United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1983
Economic Equity Act of 1983 - Title I: Tax and Retirement Matters - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that the maximum deduction for contributions to an individual retirement plan: (1) shall be computed separately for each individual who is married; and (2) in the case of a married individual who has no compensation or less compensation than that of the spouse, shall be determined as if such compensation were the same as that of the individual's spouse. Treats alimony as compensation for purposes of determining an individual's income tax deduction for retirement savings. 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 a 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. Entitles former spouses of civil service employees or Members of Congress, who were married to an employee or Member for at least ten years during creditable service, to an annuity based upon a portion of retired or retainer pay unless otherwise provided by a spousal agreement or a state court decree of divorce or annulment. Entitles former spouses to survivor's benefits under the civil service plan unless the former spouse remarries before becoming 60 years of age or the employee or Member and former spouse elect to waive such benefit. Requires that such waiver be jointly made in writing. Includes displaced homemakers as a targeted group for purposes of the targeted jobs tax credit. Defines "displaced homemaker" as a person who: (1) has not worked, except in the home, for a substantial number of years; (2) has been dependent on public assistance or on the income of a family member but is no longer supported by that income; and (3) is a member of an economically disadvantaged family and is experiencing difficulty obtaining or upgrading employment. Increases the zero bracket amount for heads of households from $2,300 to $3,400. Title II: Dependent Care Program - Increases the income tax credit for household and dependent care services from a maximum of 30 percent of amounts paid to a maximum of 50 percent of amounts paid. Reduces such percentage to a minimum of 20 percent based on the taxpayer's adjusted gross income. Makes such income tax credit refundable. Treats as tax-exempt organizations certain organizations which provide nonresidential dependent care to the general public. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (through the Commissioner of the Administration of Children, Youth, and Families) to establish a grant program to assist nonprofit organizations in the establishment or operation of community-based child care information. Title III: Nondiscrimination in Insurance - Nondiscrimination in Insurance Act of 1983 - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in the consideration of applications for, or the granting of, insurance policies and the terms of such policies. Permits insurers who regularly provide insurance solely to persons of a single religious affiliation to continue to do so. Grants to State or local governments having insurance discrimination laws the primary opportunity to enforce this Act. Permits an aggrieved person to file a civil action in State or Federal court against an insurer, if a State or local authority: (1) has received notice of a complaint and fails to act within 60 days; or (2) has no insurance discrimination laws. Authorizes the Attorney General to bring a civil action in district court when there is reasonable cause to believe that a person or group is engaged in a pattern or practice of resistance to the rights granted by this Act and that such denial raises an issue of general public importance. Title IV: Regulatory Reform and Sex Neutrality - Requires the head of each Federal agency to: (1) conduct an ongoing review of the rules, regulations, programs, and policies of the agency to identify any which result in different treatment based on sex; and (2) submit annually a report to the Congress on such review. Sets forth rules of statutory construction relating to gender. Title V: Child Support Enforcement - Amends the Social Security Act to specify that the purpose of the child support enforcement program is to assure compliance with obligations to pay child support to each child in the United States living with one parent. Allows offsets of income tax refunds of an absent parent on behalf of children not receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children. (Present law permits such offsets only in the case of children receiving AFDC payments.) Requires States to establish a child support clearinghouse through which child support payments can be paid, recorded, and forwarded. Revises State child support enforcement procedures. Allows allotments for child and spousal support to be taken from the pay of Federal employees.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1983
Amends the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 to substitute a new title III (National Marine Sanctuaries) for the existing title III. Specifies congressional intent to authorize a program that: (1) establishes a system of marine sanctuaries by identifying marine environments of special significance due to their conservational, recreational, ecological, historical, educational, or esthetic value; (2) provides comprehensive area management complementing existing authorities; (3) supports scientific research and enhances public appreciation of such areas; and (4) facilitates public and private uses of such areas compatible with the primary objective of resource protection. Defines "marine environment" to mean: (1) the ocean waters and the continental shelf over which the United States asserts resource jurisdiction; and (2) the great Lakes and their connecting waters. Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce, upon the approval of the President, to designate an area as a national marine sanctuary if such designation fulfills the policies of this title and: (1) such area's resource or use values give it special national significance; (2) existing State and Federal authorities are inadequate to assure comprehensive area management; and (3) such area's size will facilitate comprehensive areawide management. Lists factors to be considered in making such findings. Requires the Secretary to consult with interested congressional committees, Federal, State, and Regional Fishery Management Council officials, and other persons in determining whether an area meets sanctuary designation standards. Sets forth designation provisions. Requires the Secretary to: (1) publish in the Federal Register notice of such designation and proposed implementing regulations; and (2) notify each House of Congress. States that a designation or designation term shall take effect unless: (1) Congress disapproves within 120 days; (2) the Secretary withdraws the designation; or (3) the Governor or Governors of States having jurisdiction over the area certify within 60 days of the designation date that such designation is unacceptable. Requires the Secretary to publish in the Federal Register the designation and terms of each sanctuary that takes effect under this title. Requires the Secretary to submit an annual report to Congress (on or before November 1) regarding areas being considered for sanctuary designation. Establishes civil penalties of up to $50,000 for violations of this title. Vests jurisdiction in the U.S. district courts. Authorizes appropriations through FY 1986.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1983
Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to require the Secretary of Labor to certify certain groups of workers as eligible for trade adjustment assistance upon a determination that: (1) increased imports "contributed importantly to" (currently, substantially caused) worker separations and sales or production reductions; or (2) a significant number of workers of a firm have been or are in danger of total or partial separation due to the relocation of such firm to a foreign country or instrumentality. Makes changes in the qualifying requirement for adjustment assistance for workers. Directs the Secretary of Labor to approve job training assistance for workers adversely affected by imports. (Currently the Secretary is authorized to approve such training.) Directs the Secretary to pay a daily supplemental assistance benefit to any worker who begins approved job training after enactment of this Act and who is not eligible for trade adjustment allowances. Increases the maximum job search and relocation allowances to $800. Establishes an Adjustment Assistance Trust Fund in the Treasury. Authorizes appropriations to the Trust Fund, payable out of the general fund of the Treasury attributable to the collection of customs duties, to carry out provisions for adjustment assistance for workers. Extends adjustment assistance for workers and firms until September 30, 1985. Amends the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 to amend the definition of "suitable work" for a worker who would be eligible for a trade readjustment allowance if the worker were not eligible for extended compensation.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1983
