a substantial reduction in income as a result of a loss of, or reduction in, employment for the homeowner or for any person contributing to the homeowner's income and the homeowner is, therefore, unable to make full mortgage payments; and (3) the acquisition or assistance is necessary to avoid foreclosure. Sets forth provisions governing the authority of the Corporation to issue obligations to finance the assistance program under this Act. Limits the aggregate principal amount of outstanding obligations to 12 times the Corporation's capital stock of $1,000,000,000. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to purchase such obligations. Declares that the Corporation shall be exempt from all taxes except State and local real property taxes. Directs the Corporation to submit annual reports on its activities to the President and Congress. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1983
Authorizes the erection of a memorial on public grounds in the District of Columbia, or its environs, in honor and commemoration of members of the armed forces who served in the Korean war. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to select, with the approval of the National Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission, a suitable site on public grounds for such memorial. Subjects the design and any plans for the memorial to the approval of the Secretary, the National Commission of Fine Arts, and the National Capital Planning Commission. Declares that no moneys belonging to the United States or the District of Columbia shall be expended for the erection of such memorial. Authorizes appropriations for site acquisition and preparation in the event nonpublic land is selected for the memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1983
Directs the President to furnish to the House of Representatives, within ten days after adoption of this resolution, documents relating to: (1) military assistance furnished to Honduras; (2) certain military intelligence activities in Nicaragua and Honduras; and (3) combat activities of and casualties incurred by Nicaragua and Honduras.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1983
Clean Campaign Act of 1983 - Adds a new title to the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971: "Title V: Financing of General Election Campaigns for the House of Representatives". Establishes eligibility criteria entitling candidates to receive campaign payments on a matching basis. Establishes formulae to determine such sums. Limits expenditure of personal funds to $20,000 per election. Waives spending limits for eligible candidates whose opponents have spent sums exceeding the limit imposed upon such candidates. Requires specified independent expenditures to be reported to the Commission and to each candidate within specified time-frames. Permits additional payments to certain candidates who have waived specified broadcasting rights. Requires the Federal Election Commission to certify the eligibility of candidates to the Secretary of the Treasury, who shall disburse funds to such candidates. Directs the Secretary to establish a separate United States House of Representatives Election Campaign Account in the Presidential Election Campaign Fund and to deposit certain sums in such account in accordance with specified guidelines. Directs the Commission to audit campaign accounts. Requires repayment of excess payments and unexpended payments. Penalizes the use of funds for other than campaign purposes. Authorizes the Commission to institute repayment actions in U.S. district courts. Delineates the administrative authority of the Commission in carrying out this Act. Requires the Commission to make certain reports to the House of Representatives. Authorizes appropriations. Limits to $90,000 in any calendar year the amount of contributions which congressional candidates or their authorized political committees may accept from non-party multicandidate political committees. Specifies exceptions for candidates in general and special elections. States that any extension of credit for advertising on broadcasting stations, in newspapers or magazines, or by direct mail, or for other types of public political advertising shall be considered a contribution, if such credit is: (1) in excess of $1,000; and (2) for a period exceeding 30 days.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1983
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should convey U.S. concern for the welfare of Ethiopian Jews and seek ways to assist Ethiopian Jews to emigrate freely.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 1983
Prohibits the implementation of certain regulations proposed by the Office of Personnel Management (published in the Federal Register on March 30, 1983) that change the administration of the civil service system by establishing a performance management system and revising regulations concerning reductions-in-force, pay administration under the Fair Labor Standards Act, bargaining policy in labor-management relations, and the prevailing rate pay system. Voids any such regulations which became effective before enactment of this Act. Prohibits the implementation of any other regulations that would have the same effect.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1983
National Park System Protection and Resources Management Act of 1983 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) collect, analyze, and document data on the factors which degrade or threaten to degrade the natural and cultural resources of the national park system; and (2) transmit to Congress a biennial State of the Parks report. Provides that such report shall include: (1) a description of the condition of each national park unit's natural and cultural resources, of the factors which damage or threaten such resources, and of the ongoing and planned mitigation actions and their results; (2) a description of the systemwide efforts to address the resource protection requirements listed above; (3) a discussion of systemwide resource protection and management policies for natural and cultural park resources; (4) a discussion of the adequacy of congressional appropriations in addressing protection and resource management programs; and (5) a discussion of funding needs to implement such policies and measures. Requires