United States · United States Congress · 4 June 1986
Recognizes and supports the historic and educational purposes to be served by the museum and study center in Normandy, France, and the efforts of the U.S. Committee for the Battle of Normandy Museum to encourage understanding of and support among Americans for such memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1986
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow homeowners to deduct the full amount of prepaid interest in connection with the refinancing of their principal residences for the taxable year in which paid.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1986
Title I: Short Title; Findings - Child Care Act of 1986 - Sets forth congressional findings regarding the child care policies of the country. Title II: Dependent Care Tax Credit and Voucher System - Part 1: Changes in Dependent Care Tax Credit - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to disallow dependent care tax credits when a taxpayer's adjusted gross income exceeds $50,000. Provides for a yearly cost-of-living adjustment to both base and ceiling amounts. Disallows such credit where any of the employment-related expenses are paid with any vouchers. Part 2: Voucher System for Child Care - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to each State having an approved plan for child care vouchers for certain low income individuals. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1987 through 1990. Directs the Secretary to establish criteria, standards, and a timetable for the State plan. Requires the Secretary to reimburse a State for 75 percent of its costs under such plan. Provides for proportional allotments based upon the amount received under title XX (Grants to States for Social Services) of the Social Security Act. Permits a State to use block grant funds for the voucher plan. States that the redemption of a voucher for child care services by a child care provider constitutes receipt of Federal funds for purposes of provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 relating to racial discrimination. Prohibits sex discrimination by any child care program. Exempts child care providers serving seven or fewer children. Permits the Secretary to withhold payment from a noncomplying State. Excludes the amount of any voucher from determinations of income or resources for purposes of any Federal or State law. Requires each State to report biennially to the Secretary on the implementation of the plan including the amounts used on vouchers from block grant funds. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress an analysis of the State reports.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1986
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that if the basis recovery rule for annuities of employees who contribute to their retirement program is changed in tax reform legislation, in no event should such change apply to individuals retiring before the date of enactment of such legislation.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1986
Product Liability Reform Act of 1986 - Preempts inconsistent State laws. Declares that the provisions of this Act are inapplicable in certain actions under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954. Bases liability for damages in product liability actions on whether: (1) the design, production, distribution, or sale of the product was negligent; or (2) the product was defective, and such defect rendered the product unreasonably dangerous. Includes among the applicable defenses in such actions proof that: (1) the defect was the subject of an adequate warning; (2) the defect was apparent to a reasonable person, or the subject of common knowledge; (3) the injury resulted from an unreasonable or unforeseeable use or alteration of the product; and (4) at the time the product was made, the ability to discover and eliminate the defect was unavailable. States that joint and several liability may not be applied to any product liability action subject to this Act (unless persons acting in concert were the proximate cause of the injury). Limits the amount of damages for noneconomic losses to $100,000. Requires that damage awards for future economic losses exceeding $100,000 be made by periodic payments. Requires that damage awards be offset by amounts received as compensation for the same injury. Establishes a contingency fee schedule for plaintiffs' attorneys. Directs the Attorney General to provide recommendations regarding the creation, adoption, and use of alternative dispute resolution techniques.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 1986
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President and the Secretary of State should insist at the Vienna Review Meeting of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, and in discussions with Communist Party and Soviet leaders, that imprisoned and exiled members of the Ukrainian and other Helsinki Monitoring Groups be released and allowed to emigrate to the countries of their choice. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the Secretary of State should ensure that the U.S. consulate in Kiev reports on Soviet human rights violations in the Ukraine; and (2) such information should be included in reports on compliance with the Helsinki Final Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1986
Manufacture and Public Distribution of Certain Copyrighted Material Act - Amends the copyright law to extend indefinitely the manufacturing clause, which prohibits the importation of certain English language books not manufactured in the United States or Canada. Eliminates the Canadian exemption, per se, after 1988. Permits exemptions from such restriction if a foreign country, including Canada, is certified by the United States Trade Representative as providing adequate copyright protection for U.S. nationals and such country freely trades in printed matter with the United States or adheres to a bilateral or multilateral agreement with the United States and supports internationally recognized workers' rights.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1986
Provides that any cost-of-living adjustment in military retirement and survivor benefit programs provided by law to take effect during FY 1987 shall be made in accordance with such law and not subject to any reduction, suspension, or contrary presidential order. Defines "military retirement and survivor benefit programs."
