United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the excise tax on distilled spirits from $12.50 per gallon to $19.75 per gallon. Appropriates revenues raised by such additional tax to the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund (Medicare).
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1985
Authorizes the Black Revolutionary War Patriots Foundation to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia to honor the courageous slaves and free black persons who gave of themselves during the American Revolution. Directs the Secretary of the Interior, with the approval of the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission, to select the site, approve the design and plans, and provide for maintenance. Prohibits the use of any Federal funds for the memorial's construction. Terminates the Foundation's authority to establish such memorial within five years from the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1985
Constitutional Amendment - Prohibits abortion unless the pregnancy is the result of rape, incest, or is necessary to prevent the death of the mother. States that for purposes of the fifth and 14th amendments to the Constitution, the word "person" applies to all human beings without regard to age, health, function, or condition of dependency.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the targeted jobs income tax credit from 1985 to 1990. Increases the amount of wages which may be taken into account for such credit from $6,000 to $10,000 per year. Revises the definition of "members of economically disadvantaged families" to increase from 70 percent to 80 percent of the Bureau of Labor Statistics' lower living standard the amount of income a family may have in order to qualify as a member of a targeted group.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1985
Requires that funds be made available from appropriations under the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies Appropriation Act, 1985 to enable the National Institutes of Health to award 6,500 new and competing research grants in FY 1985.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1985
Synthetic Fuels Corporation Fiscal Responsibility Act - Amends the United States Synthetic Fuels Corporation Act of 1980 to terminate the authority of the United States Synthetic Fuels Corporation (the Corporation) to enter into any awards or commitments for financial assistance. Directs the Corporation's Board of Directors to submit a final report to the Congress regarding the status of the Corporation within 60 days after enactment of this Act. Prohibits the Corporation from expending any funds or acting in furtherance of any commitment made after February 5, 1985, unless a joint resolution approving such transaction is enacted. Requires the Secretaries of Energy and of the Treasury and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to agree on a Memorandum of Understanding which includes a plan for: (1) the abolition of the Corporation; and (2) for the administration of synthetic fuels projects which will continue after the abolition of the Corporation.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1985
Adolescent Pregnancy and Parenthood Act of 1984 - Amends title XX (Adolescent Family Life Demonstration Projects) of the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants and projects for: (1) prenatal and postpartum care; (2) well-child infant care; (3) comprehensive family planning services to prevent unintended repeat pregnancies; and (4) educational, vocational, and other counseling services. Gives priority to under-18 year olds where the incidence of adolescent child bearing is high, where the proportion of low income and minority families is high, and where such services are most needed. Stresses the role of voluntary family support. States that services provided under this Act shall be voluntary. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) establish a program data reporting system; and (2) report annually to Congress. Authorizes FY 1986 through 1988 appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1985
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the payment of title II benefits to individuals who have been deported pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act because of activities conducted under the direction of association with the Nazi government of Germany or its allies.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1985
Establishes a presumption of service-connection for disability purposes for former prisoners of war suffering from the following conditions, manifest to a degree of ten percent or more after active service: (1) chronic liver disease; (2) organic residuals of hypothermia; (3) gastro-intestinal disorders; (4) arthritis; (5) cardiovascular conditions; (6) peripheral neuropathy; (7) immunological dysfunctions; or (8) chronic pulmonary disease. Decreases from six months to 30 days the amount of time a former prisoner of war must have been incarcerated to be eligible for outpatient dental services.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1985
States that the President should: (1) announce to the Soviet Union and other nuclear nations that the United States will suspend testing of nuclear weapons and challenge the Soviet Union to do the same; (2) express to the diplomatic community that U.S. policy is to cease testing such weapons and that such testing will be resumed if the Soviet Union proceeds with further underground testing of such weapons; (3) ensure that upon suspension of U.S. testing the United States will make use of existing technology and equipment to verify that nuclear explosions have ceased; and (4) initiate negotiations for a permanent U.S.-Soviet test ban treaty.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1985
