United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1983
Establishes the Kamehameha National Monument in Hawaii. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to provide facilities to commemorate the historical significance of the monument. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 1983
Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of Congress, a gold medal to Margaret Truman Daniel, daughter of Harry S. Truman, in recognition of the lifetime of outstanding public service he gave to the United States. Commemorates his one hundredth birthday which will be celebrated on May 8, 1984. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1983
Patent Term Restoration Act of 1983 - Amends the patent laws to extend the terms of patents which encompass specified products or a method for using a product, any of which are subject to certain nonpatent regulatory review periods. Sets forth the terms and conditions of such extension, including a seven year limitation. Directs the Commissioner of Patents to issue to the owner of record of a patent a certificate of extension stating the fact and length of the extension and identifying the product and the use and the claim to which such extension is applicable. Makes such certificate a part of the original patent. Limits the application of such patent term extension to patents for products subject to regulation under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the Public Health Service Act, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act, and the Act of March 4, 1913 (relating to virus, serum, toxin, and analogous products).
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1983
Authorizes the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate jointly to present, on behalf of the Congress, a bronze medal to families of American personnel missing or otherwise unaccounted for in Southeast Asia. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1983
National Economic Cooperation Act of 1983 - Amends the Employment Act of 1946 to add a new title on national economic cooperation. Establishes a National Economic Cooperation Council. Sets forth the purposes of the Council, including the requirement that the Council report annually to the President and the Congress on the state of the national economy. Requires that the general policies and administrative direction of the Council shall be controlled by a Board composed of nine members appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Sets forth the qualifications of members of the Board. Requires the principal administrative officer of the Council to be an Executive Director appointed by the Board. Requires the Council to promote the growth and vitality of the U.S. economy by: (1) collecting and analyzing relevant data concerning economic trends and market opportunities; (2) evaluating existing and alternative government and business policies in terms of their impact on the capacity of American enterprises to take advantage of those trends and opportunities; (3) recommending government and business strategies and practices which will improve that capacity; (4) developing such concensus among the branches of government, labor, and business as is necessary to implement such strategies and practices; and (5) evaluating State and local policies and practices in terms of their impact on the economy. Sets forth methods for the Council to follow in carrying out such functions. Authorizes the Council to make special reports as necessary, in addition to its annual report. Sets forth the authority of the Council to conduct hearings. Establishes within the Council a Bureau of Economic Information and a Bureau of Economic Analysis and Policy. Sets forth the duties of such Bureaus. Directs the President to designate a Special Adviser for Economic Coordination who: (1) shall be the principal official responsible for the coordination of executive branch trade and economic functions and activities; and (2) shall serve as the principal liaison official between executive branch departments and agencies and the Council. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 through 1989. Sets forth general administrative provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1983
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Health and Human Services should continue to review the social security disability program in order to ensure that disability benefits are not arbitrarily terminated.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 1983
Work Opportunities and Renewed Competition Act of 1983 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a taxpayer to elect to treat an excess investment tax credit as a reinvestment tax credit. Requires a taxpayer to forfeit any investment tax credit carryover if the taxpayer elects to take a reinvestment tax credit. Sets the amount of such reinvestment tax credit at 85 percent of the taxpayer's qualified investment in reinvestment credit property. Terminates such credit after 1984. Makes such reinvestment tax credit refundable. Requires the recapture of the reinvestment tax credit under specified circumstances. Sets forth rules relating to such recapture.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1983
Restricts payment of the penalty for late enrollment under part A (Hospital Insurance) or part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to a period equal to twice the number of years enrollment was delayed (currently, the penalty is assessed for the rest of a beneficiary's life).