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1986
Declares that the House of Representatives, on behalf of the U.S. people, expresses its gratitude to the Government and people of the United Kingdom who assisted the United States in its exercise of self-defense against Libya and in the fight against state-sponsored international terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 1986
Designates May 21, 1986, as National Andrei Sakharov Day. Authorizes and requests the President to urge the Soviet Union to permit Andrei Sakharov and Elena Bonner to freely choose their place of residence.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 1986
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the present three-year basis recovery rule on the taxation of retirement annuities for government employees should be maintained and provisions requiring the repeal of such treatment in certain tax reform legislation (H.R. 3838) should be deleted.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 1986
Bilingual Education Act Amendments of 1986 - Amends the Bilingual Education Act (the Act) to add to the statement of policy the declaration that, regardless of the method of instruction, programs which serve children of limited English proficiency have the equally important goals of developing both academic achievement and English proficiency. Removes a requirement that the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) reserve limited portions of funds under the Act for special alternative instructional programs and related activities. Removes a requirement that the Secretary reserve at least 75 percent of funds under part A (Financial Assistance for Bilingual Education Programs) of the Act for transitional bilingual education programs.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 1986
National Security Programs Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1987 and 1988 - Title I: National Security Programs - Authorizes appropriations for the Department of Energy (DOE) for FY 1987 for plant and capital equipment and operating expenses in carrying out national security programs in the following areas: (1) weapons activities; (2) materials production; (3) defense waste and byproducts management; (4) verification and control technology; (5) nuclear safeguards and security; (6) security investigations; and (7) naval reactors development. Title II: General Provisions - Prohibits the use of funds authorized under this Act where the costs of the program exceed 105 percent of the program authorization or the costs exceed by more than $10,000,000 the amount authorized by this Act, whichever is the lesser. Prohibits the use of funds authorized by this Act for programs which have not been presented to or requested of the Congress unless the Secretary of Energy transmits to the appropriate committees a full and complete statement of the action proposed. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out any general plant project only if the maximum estimated cost of the project does not exceed $1,200,000. Sets forth procedures for the approval of projects which exceed by more than 25 percent their estimated cost, and exempts from such procedures any project which has an estimated cost of less than $5,000,000. Allows the transfer of funds from specified projects to other Government agencies for the performance of work for which the appropriation is made. Authorizes the Secretary to perform construction design services for construction projects in support of national security programs. Permits funds to remain available until expended if so specified in an appropriation Act. Title III: Authorization of Appropriations For Fiscal Year 1988 - Authorizes appropriations for programs under this Act for FY 1988 to DOE, such funds not to be available before FY 1988.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 1986
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Secretary of Agriculture should take immediate steps to investigate alternative animal identification procedures in lieu of hot-iron cheek branding.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 1986
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Farm Credit Administration and its associated agencies and institutions should take additional actions to alleviate the agricultural financial situation, including restructuring, rather than foreclosing, loans.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 1986
Telephone Decency Act of 1986 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit any obscene or indecent telephone communication for commercial purposes to any person in the District of Columbia or in interstate or foreign communication. (Current law prohibits such communication to any person without his or her consent or to any person under 18 years of age.)
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1986
Commends the people and the Government of Spain for their support of continued participation in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and their commitment to democracy.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1986
Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act - Requires States to provide by law for elections for Federal office: (1) absentee registration and absentee voting for uniformed services voters and overseas voters; and (2) the use of alternative write-in absentee ballots by overseas voters. Directs the President to designate the head of an executive department to have primary responsibility for the administrative functions of this Act, including: (1) prescribing an official postcard form containing a voter registration and an absentee ballot application; (2) prescribing an alternative write-in ballot for overseas voters; (3) prescribing forms and designs for balloting materials; (4) distributing election materials; and (5) reporting to the Congress in even-numbered years on its effectiveness. Provides for the distribution of official postcards. Sets forth recommendations to the States in carrying out provisions of this Act. Authorizes the use of the alternative write-in ballots in lieu of absentee ballots under specified circumstances. Directs the Postmaster to expedite the transport of election materials and declares such materials free of postage.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1986
Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to exempt from any sequestration of funds under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) certain benefits of veterans and their dependents and survivors which are based upon the service-connected disability or death of such veterans.
![Official portrait of Rep. Holt, Marjorie S. [R-MD-4]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/h000747_200.jpg)