Title I: General Accounting Office Investigation and Report - Directs the General Accounting Office to investigate the situation of displaced nationals of El Salvador, including determinations of those Salvadorans in Central America, unlawfully in the United States, or returned from the United States to El Salvador. Requires a report to the Congress. Title II: Congressional Review - Provides that such report shall be referred to the appropriate committees for hearings and committee reports. Title III: Temporary Stay of Deportation - Provides for a temporary stay of detention and deportation for specified Salvadorans presently in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1985
Social Security Reorganization Act of 1985 - Title I: Establishment of the Social Security Administration - Amends title VII (Administration) of the Social Security Act to establish as an independent executive agency a Social Security Administration, headed by a Social Security Board. Provides that it shall be the duty of the Administration to administer the programs established by titles II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) and XVI (Supplemental Security Income) of the Social Security Act. Establishes in the Administration a General Counsel and an Inspector General. Requires the Board to study and make recommendations as to the most effective methods of providing economic security through social insurance and as to legislation and matters of administrative policy. Establishes in the Administration: (1) a Commissioner of Social Security; (2) a Deputy Commissioner of Social Security; and (3) an Office of the Beneficiary Ombudsman, to be headed by a Beneficiary Ombudsman who shall represent the interests of beneficiaries under the Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance program and the Supplemental Security Income Program within the Administration. Requires the annual report of the Board to include a description of the activities of the Beneficiary Ombudsman. Requires the Board to make annual budgetary recommendations relating to the Administration. Requires that appropriations requests by the Administration for staffing and personnel be based upon a comprehensive workforce plan as established by the Board. Provides for the apportionment of administrative costs. Requires the annual report of the Board to include a section reflecting the use of budget authority provided to the Administration. Requires that authority for automated data processing procurement and facilities construction be provided in the form of contract authority covering the total cost of such acquisitions. Makes amounts needed for the liquidation of contract authority so provided available from the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund to the extent that such amounts are not needed to meet current obligations for benefit payments. Specifies the authorities which are to be delegated to the Board from the Administrator of the General Services Administration. Requires the Board to cause a seal of office to be made and judicial notice taken thereof. Provides for the transfer to the Administration of all functions carried out by the Secretary of Health and Human Services with respect to the programs and activities to be carried out by the Administration under this Act. Abolishes the position of Commissioner of Social Security in the Department of Health and Human Services. Title II: Miscellaneous and Conforming Amendments - Sets forth a contributor and beneficiary bill of rights under which: (1) all individuals are required to be treated fairly by the Board and the Secretary; (2) the Secretary and the Board are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of age, sex, race, creed, color, handicap, national origin, or economic condition; and (3) the Board and the Secretary should maintain prompt, professional, and effective service which is responsive to the community. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Board to report to Congress within 120 days after the beginning of each regular session on their administration under this Act. Requires the Secretary to study and make recommendations on the most effective methods of providing economic security and on the administrative policy for the programs which he or she administers. Title III: Effective Dates and Transitional Rules - Sets forth effective date and transitional rule provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1985
Prohibits Government contracts to which cost accounting standards under the Defense Production Act of 1950 are applicable from treating the contractor's costs for facilities capital as allowable costs. Prohibits, under such contracts, facilities capital costs from being considered as incurred by the contractor. States that the cost accounting standard (4 C.F.R. 414) issued by the Cost Accounting Standards Board under the Defense Production Act of 1950, effective October 1, 1976, shall not apply to any contract for which a request for proposal is issued after enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1985