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1983
Establishes the Commission on Capital Markets to evaluate the regulation of financial intermediaries by the Federal and State governments and the functioning of such intermediaries in the accumulation and allocation of capital within the United States economy. Sets forth the information to be included in such evaluation. Requires the Commission, within nine months after the initial meeting, to submit to Congress a report on the results of its evaluation. Terminates the Commission ninety days after the submission of its final report. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 1983
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a refundable income tax credit for the amount of contributions made to the Federal retirement system by Federal employees newly covered under the social security system after December 31, 1983. Disallows such credit for contributions made to a Federal retirement system: (1) established after the enactment of this Act; or (2) modified after the enactment of this Act for purposes of coordinating such system with the social security system. Terminates such credit after December 31, 1985.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 1983
Veterans Administration Adjudication Procedure and Judicial Review Act - Title I: Adjudication Procedures - Codifies, for Veterans Administration (VA) adjudication purposes, the burden of proof and reasonable doubt standards currently provided for by VA regulation. States that a claimant has the burden of submitting sufficient evidence to justify his or her claim, and that if an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence exists regarding the merits of a claim, the VA is to resolve such doubt in favor of the claimant. States that VA subpoenas may be served either by personal delivery or by registered or certified mail. Increases the maximum size of the Board of Veterans' Appeals from 50 to 65 members. Requires the chairman of such Board to submit an annual report to the appropriate congressional committees concerning the Board's current handling of cases and projections for the subsequent fiscal year. Requires the Board to: (1) provide notice to a claimant and an opportunity for a hearing before a decision may be based on "additional official information" received after a Board decision has previously been made; and (2) make its decision exclusively on evidence and material of record in the proceeding. Removes the requirement that new material sufficient to allow the Board to reopen a previously disallowed claim be in the form of official reports. Provides that the Board's discretionary authority to reopen a claim will not be diminished by a judicial decision following an appeal as provided for by this Act. Requires the Board to mail to the claimant notice of its decision and the reasons for such decision. Provides that, upon the request of a claimant, the Board shall provide an independent advisory medical opinion when there exists substantial medical disagreement with respect to a material issue in a veteran's appeal. Sets forth new procedural rules for adjudication hearings regarding: (1) oaths, affirmations, and witness examination; (2) admissibility of evidence; (3) procedural rights of claimants; (4) disqualification of a hearing officer; (5) the record of the proceedings and the claimant's right to examine and obtain a copy of such record; and (6) the exclusiveness of veterans' adjudication procedures and rights prescribed by the Administrator. Requires the Administrator to provide at each stage of the appeal proceedings written notice to a claimant of the claimant's procedural rights. Directs the Administrator to conduct a study of two alternative claims resolution methods: (1) a new intermediate-level adjudication process; and (2) an enhanced schedule of formal Appeals Board hearings. Directs the Administrator to report to Congress on such studies. Title II: Veterans Administration Rule Making - Includes the VA's rulemaking procedures under the relevant provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act. Title III: Judicial Review - Provides for judicial review of VA decisions in the Federal court system. States with regard to jurisdiction: (1) the definition of final decision; (2) that judicial review of a final decision in a claim for benefits may be obtained in a civil action brought within 180 days of the Board's mailing of notice of its decision, and that such action shall be brought in Federal district court; (3) that the VA shall file the various materials constituting the record in a case together with its answer to the claimant's complaint; (4) that the court may render a decision on the pleadings; and (5) that the judicial review procedures established under this Act shall not apply to insurance and home loans. States, with regard to the reviewing court's scope of review, that such court: (1) shall decide questions of law and interpret constitutional, statutory, and regulatory provisions, but that questions of fact (unless unsupported by substantial evidence) will not be subject to a trial de novo; and (2) in reviewing a final decision of the VA which is adverse to a party solely because such party failed to comply with VA procedures, may only review questions concerning such procedures. Sets out provisions regarding remand, survival of actions, and appellate review. Title IV: Attorneys' Fees - Authorizes the Administrator to allow attorneys' fees above the present $10 maximum if the appealing party's claim is allowed by the VA after an initial denial. States that such fee shall be the lesser of: (1) the fee agreed upon by the party and attorney; (2) $500, unless the Administrator