United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1983
Balanced Monetary Policy Act of 1983 - Amends the Federal Reserve Act to require the Board of Governors and the Federal Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve System to establish yearly targets for money and total credit aggregates and for real interest rates consistent with historic levels. Requires the Board and the Federal Open Market Committee to take necessary actions to assure that such targets are achieved, on average, on an annual basis. Requires a written report to specified Congressional committees if such targets cannot or should not be achieved because of unfavorable economic conditions. Requires the Board of Governors to transmit specified information to Congress biannually. Requires the Board to announce publicly changes in objectives and plans at the time those changes are determined. Requires the President to state for the System's record the administration's position on each vote on monetary policy taken by the Board and by the Federal Open Market Committee.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1983
Emergency Public Works Employment Act of 1983 - Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to make grants to States, municipalities, urban counties, and Indian Tribes for construction, renovation, repair, and improvement of local public works. Requires that such grants made to States be for local public works located in nonmetropolitan areas. Sets forth conditions for such grants and the Federal share of such projects. Prohibits making such grants to local governments which had an unemployment rate of less than eight percent for the preceding 12-month period. Prohibits the use of such grants for the acquisition of real property or for construction of any recreational or cultural facility. Requires grant applicants to give certain assurances to the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to prescribe rules, regulations, and procedures to carry out this Act. Sets forth certain required grant application procedures. Requires the Secretary to apportion funds appropriated to carry out this Act in a specified manner. Requires the Secretary to carry out an audit on each completed project carried out with Federal assistance provided by this Act. Requires grant recipients to maintain certain records. Requires the Secretary and the Comptroller General to have access to all books and records for the purpose of audit and examination. Requires the Secretary to withhold ten percent of the grant amount until completion of the audit. Requires the Secretary not to pay the recipient any withheld funds if the Secretary finds a violation of this Act. Requires that local public works projects shall not, except in the public interest, be constructed by any department, agency, or instrumentality of any State or local government, unless the State or local government certifies that no responsible person has submitted a bid on any part of a project for which a grant has been made under this Act. Requires the construction of each grant project to be performed by contract, awarded by competitive bidding. Sets forth conditions for such public bidding. Prohibits any grant under this Act from being made unless the steel, cement, and manufactured products to be used in such project are produced in the United States. Sets forth exceptions to the requirement to use American products. Prohibits the Secretary from imposing any restrictions or limitations on assistance which restricts any State from imposing more stringent "buy American" requirements than this Act. Requires grant recipients to expend a certain share of the grant for minority businesses as the Secretary determines. States factors for such prescribed share. Defines "minority business enterprise" for the purposes of this Act. Prohibits making any grant under this Act unless the applicant gives assurances that the project will be designed and constructed in accordance with accessibility standards, under Federal law, for the handicapped and the elderly. Authorizes the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board to insure that such projects comply with Federal accessibility standards. Requires certain labor standards to be maintained upon the construction work. Sets forth wage provisions. Prohibits discrimination because of sex in any project receiving Federal grant assistance under this Act. Requires the Secretary to maintain a permanent list of grant applications approved under this Act. Requires such list to be available for public inspection, and to contain certain information. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1983
Clean Campaign Act of 1983 - Adds a new title to the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971: "Title V: Financing of General Election Campaigns for the House of Representatives". Establishes eligibility criteria entitling candidates to receive campaign payments on a matching basis. Establishes formulae to determine such sums. Limits expenditure of personal funds to $20,000 per election. Waives spending limits for eligible candidates whose opponents have spent sums exceeding the limit imposed upon such candidates. Requires specified independent expenditures to be reported to the Commission and to each candidate within specified time-frames. Permits additional payments to certain candidates who have waived specified broadcasting rights. Requires the Federal Election Commission to certify the eligibility of candidates to the Secretary of the Treasury, who shall disburse funds to such candidates. Directs the Secretary to establish a separate United States House of Representatives Election Campaign Account in the Presidential Election Campaign Fund and to deposit certain sums in such account in accordance with specified guidelines. Directs the Commission to audit campaign accounts. Requires