Taxpayers' Bill of Rights - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to prepare, for distribution to taxpayers, brief but comprehensive statements which set forth in nontechnical terms: (1) the rights and obligations of taxpayers during an audit; (2) the procedures by which a taxpayer may appeal any adverse decision of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); (3) the procedures for prosecuting refund claims and filing of taxpayer complaints; and (4) the procedures which the IRS may use in enforcing the internal revenue laws. Requires a copy of such statement to accompany any tax forms sent to taxpayers. Extends permanently the authority to award court costs, attorney fees, and other fees to a prevailing party in civil tax cases. (Present law terminates such authority as of December 31, 1985.) Provides for a civil action against IRS employees for any deprivation of rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States. Establishes within the Department of the Treasury an Office of the Ombudsman to provide assistance to individuals in their dealings with the Department of the Treasury (including the IRS). Requires the IRS, upon a taxpayer's request, to: (1) conduct any interview regarding a deficiency assessment in the taxpayer's residence or place of business, at a reasonable time convenient to the taxpayer; and (2) allow a taxpayer to make a recording of such interview at his own expense and with his own equipment. Requires the officer or employee conducting such interview to warn the taxpayer that: (1) he or she has the right to remain silent; (2) any statement he or she makes may be used against him or her; and (3) he or she has the right to the presence of an attorney or a certified public accountant. Requires the Comptroller General of the United States to establish a program for a continuing audit and investigation of the efficiency, uniformity, and equity of the the administration of the internal revenue laws of the United States. Requires the Comptroller General to report annually to the Congress on such program. Prohibits the use of amounts collected pursuant to audits or investigations of taxpayer returns as a basis for the evaluations of the IRS personnel who participated in such audits or investigations.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that the use of law enforcement, fire protection, and emergency medical vehicles by government employees shall be treated as a nontaxable fringe benefit.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1985
Directs the President to: (1) secure from the Indochina nations a full accounting of Americans captured or missing as a result of the Vietnam conflict; and (2) work for the release of captive Americans and the return of the remains of those American servicemen and civilians who died in Southeast Asia. Requires the President to submit two reports to Congress on American POW/MIAs in Southeast Asia.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1985
Designates the U.S. Post Office Building, Flushing, New York, as the Benjamin S. Rosenthal Post Office Building. Requires the Postmaster General to install an appropriate plaque indicating such designation.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1985
Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1985 - Amends the Education Amendments of 1972, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to provide a definition of the phrase "program or activity." Defines such term as all of the operations of: (1) a department or agency of a State or of a local government; (2) the entity of such State or local government that distributes Federal assistance and each such department or agency to which the assistance is extended; (3) a university or a system of higher education; (4) a local educational agency or other school system; (5) a corporation, partnership, or other private organization; or (6) any other entity consistent with the coverage provided above.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1985
Congressional and Judicial Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1985 - Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require that personnel actions affecting employees or applicants in the legislative and judicial branches of the Government be free from any discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, handicap, or age. Allows Members of Congress to take into consideration an individual's domicile and political affiliation. Establishes within the judicial branch an Employment Review Board. Provides that members of the board be appointed from the retired judges of the Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals. Authorizes an aggrieved individual to file a written complaint with the Board. Establishes procedures for the Board to investigate, settle, hear, and determine the claims alleged. Provides that if a violation is found an order for relief may compel the defendant to: (1) employ or reinstate such individual on such terms and conditions as may be appropriate; (2) pay compensatory damages; (3) pay punitive damages; and (4) pay fees and allowances of witnesses and reasonable attorneys' fees. Authorizes the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to review, enjoin, set aside, suspend, modify, or enforce orders of the Board. Requires members of the Board to submit written reports to the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct of the House of Representatives and the Senate Select Committee on Ethics describing complaints during the reporting period involved.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1985