the National Park Service to solicit public involvement in the preparation of such report. Requires the Secretary to submit to specified congressional committees an annual report on the 50 most critical natural and the 50 most critical cultural resource problems within the national park system. Directs the Secretary to contract with the National Academy of Sciences for development of a plan for the National Park Service to conduct natural and cultural resources inventories and research on the problems and solutions with respect to national parks. Requires the plan to be submitted to the Secretary and the appropriate congressional committees. Requires that resource management plans for each national park unit be prepared and updated continually. Provides that general management plans for each park unit shall be based upon the park's resource management plan. Directs the Secretary to review and revise the current land classification system for the preservation and use of national park system lands. Requires the development of a new classification for maximum resource protection for sensitive ecosystems and cultural resources of special research value. Requires that those park units designated as biosphere reserves or world heritage sites receive priority consideration for monitoring and resource protection efforts. Expresses the sense of Congress that park and legislative officials establish ways to ensure the protection of international parks designated as biosphere reserves. Permits the Secretary to exercise the authority to issue leases within a national park unit, permit the use or development of such an area, or dispose of lands and waters within such an area only if the exercise of such authority will not have a significant adverse effect on the park unit. Restricts the Secretary's authority to act in areas adjacent to national park units in the same way, unless any significant adverse effects on the national parks are less important than the public interest value of a proposed action. Requires Federal agencies conducting activities within, or adjacent to, any national park unit to insure, to the extent practicable, that such activities will not significantly degrade the natural or cultural resources of the park unit. Provides for notification of the Secretary by a Federal agency if a proposed agency action may degrade or threaten the natural or cultural resources of a national park unit. Requires the Secretary to respond in writing on the foreseeable impact on park resources of a proposed agency action and to recommend any changes in such action needed to avoid adverse effects on park resources. Authorizes the Secretary to request information regarding a proposed agency action where the agency fails to notify the Secretary and the Secretary determines that such action may threaten park resources. Requires the Secretary to consider any adopted city, county, State, or Federal development plan during the deliberations on a proposed agency action. Requires the Secretary to hold a public hearing: (1) if requested by the affected government unit; and (2) if the Secretary's response to the proposed action is to be negative. Requires the proposing Federal agency to comply fully with the Secretary's recommendations in all cases where the proposed agency action would occur upon Federal lands or waters within the boundaries of a national park unit. Permits the proposing Federal agency to proceed with its action after consideration of the Secretary's recommendations in cases where the proposed action would occur on non-Federal lands within the boundaries of a national park unit, if the public interest in the proposed action is greater than the public interest in avoiding the adverse effects on the park resources involved. Provides that when the proposed agency action would involve areas adjacent to a national park boundary, the Federal agency must consider the Secretary's recommendations and must notify the Secretary of its decision to proceed. Sets forth notification requirements when proposed agency action differs from the Secretary's recommendation. Requires proposing agencies to notify specified congressional committees. Requires the Secretary to publish notices of proposed Federal actions and responses in the Federal Register. Exempts emergency, disaster, and national security actions from this Act. Requires actions under this Act to be brought in the U.S. district court in the district in which the national park unit involved is located. Provides for the Secretary to cooperate with, and provide technical assistance to, governmental and other entities to protect national park system resources. Requires the superintendent of each park unit to work with governmental and other entities which influence or control lands, resources, and activities within or adjacent to the park unit to develop a mutually compatible land use plan for the general area. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to local governments for park resource protection and for the development of such plan. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 through 1986 for such grant. Provides that such cooperative efforts shall be initiated in at least two park units for each administrative region, as well as in all biosphere reserves and world heritage sites, within one year after enactment of this Act. Requires that such efforts be initiated within two years after enactment of this Act in all national park units. Requires that each park unit or regional office have on its staff a person to coordinate the activities required by this Act. Directs the Secretary to initiate a training program for park personnel in the principles and techniques necessary to carry out the requirements of this Act. Requires the Secretary to establish a public information program to inform park visitors and the public of the need to protect park resources. Directs the Secretary to assure that the National Park Service includes adequate numbers and distribution of professional and scientific personnel to provide for park resource protection and management. Requires that general management plans for each national park unit be updated at least every ten years. Requires the Director of the National Park Service to assist potential donors of property located adjacent to or within national park units in satisfying the requirements under the Internal Revenue Code relating to charitable contributions. Provides that if provisions of this Act conflict with provisions of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, the provisions of such Act shall prevail. Authorizes appropriations to the Department of the Interior to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1983