repayment of excess payments and unexpended payments. Penalizes the use of funds for other than campaign purposes. Authorizes the Commission to institute repayment actions in U.S. district courts. Delineates the administrative authority of the Commission in carrying out this Act. Requires the Commission to make certain reports to the House of Representatives. Authorizes appropriations. Limits to $90,000 in any calendar year the amount of contributions which congressional candidates or their authorized political committees may accept from non-party multicandidate political committees. Specifies exceptions for candidates in general and special elections. States that any extension of credit for advertising on broadcasting stations, in newspapers or magazines, or by direct mail, or for other types of public political advertising shall be considered a contribution, if such credit is: (1) in excess of $1,000; and (2) for a period exceeding 30 days.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1983
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that a taxpayer whose spouse earns less than $250 of compensation shall not be disqualified from having a spousal individual retirement account.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1983
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should convey U.S. concern for the welfare of Ethiopian Jews and seek ways to assist Ethiopian Jews to emigrate freely.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 1983
Prohibits the implementation of certain regulations proposed by the Office of Personnel Management (published in the Federal Register on March 30, 1983) that change the administration of the civil service system by establishing a performance management system and revising regulations concerning reductions-in-force, pay administration under the Fair Labor Standards Act, bargaining policy in labor-management relations, and the prevailing rate pay system. Voids any such regulations which became effective before enactment of this Act. Prohibits the implementation of any other regulations that would have the same effect.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1983
National Park System Protection and Resources Management Act of 1983 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) collect, analyze, and document data on the factors which degrade or threaten to degrade the natural and cultural resources of the national park system; and (2) transmit to Congress a biennial State of the Parks report. Provides that such report shall include: (1) a description of the condition of each national park unit's natural and cultural resources, of the factors which damage or threaten such resources, and of the ongoing and planned mitigation actions and their results; (2) a description of the systemwide efforts to address the resource protection requirements listed above; (3) a discussion of systemwide resource protection and management policies for natural and cultural park resources; (4) a discussion of the adequacy of congressional appropriations in addressing protection and resource management programs; and (5) a discussion of funding needs to implement such policies and measures. Requires the National Park Service to solicit public involvement in the preparation of such report. Requires the Secretary to submit to specified congressional committees an annual report on the 50 most critical natural and the 50 most critical cultural resource problems within the national park system. Directs the Secretary to contract with the National Academy of Sciences for development of a plan for the National Park Service to conduct natural and cultural resources inventories and research on the problems and solutions with respect to national parks. Requires the plan to be submitted to the Secretary and the appropriate congressional committees. Requires that resource management plans for each national park unit be prepared and updated continually. Provides that general management plans for each park unit shall be based upon the park's resource management plan. Directs the Secretary to review and revise the current land classification system for the preservation and use of national park system lands. Requires the development of a new classification for maximum resource protection for sensitive ecosystems and cultural resources of special research value. Requires that those park units designated as biosphere reserves or world heritage sites receive priority consideration for monitoring and resource protection efforts. Expresses the sense of Congress that park and legislative officials establish ways to ensure the protection of international parks designated as biosphere reserves. Permits the Secretary to exercise the authority to issue leases within a national park unit, permit the use or development of such an area, or dispose of lands and waters within such an area only if the exercise of such authority will not have a significant adverse effect on the park unit. Restricts the Secretary's authority to act in areas adjacent to national park units in the same way, unless any significant adverse effects on the national parks are less important than the public interest value of a proposed action. Requires Federal agencies conducting activities within, or adjacent to, any national park unit to insure, to the extent practicable, that such activities will not significantly degrade the natural or cultural resources of the park unit. Provides for notification of the Secretary by a Federal agency if a proposed agency action may degrade or threaten the natural or cultural resources of a national park unit. Requires the Secretary to respond in writing on the foreseeable impact on park resources of a proposed agency action and to recommend any changes in such action needed to avoid adverse effects on park resources. Authorizes the Secretary to request