Federal Lending Oversight and Control Act - Title I: Reports Regarding Federal Credit Activity - Requires the Council of Economic Advisers, in its annual report to the Congress as required by the Employment Act of 1946, to examine the relationship between Federal credit activity during the previous year and: (1) the condition of the economy; (2) the availability and cost of credit in the private sector; and (3) the exercise of monetary and fiscal policy by the Government. Amends the Federal Reserve Act to direct the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, in their biannual reports to Congress concerning recent developments affecting economic trends in the Nation, to examine the effects of Federal credit activity on the availability and cost of credit in the private sector and on the exercise of monetary policy by the Board and the Federal Open Market Committee. Amends the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921 to require the President, in his annual budget statement to the Congress, to include all essential facts regarding direct lending by the Government and guarantees by the Government of the repayment of indebtedness incurred by another person or government. Title II: Changes in Congressional Budget Procedures - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require the first concurrent resolution on the budget for each fiscal year to set forth the appropriate level of total gross obligations for the principal amount of direct loans and the appropriate level of total commitments to guarantee loans and to allocate such totals among the major functional categories of the budget. Directs each standing committee of the House and Senate to submit its estimates of direct loan obligations and loan guarantee commitments provided for in legislation under its jurisdiction by March 15 of each year for consideration of the Budget Committee in formulating the budget resolution. Directs the House and Senate Banking Committees to submit recommendations to the Budget Committees for the aggregate levels of direct loans and loan guarantees in each fiscal year. Requires the joint explanatory statement accompanying a conference report on the concurrent resolution on the budget to include an estimate allocation of the total levels of direct loan obligations and loan guarantee commitments among the committees of the House and Senate. Directs the Committees on Appropriations to provide such an allocation among their subcommittees as soon as practicable after a budget resolution has been agreed to. Requires the House Committee on Appropriations, before reporting any regular appropriations bills, to submit a summary report to the House comparing the credit authority contained in such bills to the levels agreed to in the budget resolution. Requires any report accompanying legislation conferring new budget authority or increasing tax expenditures to include information on direct loan obligations and loan guarantee commitments. Establishes a deadline for the completion of action on legislation providing credit authority. Requires the second concurrent resolution on the budget in any fiscal year and the reconciliation process to take into account Federal obligations and commitments on loans and loan guarantees. Declares out of order any measure brought up for consideration in either House which would increase the level of loan obligations and guarantee commitments agreed to in the budget process. Requires any authority to guarantee the payment of any indebtedness to be contingent on provisions in appropriation Acts. Title III: Budget Execution - Includes within the definition of appropriations all annual limitations on direct loans and loan guarantees. Title IV: Amendments to House Bills - Amends rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives to require each standing committee (other than the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on the Budget) to review and make appropriate recommendations with respect to the consistency and uniformity of the different definitions, default provisions, policies, interest rates, and other terms and conditions relating to direct loan, loan insurance, and loan guarantee activities included in any laws of which the subject matter is within the jurisdiction of that committee. Title V: Construction and Effective Dates - Sets forth the effective dates of the titles of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1983
Air Travelers Security Act of 1983 - Amends the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 to declare congressional policy with respect to the marketing and sale of passenger air transportation. Directs the Civil Aeronautics Board to vacate Order 82-12-85, adopted on December 16, 1982, and to adopt as its final decision in docket numbered 36595 the recommended order of an administrative law judge dated June 1, 1982.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1983
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a penalty tax on charitable organizations which fail to use certain funds set aside to provide legal services to the poor.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1983
United States Olympic Checkoff Act of 1983 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow taxpayers to designate on their income tax returns a contribution of one dollar of their income tax refunds or any cash amount voluntarily forwarded with their returns to support the U.S. Olympic Trust Fund. Establishes in the Treasury a U.S. Olympic Trust Fund (trust fund). Appropriates to such trust fund an amount equal to the amount designated on tax returns. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to pay amounts so transferred to the U.S. Olympic Committee. Allows specified administrative expenses to be paid from such trust fund.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1983
Emergency Housing Assistance Act of 1983 - Amends the Emergency Housing Act of 1975 to direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make emergency mortgage relief payments to mortgagees on behalf of certain delinquent mortgagors in a district when, for three consecutive months, the amount of delinquent mortgage loans exceeds a specified percentage of the amount of all loans accounted for in the mortgage delinquency series maintained by the Federal Home Loan Bank Board for such district or the nation. Provides for the discontinuation and reinstitution of such assistance program depending on such delinquency rate condition. Directs the Secretary to notify the mortgagees in a district of the institution or reinstitution of such a program in that district. Lists the conditions for assistance eligibility, which include requirements that: (1) the mortgage is not federally insured under the National Housing Act or the Housing Act of 1949; (2) the mortgagor has suffered a substantial reduction in income as a result of circumstances beyond the mortgagor's control which renders the mortgagor unable to make full mortgage payments; and (3) the Secretary has determined that assistance is necessary to avoid foreclosure and that it is likely that the mortgagor will be able to resume full mortgage payments within 36 months and pay the mortgage in full by its maturity date. Establishes a rebuttable presumption that a mortgagor will be able to resume making full payments and pay the mortgage in full if the mortgagor suffered a reduction in income because of a loss of, or reduction in, employment. Requires each mortgagee, at least 30 days before instituting any foreclosure proceeding, to assist the mortgagor involved in applying for assistance under this Act, unless the mortgagor waives such assistance. Prohibits a mortgagee from instituting foreclosure proceedings until it receives notice of the Secretary's decision on such an application. Allows a mortgagor to apply for assistance after foreclosure proceedings have begun, in which event such proceedings shall be stayed pending the Secretary's decision. Requires an application to contain the mortgagee's certification that at least three full monthly payments are past due and that the mortgagee has extended a specified amount of