Extends by three years, from FY 1984 to FY 1987, the period during which Vietnam-era veterans may request psychological readjustment counseling from the Veterans Administration. Directs the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to conduct a comprehensive study of the readjustment of Vietnam-era veterans to civilian life. Requires that such study include a nationwide survey of the prevalence and incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder and related readjustment problems among such veterans and a survey of their health status in relation to that of the general population. Directs the Administrator to report to Congress on such study by December 31, 1985.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1983
Amends the Bankruptcy Act to provide that a debtor shall not be discharged from a judgment debt resulting from a liability based upon driving while legally intoxicated.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1983
Minority Telecommunications Ownership Tax Act of 1983 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the investment tax credit for the purchase of used telecommunications property pursuant to a Federal Communications Commission tax certificate. Defines "FCC tax certificate" as any certificate granted by the Federal Communications Commission which provides that the purchase of the property is necessary or appropriate to effectuate an FCC policy with respect to the ownership and control of systems of communication by wire or radio. Extends the nonrecognition of gain for FCC-certified sales or exchanges of radio broadcasting stations to systems of communications by wire or radio.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1983
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should express U.S. opposition to the Soviet Union's policies of forced labor. Declares that the Soviet Union should cease such practices and honor their international commitments.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1983
Amends the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 to increase the authorization of appropriations for low-income home energy assistance for FY 1984. Decreases the maximum amount of grant money allotted for a fiscal year to States for low-income home energy assistance which a State may request to be held available for the next fiscal year. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to collect home energy and home energy assistance data on a State-by-State basis. Requires the Secretary to submit the annual report on such data required under such Act no later than September 30 of each calendar year.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1983
Fair Trade in Steel Pipe and Tube Products Act of 1983 - Provides the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of the Treasury with the authority necessary to enforce the terms of the Steel Pipe and Tube Arrangement between the United States and the European Community. Requires the Secretary of Commerce (the Secretary), not later than October 1 of each year, to compute the annual import ceilings for steel pipe and tube articles. Provides for intra-annual adjustments for such ceilings. Requires the Secretary to consult with the European Community if it appears that the annual import ceilings for any year might be exceeded. Requires the Secretary to seek an agreement with the European Community which will result in compliance with the import ceilings for the rest of the year. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to enforce the import ceilings if an agreement cannot be reached with the European Community. Permits adjustment of the import ceiling if domestic manufacturers cannot meet the demand for steel pipe and tube products.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1983
National Art Bank Act of 1983 - Establishes within the National Endowment for the Arts an Art Bank headed by a Director chosen by the Chairman of the Endowment. Authorizes the Director to: (1) appoint ad hoc juries of artists and art experts to assist in the selection of visual works of art; (2) select works of art with such juries' assistance; (3) provide for their safety; (4) make them available for loan to Federal supervisory authorities and to museums; (5) require those who receive fellowships in the visual arts from the Endowment to donate one of their works to the Art Bank; and (6) sponsor exhibitions. Requires the Director, when selecting work for purchase, to consider the quality of the work and the need to encourage unknown and geographically disparate artists. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984-1986.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1983
Amends the Bretton Woods Agreements Act to require the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the U.S. Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund to present proposals to the Fund's Executive Board to ensure that member countries eliminate import restrictions which restrict U.S. exports. Requires the U.S. Executive Director to vote against the use of Fund resources by a member country which fails to agree to such proposals. Requires the U.S. Trade Representative, the Secretary of Labor, and the Secretary of Commerce to inform the U.S. Executive Director of all such import restrictions and export subsidies having a serious adverse impact on U.S. exports or employment.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1983