information regarding a proposed agency action where the agency fails to notify the Secretary and the Secretary determines that such action may threaten park resources. Requires the Secretary to consider any adopted city, county, State, or Federal development plan during the deliberations on a proposed agency action. Requires the Secretary to hold a public hearing: (1) if requested by the affected government unit; and (2) if the Secretary's response to the proposed action is to be negative. Requires the proposing Federal agency to comply fully with the Secretary's recommendations in all cases where the proposed agency action would occur upon Federal lands or waters within the boundaries of a national park unit. Permits the proposing Federal agency to proceed with its action after consideration of the Secretary's recommendations in cases where the proposed action would occur on non-Federal lands within the boundaries of a national park unit, if the public interest in the proposed action is greater than the public interest in avoiding the adverse effects on the park resources involved. Provides that when the proposed agency action would involve areas adjacent to a national park boundary, the Federal agency must consider the Secretary's recommendations and must notify the Secretary of its decision to proceed. Sets forth notification requirements when proposed agency action differs from the Secretary's recommendation. Requires proposing agencies to notify specified congressional committees. Requires the Secretary to publish notices of proposed Federal actions and responses in the Federal Register. Exempts emergency, disaster, and national security actions from this Act. Requires actions under this Act to be brought in the U.S. district court in the district in which the national park unit involved is located. Provides for the Secretary to cooperate with, and provide technical assistance to, governmental and other entities to protect national park system resources. Requires the superintendent of each park unit to work with governmental and other entities which influence or control lands, resources, and activities within or adjacent to the park unit to develop a mutually compatible land use plan for the general area. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to local governments for park resource protection and for the development of such plan. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 through 1986 for such grant. Provides that such cooperative efforts shall be initiated in at least two park units for each administrative region, as well as in all biosphere reserves and world heritage sites, within one year after enactment of this Act. Requires that such efforts be initiated within two years after enactment of this Act in all national park units. Requires that each park unit or regional office have on its staff a person to coordinate the activities required by this Act. Directs the Secretary to initiate a training program for park personnel in the principles and techniques necessary to carry out the requirements of this Act. Requires the Secretary to establish a public information program to inform park visitors and the public of the need to protect park resources. Directs the Secretary to assure that the National Park Service includes adequate numbers and distribution of professional and scientific personnel to provide for park resource protection and management. Requires that general management plans for each national park unit be updated at least every ten years. Requires the Director of the National Park Service to assist potential donors of property located adjacent to or within national park units in satisfying the requirements under the Internal Revenue Code relating to charitable contributions. Provides that if provisions of this Act conflict with provisions of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, the provisions of such Act shall prevail. Authorizes appropriations to the Department of the Interior to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1983
Emergency Vietnam Veterans' Jobs Training Act of 1983 - Directs the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to establish an on-the-job training program for Vietnam-era and disabled veterans. Requires that such program be carried out through payments to employers who employ such veterans in jobs that involve significant training of employees. Requires an eligible veteran to have been unemployed for at least 15 of the last 20 weeks before applying for participation. Establishes maximum periods of assisted training: 12 months for a veteran with a service-connected disability rated at 30 percent or more, six months for any other veterans. Requires employers to provide approved training for at least six months. Permits an approved veteran to select an approved program of job training with any for-profit private employer which hires the veteran into the regular work force with the expectation of permanent employment after the training ends. Directs the Administrator to make payments to such employers, not exceeding 50 percent of the wages paid to the training veteran. Sets forth the requirements an employer's training program must fulfill, including a certification that the wages and benefits paid to a participating veteran are equivalent to those paid to other employees participating in a similar program of training, and that there is a reasonable certainty that a position of that type will be available to such veteran upon completion. Prohibits the Administrator from approving programs involving seasonal or temporary jobs or industries in which a substantial number of experienced workers are unemployed. Prohibits the Administrator from making payments when the conduct or progress of the veteran is unsatisfactory due to circumstances within the employer's control. Authorizes the Administrator to