voluntary forebearance. Declares that assistance payments shall: (1) not exceed amounts necessary to supplement the amounts the mortgagor is able to contribute; (2) be not less than the amount necessary to ensure that the total monthly housing expense of the mortgagor does not exceed 38 percent of his or her net effective income; and (3) be provided for a period not to exceed 18 months plus any period of delinquency, with an 18-month extension if necessary to avoid foreclosure. Directs the Secretary to establish certain procedures for ascertaining the mortgagor's financial circumstances to determine whether such payments should be adjusted or terminated. Declares that all assistance payments shall be secured by a lien on the property and repayable on terms prescribed by the Secretary, with certain restrictions. Allows a mortgagor to receive assistance under this Act more than once, except that payments may not be provided for a mortgagor for more than an aggregate of 36 months. Sets forth the authority of the Secretary to recapture such assistance. Directs the Secretary to: (1) provide homeownership counseling to persons assisted under this Act; and (2) approve or disapprove an application for assistance within 45 days. Creates the Homeowners Emergency Relief fund to be available to carry out this Act. Authorizes appropriations and limits expenditures for assistance under this Act. Requires the Secretary and certain Federal agencies which supervise financial institutions to: (1) encourage such institutions to exercise forebearance with respect to residential mortgages; and (2) waive or relax limitations pertaining to the operations of such institutions or mortgagees with respect to mortgage delinquencies. Directs the Federal home loan banks, the Federal Reserve banks, and the National Credit Union Administration to give special consideration to advance, discount, or credit applications of the institutions or borrowers that have exercised forebearance in residential mortgage foreclosures. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress every 90 days on: (1) the rate of delinquencies and foreclosures in various housing markets; (2) the prospects of voluntary forebearance by mortgagees in such areas; (3) Government actions to encourage such forebearance and to provide assistance under this title; and (4) the default status of mortgages on multifamily properties with recommendations on curing and avoiding such defaults. Directs the Secretary to study and report on the use of alternative mortgage delinquency series under this title. Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to authorize appropriations for grants by the Secretary to local governments and Indian tribes for the provision of shelter and essential services for individuals who are subject to life-threatening situations because of their lack of housing. Requires that a house which is rehabilitated with such assistance be used for emergency housing for at least three years. Directs the Secretary to: (1) consider the special housing needs of families and single women; and (2) ensure that such grants do not replace funds currently expended for such shelter and services. Amends the Housing Act of 1949 to require the Secretary of Agriculture, prior to taking any action that would result in a borrower losing housing financed by a rural housing loan, to grant a moratorium on loan payments if the borrower shows that he or she is unable to continue making payments because of circumstances beyond his or her control. Requires the Secretary to: (1) ensure that delinquent borrowers are informed of the availability of such assistance; and (2) provide technical assistance to borrowers applying for such assistance. Authorizes the Secretary to reamortize the accrued debt of a borrower if reamortization is likely to result in the resumption of payments by the borrower.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1983
Domestic Commodity Distribution and Food Assistance Act - Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to distribute surplus Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) stocks to eligible agencies (as defined in this Act). Requires the CCC to pay for commodity processing with funds or with in-kind payments to the processor. Requires the Secretary to publish an annual announcement of such anticipated surplus stocks. Provides that up to 500,000 metric tons of wheat available under the Food Security and Wheat Reserve Act of 1980 may be used for domestic purposes. Requires the CCC to use any additional reserves to replenish such stocks by September 30, 1985. Provides for State distribution of commodities under this Act. States that if a State agency cannot meet the requests for a given commodity such agency shall give special consideration to organizations that serve low-income and unemployed persons. Provides administrative money to the States to run such program. Prohibits States from charging recipient agencies for related program costs. Requires States to pay the distribution costs of organizations serving low-income and unemployed persons. Requires the Secretary and the States to work with private companies and recipient agencies to make it easier for recipients to process such commodities into end use products. Directs the Secretary to use moneys saved on storage and spoilage to process commodities into food products for agencies serving low-income and unemployed persons. Exempts such commodity distributions from specified food stamp prohibitions.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 1983
Vietnam Veterans Agent Orange Relief Act - Establishes a presumption of service-connected disability for veterans exposed to herbicides during service in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam era who suffer from specified diseases which may be caused by exposure to such herbicides, developed to a ten percent degree of disability. Permits the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to determine what other diseases may be due to exposure to herbicides, chemicals, or environmental hazards. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations within one year of enactment incorporating such determinations and setting forth the standards used to reach them.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 1983
Tobacco Deregulation Act of 1983 - Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 and the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 to repeal specified tobacco programs, including: (1) price supports; (2) parity payments; (3) review and adjustment of quotas; and (4) marketing quotas. Amends the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 and the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act to prohibit agricultural commodity assistance for tobacco. Amends the Agricultural Adjustment Assistance Act to prohibit the Secretary of Agriculture from issuing any tobacco handling orders. Makes such provisions applicable to the 1984 and subsequent tobacco crops. Repeals provisions relating to compacts among States providing for the control or production of, or commerce in, tobacco within such States. Withdraws congressional consent to such compacts.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1983
Vietnam Veterans National Medal Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to coin and sell a medal in honor of the members and former members of the Armed Forces who served in Vietnam. Declares that the Secretary shall offer such medals for sale to the public at a price sufficient to cover the cost of minting and distributing of such medals.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1983
World War I Veterans Service Pension Act - Directs the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to pay (in addition to any pension already paid) a monthly pension of $150 to each veteran of World War I who meets specified service requirements and to certain surviving spouses.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1983
State and Local Fiscal Assistance Amendments of 1983 - Extends the general revenue sharing program through FY 1987. Authorizes appropriations to the State and Local Government Fiscal Assistance Trust Fund to pay entitlement amounts to State and general local governments. Entitles each State government to an amount equal to any amount allocated to that government from the Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1983
Prohibits the importation of certain species of kangaroos and kangaroo products (currently allowed to be imported under an administrative exception to the Endangered Species Act of 1973 if in accordance with the management plans of Australian states).
