United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1973
Extends to all unmarried individuals the full tax benefits of income splitting now enjoyed by married individuals filing joint returns under the Internal Revenue Code. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe and publish tables reflecting the amendments made by this Act which shall apply in lieu of the tables set forth in the Internal Revenue Code with respect to wages paid on or after the first day of the first month which begins more than twenty days after the date of the enactment of this Act. (Amends 26 U.S.C. 1)
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1973
Provides that recipients of aid or assistance under the various Federal-State public assistance and medicaid programs under the Social Security Act; recipients of assistance under the veterans' pension and compensation programs; recipients of assistance under the Federal Food Stamp program; or any other Federal or federally assisted program will not have the amount of such aid or assistance reduced because of increases in monthly social security beneftis.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1973
Endangered Species Conservation Act - States that the purposes of this Act are to provide a program for the conservation, protection, restoration, or propagation of species and subspecies of fish and wildlife and flora that are threatened with extinction, or are likely within the foreseeable future to become threatened with extinction. Sets forth the procedure by which the Secretaries of Interior and Commerce (as defined by this Act) shall determine if a species or subspecies of fish or wildlife or flora shall be regarded as an endangered species. Lists the following factors to be considered in determining if a species or subspecies is threatened with extinction or will likely become threatened with extinction: (1) the present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of its habitat or range; (2) overutilization for commercial, sporting, scientific, or educational purposes; (3) disease or predation; (4) the inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms; or (5) other natural or manmade factors affecting its continued existence. Provides that the Secretary shall publish in the Federal Register, not less than annually, a list by scientific and common name or names of species and subspecies determined to be endangered. Provides that the Secretary may, from time to time, by regulation revise such list. Provides that the Secretary shall utilize the land acquisition and other authorities of the Migratory Bird Conservation Act, as amended, the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956, as amended, and the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, as appropriate, to carry out a program in the United States of conserving, protecting, restoring, or propagating those species and subspecies of fish and wildlife that he lists as endangered species pursuant to this Act. Provides that, in carrying out the program authorized by this Act, the Secretary shall cooperate to the maximum extent practicable with the several States. States that such cooperation shall include consultation before the acquisition of any land for the purpose of conserving, protecting, restoring, or propagating any endangered species. Authorizes the Secretary to delegate to a State the authority to regulate the taking by any person of endangered species or subspecies when he determines that such State maintains an adequate and active endangered species program consistent with the policies and purposes of this Act. Provides that any person who: (1) imports into or exports from the United States, receives or causes to be so imported, received, or exported; or (2) takes or causes to be taken within the United States, the territorial sea of the United States, Federal lands, or upon the high seas; or (3) ships, carries, or receives by any means in interstate commerce; any species or subspecies which is listed as an endangered species shall be punished in accordance with the provisions of this Act. Allows exceptions from the prohibitions contained in this Act to permit the taking of an endangered species for scientific purposes and for the propagation of such fish and wildlife in captivity for preservation purposes. Sets forth civil and criminal penalties for violations of the provisions of this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to promulgate such regulations as may be appropriate to carry out the purposes of this Act. Provides that any person who engages in business as an importer of fish and wildlife must register with the Secretary of the Treasury his name and address of each place of business at which, and all trade names under which, he conducts such business. Requires each such person to keep such records as will fully and correctly disclose each importation of fish and wildlife made by him and the subsequent disposition of such fish and wildlife. States that the Secretary, through the Secretary of State, shall seek the convening of an international ministerial meeting on fish and wildlife prior to July 1, 1973, to assure the world wide conservation of endangered species and to avoid unnecessary harm to affected United States industries. Provides that, whenever the Secretary determines that a species of fish or wildlife is an endangered species, the Secretary of Agriculture may use all authorities available to him with respect to research, investigations, conservation, protection, control and management of such endangered species.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1973
Repeals provisions relating to the interstate transportation of petroleum products, which provisions are for the purpose of protecting interstate commerce from burdens caused by contracts of oil and of encouraging the conservation of crude oil deposits. (Repeals 15 U.S.C. 715-715m)
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1973
Provides that on or after June 30, 1973, no import quota or other nontariff trade restriction shall be imposed by or pursuant to law with respect to the importation into the United States of petroleum and petroleum products. (Amends 19 U.S.C. 1862)
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1973
State Technical Services Amendments - Makes municipal governments eligible for technical services under the State Technical Services Act and extends the Act through fiscal year 1976 by authorizing appropriations of $30,000,000 for fiscal year 1974, $40,000,000 for fiscal year 1975, and $50,000,000 for fiscal year 1976. Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to establish a nationwide information system to provide data concerning each State technical services program and the establishment of regional offices to facilitate communications between States.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1973