disapprove further participation by eligible veterans in any previously approved program failing to meet the requirements of this Act. Permits veterans otherwise eligible for this program to pursue, instead, a full-time vocational training program at an approved educational institution. Sets forth the conditions of such training. Directs the Administrator to provide an outreach and public information program to inform both eligible veterans and employers about this program. Directs the Administrator to establish procedures and obtain the assistance of disabled veterans outreach program specialists and personnel in regional offices of the Veterans Administration. Directs the Secretary of Labor to provide for the participation of eligible veterans in training programs under this Act and under the Jobs Training Partnership Act. Requires the Secretary to make special efforts to inform eligible veterans of training opportunities. Requires both the Secretary and the Administrator to provide employment counseling services to any eligible veteran who requests them. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 and 1985. Terminates this program after 15 months for the initial application period and after 27 months for the payment of assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1983
Extends by three years, from FY 1984 to FY 1987, the period during which Vietnam-era veterans may request psychological readjustment counseling from the Veterans Administration. Directs the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to conduct a comprehensive study of the readjustment of Vietnam-era veterans to civilian life. Requires that such study include a nationwide survey of the prevalence and incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder and related readjustment problems among such veterans and a survey of their health status in relation to that of the general population. Directs the Administrator to report to Congress on such study by December 31, 1985.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1983
Amends the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 to increase the authorization of appropriations for low-income home energy assistance for FY 1984. Decreases the maximum amount of grant money allotted for a fiscal year to States for low-income home energy assistance which a State may request to be held available for the next fiscal year. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to collect home energy and home energy assistance data on a State-by-State basis. Requires the Secretary to submit the annual report on such data required under such Act no later than September 30 of each calendar year.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1983
Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to increase from $50,000 to $100,000 the amount of death benefits paid to the survivors of public safety officers.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1983
Declares that the House of Representatives deplores the denial of the rights of Hungarians and people of other nationalities in Transylvania by the Romanian Government. Requests the President and the Secretary of State to discuss the human rights of the Hungarians in Transylvania with the Government of Romania.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1983
Amends the Omnibus Crime Control Act of 1970 to revise and increase the mandatory penalties for using or carrying a firearm during commission of a Federal felony. Redefines such offense as using a firearm to commit a felony over which the district courts have exclusive jurisdiction or carrying a firearm during such a felony involving violence. Deletes the requirement that the firearm be carried "unlawfully". Increases the additional penalty imposed for such offense to not less than five years' imprisonment for a first offense (currently, one to ten years) and ten years for a second or subsequent offense (currently, two to 25 years). Extends to first offenders the stipulations, currently applicable only to second offenders, that the court not suspend any sentence, grant probation, or impose concurrent sentences. Makes a first offender ineligible for parole for five years and a second or subsequent offender ineligible for ten years. Expresses the sense of Congress that the executive prosecute vigorously such offenses.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1983
Amends the veterans' educational assistance program to extend the delimiting period for use of educational benefits by Vietnam veterans from ten to 20 years, through December 31, 1995, at the latest.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 1983
Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide, through demonstration projects, to eligible individuals who do not require 24-hour nursing care and who desire to establish a medical, noninstitutional living arrangement, payment for: (1) post-hospital extended care services under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act; or (2) intermediate care facility services or skilled nursing facility services under title XIX (Medicaid) of such Act. Requires payments received to be used to finance appropriate medical, noninstitutional living arrangements. Provides that such payments shall not be includable in gross income under the Internal Revenue Code. Requires the Secretary to design the demonstration projects to determine: (1) the feasibility of transferring inpatients of skilled nursing and intermediate care facilities to noninstitutional living arrangements; (2) the types and percentage of such inpatients who could live effectively in a noninstitutional living arrangement; and (3) the types and percentages of such inpatients who would benefit economically and qualitatively from a noninstitutional living arrangement. Directs that funds for such payments be made from the Federal Hospital Insurance Fund established under the Social Security Act and from funds appropriated for Medicaid.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1983