approves a greater amount; or (3) if the party and attorney have entered into a contingent-fee agreement, not more than 25 percent of the total of any past-due benefits awarded on the basis of such party's claim. Provides for the approval of attorneys' fees, in successful veterans' claims brought before a court, as provided for under this Act. States that such fees shall be determined by such court, and in contingent-fee agreements such fees shall not exceed 25 percent of the total of any past-due benefits awarded on the basis of such claim. Authorizes attorneys' fees of up to $750 in certain unsuccessful veterans' claims. Prohibits the VA from authorizing payment to a claimant's attorney based on past-due benefits unless such benefits are owed as of the date of the VA's or a court's award. States that such provisions regarding attorneys' fees shall only apply to claims for benefits under the laws administered by the VA and shall not apply in cases in which the VA is the plaintiff or in which other attorneys' fees statutes are otherwise controlling. Title V: Effective Dates - Sets forth the effective dates for this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1983
Fair Tax Act of 1983 - Title I: Reduction of Individual and Corporate Tax Rate-Subtitle A: Reduction of Rates - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reivse individual tax rates. Imposes a flat tax rate of 14 percent on the taxable income of individuals. Imposes a surtax of between 12 and 16 percent of the amount by which adjusted gross income exceeds specified levels. Imposes a flat tax rate of 30 percent on the taxable income of estates and trusts. Imposes a flat tax rate of 30 percent on the taxable income of corporations. Subtitle B: Increase in Personal Exemption for Taxpayer and Standard Deduction - Increases the personal exemption for an individual taxpayer and spouse to $1,600 and $1,800 for an individual who is a head of a household. Raises the standard deduction to $6,000 in the case of a joint return or a surviving spouse or $3,000 in the case of an individual, or a married individual filing a separate return. Subtitle C: Repeals Related to Reduction in Rates - Repeals provisions relating to: (1) tax tables for individuals; (2) minimum tax for tax preferences; (3) personal service corporations; (4) special averaging rules for lump-sum distributions; (5) accumulated corporate surplus; (6) personal holding companies; (7) income averaging; and (8) graduated corporate tax rates. Repeals the indexing of tax rates. Applies the trust throwback rules only to amounts distributed from foreign trusts. Title II: Base Broadening-Subtitle A: Credits - Repeals the general tax credit, the investment tax credit, the possessions tax credit and the income tax credits relating to: (1) the elderly and the permanently and totally disabled; (2) contributions to candidates for public office; (3) home purchases; (4) residential energy conservation; (5) producing fuel from a nonconventional source; (6) alcohol used as fuel; (7) increasing research activities; (8) employee stock ownership; and (9) clinical testing for certain drugs. Allows an income tax deduction for household and dependent care expenses necessary for employment. (Present law allows an income tax credit for such expenses.) Subtitle B: Exclusions - Repeals the partial income tax exclusion for interest and dividends. Repeals the exclusion for: (1) qualified transportation furnished by an employer; (2) cafeteria plans furnished by an employer; (3) dependent care assistance programs; (4) dividend reinvestment in public utilities; (5) payments to encourage mining for defenses purposes; (6) earned income of citizens living abroad; (7) certain allowances; (8) income from sources within the United States; and (9) income from sources within Puerto Rico. Treats as taxable income: (1) tier two railroad retirement benefits; (2) amounts paid by an employer for group-term life insurance; (3) unemployment compensation; (4) the annual increase in the the cash surrender value of life insurance policies; (5) interest on industrial development bonds and mortgage subsidy bonds; and (6) amounts contributed by an employer to accident and health plans. Provides that the transfer of a corporation's stock in satisfaction of indebtedness will be treated as having satisfied the indebtedness with money equal to the fair market value of the stock. Provides a limited exclusion from income for scholarships and fellowships. imposes the surtax on the gain from the sale of a principal residence. Amends the Merchant Marine Act to repeal the tax exemption for deposits into, and withdrawals from, a capital construction fund. Subtitle C: Deductions - Repeals the deduction for two-earner married couples, and the deduction for adoption expenses. Limits the amount of the interest deduction for individuals. Repeals the deduction for State and local personal property and sales taxes. Restricts the charitable contribution for corporations to 50 percent of the charitable contributions during the year. Increases the floor on the deduction for medical and dental expenses from five percent to 10 percent. Subtitle D: Repeal of Special Capital Gains Treatment - Repeals the alternative tax on capital gains for corporations, and the deduction for individuals for capital gains. Limits the amount of the capital loss deduction without regard to distinctions between short term and long term capital losses. Eliminates the distinction between short-term and long-term gains and losses. Title III: Capital Cost Recovery-Subtitle A: Simplified Cost Recovery Systems - Allows individuals and corporations a deduction from gross income for a percentage of the balance in a recovery account