Pure Foods Act - Declares it to be the purpose of this Act to regulate the safe and efficient manufacturing, processing, and packing of food for sale in interstate commerce by establishing a system for registering and licensing food manufacturers, processors, and packers and authorizing recall and other emergency procedures. Provides for the registration and licensing by the Secretary of Commerce of all persons engaged in the manufacture, processing, or packing of any class of food distributed in interstate commerce. Authorizes the Secretary to license persons registered under this Act for a period of two years. Provides that the Secretary shall grant a license or a renewal of a license only after: (1) the applicant furnishes the Secretary with the name, location, and principle place of his business; (2) the applicant provides the Secretary with a complete list of all foods manufactured, processed, or packaged at his establishment; (3) the applicant for a license informs the Secretary of the process which is employed in preparing foods to be shipped in interstate commerce; and (4) each establishment of the applicant for a license is inspected to insure that the applicant has established all necessary procedures for producing food which is not adulterated. Provides that a licensee shall be required: (1) to process any food he is licensed to produce in containers as required by the Secretary; (2) to retain processing records on all foods manufactured, processed, or packed for a period of not less than five years; (3) to set aside the lot or lots of any food which is believed to have been improperly manufactured, processed, or packed for further evaluation as to any potential health hazard and upon completion of such evaluation to report to the Secretary within seven days in advance of any distribution of the whole or any part of the lot involved; (4) to report to the Secretary any and all instances of manufacturing, processing, or packaging which may pose a potential public health hazard where any lot has in whole or in part entered the stream of interstate commerce; (5) to open all records to inspection; (6) to include as standard equipment on all processing machines adequate sterilizing equipment, temperature, and time control devices and any other equipment the Secretary deems appropriate and to establish warning devices which shall alert the licensee when such equipment is not properly functioning; (7) to meet any educational requirements set by the Secretary for persons working in such plants; (8) to establish a scheme of insuring itself against losses due to the improper manufacturing, processing, or packaging of food sold in interstate commerce as applicable regulation established by the Secretary; and (9) to follow each applicable regulation established by the Secretary under this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to revoke the license of any licensee for violation of the regulations or requirements of this Act according to due process and after a formal investigation. Requires the Secretary to coordinate his activities with those of the relevant State agencies, and to establish a program for the effective correlation and response to information submitted by the public. Provides, upon notification by a licensee or upon reasonable information of a violation involving food in interstate commerce, that the Secretary shall undertake an emmergency investigation to determine the potential public health hazard, and shall make known the results of his investigation to the manufacturers, processers, and packers involved, and also to the public. Authorizes the Secretary, upon determination of a significant potential public health hazard, to recall all or part of the hazardous shipment; embargo any food produced by the violators of the regulations; and suspend the license of any person responsible for the significant potential public health hazard. Increases criminal penalties and provides that any person violating any provision of this section shall be liable to a civil penalty to the United States of a sum which is not more than $10,000 for each such violation. (Amends 21 U.S.C. 344)
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1973
Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to provide grants to local fire departments to cover one-half of the cost of the purchase of advanced firefighting equipment. Authorizes the appropriation of such sums as are necessary to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1973
Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to make grants to local fire departments to pay up to 90 percent of the cost of purchasing heat-protective fire fighting suits and breathing apparatus. Authorizes the appropriation of such sums as are necessary to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1973
Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to make grants to accredited institutions of higher education to pay for up to one-half of the costs of fire science programs. Authorizes necessary appropriations to carry out the provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1973
National Fire Data and Information Clearinghouse Act - Establishes a national clearinghouse within the National Bureau of Standards to be known as the National Fire Data and Information Clearinghouse to collect information and data relating to: (1) incidents of fires in the United States and their causes, locations and resultant deaths, injuries and property loss; (2) technological research and development with respect to fire suppression and prevention; and (3) hazardous substances. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to publish annually a catalogue of information and data stored in the Clearinghouse. Provides that copies shall be made available to interested persons and the general public. Authorizes the Secretary to prepare abstracts, digests, bibliographies, indexes, microfilms, and other reproductions of stored information and data and to make such items available to State and local goverments, industry and business, Federal agencies, and other interested persons. Directs the Secretary to establish and maintain within the clearinghouse an emergency information center to provide fire service organizations with information at any time. Directs the Secretary to obtain a nationwide telephone number for such purposes. Authorizes the Secretary to prescribe regulations to carry out the provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1973