Antitrust Fairness Amendments of 1983 - Amends the Clayton Act to authorize any State, any political subdivision thereof, or the United States to bring a civil action to recover damages under the antitrust laws for an injury not arising from a sales transaction between the plaintiff and the defendant. Prohibits a plaintiff from recovering the amount of any overcharge or underpayment that another plaintiff has recovered based on the same conduct of the defendant. Requires the amount of monetary relief awarded under an antitrust action to be reduced or allocated among liable defendants if the court or, in specified circumstances, the jury determines that such amount would be substantially unjust to a defendant. Prohibits such a reduction or allocation from diminishing a defendant's liability to an amount less than: (1) the plaintiff's unrecovered actual damages, unless the plaintiff's conduct of the action significantly contributed to the substantial injustice; or (2) threefold the damages fairly attributable to the conduct of the defendant, or the defendant's sales to, or purchases from, the plaintiff. Revises procedures for consensually resolving civil antitrust actions bought by the United States. Prohibits any proposed stipulation submitted by the United States to terminate such an action or to modify any stipulation, order, or judgement entered to terminate such an action from being entered for 60 days after it is filed with the appropriate district court, except under specified circumstances. Directs the Government, on the date such a stipulation is filed, to: (1) publish a copy of the stipulation in the Federal Register; (2) file a statement describing the nature and purpose of the action and the reasons in support of the agreement underlying the stipulation; and (3) notify persons who have requested notification of the filing of such a proposed stipulation. Repeals provisions requiring: (1) the filing and publication in the Federal Register of a competitive statement on the proposed stipulation; and (2) the publication in area newspapers of summaries of the proposed stipulation and such statement. Permits a court, after determining that a proposed stipulation is in the public interest, to order that: (1) the Government file and provide to the public a copy of certain documents that influenced the Government to agree to the stipulation, excluding information which is exempt from disclosure; and (2) each defendant file a description of each communication made on its behalf with any Government officer or employee relating to such stipulation, with specified exceptions. (Currently defendants are required to file such descriptions within ten days after a stipulation is filed.) Allows the Government to file a summary in lieu of the text of any portion of a document the disclosure of which would impair the negotiation of other stipulations or the enforcement of any law. Continues current requirements for the filing of the comments received on a proposed stipulation and the Government's responses to such comments, but permits, rather than requires the Government to respond to such comments. Directs a district court to consider a stipulation on the basis of the record of the proceeding, including filed comments and responses. Directs the court to enter any stipulation that would terminate an antitrust action without imposing express limitations on the future conduct of the defendant involved, unless the court determines, by order, that there is substantial reason to believe that the Government would prevail on the merits of any of the claims in the action. Permits a court to enter a stipulation that would terminate an action with express limitations on the future conduct of the defendant or that would terminate or modify a stipulation, order, or judgment entered in the action, if the court determines that such stipulation would: (1) represent a fair compromise of the dispute; (2) advance the purposes of the antitrust laws; or (3) otherwise serve the public interest. Directs the court, upon determining that either such stipulation should not be entered, to: (1) notify the Attorney General; and (2) take specified actions to obtain additional information needed to verify such determination. Directs the court, after verifying such determination, to order the Attorney General to reevaluate the substance of the stipulation and to file a statement describing the results of the reevaluation. Requires the court to enter a stipulation if the Attorney General determines that the Government will not request its withdrawal. Declares that nothing in this Act requires a court to enter a stipulation if the court finds reason to believe the stipulation was procured by fraud.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1983
Prohibits the Federal Communications Commission from repealing, amending, or otherwise modifying specified rules regarding network television syndication, network television financial interests, and prime time access before July 1, 1988.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1983
El Salvador Post-War Reconstruction Assistance Fund Act - Requires the security assistance funds allocated for El Salvador under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to be used for providing humanitarian assistance for persons displaced by the strife and in implementing the land reform program in El Salvador. Requires emphasis to be placed on food and health assistance and on assistance provided through private and voluntary organizations. Directs the President to work for the establishment of the multilateral El Salvador Post-War Reconstruction Assistance Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1983
Suspends military assistance and sales to El Salvador until El Salvador expresses a willingness to talk with civil and political organizations to end the conflict there. States that El Salvador shall not be considered to have demonstrated such a willingness unless a Peace commission comprised of high-level personnel from the army and other specified groups has been established and the Commission has tried to establish a dialogue with such civil and politiical organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1983
Declares that the House of Representatives deplores the denial of the rights of Hungarians and people of other nationalities in Transylvania by the Romanian Government. Requests the President and the Secretary of State to discuss the human rights of the Hungarians in Transylvania with the Government of Romania.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1983
Amends the veterans' educational assistance program to extend the delimiting period for use of educational benefits by Vietnam veterans from ten to 20 years, through December 31, 1995, at the latest.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1983