for each year. Includes in the recovery account the cost of recovery property which is depreciable property used in a trade or business or held for the production of income which is placed in sevice after December 31, 1984. Establishes six classes of recovery property and specifies a class life for each. Assigns property to each class according to the class life of the property. Sets forth rules for the calculation of the recovery percentage on the basis of the class life of the property. Allows individuals and corporations a deduction for depletable property determined as a percentage of the balance in a recovery account for each year. Establishes six classes of depletable property and assigns a class life to each. Assigns a ten year class life for oil, gas, and geothermal wells. Subtitle B: Other Changes - Repeals the income tax deductions for: (1) intangible drilling and development costs for oil, gas, and geothermal wells; (2) depreciation; (3) amortization of pollution control facilities; (4) improvements made by a leasee on a lessor's property; (5) certain depreciable assets; (6) amortization of reforestation expenditures; (7) percentage depletion; (8) development expenditures; and (9) mining and exploration expenditures. Allows a ten-year period for the amortization of construction period interest and taxes. Allows a deduction of circulation expenses for a newspaper, magazine, or other periodical ratably over a ten-year period. Excludes amounts chargeable to a capital account from such treatment. Provides for the deduction of 50 percent of tertiary injectant expenses in the taxable year and 50 percent of such expenses in the succeeding taxable year. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - Subtitle A: Foreign Income - Requires an individual who owns stock in a corporation which is a controlled foreign corporation to include in income a pro rata share of the corporations's earnings and profits for such year. Reduces such amount by any amount required to be included in in income by reason of the amount being foreign personal holding company income. Repeals the domestic international sales corporations (DISC) provisions for taxable years beginning after December 31, 1984. Subtitle B: Other Miscellaneous Provisions - Repeals the tax exemption for credit unions. Reduces the limit on benefits which may be paid to a participant under defined benefit plans and defined contribution plans. Repeals the cost-of-living adjustment for defined benefit plans. Continues the cost-of-living adjustment for purposes of calculating a participant's average compensation for his high three years. Requires farmers to compute their taxable income using the accrual method of accounting with the capitalization of preproduction expenses. Exempts taxpayers who do not have gross receipts exceeding $1,000,000. Requires farming syndicates to use the accrual method of accounting without regard to gross receipts. Provides that farmers who must use the accrual method cannot expense the following: (1) soil and water conservation expenditures; (2) fertilizer; and (3) expenses for clearing land. Requires the deferral of income or loss must be taken into account in determining tax liability under completed contract method of accounting. Requires that the taxpayer with adjusted gross income in excess of $100,000 must make estimated payments equal to 90 percent of current year tax. Requires the recognition of the gain or loss on distributions of property by corporations. Eliminates the special bad debt reserves of financial institutions. Title V: Effective Dates - Sets forth the effective dates of the provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 1983
Requests the President to issue a proclamation commemorating the fortieth anniversary of the establishment of the George Washington Carver National Monument in Diamond, Missouri.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1983
Designates the U.S. Post Office Building, 41-65 Main Street, Flushing, New York, as the Benjamin S. Rosenthal Post Office Building. Requires the Postmaster General to install an appropriate plaque indicating such designation.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1983
National Summit Conference on Education Act of 1983 - Authorizes appropriations to the Department of Education for conducting a National Summit Conference on Education. Sets forth provisions for appointment of participants to the Conference. Directs the Conference to develop recommendations in response to the findings of the National Commission on Excellence in Education and relating to specified areas of educational policy. Directs the Conference to transmit its recommendations to the President, the Congress, and State Governors by January 15, 1984.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 1983
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that hospice care is a necessary and humane alternative to traditional health care for the terminally ill.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 1983
Historic Shipwreck Preservation Act - Provides that the United States relinquishes to the respective States all right, title, and interest of the United States with respect to historical shipwrecks and structures on the seabed or in the subsoil of lands beneath the navigable waters within the boundaries of such States. Provides that the U.S. maritime law of salvage shall not apply to such shipwrecks or structures.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 1983