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1983
Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to provide that American military assistance may not be provided to El Salvador unless the President, after consulting with Congress, transmits to Congress a report stating that: (1) El Salvador has engaged in negotiations with all concerned parties to end the conflict there; or (2) El Salvador cannot proceed with such negotiations because specified parties are not willing to participate in the negotiation process. Provides that any unobligated funds allocated pursuant to this Act shall be: (1) used for development assistance projects in El Salvador; (2) used for aid for persons displaced by the strife; or (3) deposited in the U.S. Treasury. Permits the introduction of U.S. forces into El Salvador to evacuate U.S. citizens or if there is a clear and present danger of attack upon the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1983
Amends the Export Administration Act of 1979 to reinstate certain export controls for one year. Authorizes the President to extend such controls. Prohibits recission of a determination that a country is supporting international terrorism, unless the President submits a report to Congress justifying such recission and certifying that such a country has not supported international terrorism for the preceding 12-month period.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1983
Creates a presumption of service-connected disability for compensation purposes for any veteran who was exposed to radiation or toxic chemicals while actively serving in the armed forces and who is now suffering from a disability or disorder symptomatic of such exposure. Maintains such presumption even in the absence of records. Entitles to disability or death compensation and to dependency and indemnity compensation any children of such a veteran with a disability or defect which may reasonably be determined to have been caused by genetic damage in the veteran. Directs the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to carry out a comprehensive program to screen veterans who may have been exposed to radiation or toxic chemicals during their active service to determine whether they incurred a disease or disability from such exposure. Requires the Administrator to provide outreach and counseling services. Directs the Administrator to establish a research and training program in the diagnosis and treatment of disabilities caused by exposure to radiation. Requires the establishment of a centralized registry of claims before the Veterans Administration or other agencies arising out of actual or possible exposure to radiation and toxic chemicals. Requires the Administrator to include in the annual report to Congress a comprehensive report on the administration and implementation of such screening and research activities.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1983
Repeals provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 which authorize the President to provide emergency foreign military assistance. Makes conforming amendments.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1983
Designates May 21, 1983, as National Sakharov Day. Authorizes and requests the President to: (1) call upon all nations to designate May 21, 1983, as National Sakharov Day; (2) urge the Soviet Union to permit the Sakharovs to freely choose their place of residence; and (3) direct the American delegation to the United Nations to introduce a resolution in the General Assembly calling upon that body to designate May 21, 1983, as International Sakharov Day.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1983
Authorizes and requests the President to designate the week of April 10 to 16, 1983, as A Week of Remembrance for the Fortieth Anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1983
Prohibits the shipment in interstate or foreign commerce of steel jaw leghold traps and articles of fur from animals that were caught in such traps. Sets forth penalties for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1983
Comprehensive Smoking Prevention Education Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to inform the public of the health hazards of cigarettes through research, demonstration, and educational activities. Establishes an Interagency Committee on Smoking and Health to coordinate such Federal and private activities. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress biennially (with the first report due by January 1, 1984). Amends the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act to require cigarette packages to carry one of three specified label warnings on a rotating basis. Includes exports under such requirements. Makes it unlawful to advertise cigarettes without one of three specified warnings. Makes it unlawful to manufacture, import, or package cigarettes commercially without disclosing tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide levels on the package. Requires the Secretary to test such levels at least once a year. Makes it unlawful to manufacture, import, or package cigarettes commercially without first filing with the Secretary a list of chemical additives (types and amounts). Requires the Secretary to report at least annually to Congress regarding cigarette additives and their health hazards. Increases the fine for violation of such Act from $10,000 to $100,000.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1983
Prohibits the sale of and the financing of sales of cluster bombs under the Arms Export Control Act. Directs the President to prohibit all exports of cluster bombs under specified export control provisions of such Act. Prohibits the furnishing of cluster bombs to any foreign country under the Foreign Assistance Act. Suspends all obligations to deliver cluster bombs.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1983
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the proposed changes by the Office of Management and Budget to Circular A-122 that would prohibit Federal reimbursement of Government contractors and grantees for the cost of activities constituting political advocacy should be withdrawn permanently.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1983
Condemns the trial and conviction of Dr. Viktor Brailovsky by the Soviet Union. Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the President should express to the Soviet Union U.S. concern and opposition to the internal exile of Dr. Brailovsky and to the Soviet Union's refusal to permit Dr. Brailovsky and his family to emigrate; (2) the Soviet Union should comply with various international agreements by reversing Dr. Brailovsky's conviction and by permitting him and his family to emigrate; and (3) the Soviet Union should cease persecuting individuals seeking to emigrate and should cease denying basic rights to Soviet Jews.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 1983
Amends the National Labor Relations Act to authorize the Secretary of Labor to prohibit the awarding of Federal contracts to persons who have violated certain judicial orders or orders issued by the National Labor Relations Board. Limits the period of such ban to not more than three years after the Secretary has certified the identify of such person to the Comptroller General. Permits the awarding of Federal contracts to such person during the period of the ban if the Federal agency or department, after notice and opportunity for hearing to all interested parties, certifies to the Secretary that there is no other source for the material or services furnished by such person.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 1983
Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Enhancement Act of 1983 - Title I: Fish Restoration Program - Amends the Federal Aid in Fish Restoration Act to direct coastal States to equitably allocate apportioned revenues under the Fish Restoration Act of 1983 between marine and freshwater fish projects. Defines "coastal State" for purposes of this Act. Authorizes appropriations equal to revenues accruing under: (1) the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 with respect to taxes on special motor fuels and gasoline used as fuel in motor boats and the tax imposed on sport fishing equipment; and (2) the Tariff Schedules of the United States for import duties on fishing tackle, yachts, and pleasure craft. Makes certain amounts of such revenues available to: (1) the Secretary of Transportation for boating safety programs and boating facilities improvement programs under the Federal Boat Safety Act of 1971; and (2) the Secretary of the Interior for sport fish restoration under this Act. Reduces the percentage of annual appropriations available to the Secretary of the Interior for the expenses of investigations and administration. Eliminates notification requirements of States of intent to accept apportioned funds. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements to finance up to 75 percent of the costs of land acquisition and construction of facilities. Permits each State to use up to ten percent of apportioned funds for an aquatic resource education program and an angler and aquatic safety education program. Amends the Federal Boat Safety Act of 1971, the Recreational Boating Safety and Facilities Improvement Act of 1980, and the Highway Revenue Act of 1956 to conform to provisions of this Act. Title II: Tax on Sale of Sport Fishing Equipment - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a tax on the sale by the manufacturer, producer, or importer of any article of sport fishing equipment, electric trolling motors, and fish finders.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 1983
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should: (1) consider appointing a high level official as the President's personal representative in seeking a solution to the Cyprus conflict and the differences between Greece and Turkey with regard to the control of the Aegean Sea; (2) call upon Turkey to withdraw its forces and colonists from Cyprus; and (3) pursue every appropriate avenue to seek a prompt resolution. States that international security assistance for Turkey shall be suspended unless a Presidential certification, containing specified requirements, is in effect and the Congress approves such certification.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1983
Title I: Labor Standards - Requires any United States person who has or controls an enterprise in South Africa 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; (4) establishment of a minimum wage and salary structure; (5) increase in the representation of nonwhites in managerial, supervisory, administrative, clerical, and technical jobs; (6) improvement of the quality of employees' lives outside the work environment; and (7) recognition of labor unions and fair labor practices. Declares that the Secretary may issue guidelines and give advisory opinions on compliance with such principles. Directs the Secretary of State to establish an Advisory Council in South Africa 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 South Africa 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. Title II: Prohibition on Loans and Importation of Gold Coins - Prohibits any U.S. financial or lending institution from making any loan directly or through a foreign subsidiary to South Africa unless such loan is for educational, housing or health facilities available to all persons on a nondiscriminatory basis. Prohibits the importation of any gold coin minted in South Africa or sold by South Africa. Directs the Secretary to take specified actions to enforce the prohibitions on loans and the importation of gold coins. Sets forth penalties for violations of such prohibitions. Authorizes the President to waive such prohibitions for one year if South Africa meets specified conditions. Title III: General Provisions - Directs Federal agencies to cooperate with the Secretary in carrying out provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1983
Authorizes the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to construct a shoreline protection project for Maumee Bay State Park, Lake Erie, Ohio. States the non-Federal share of the cost of such project.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1983
National Commission on Neurofibromatosis Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish within 60 days a National Commission on Neurofibromatosis which shall formulate a plan to identify the research needed to develop an effective treatment and a cure for neurofibromatosis. Sets forth operating and related provisions. Authorizes the Commission to transmit interim reports. Requires the Commission to make a final report to the President and to each House of Congress within two years. Terminates the Commission three months after submission of the final report.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1983
Countercyclical Community Development Employment Assistance Act of 1983 - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make supplementary community development grants to States, metropolitan cities, and urban counties which have high unemployment rates. Authorizes appropriations. Requires 75 percent of the amount available for such grants during any calendar quarter to be allocated to metropolitan cities and urban counties based on the relative number of unemployed persons in each city or county exceeding the number representing nine percent unemployment. Requires the Secretary to allocate the remaining amount available for supplementary grants to States for local governments, other than metropolitan cities and urban counties, experiencing high rates of unemployment and serious fiscal problems as a result of adverse economic conditions. Directs the Secretary to determine the amounts of grants to States on the basis of the relative number of unemployed persons in the local governments of each State exceeding the number representing nine percent unemployment. Sets forth grant application requirements and procedures. Allows funds provided under this Act to be used to supplement other Federal grant programs in lieu of local share requirements if the funded projects are consistent with community development objectives.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1983
American Eagle Gold Coin Act of 1983 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint gold coins to be referred to as "American Eagles." Sets forth the specifications for two types of such gold coins. Declares that coins minted under this Act shall not be legal tender for public debts, public charges, taxes, duties or dues, but may be used for the payment of private debts. Sets forth the dates by which the Secretary shall begin delivery of such coins. Sets forth the formula by which the Secretary shall determine the daily price of such coins. Declares that the Secretary shall charge no seigniorage in excess of the gold bullion value except to the extent necessary to cover the expenses for production of such coins. Permits the exchange of gold bullion for such American Eagle coins. Permits the Secretary to prescribe necessary regulations. Declares that the gold coins be subject to taxation in the same manner as other currency of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1983
Tenant Rental Contribution Act of 1983 - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to declare that income limits for occupancy and rents in public housing shall be fixed by the public housing agency and approved by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Decreases from 30 to 25 the percentage of a tenant's adjusted income payable as rent for: (1) public housing under such Act; (2) rental housing assisted under the National Housing Act; or (3) rental housing assisted through the rent supplement program of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965. Applies the definitions of the terms "income" and "adjusted income" under the United States Housing Act of 1937 to such other Acts. Amends such definitions to specify: (1) amounts to be excluded from "income"; and (2) amounts to be deducted from "income" to determine "adjusted income."