Title I: Amendments to Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 - Justice Assistance Act of 1983 - Amends title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (Justice System Improvement) to eliminate the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration and the Office of Justice Assistance, Research and Statistics. Retains the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Institute of Justice. Establishes a new Office of Justice Assistance. Revises the formula grant program to make the following changes. Eliminates the authority for local governments to receive formula grants. Decreases from 23 to 15 the purposes for which formula grants may be made. Includes categories for programs addressing the problems of serious crimes committed by juveniles and juveniles with a history of criminal conduct. Authorizes the Director of the Office of Justice Assistance to certify new categories of programs having a record of proven success. Requires States to provide a 50 percent match to receive Federal funding, or 25 percent match for innovative programs addressing critical problems of crime. Requires grant recipients to assume program costs after a four-year period. Applies the State match requirement on an aggregate rather than per project basis. Revises the application requirements for a State to receive formula grant assistance. Requires States to include assurances that not more than ten percent of assistance will be spent on innovative programs addressing critical crime problems. Requires submission of the formula grant application for approval to the State legislature which shall act on the application as it would for State budget requests. Retains the current requirement that 80 percent of total funding be allocated for formula grants. Bases the distribution of funds among States on population and the extent of the crime problem as determined by the number of Part I offenses in the Uniform Crime Reports reported to the FBI. Requires a State to distribute formula grants among local governments in the same proportion as State funds for law enforcement purposes. Eliminates the national priority grant program. Retains the discretionary grant program. Revises the general purposes for which such grants may be made. Requires that private nonprofit organizations be the primary recipients of such grants for providing educational, training, and technical assistance and undertaking national projects. Permits discretionary grants to be used to provide technical assistance to States not participating in the formula grant program. Revises the training and manpower development program to eliminate the training programs for prosecuting attorneys and State and local criminal justice personnel by the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration. Retains the Federal Bureau of Investigation training of State and local criminal justice personnel and the criminal justice education program. Permits "construction" under such Act to include renovation, repairs, or remodeling. Authorizes appropriations for each of FY 1983 and 1984 for the Office of Justice Assistance, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, and the National Institute of Justice. Eliminates the current authorization of appropriations for the Office of Community Anti-Crime Programs and the requirement that at least 19.15 percent of total appropriations be maintained for juvenile delinquency programs. Prohibits the reprogramming of funds, including those authorized for civil dispute resolution, previously appropriated for the purposes of criminal justice assistance. Title II: Emergency Federal Law Enforcement Assistance - Authorizes a State or local government to apply for emergency Federal law enforcement assistance in the event that a crime problem of serious and epidemic proportions exists. Requires the Attorney General, in approving or disapproving such application, to consider: (1) the nature and extent of the crime problem; (2) the emergency or extraordinary circumstances; (3) the availability of State and local resources; (4) the cost of increased Federal presence; and (5) the need to avoid unnecessary Federal involvement in local concerns. Authorizes appropriations for such purpose.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1983
Federal Anti-Tampering Act - Amends the Federal criminal code to make it a Federal offense to knowingly cause or attempt to cause injury or death to any person by tampering with any article, product, or commodity which is produced or distributed for human use or consumption. Provides for a prison term of up to ten years and a fine of up to $25,000 for an attempt, or if serious bodily injury or death results, a prison term of up to 20 years or life, respectively; and a fine of up to $100,000. Establishes separate penalties for any person who either knowingly, or willfully and maliciously conveys false information concerning an attempt at such adulteration. Grants the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture authority to investigate violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1983
Unemployment Compensation Fairness Act of 1983 - Amends the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 to revise State trigger provisions to provide that extended benefits will be payable in any State in which the seasonally adjusted rate of regular unemployment averaged nine percent or more for the most recent three calendar months for which data are available. Permits States to pay extended benefits on the basis of area triggers.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1983
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to exempt persons over 50 years old who have been U.S. permanent residents for at least 20 years from the "Government knowledge" naturalization requirement.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1983
Declares that Congress: (1) condemns the violence in Northern Ireland; (2) urges U.S. citizens to refrain from any action which contributes to the violence there; (3) urges the parties to seek an early political settlement that secures the rights of both sides and achieves Irish unity; (4) believes that a reconciliation can be found between the two Irish political traditions and between Great Britain and Ireland; and (5) requests the President to convey to Britain and to Ireland the desire of Americans for lasting peace in Northern Ireland.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1983