Federal Anti-Tampering Act - Amends the Federal criminal code to make it a Federal offense to knowingly cause or attempt to cause injury or death to any person by tampering with any article, product, or commodity which is produced or distributed for human use or consumption. Provides for a prison term of up to ten years and a fine of up to $25,000 for an attempt, or if serious bodily injury or death results, a prison term of up to 20 years or life, respectively; and a fine of up to $100,000. Establishes separate penalties for any person who either knowingly, or willfully and maliciously conveys false information concerning an attempt at such adulteration. Grants the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture authority to investigate violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1983
Declares that Congress: (1) condemns the violence in Northern Ireland; (2) urges U.S. citizens to refrain from any action which contributes to the violence there; (3) urges the parties to seek an early political settlement that secures the rights of both sides and achieves Irish unity; (4) believes that a reconciliation can be found between the two Irish political traditions and between Great Britain and Ireland; and (5) requests the President to convey to Britain and to Ireland the desire of Americans for lasting peace in Northern Ireland.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1983
Natural Gas Consumer Relief Act - Title I: Contracting and Marketing Practices - Amends the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978 to declare a take-or-pay clause of a pipeline contract to be against public policy and unenforceable for a three-year period: (1) to the extent that it requires a pipeline to make any payment with respect to natural gas in excess of 50 percent of the maximum annual volume the pipeline has contracted to take; or (2) if such clause does not entitle a pipeline which makes a payment under such clause to take delivery of the gas during the one year period beginning on the date of payments. Defines "take-or-pay clause" to mean any contract provision which requires payment for the minimum quantity of natural gas contracted for under the contract in the event the pipeline fails to take delivery. Permits a pipeline, in the case of a contract for the first sale of natural gas, to: (1) request the seller to renegotiate the contract; and (2) indicate that, if there is no renegotiation within 30 days of the request, the pipeline will exercise its market-out-option. Permits a pipeline exercising its market out option to refuse delivery without incurring an obligation to pay for any amount of natural gas contracted for if the pipeline in its sole discretion determines that it could not market the gas. Declares any indefinite price escalator clause applicable to the first sale of natural gas to be against public policy and unenforceable. Defines "indefinite price escalator clause" as any provision of any contract which provides for the establishment or adjustment of the price for natural gas delivered by reference to prices for natural gas, crude oil, or any other commodity. Prohibits a pipeline from passing through its costs if the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) determines that the pipeline has failed to adopt practices minimizing amounts paid to purchase natural gas. Declares any minimum commodity beill requirement applicable to any sale of natural gas by any interstate or intrastate pipeline to be against public policy and unenforceable: (1) to the extent it requires the purchaser to make any payment with respect to natural gas in excess of 50 percent of the maximum annual volume the purchaser has contracted to take; or (2) if such requirement does not entitle a purchaser who makes a payment under such requirement to take delivery of the natural gas involved subsequent to the date of payment provided under the requirement. Directs FERC to order an interstate pipeline, upon application by a producer of natural gas or by a purchaser of natural gas from a producer, to carry natural gas, for a just and reasonable consideration, between the producer and purchaser if FERC finds that: (1) the pipeline has available capacity; (2) no undue burden would be placed upon such pipeline by reason of the order; (3) construction of new facilities would not be required; and (4) the order would not impair the ability of the pipeline to render adequate service to its other customers. Directs FERC to complete a rulemaking proceeding to issue standards for interstate pipeline tariffs. Directs FERC to require, by rule, a first-sale purchaser of natural gas to file a copy of the contract with FERC. Title II: Wellhead Price Provisions - Revises ceiling price provisions for natural gas. Provides that the ceiling price for categories other than high-cost gas shall be the January 1982 ceiling price multiplied by the monthly equivalent of the modified price adjustment factor. Defines the "modified price adjustment factor" for any month as the lower of: (1) 75 percent of the quarterly percent change in the GNP implicit price deflator (as defined in the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978); or (2) the percent change in the energy index, computed and published as an annual rate by the Department of Labor, for the most recent month for which such percent change has been so published at least eight days before the beginning of the month for which the modified price adjustment factor is being calculated. Provides that for high-cost gas the maximum lawful price for any first sale shall be 150 percent of the maximum lawful price for categories of gas other than high-cost gas. Provides for an adjusted ceiling price for wells drilled on or after January 1, 1982, and before enactment. Repeals provisions permitting increases in the ceiling price of certain categories of natural gas if just and reasonable. Provides, as a general rule, that the maximum lawful price applies with respect to the recovery of all costs and profits associated with production and first-sale delivery of marketable natural gas. Prohibits the importation of natural gas if the first sale price in the United States of the gas exceeds 150 percent of the maximum lawful price for domestically produced gas. Directs the President to submit to Congress a report on the status of negotiations with Canada regarding modification of the border price for natural gas imported from Canada. Extends price controls and standby authority for two years beyond their present expiration dates.