South African Human Rights Act of 1985 - Title I: Investment in South Africa - Directs the President to prohibit U.S. persons from making any investment in South Africa. Directs the President to: (1) attempt, through negotiations, to persuade other governments to adopt restrictions on new investment in and bank loans to South Africa; and (2) report annually to the Congress on the status of such negotiations. Sets forth penalties for violations of such prohibition. Terminates such prohibition upon enactment of a joint resolution approving a finding by the President that South Africa has made substantial progress toward the full participation of all the people of South Africa in the social, political, and economic life in that country and toward an end to discrimination based on race or ethnic origin. Title II: Labor Standards - Requires any United States person who has or controls an enterprise in South Africa which employs more than 20 people to ensure that in operating such enterprise the following employment principles are implemented: (1) desegregation in any employment facility; (2) equal employment for all employees; (3) equal pay for equal work; (4) establishment of a minimum wage and salary structure; (5) increase in the representation of nonwhites in managerial, supervisory, administrative, clerical, and technical jobs; (6) improvement of the quality of employees' lives outside the work environment; and (7) recognition of labor unions and fair labor practices. Declares that the Secretary of State (the Secretary) may issue guidelines and give advisory opinions on compliance with such principles. Directs the Secretary to establish an Advisory Council in South Africa to advise the Secretary with respect to the implementation of such employment principles and to review the annual reports which each U.S. person covered by this Act must submit to the Secretary on the progress made in implementing such principles. Directs the Secretary to establish in the United States an American Advisory Council to make policy recommendations regarding labor practices of U.S. persons in South Africa to review such persons' progress in implementing such employment practices. Directs the Secretary: (1) to take specified actions to ensure compliance with the implementation of such employment principles; and (2) to review the compliance of such persons at least biennially. Sets forth penalties for noncompliance. Authorizes the President to waive compliance with the implementation of such principles if such compliance would harm U.S. national security. Title III: Prohibition on Loans and Importation of Gold Coins - Prohibits any U.S. bank from making any loan directly or through a foreign subsidiary to South Africa unless such loan is for educational, housing, or health facilities available to all persons on a nondiscriminatory basis. Prohibits the importation of any gold coin minted in South Africa or sold by South Africa. Directs the Secretary to take specified actions to enforce the prohibitions on loans and the importation of gold coins. Sets forth penalties for violations of such prohibitions. Authorizes the President to waive such prohibitions for one year if South Africa meets specified conditions. Title IV: Reimposition of Export Controls - Amends the Export Administration Act of 1979 to reimpose for one year the foreign policy export controls which were in effect on February 28, 1982, and ceased to be effective on March 1, 1982, September 15, 1982, or January 20, 1983 (except those controls with respect to the 1980 summer Olympic games). Authorizes one-year extensions of such controls. Title V: Nuclear Exports - Prohibits, unless the affected country agrees to maintain International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards: (1) issuing an export license for the export to a nonnuclear-weapon state of goods or technology which are to be used or are likely to be diverted for use in a nuclear production or utilization facility; (2) giving authorization to engage in the production of any special nuclear material in a nonnuclear-weapons state; (3) issuing a license for the export to such a state of parts or items especially relevant because of their significance for nuclear explosive purposes; and (4) retransfering to a nonnuclear-weapon state any such goods, technology, or items. Authorizes the President to waive such prohibition if application of the prohibition would be seriously prejudicial to the achievement of U.S. nonproliferation objectives or would otherwise jeopardize the common defense and security and if the President submits the executive order containing the waiver to the Congress 60 days before the activity is carried out. Title VI: General Provisions - Directs Federal agencies to cooperate with the Secretary in carrying out provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1985
Encourages the President's efforts to achieve deep cuts in the amounts of nuclear weapons held by each nation and to establish an enduring peace. Declares that the Congress would welcome an international agreement based on specified principles providing for: (1) the staged, proportional disarmament of all nations until nonthreatening force levels are reached under effective international inspection and control; and (2) concurrent agreements (in accordance with specified principles) providing methods for the peaceful settlement of international disputes, for effective compliance during the staged disarmament process, and for effective enforcement as nonthreatening force levels are approached. Urges the President to initiate: (1) renewed consideration of the "Joint Statement of Agreed Principles for Disarmament Negotiations" ("Joint Statement") by appropriate U.S. agencies; and (2) joint United States and Soviet reconsideration of such "Joint Statement." Requests the President to: (1) transmit copies of this resolution to the heads of government of all nations and to invite them to participate in negotiations on such an international agreement; and (2) report to the Congress on the steps taken respecting this resolution and the responses received and on the U.S. reassessment of the "Joint Statement."