Occupational Disease Compensation Act of 1983 - Establishes a compulsory compensation program for employees and their survivors for death or disability resulting from work-related exposure to toxic substances. Includes compensation for disabilities which are partial or temporary. Sets forth formulas for monetary benefits for partial and total disability (generally 80 percent of the national manufacturing or construction average weekly wage for the month of the onset of disability). Requires such benefits to be paid from the date of onset of the disability and continuing for the duration of the disability. Sets forth formulas for death benefits. Provides that there shall be no maximum limitation on the total amount or duration of medical benefits or monetary disability or death benefits. Declares ineffective any compromise or release of monetary or medical benefits unless the Secretary of Labor (the Secretary) determines it is in the best interest of the claimant. Declares absolutely ineffective any waiver or release concerning future coverage or compensation under State workers' compensation law or under this Act which was executed before death or onset of disability from work-related exposure to toxic substances. Details eligibility criteria for compensation. Includes among them a determination that work-related exposure to a toxic substance significantly contributed to or aggravated the disability or death. Identifies pathological conditions irrebutably presumed to have resulted form work-related exposure to asbestos. Establishes procedures for filing, adjudicating, and appealing claims. Makes compensation under this Act the claimant's exclusive remedy for disability or death resulting from workplace exposure to asbestos or other toxic substance. Limits the maximum period for retroactive payments to five years from the date the claim was filed. Requires a court to stay any pending liability action for death or disability against a third party if a compensation claim has been filed under this Act. Requires the court to dismiss such an action with prejudice upon notification by the Secretary that a final agency determination has been made on the claim. Authorizes the Toxic Substance Employee Compensation Insurance Pool (established by this Act) to offer claimants interim monetary and medical benefits during the pendency of a compensation claim. States such interim benefits are not recoverable if the claim is ultimately denied. Requires employers to contribute to the Pool in order to enjoy the limitations on liability provided by this Act. Requires the Secretary to apportion the obligation to provide insurance coverage among employers and toxic substance market participants. Delineates the legal theories upon which liability actions against third parties may be based. Vests in the Pool responsibility for the payment of all compensation claims. Prescribes procedures by which employers and toxic substance market participants may become covered contributors to the Pool. Proposes alternative measures by which toxic substance market participants may meet their contribution obligations. Authorizes the Secretary to suspend Pool membership upon failure to comply with specified provisions. Authorizes the Secretary to bring a civil action and to assess civil penalties if a Pool contributor fails to maintain insurance sufficient to meet its financial obligations. Establishes the Toxic Substance Employee Compensation Insurance Pool to underwrite liabilities under this Act and to pay compensation and benefits provided by this Act. Makes participation in the Pool available to casualty insurance carriers, workers' compensation carriers, and employers and toxic substance market participants who choose to self-insure. Requires the Secretary of Labor to promulgate standards for participation in the Pool by insurance carriers and by employers or toxic substance market participants as self-insurers. Requires the Pool to pay the Secretary an annual fee to cover administrative costs. Establishes guidelines for the payment of compensation claims. Includes a procedure for appealing orders to suspend payments. Provides for 20 percent additional compensation in cases of late payments. Sets forth provisions for representation and witness fees in compensation payment disputes, to be paid by the employer or the employer's insurance carrier to the claimant's representative. Sets criminal penalties for: (1) receiving any unapproved consideration or gratuity for representative services; or (2) soliciting employment as a representative in such disputes. Prohibits employment discrimination based upon the filing of a claim or the instituting of a proceeding under this Act. Establishes civil penalties for such discrimination. Provides a grievance procedure for the investigation and determination of discrimination complaints. Voids any insurance policy provision which relieves the employer from sole personal liability and payment. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in coordination with the Secretary of Labor, to conduct research into improved means of: (1) surveillance of workers exposed to occupational health hazards; and (2) medical treatment of such workers. Directs the Secretary of Labor to promulgate regulations which provide compensation for: (1) occupational exposure in addition to asbestos; and (2) specific categories of workers whose occupational exposure to toxic substances results in death or disability. Directs the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to report to the Secretary of Health and Human Services the results of its review of current scientific studies concerning the incidence of work-related diseases. Authorizes the Secretary, after evaluating such reports, to recommend to the Secretary of Labor regulations covering benefits for additional work-related diseases. States that any regulations promulgated by the Secretary of Labor in response to such recommendations shall be effective unless within 90 days after Congress is notified both Houses adopt a resolution of disapproval. Requires the Director of the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs to establish a separate task force within such office to administer claims filed under this Act. Establishes procedural guidelines for: (1) such Director; and (2) the Benefits Review Board. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into specified contracts in order to administer the Pool. Exempts such contracts from competitive bidding requirements. Authorizes the Secretary to enjoin violations of this Act in district court.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1983