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1983
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an income tax credit for one-third of the amount of local wage taxes paid by individuals who are not residents of the local governmental area.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1983
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow individuals with developmental disabilities an income tax deduction for extra commuting expenses incurred as a result of such disability. Extends such deduction to taxpayers who do not otherwise itemize deductions.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1983
Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide coverage for outpatient occupational therapy services.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1983
States that the Government should restore balance to the Department of Energy's FY 1984 budget by maintaining funding for energy conservation, solar and renewable energy, and weatherization programs and by distributing information on conservation and renewable and solar energy.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 1983
Private Pension Reform Act of 1983 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code to require that a retirement plan that provides an annuity to a participant with at least ten years of creditable service shall provide a survivor's annuity for the spouse of any such participant who dies before the annuity starting date in an amount not less than the amount that would have been provided if the participant had survived and retired on such annuity date. Provides that a participant's election not to take a joint and survivor's annuity shall not be effective unless the spouse of the participant consents in writing to such an election. Requires a retirement plan to treat an individual who was the spouse of the participant on the annuity starting date and who survives the participant as if such individual were the spouse of the participant on the date of death of the participant whether or not divorced after the annuity starting date. Allows the assignment of the benefits of a qualified retirement plan in the case of a judgment decree or order relating to child support, alimony payments, or marital property rights pursuant to a State domestic relations law. Amends ERISA to lower the age limitation for participation in a qualified retirement plan from age 25 to age 21. Amends ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code to provide for accruals of creditable service to continue while an individual is on approved maternity or paternity leave at the rate of 20 hours service for each week of approved leave.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 1983
Expresses the sense of the Congress that no changes will be enacted in the guaranteed student loan program which would be effective for the academic year 1983-1984.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 1983
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that it should take cetain steps to honor commitments to the civil service retirement system and continue to provide the current level of retirement benefits to Federal and postal retirees.
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 · 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 · 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
Enterprise Zone Act of 1983 - Title I: Designation of Enterprise Zones - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the designation of enterprise zones by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for purposes of extending the tax incentives and regulatory flexibility measures provided by this Act. Specifies that State and local governments shall nominate areas for such designation. Limits the designation of enterprise zones to 75 nominated areas per year over three years (one third of which such designations shall remain in effect. Specifies that the Secretary may designate such zones only if: (1) the area is within the jurisdiction of the local government; (2) the boundary of the area is continuous; (3) the area has a population of at least 4,000 if any portion thereof is located within a standard metropolitan statistical area (with a population of at least 50,000) or 1,000 otherwise, or is within an Indian reservation; and (4) the area meets specified unemployment and poverty requirements. Requires nominating local governments, as a condition of the Secretary's designation, to agree in writing to follow a course of action which may include reducing tax rates, improving local services, simplifying or streamlining regulation of business, or receiving commitments of private entities to assist employees and residents of the area. Terminates the authority of the Secretary to designate enterprise zones on June 30, 1986, or three years after the publication of regulations pertaining to such zones, whichever is later. Describes areas to which preference shall be given in deciding to designate enterprise zones. Exempts enterprise zones from