Authorizes and directs the Secretary of Commerce to make grants to States, counties, and local communities to pay up to one-half of the total costs of training programs for firemen. Provides that a State, county, or local community program shall be considered approved if: (1) it is a program to train either volunteer or professional firemen in fire fighting techniques; (2) it is carried out under the auspices of a duly elected governmental body or an incorporated body; (3) the curriculum of the program is provided or approved by the National Academy of Fire Protection and Control; and (4) it is subject to such other terms and conditions as the Secretary finds necessary or appropriate. Authorizes the appropriation of necessary funds to carry out the provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1973
National Fire Education and Training Act - Establishes, as a nonprofit and nongovernmental Instrument, a National Academy of Fire Prevention and Control. Provides that the board of directors of the Academy shall be reasonably representative of the various regions of the country, of the various segments of the community including private industry and labor, of all levels of government, of consumer interests, and of the various types of experience which are appropriate to the functions and responsibilities of the Academy. Provides that the functions of the Academy shall be to: (1) recommend actions which can be taken by Federal, State, and local government, and by private individuals and organizations to improve and strengthen fire protection, fire prevention, and fire suppression; (2) promote and encourage eligible individuals to pursue careers as administrators of fire service organizations at all levels; (3) develop a curriculum and carry out programs of instructional assistance and special workshops, seminars, conferences, and other such instructional devices that are necessary for the purpose of introduction and dissemination of information gained from investigation, research, and development concerning the areas of fire protection, fire prevention, and fire suppression; (4) develop fire service extension programs to encourage and assist States, counties, and local communities to provide continuous training and operational programs in firefighting techniques and procedures concerning the utilization of firefighting equipment, fire suppression and other areas related to firefighting in general; (5) promote and assist universities, community colleges, and other institutions of learning, in planning, developing, strengthening, improving, and carrying out programs and projects concerning fire administration; (6) assist States, counties, and local communities in the development of training programs for firemen; (7) gather data and disseminate information to States, counties, and local communities with respect to firefighting equipment, firefighting techniques, fire services administration, and other areas related to firefighting and to establish and maintain educational programs for the purpose of informing the public of fire hazards and fire safety techniques, and to encourage avoidance of such hazards and use of such techniques; and (8) establish a voluntary, uniform national testing program for the purpose of enabling States, counties, and local communities to evaluate the skills level of their firefighting and fire administrations. Authorizes the Academy to accept contracts and grants from Federal, State, and local governmental agencies and other entitles, and to accept grants and donations from private organizations, institutions, and individuals, and to establish fees and other charges for services provided by the Academy. Authorizes to be appropriated to the Academy such sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1973
Requires the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations to become effective not later than July 1, 1974, requiring the placarding of vehilces transporting hazardous materials by land in interstate and foreign commerce. Requires such placarding so that law-enforcement and firefighting personnel of communities, and carriers and shippers, may identify the type of hazardous material being transported, the degree of hazard involved, and any particular procedure which should be followed or avoided in dealing with emergency situations arising in connection with the transportation of such hazardous material.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1973
Juvenile and Adult Correctional Facilities Improvement Act - Asserts that it is the purpose of this Act to provide financial assistance to the States and localities for the construction of new correctional facilities and for the modernization of correctional institutions. Authorizes the Attorney General in accordance with this Act to make payments to State agencies for the period beginning July 1, 1973 and ending June 30, 1977. Authorizes to be appropriated the sum of $100,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1973; $100,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1974; $200,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1975; $300,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1976; and $300,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1977. Provides that from the sums appropriated under this Act the Attorney General shall allot not more than 5 percent thereof among Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. Provides that the Attorney General shall allot to each State an amount which bears the same ratio to the remainder of such funds as the number of persons in correctional institutions in such State bears to the number of such persons in all States. Provides for the reallotment of any State's funds if the Attorney General determines that such funds will not be required. Provides that each State which desires to receive its allotment under this Act shall submit a State plan consistent with such criteria as the Attorney General may establish. States that such criteria shall include the general manner in which such State agency shall determine project priority and general standards of construction and equipment for correctional facilities of different classes and in different types of locations. States that payments under this Act from a State's allotment shall equal 50 percent of the cost of construction projects and 75 percent of the cost of modernization projects for any fiscal year. Directs that no payments will be made until the Attorney General has determined that such State will expend for correctional purposes not less than the total amount expended for such purposes during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1969 plus the amount needed for the non-Federal share of projects under this Act. Provides for judicial review of the Attorney General's actions with respect to any State plan. States that the Attorney General shall administer the provisions of this Act through the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1973