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a program of grants to: (1) identify women who received diethylstilbestrol (DES) while pregnant and their children; (2) establish a voluntary registry of such women and children; (3) provide them with periodic cancer screening; and (4) provide health personnel with information respecting the health hazards of such drug.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1983
Industrial Transition Act - Establishes the Commission on the Transition of Industry in Our Future Economy. Directs the Commission to analyze the industrial system of the United States and the activities necessary to ensure an effective transition of such system to the requirements of the future economy. Requires that such analysis include an examination of: (1) the industrial conditions required for sufficient national defense; (2) the need for Federal financial assistance, including tax credits, to ensure the modernization of troubled industries; and (3) approaches to public and private sector cooperation in assisting in the transition from an economy based on manufacturing to an economy based on high technology and the provision of services. Requires the Commission to report its findings and recommendations concerning such analysis to Congress within one year after its first meeting. Terminates the Commission upon submission of such report. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1983
Hazardous Waste Reduction Act of 1983 - Title I - Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (the Superfund Act) to authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make grants to States to assist States in: (1) carrying out hazardous waste enforcement programs under the Solid Waste Disposal Act; (2) carrying out remedial actions and other response measures necessary with respect to the release, or substantial threat of release, of any pollutant or contaminant from a facility not on the 400 top priority known response targets list but which the State determines may present an imminent and substantial danger to the public health or welfare; and (3) providing technical assistance to companies engaged in the recycling of hazardous substances. Requires that at least $200,000,000 of the amounts appropriated to the Hazardous Substance Response Trust Fund shall be reserved to make such grants to States. Revises provisions for audits by each Inspector General of each department or agency delegated responsibility to obligate money in the Hazardous Substance Response Trust Fund. Directs each such Inspector General to report annually to the President and the Congress on such auditing of the Fund and to specifically identify any improper uses of the Fund. Provides for reimbursement to the Fund for any improper expenditures. Extends through FY 1995 the authorization of appropriations for the Fund. Increases the yearly amount of such authorization of appropriations for FY 1986 through 1995 (above the yearly amount currently authorized through FY 1985). Amends the hazardous waste management provision of the Solid Waste Disposal Act (as amended by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976) to establish a hazardous waste quantity assessment program. Directs the Administrator, in cooperation with the Secretary of the Treasury and the States, to develop and implement methods to estimate the quantities of hazardous waste which are generated in each calendar year, on the basis of specified data. Directs the Administrator to report at least annually to the Congress, comparing the quantities of hazardous waste estimated to have been generated during the preceding calendar year and the quantities of waste on which the recycling incentive tax on disposal of hazardous wastes was paid. Title II - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to replace (effective October 1, 1985) the environmental taxes on petroleum and chemical feedstocks with a recycling incentive tax on disposal of hazardous wastes (effective for FY 1985 through 1995). Sets forth tables for determining the amount of such tax. Distinguishes between: (1) toxic and nontoxic hazardous waste; (2) waste disposal before and after the end of FY 1990; and (3) disposal of waste and storage of waste for more than one year. Imposes such tax on the person disposing of such waste. Sets forth requirements for records, statements, and returns relating to such tax. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe any such requirements, as necessary, for persons involved in the treatment, storage, or disposal of hazardous wastes. Extends through FY 1995 the authority to collect taxes conferred by the Superfund Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1983