Amends the Small Business Act to prohibit the Small Business Administration (SBA) from: (1) refusing to accept and consider a referral from a Government procurement officer of a matter in which the eligiblity of a small business as a Government contractor for a specific Government contract is in question; or (2) limiting the availability of any certification of a small business as an eligible Government contractor on account of the anticipated dollar value of the contract, the nature of the work to be performed, or any other factors unrelated to responsibility or eligibility issues. Provides that no small business shall be denied the opportunity to submit its offer for a Federal contract solely because: (1) it is not on a qualified bidders list; (2) its products are not on a qualified products list; or (3) it has not received prior approval from a Federal agency to submit its offers relating to a certain type of work or class of contracts. Requires that Federal contracts up to $25,000 include a policy clause declaring that small businesses shall have the maximum practicable opportunity to participate in Federal contracts. (Under current law, Federal contracts up to $10,000 are required to include such clause.) Specifies identification requirements for subcontracting plans contained in the SBA's annual report to the House and Senate Small Business Committees on subcontracting plans which do not contain maximum practicable opportunities for small businesses to participate in such contracts. Requires that a procurement requirement be set aside for exclusive competition among small businesses if the Government procurement officer expects that: (1) offers will be obtained from at least two responsible small businesses offering the products of different small businesses; and (2) awards will be made at reasonable prices. Requires Federal agencies to reduce the number of requirements to be contained in its contract solicitations in order to promote the maximum practicable opportunity for small businesses to submit offers. Sets forth the conditions which must exist in order for a Federal agency to solicit an offer from only one source or to negotiate with only one source for the purchase of spare or replacement parts. Provides that when there is a conversion to contract of commercial activities not being presently performed by a private commercial source, such activities shall be set aside for exclusive competition among small businesses or awarded pursuant to the Government procurement contract set-aside program for small business under the Small Business Act. Requires that total labor surplus area set-asides be authorized if the Government procurement officer expects that: (1) offers will be obtained from at least two responsible businesses; and (2) awards will be made at reasonable prices. Requires that Federal agencies award contracts and encourage the placement of subcontracts on the basis of total and partial small business-labor surplus area set-asides and total and partial small business set-asides. Requires Federal agencies to establish goals each year for the award of their procurement contracts and subcontracts to: (1) small businesses which perform a substantial proportion of their production in areas of concentrated unemployment or underemployment or within labor surplus areas, in addition to those small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals; and (2) small businesses generally. Eliminates the requirement that such goals apply to procurement contracts of $10,000 or more. Sets forth requirements for the establishment of such goals. Requires that procurement contracts of $25,000 or less be reserved exclusively for small businesses unless the contracting officer is unable to obtain reasonable offers from two or more small businesses. Requires a presumption that procurement contracts between $25,000 and $2,000,001 may be awarded through the small business set-aside program. Requires that contracting officers, to the maximum extent practicable, choose a payment method which minimizes paperwork and facilitates prompt payment to small businesses.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1983
Natural Gas Consumer Relief Act - Title I: Contracting and Marketing Practices - Amends the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978 to declare a take-or-pay clause of a pipeline contract to be against public policy and unenforceable for a three-year period: (1) to the extent that it requires a pipeline to make any payment with respect to natural gas in excess of 50 percent of the maximum annual volume the pipeline has contracted to take; or (2) if such clause does not entitle a pipeline which makes a payment under such clause to take delivery of the gas during the one year period beginning on the date of payments. Defines "take-or-pay clause" to mean any contract provision which requires payment for the minimum quantity of natural gas contracted for under the contract in the event the pipeline fails to take delivery. Permits a pipeline, in the case of a contract for the first sale of natural gas, to: (1) request the seller to renegotiate the contract; and (2) indicate that, if there is no renegotiation within 30 days of the request, the pipeline will exercise its market-out-option. Permits a pipeline exercising its market out option to refuse delivery without incurring an obligation to pay for any amount of natural gas contracted for if the pipeline in its sole discretion determines that it could not market the gas. Declares any indefinite price escalator clause applicable to the first sale of natural gas to be against public policy and unenforceable. Defines "indefinite price escalator clause" as any provision of any contract which provides for the establishment or adjustment of the price for natural gas delivered by reference to prices for natural gas, crude oil, or any other commodity. Prohibits a pipeline from passing through its costs if the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) determines that the pipeline has failed to adopt practices minimizing amounts paid to purchase natural gas. Declares any minimum commodity beill