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1983
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) noncompliance with the regulations established by the International Whaling Commission undermines international whale conservation efforts; (2) the President should encourage those nations which have filed objections to the International Whaling Commission's ban on commercial whaling to withdraw their objections; and (3) the Secretary of State, in reviewing the allocations of the total allowable level of foreign fishing under specified agreements, should consider whether a foreign nation filed an objection to the Commission's ban on commercial whaling and has not withdrawn its objection.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1983
Amends the Small Business Act to authorize the Small Business Administration to make loans to small businesses in areas of economic dislocation resulting from drastic fluctuation in the value of the currency of a country contiguous to the United States and adjustments in the regulation of its monetary system. Limits each loan to a maximum of $100,000. Prohibits the use of loan proceeds to reduce other loans. Permits the deferral of loan repayment for one year.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1983
Amends the Department of Defense Authorization Act, 1983, to delay until July 1, 1984, the effective date for the denial of Federal educational assistance to students who have failed to comply with the registration requirements under the Military Selective Service Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1983
Renewable Energy Employment Act - Title I: Jobs Training in Renewable Energy - Requires the Secretary of Labor to review all Federal job training or placement programs and to implement policies, procedures and programs to develop a labor force skilled in energy conservation, weatherization of homes, and the use of renewable energy technologies. Title II: Housing and Community Development Programs - Amends the Energy Conservation in Existing Buildings Act of 1976 to require the Secretary of Energy to maintain information on: (1) the areas to be served under the weatherization assistance program; (2) methods for providing priority assistance to elderly and severely handicapped low-income persons; (3) outreach activities with respect to such program; (4) labor plans; (5) policies to ensure that owners and renters are treated equitably; and (6) plans to ensure participation by Native Americans under such program. Requires the Secretary and the Director of the Community Services Administration to include in the annual report to the President and Congress on the weatherization program an evaluation of the effect of such program on energy conservation and employment. Authorizes appropriations for the weatherization program for FY 1984 and succeeding fiscal years. Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to include the potential for local energy development, including energy conservation and renewable energy use, among the factors which must be taken into account by the standards issued by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for determining the eligibility of cities and urban counties for urban development action grants. Includes among the activities of Community Development Programs which are eligible for assistance under such Act those amounts spent for energy needs. Amends the Housing Act of 1949 to authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make loans for energy conservation and renewable energy development or retrofit for housing in rural areas. Requires Federal agencies administering financial assistance programs for economic development or job creation to consider the development of energy conservation and renewable energy as significant criteria for the provision of such assistance. Title III: Promotion of Sustainable Agriculture - Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to include as non-fossil energy system windmills, anaerobic digesters, alcohol distilleries, microhydroelectric generators, gasifiers, and solar heating systems. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture, in making loans to farmers and ranchers, to promote sustainable agriculture (a set of agricultural production practices which are designed to produce long term, sustainable yields of agricultural products, involve the use of renewable resources, and avoid the use of chemical products). Amends the Rural Development Act of 1972 to require that small farm extension programs assist small farm families in carrying out sustainable agriculture. Provides that sustainable agriculture extension programs shall consist of extension programs to provide farmers with assistance and current information with respect to sustainable agriculture. Permits all other persons in a State, in addition to universities and colleges in such State, to participate in agricultural research and extension programs. (Under current law, only universities and colleges in a State may participate in such programs.) Requires the Secretary of Agriculture, in carrying out the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977, to ensure that adequate national support of extension, teaching, and agricultural research is provided to establish integrated multidisciplinary organic farming research projects. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to report annually to Congress on sustainable agriculture in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1983
Title I: Essential Preventive Programs for Children - Subtitle A: Child Welfare; Adoption; Juvenile Justice Runaway Youth - Makes appropriations for FY 1984 to enable the Secretary of Health and Human Services to cooperate with State public welfare agencies in establishing, extending, and strengthening child welfare services, pursuant to the authority contained in specified provisions of the Adoption Reform and Child Welfare Act of 1980 and the Social Security Act. Reauthorizes the program of Federal payments for dependent children voluntarily placed in foster care (by eliminating the October 1, 1983, termination date for such program) under the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 for grants to States for child abuse and neglect prevention and treatment programs under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 for demonstration projects under such Act. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 to carry out provisions relating to adoption opportunities under title II of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment and Adoption Reform Act of 1978. Authorizes and makes appropriations for FY 1984 to make grants and contracts under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 1978 for programs and projects to prevent, identify, and treat sexual abuse of children. Limits to ten percent the amount of such funds which may be used for research. Makes appropriations for FY 1984, pursuant to the above authorizations of appropriations for: (1) grants to States under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act; (2) demonstration projects under such Act; (3) adoption opportunities under title II of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment and Adoption Reform Act of 1978; and (4) programs and projects related to the treatment of sexual abuse of children. Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 to eliminate the ceiling on appropriations to carry out title II (Programs and Offices) of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974. Makes appropriations for FY 1984 to carry out such title. Amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to increase the amount authorized to be appropriated for FY 1984 for part A (Grants Program) of title III (Runaway and Homeless Youth) of such Act. Makes appropriations for FY 1984 for such grants program for runaway and homeless youth under such Act. Subtitle B: Child Care - Makes appropriations for FY 1984 to carry out the Head Start Act, pursuant to the authority contained in specified provisions of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981. Amends the National School Lunch Act to restore a reimbursement level for up to three meals and two supplements per day per child. (Current law provides for only two meals and one supplement.) Provides that no institution may be prohibited from serving breakfast, lunch, supper, and supplements to any eligible child each day, except in the case of institutions that provide day care to school children outside of school hours. Eliminates provisions for ten percent reductions in the total amount of reimbursement provided for school lunch program administrative expenses for family or group day care home sponsoring organizations. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to immediately adjust the maximum allowable level for administrative expense payments so as to achieve an increase in the total amount of reimbursement which is equivalent to any reduction made pursuant to specified amendments made by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981. Provides for restoration of the child care nutrition equipment assistance program under the National School Lunch Act. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to provide assistance under the National School Lunch Act to States for programs serving large numbers of low-income children meals under such Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966. Sets forth formulas for reimbursements to institutions. Amends title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services) of the Social Security Act to establish a program of supplemental incentive grants to States for child day care services. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 for such program. Sets forth provisions for apportionment among the States and other program requirements. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the income tax credit for household and dependent care expenses from 20 percent to a maximum of 50 percent of such expenses. Reduces such percentage by one percent for each full $1,000 by which the taxpayer's adjusted gross income exceeds $10,000. Makes the income tax credit for household and dependent care services refundable. Provides that no part of such credit shall be: (1) counted as income in determining eligibility for other entitlement programs; or (2) counted against other credits under specified provisions of the Code. Grants tax-exempt status to organizations which provide nonresidential dependent care services to the general public for purposes of enabling individuals to maintain employment. Subtitle C: Health Care for Mothers and Children - Part 1: Appropriations - Amends title V (Maternal and Child Health and Crippled Children's Services) of the Social Security Act to increase the amount authorized to be appropriated for FY 1984 for the maternal and child health block grant program. Makes appropriations for FY 1984 for such program. Makes appropriations for FY 1984 for grants to community health centers, pursuant to the authority contained in the Public Health Service Act. Makes appropriations for FY 1984 to carry out title X (Population Research and Family Planning) of the Public Health Service Act, pursuant to the authority contained in such Act and in the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981. Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 and the Public Health Service Act to increase the amount authorized to be appropriated in FY 1984 for grants for preventive health service programs to immunize children against immunizable diseases. Makes appropriations for FY 1984 for such grants. Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to increase the amount authorized to be appropriated for FY 1984 for the special supplemental food program for women, infants and children (WIC). Makes appropriations for FY 1984 for the WIC program. Part 2: Medicaid - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to provide for: (1) eligibility for certain needy individuals under age 18 and pregnant women; (2) automatic eligibility determination procedures during the first two months of life for certain children born to women receiving Medicaid assistance; (3) vision, hearing, and dental care services for eligible individuals under age 21; (4) exemption of certain expenditures in calculating Federal expenditure targets for States; and (5) mandatory Medicaid eligibility for recipients of State-provided child care. Subtitle D: Education - Makes appropriations for FY 1984 to carry out chapter I (Financial Assistance to Meet Special Educational Needs of Disadvantaged Children) of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981, pursuant to the authority contained in the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981. Makes appropriations for FY 1984 to carry out part B (Assistance for Education of All Handicapped Children) of the Education of the Handicapped Act, pursuant to the authority contained in the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981. Amends the National School Lunch Act to provide for a reduction of reduced-price meal costs. Revises eligibility standards for free and reduced-price lunches. Provides for an increased subsidy for preparation of free or reduced-price meals. Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to repeal the $5,000,000 per fiscal year limitation on funding for grants to States for nutrition education and information programs. Authorizes appropriations for at least $10,000,000 per fiscal year for such grants. Makes appropriations for FY 1984 for such grants. Repeals provisions of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 which lowered the earned income deduction under the food stamps program. Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to increase the earned income deduction. Provides for optional retrospective accounting for determining household eligibility under the food stamps program. Raises food stamp benefit amounts to thrifty food plan levels. Subtitle F: Family Supports - Amends title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services) to increase the amount authorized to be appropriated for FY 1984 and succeeding fiscal years. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for an upward adjustment of the credit for dependent children and children under age six. Reduces the tax on earned income of low-income workers. Amends title IV, part A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) of the Social Security Act to repeal provisions which count earned income tax credit payments in advance as income for AFDC grant determination purposes. Amends title IV, part A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) of the Social Security Act to provide for: (1) mandatory supplemental payments to families with income; (2) optional retrospective budgeting and optional monthly reporting by States; (3) elimination of the four-month restriction on work incentive disregards; (4) repeal of the 150 percent cap on income limit for eligibility; and (5) increased amounts for the disregards for work expenses and child care expenses. Subtitle G: Youth Employment - Makes appropriations for FY 1984 to carry out part A (Adult and Youth Programs) of title II (Training Services for the Disadvantaged) and title IV (Federally Administered Programs) (other than part B - Job Corps - provisions of title IV) of the Job Training Partnership Act of 1982. Requires that at least 93 percent of the appropriated amount be available to carry out local training programs for economically disadvantaged persons under part A of title II of such Act. Makes appropriations for FY 1984 to carry out part B (Summer Youth Employment and Training Programs) of title II of the Job Training Partnership Act of 1982.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1983
Solar Energy National Security and Employment (SENSE) Act of 1983 - Title I: Use of Solar and Other Renewable Forms of Energy Developed By Private Sector - Renewable Energy Small Business Development Act of 1983 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the energy percentage for energy property which is used in determining the qualified investment tax credit. Treats biomass recycling equipment as biomass property and includes biomass property as "energy property" for purposes of the energy percentage. Eliminates the requirement that the primary energy sources for a facility producing alcohol for fuel purposes not be oil or natural gas or a product of either one in order for such alcohol to be treated as "qualified fuel" for purposes of the energy percentage. Amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to require that a minimum of 12 percent of the loan authority of the Export-Import Bank in any fiscal year be made available only to businesses with $25,000,000 or less in previous-year sales and include an amount of loan authority for renewable energy transactions that is appropriate to the demand for such loans. Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to require that the rates for purchases by an electric utility of electric energy from any qualifying cogeneration facility or qualifying small power production facility be established at the incremental cost of alternative electric energy of such utility, unless the State regulatory authority or a nonregulated electric utility determines that a different rate would encourage cogeneration and small power production, would not discriminate against cogenerators and small power producers, and would be in the consumers' and the public's interest. (Currently, such rates must be just and reasonable to the consumers and in the public interest and must not discriminate against cogenerators and small power producers.) Requires a cogeneration facility or small power production facility to pay reasonable interconnection costs incurred by an electric utility which is required to offer to interconnect with such facility. Requires the U.S. Trade Representative to issue policy guidance to departments and agencies with respect to international trade issues involving renewable energy. Amends the Small Business Innovation Development Act of 1982 to require that a reasonable portion of the funds appropriated for nonnuclear programs of the Department of Energy be set aside for renewable energy and energy conservation businesses. Title II: Renewable Energy National Security - Renewable Energy National Security Act of 1983 - Requires the Secretary of a military department, when procuring energy systems, to procure systems that include energy-conserving equipment. Includes biofuels as a renewable form of energy for purposes of energy systems procurement by a military department. Requires the Secretary of Defense to provide for the use of biofuels in meeting Department of Defense energy needs to the extent feasible and consistent with overall defense needs. Requires the Secretary of Defense to encourage the use of energy-conserving devices and equipment in military construction projects, including family housing projects, where practical and economically feasible. Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to include spoilt and contaminated grains among the accumulated stocks of agricultural commodities which the Commodity Credit Corporation may process into liquid fuels. Authorizes the Corporation to provide for the storage of liquid fuels so processed for use by the agricultural sector during periods of fuel shortages. Requires the Corporation to provide for the processing of spoilt and contaminated commodities into liquid fuels before the processing of stocks of usable feedstock. Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to require the Secretary of Energy to maintain a data base on the location of all stockpiles of renewable energy supplies and biofuels and of all renewable energy production facilities in the United States. Requires that such data be made available to Government departments and agencies upon request. Requires the Secretary of Defense to assess and report to the Armed Services Committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate on the feasibility of using mobile energy systems that use renewable energy as emergency backup energy systems at military installations. Title III: Federal Training and Economic Development Programs to Create Jobs in Energy Conservation Industries - Part A: Short Title; Findings - Renewable Energy Employment Act - Sets forth the short title of this title and congressional findings. Part B: Job Training in Renewable Energy - Requires the Secretary of Labor to review all Federal job training or placement programs and to implement policies, procedures, and programs to develop a labor force skilled in energy conservation, weatherization of homes, and the use of renewable energy technologies. Part C: Housing and Community Development Programs - Amends the Energy Conservation in Existing Buildings Act of 1976 to require the Secretary of Energy to maintain information on: (1) the areas to be served under the weatherization assistance program; (2) methods for providing priority assistance to elderly and severely handicapped low-income persons; (3) outreach activities with respect to such program; (4) labor plans; (5) policies to ensure that owners and renters are treated equitably; and (6) plans to ensure participation by Native Americans under such program. Requires the Secretary and the Director of the Community Services Administration to include in the annual report to the President and Congress on the weatherization program an evaluation of the effect of such program on energy conservation and employment. Authorizes appropriations for the weatherization program for FY 1984 and succeeding fiscal years. Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to include the potential for local energy development, including energy conservation and renewable energy use, among the factors which must be taken into account by the standards issued by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for determining the eligibility of cities and urban counties for urban development action grants. Includes among the activities of Community Development Programs which are eligible for assistance under such Act those amounts spent for energy needs. Amends the Housing Act of 1949 to authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make loans for energy conservation and renewable energy development or retrofit for housing in rural areas. Requires Federal agencies administering financial assistance programs for economic development or job creation to consider the development of energy conservation and renewable energy as significant criteria for the provision of such assistance. Part D: Promotion of Sustainable Agriculture - Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to include as non-fossil energy systems windmills, anaerobic digesters, alcohol distilleries, microhydroelectric generators, gasifiers, and solar heating systems. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture, in making loans to farmers and ranchers, to promote sustainable agriculture (a set of agricultural production practices which are designed to produce long term, sustainable yields of agricultural products, involve the use of renewable resources, and avoid the use of chemical products). Amends the Rural Development Act of 1972 to require that small farm extension programs assist small farm families in carrying out sustainable agriculture. Provides that sustainable agriculture extension programs shall consist of extension programs to provide farmers with assistance and current information with respect to sustainable agriculture. Permits all other persons in a State, in addition to universities and colleges in such State, to participate in agricultural research and extension programs. (Under current law, only universities and colleges in a State may participate in such programs.) Requires the Secretary of Agriculture, in carrying out the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977, to ensure that adequate national support of extension, teaching, and agricultural research is provided to establish integrated multidisciplinary organic farming research projects. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to report annually to Congress on sustainable agriculture in the United States. Title IV: Renewable Energy Consumer Incentives - Renewable Energy Consumer Incentives Act of 1983 - Amends the Solar Energy and Energy Conservation Act of 1980 to extend the life of the Solar Energy and Energy Conservation Bank until September 30, 1990. (Under current law, the Bank will not exist after September 30, 1987.) Requires that a portion of the payments by the Bank to financial institutions to provide financial assistance for the installation of solar energy systems in residential, commercial, and agricultural buildings be allocated for active solar energy. Provides that there shall be no Federal preference with respect to financial assistance between single-family and multifamily residences. Permits all financial institutions to apply directly to the Bank for financial assistance. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1985 through 1990 for the financial assistance program under the Solar Energy and Energy Conservation Act of 1980 for the purchase and installation of residential and commercial energy conserving improvements and solar energy systems. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to include passive solar energy property which uses convective, conductive, or radiant energy transfer and which has significant impact on home energy savings as a "renewable energy source property" which is eligible for the residential energy credit. Makes the residential energy credit inapplicable to energy conservation and renewable energy source expenditures made after December 31, 1990. (Under current law, such credit is inapplicable to expenditures made after December 31, 1985.) Amends the Low- Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 to permit a State to transfer up to ten percent of its allotment under the low-income home energy assistance program for States to block grants for support of energy related information systems. Requires the Secretary of Energy to develop a formalized information exchange on the Federal, State, and local levels with respect to conservation and renewable energy. Authorizes appropriations to provide financial assistance to States and local governments to coordinate such program. Amends the Solar Energy Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 1974 to require the Secretary of Energy to maintain a renewable energy and energy conservation information program. (This program replaces the solar energy information program required to be established under current law.) Requires the Secretary to establish a National Appropriate Technology Service to provide individualized technical assistance to anyone interested in renewable energy and energy efficient technologies. Amends the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act to require the Secretary of Transportation to consider the use or integration of renewable fuels and any approaches which maximize conservation and renewable energy applications in determining maximum feasible average fuel economy. Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to require the Federal Trade Commission to prescribe labeling requirements for consumer goods particularly in cases where there is a direct consumer benefit to save energy or utilize renewable energy. Amends the Small Business Act to authorize the Small Business Administration to provide reduced-rate loans to small businesses for acquisition of system performance ratings from testing laboratories for energy conservation and renewable energy systems and technologies. Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to require State regulatory authorities to adopt and publish standard contracts with respect to: (1) the sale of electric energy by utilities to small power production facilities of not more than 100 kilowatts capacity; and (2) the purchase of electric energy produced by such facilities by utilities. Requires the Secretary of Energy to include renewable energy as a discrete energy sector in all publications of "The Monthly Energy Review." Requires Federal agencies with renewable energy programs to submit annual reports on such programs to Congress. Sets forth reporting requirements which apply to specified Federal agencies.
![Official portrait of Rep. Feighan, Edward F. [D-OH-19]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/f000059_200.jpg)