Elephant Protection Act of 1983 - Prohibits importing or exporting African elephants or elephant products. Prohibits the acquisition, transportation, or sale in interstate commerce of such products imported in violation of this Act. Permits individuals to: (1) import and export a total of 10,000 pounds of unworked ivory for six months after enactment of this Act; and (2) import worked ivory for 90 days after enactment if there is no intention to sell such ivory in the United States. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to grant permits for the importation or exportation of elephants and elephant products if the Secretary finds that: (1) the nation involved has developed and implemented an elephant conservation program according to specified criteria; (2) the products can be traced as coming from a particular nation; (3) the products are acquired and transported in compliance with laws of the originating nation; (4) the importation or exportation will not be detrimental to the survival of the species; and (5) the permit is applied for in good faith. Authorizes the Secretary to grant permits for the importation or exportation of elephants or elephant products to enhance propagation or survival of the species. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress concerning granting of such permits. Sets forth civil or criminal penalties for violations of this Act. Provides for the remittance or mitigation by the Secretary of any civil penalty assessed under this Act. Provides for the forfeiture of elephants, elephant products, or vehicles aiding in the importation, exportation, acquisition, or transportation of such products contrary to the provisions of this Act. Grants specified search and seizure powers for enforcement of this Act by authorized persons. Authorizes the payment of rewards to persons furnishing information concerning violations of this Act. Requires all imports and exports of elephant products to go through either the Port of New York or the Port of Seattle, Washington. Exempts from this Act: (1) elephants imported or exported for zoological, educational, scientific, or exhibitional purposes; (2) elephant products included in a keyboard for a musical instrument; (3) elephant products taken and imported or exported by a sports hunter; and (4) elephant products taken and transported in compliance with the laws of the originating nation. Supersedes, with respect to elephants and elephant products, the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and State laws determined to be in conflict with this Act. Directs the Secretary of State to establish a program to assist nations to: (1) protect elephant habitats; (2) conserve living elephants; and (3) develop and implement elephant conservation management programs. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1983
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should insist on Soviet compliance with the Helsinki accords and the United Nations' Declaration of Human Rights as they relate to the emigration of Soviet Jews.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 1983
Supplemental Security Income Mental Disability Determinations Reform Act of 1983 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise the criteria under the category "Mental Disorders" in the "Listing of Impairments" in the Code of Federal Regulations, to the extent such criteria are applicable to individuals seeking or receiving benefits based on disability under the Supplemental Security Income program (title XVI of the Social Security Act). Directs the Secretary to also revise the methods of procedures used under such program for assessing the residual functional capacity of individuals having mental impairments. Requires the revised listings and residual functional capacity assessments to be designed to realistically evaluate the ability of a mentally impaired individual to engage in substantial gainful activity in a competitive workplace environment. Directs the Secretary to appoint a panel of outside experts to make recommendations with respect to such revisions. Prohibits continuing eligibility reviews with respect to mental impairment until the revisions are completed. Requires, under title XVI, that in any case in which an individual claims to be under a disability by reason of a mental impairment, the determination shall be made only after the Secretary has demonstrated that a qualified psychiatrist or psychologist has completed the medical portion of the sequential evaluation and residual functional capacity assessment. Prohibits the authorization of appropriations for SSI periodic eligibility reviews for individuals whose claims to disability benefits are based on mental impairment, except to the extent that such funds are specifically authorized for such reviews. Makes permanent provisions of title XVI which provide SSI benefits for individuals who perform substantial gainful activity despite a severe medical impairment. Makes permanent provisions which provide for the continued payment of SSI or disability benefits (title II of such Act) during appeal of a disability determination. Directs the Secretary to: (1) provide assistance to disabled individuals in complying with requirements and procedures under titles II and XVI; and (2) assure that disabled individuals eligible for or receiving benefits under title II are informed of available SSI benefits. Requires hearings and proceedings related to a disabled individual under the SSI program to be held at an accessible location.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 1983
Expresses the support of the House of Representatives for Lebanon's and Israel's agreement on arrangements for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon. Calls upon other nations to work toward the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon. Emphasizes the need of all nations to recognize the sovereignty of Lebanon. Urges Syria and the Palestine Liberation Organization to agree to the arrangements for the withdrawal of their forces from Lebanon.