requirement applicable to any sale of natural gas by any interstate or intrastate pipeline to be against public policy and unenforceable: (1) to the extent it requires the purchaser to make any payment with respect to natural gas in excess of 50 percent of the maximum annual volume the purchaser has contracted to take; or (2) if such requirement does not entitle a purchaser who makes a payment under such requirement to take delivery of the natural gas involved subsequent to the date of payment provided under the requirement. Directs FERC to order an interstate pipeline, upon application by a producer of natural gas or by a purchaser of natural gas from a producer, to carry natural gas, for a just and reasonable consideration, between the producer and purchaser if FERC finds that: (1) the pipeline has available capacity; (2) no undue burden would be placed upon such pipeline by reason of the order; (3) construction of new facilities would not be required; and (4) the order would not impair the ability of the pipeline to render adequate service to its other customers. Directs FERC to complete a rulemaking proceeding to issue standards for interstate pipeline tariffs. Directs FERC to require, by rule, a first-sale purchaser of natural gas to file a copy of the contract with FERC. Title II: Wellhead Price Provisions - Revises ceiling price provisions for natural gas. Provides that the ceiling price for categories other than high-cost gas shall be the January 1982 ceiling price multiplied by the monthly equivalent of the modified price adjustment factor. Defines the "modified price adjustment factor" for any month as the lower of: (1) 75 percent of the quarterly percent change in the GNP implicit price deflator (as defined in the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978); or (2) the percent change in the energy index, computed and published as an annual rate by the Department of Labor, for the most recent month for which such percent change has been so published at least eight days before the beginning of the month for which the modified price adjustment factor is being calculated. Provides that for high-cost gas the maximum lawful price for any first sale shall be 150 percent of the maximum lawful price for categories of gas other than high-cost gas. Provides for an adjusted ceiling price for wells drilled on or after January 1, 1982, and before enactment. Repeals provisions permitting increases in the ceiling price of certain categories of natural gas if just and reasonable. Provides, as a general rule, that the maximum lawful price applies with respect to the recovery of all costs and profits associated with production and first-sale delivery of marketable natural gas. Prohibits the importation of natural gas if the first sale price in the United States of the gas exceeds 150 percent of the maximum lawful price for domestically produced gas. Directs the President to submit to Congress a report on the status of negotiations with Canada regarding modification of the border price for natural gas imported from Canada. Extends price controls and standby authority for two years beyond their present expiration dates.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1983
Amends the Department of Defense Authorization Act, 1983, to postpone from July 1, 1983, to February 1, 1984, the effective date for denial of Federal educational assistance to students who failed to comply with the registration requirements of the Military Selective Service Act. Directs the Comptroller General to conduct an ongoing study and report to Congress by March 1, 1985, on the effectiveness of enforcing the registration requirement through student assistance programs.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1983
States that the Government should restore balance to the Department of Energy's FY 1984 budget by maintaining funding for energy conservation, solar and renewable energy, and weatherization programs and by distributing information on conservation and renewable and solar energy.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 1983
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow married individuals to compute the amount of their income tax deduction for contributions to retirement savings accounts on the basis of the earned income of their spouses. Treats alimony payments as compensation for purposes of this deduction.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 1983
Private Pension Reform Act of 1983 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code to require that a retirement plan that provides an annuity to a participant with at least ten years of creditable service shall provide a survivor's annuity for the spouse of any such participant who dies before the annuity starting date in an amount not less than the amount that would have been provided if the participant had survived and retired on such annuity date. Provides that a participant's election not to take a joint and survivor's annuity shall not be effective unless the spouse of the participant consents in writing to such an election. Requires a retirement plan to treat an individual who was the spouse of the participant on the annuity starting date and who survives the participant as if such individual were the spouse of the participant on the date of death of the participant whether or not divorced after the annuity starting date. Allows the assignment of the benefits of a qualified retirement plan in the case of a judgment decree or order relating to child support, alimony payments, or marital property rights pursuant to a State domestic relations law. Amends ERISA to lower the age limitation for participation in a qualified retirement plan from age 25 to age 21. Amends ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code to provide for accruals of creditable service to continue while an individual is on approved maternity or paternity leave at the rate of 20 hours service for each week of approved leave.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 1983
Expresses the sense of the Congress that no changes will be enacted in the guaranteed student loan program which would be effective for the academic year 1983-1984.
![Official portrait of Rep. Feighan, Edward F. [D-OH-19]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/f000059_200.jpg)