Provides that all meetings of any Government agency at which any official action is considered or discussed shall be open to the public. Provides that the above provision shall not apply to that portion of any meeting in which the action or proposed action to be taken, considered, or discussed by an agency: (1) relates to a matter affecting the national security; (2) relates solely to the internal management of such agency; (3) might tend to reflect adversely on the character or reputation of any individual who is subject to any proposed or potential sanction by such agency; or (4) might divulge matters required to be kept confidential under specific statutory provisions. Requires each agency subject to the requirements of this Act to establish, through publication in the Federal Register, procedures for providing public notice of meetings required by this Act to be open to the public. Revises the Legislative Reorganization Act to bring the procedures of the Congress into substantial conformity with the above standards. (Amends 2 U.S.C. 190a). Provides that the district courts of the United States shall have original jurisdiction of actions to render declaratory judgments or to enforce, by injunction or otherwise, the provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1973
Designates as a legal public holiday, Election Day, the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in 1974, and in every second year thereafter. Provides that the official opening time and closing time, respectively, of the polling places in the United States for appointment of electors of President and Vice President shall be as follows: 9 A.M. to 9 P.M. in the eastern standard time zone; 8 A.M. to 8 P.M. in the central standard time zone; 7 A.M. to 7 P.M. in the mountain standard time zone; and 6 A.M. to 6 P.M. in the Pacific standard time zone. Directs the Comptroller General to conduct a study for the Congress with legislative recommendations concerning the present operation of the Federal electoral system, examining in particular: (1) the feasibility of changing Election Day from the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, to an appropriate day in October; (2) the size, composition, and contents of ballots presently used in the States for Presidential, Senatorial, and Congressional elections, with a view toward determining whether such ballots should be altered to facilitate the operation of the Federal electoral system; and (3) the number of registered voters residing in the voting precincts of the several States, with a view toward determining whether disparities in the composition of such precincts impede the operation of the Federal electoral system. (Amends 5 U.S.C. 6103(a); 3 U.S.C. 1)
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1973
Establishes a Commission on Railroad Transportation in the Northeast to keep itself closely informed on all developments in the Matter of Penn Central Transportation Company, Debtor, Numbered 70-347, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Provides that whenever the Commission finds that there is no reasonable prospect of achieving a traditional income-based reorganization of the Company without the abandonment of subsidization of lines of road reasonably needed for useful transportation or the reduction of its work force to a degree not consistent with efficient, nonburdensome and safe operations, or the subsidization of intercity or commuter passenger operations to a degree more favorable than those generally prevailing, then the Commission shall so determine and declare. Establishes a Federal corporation to be known as the Northeast Transportation Authority. Provides that in the event the Commission makes the above determination and declaration, then all property, real or personal, owned or operated under the direction of the trustees of the Company and which is used or useful in the conduct of transportation shall become the property of the United States of America, and title thereto, with power to deal therewith, shall be vested in the Northeast Transportation Authority. Directs the Commission to negotiate with bankruptcy trustees of the Company in an effort to agree upon a sum of money that will constitute just and reasonable compensation for such property passing to the United States. Provides that the trustees shall distribute the transportation properties of the debtor together with the proceeds of liquidation of such other properties as the debtor may own, to the creditors and holders of other interests in the debtor in accordance with the laws applicable to bankruptcies and under the direction of the bankruptcy court. Provides that the Authority shall be deemed a common carrier, and shall be subject to all provisions of the Interstate Commerce Act. Provides that the primary objective of the Northeast Transportation Authority's operations shall be to provide the public with the most economic, attractive, safe, and useful railroad transportation service that can be furnished, while maintaining rates of pay, rules, and working conditions for employees at a level not less than that prevailing in the railroad industry in the United States. Authorizes to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act, together with such sums as may be shown from time to time to be necessary to conduct the operations of the Authority in accordance with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1973
Establishes a Committee on Environment in the House of Representatives, consisting of 25 members. Provides that such Committee shall deal with all measures relating to the quality of the physical environment of the United States and its possessions, including: (1) water quality; (2) air quality; (3) weather modification; (4) waste disposal and management; (5) pesticides and herbicides; and (6) acoustic problems.
![Official portrait of Rep. Helstoski, Henry [D-NJ-9]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/h000465_200.jpg)