certain requirements relating to Federal environmental policy. Requires the Secretary to prepare and submit to the Congress every four years a report on the effects of such enterprise zones' designation. Requires that any property tax reduction effected by a local government under the terms of this Act be disregarded for purposes of determining the eligibility of a State or local government for Federal assistance or benefits. States that designation of an enterprise zone shall not give displaced persons from such an area any rights or benefits under the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970. Title II: Federal Income Tax Incentives - Subtitle A: Credits for Employers and Employees - Allows employers located in enterprise zones a nonrefundable income tax credit for increased employment expenditures and employment of the disadvantaged. Allows a three year carryback and 15 year carryover of such credit. Sets the amount of such credit at ten percent of the increase in payroll (taking into account a maximum of $15,000 in wages per year per employee) plus 50 percent of the wages paid to certain disadvantaged workers for the first three years of the enterprise zone designation. Phases out such credit in the last three years of the enterprise zone designation. Disallows a deduction for the portion of wages taken into account for such credit. Allows employees located in enterprise zones a nonrefundable income tax credit equal to five percent of qualified wages earned per year (taking into account a maximum of $9,000 in wages per year). Phases out such credit in the last three years of the enterprise zone designation. Subtitle B: Credits for Investment in Tangible Property in Enterprise Zones - Allows businesses an additional investment tax credit for investment in certain tangible property located in enterprise zones. Limits such credit to five percent for zone personal property and ten percent for new zone construction property, including rental property. Requires that the property subject to such credit be predominantly used in the zone, be purchased after zone designation, and not be acquired from relatives or related corporations. Requires the recapture of such credit upon early disposition of the property. Phases out such credit in the last three years of the enterprise zone designation. Subtitle C: Reduction in Capital Gain Tax Rates - Eliminates the capital gains tax on property of corporations acquired after the enterprise zone designation and used in a zone business. Qualifies certain low-income rental housing located in an enterprise zone for such treatment. Permits property to remain qualified for purposes of the revised capital gains treatment after a designation of an enterprise zone has terminated. Exempts gain from the sale or exchange of property used in a business in an enterprise zone from the computation of the minimum tax. Allows noncorporate taxpayers to deduct from gross income 100 percent of any net capital gain from qualified enterprise zone property. Subtitle D: Rules Relating to Industrial Development Bonds - Provides that limitations on the cost recovery deductions for property financed with tax-exempt industrial development bonds shall not apply to enterprise zone property. Provides that the termination of the small issue exemption shall not apply to industrial development bonds the proceeds of which are used to finance facilities in such enterprise zones. Subtitle E: Sense of the Congress with Respect to Tax Simplification - Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Internal Revenue Service should simplify the administration and enforcement of any provision of the Internal Revenue Code affected by this Act. Title III: Regulatory Flexibility - Revises the definition of "small entity" for purposes of the analysis of regulatory functions to include qualified businesses (as defined in Title II of this Act), governments, and nonprofit enterprises operating within enterprise zones. Authorizes Federal agencies, upon the request of a designating government, to waive or modify rules and regulations which pertain to the carrying out of projects or activities within an enterprise zone. Requires agencies to approve such request if the resulting benefits of job creation, community development, or economic revitalization outweigh the public interest in continuing the rule unchanged. Disallows waiver or modification of a rule that would directly violate a statutory requirement (including the Davis-Bacon Act and Fair Labor Standards Act) or which would present a danger to the public health and safety. Provides that such waivers or modifications of a rule shall remain in effect as long as the zone designations remain in effect. Amends the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act to direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to promote the coordination of all enterprise zone programs and consolidate all periodic reports required under such programs into one summary report. Title IV: Establishment of Foreign-Trade Zones in Enterprise Zones - Requires the Foreign-Trade Board to consider on a priority basis, and expedite the processing of, applications for the establishment of foreign-trade zones within enterprise zones. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to give priority to, and expedite applications for, the establishment of ports of entry necessary to establish such zones. States that to the maximum extent practicable foreign-trade zones should be established within enterprise zones.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 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: one a new intermediate-level adjudication process; the other 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.
![Official portrait of Rep. Howard, James J. [D-NJ-3]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/h000840_200.jpg)