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1985
National Commission on Neurofibromatosis Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish within 60 days a National Commission on Neurofibromatosis which shall formulate a plan to identify the research needed to develop an effective treatment and a cure for neurofibromatosis. Sets forth operating and related provisions. Authorizes the Commission to transmit interim reports. Requires the Commission to make a final report to the President and to each House of the Congress within two years. Terminates the Commission three months after submission of the final report. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 1985
Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Treatment Act of 1985 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to designate 20 centers for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. Requires such centers to: (1) provide a central facility for diagnosis, evaluation, and counseling; (2) develop standards of treatment and methods of delivering cost-effective services; (3) train professionals and nonprofessionals in diagnosing and treating such disorders; and (4) develop a comprehensive acute and long-term treatment program. Authorizes FY 1986 through 1990 appropriations. Directs the Secretary to make $1,000,000 available to each center for each of at least five years for teaching, training, research, and staffing. Permits eligible persons to elect to receive benefits as provided for by this Act rather than under titles XVIII (Medicare), XIX (Medicaid), or XX (Grants to States for Service) of the Social Security Act, or under the Older Americans Act of 1965.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should negotiate an agreement with Japan providing that Japan pay the United States an annual security fee equal to two percent of Japan's gross national product to compensate the United States for expenditures made pursuant to the United States/Japanese Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Civil Liberties Act of 1985 - Title I: Recognition of Injustice and an Apology on Behalf of the Nation - States that the Congress recognizes that a grave injustice was done to both citizens and resident aliens of Japanese ancestry by the evacuation, relocation, and internment of civilians during World War II. Title II: United States Citizens of Japanese Ancestry and Resident Japanese Aliens - Requests the President to offer pardons of those convicted of violating laws during the internment period whose violation was based on a refusal to accept racially discriminatory treatment. Provides that Federal departments and agencies that review applications for restitution of positions, status, or entitlement lost during the internment period shall review such applications giving full consideration to the findings of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians. Establishes within the Treasury a Civil Liberties Public Education Fund. Authorizes appropriations for the Fund. Requires the Attorney General to pay $20,000 from the Fund to each surviving internee. Establishes a Board of Directors which shall be responsible for making disbursement from the Fund. Provides that disbursement from the Fund shall be used to: (1) sponsor research and public educational activities dealing with the internment; (2) fund studies of similar civil liberties abuses; (3) prepare and distribute hearings and findings of the Commission; and (4) promote the general welfare of the ethnic Japanese community in the United States. Title III: Aleutian and Pribilof Islands Restitution - Aleutian and Pribilof Islands Restitution Act - Establishes within the Treasury the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands Restitution Fund. Directs the Administrator of the Fund (the Aleutian/Pribilof Islands Association) to make restitution for certain Aleut losses sustained in World War II. Requires the Administrator to establish a trust of $5,000,000 and to distribute the interest of such trust for: (1) the benefit of the elderly, disabled, or seriously ill; (2) students in need of scholarship assistance; (3) preservation of Aleut cultural heritage and historical records; (4) the improvement of community centers of affected Aleut villages; and (5) other purposes to improve Aleut life. Authorizes the Administrator to rebuild and restore churches and church property damaged or destroyed in Aleut villages during World War II. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to make payments of $12,000 from the fund to each eligible Aleut for any uncompensated personal property loss. Authorizes the Secretary of the Army to implement a program for the removal and disposal of live ammunition, obsolete buildings, abandoned machinery, and other hazardous debris remaining in populated areas of the lower Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to convey to the Aleut Corporation all right, title, and interest of the United States in Attu Island, Alaska. Authorizes appropriations. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - Provides that all documents, personal testimony, and other material collected by the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians shall be deposited in the National Archives of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Amends the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to require that any attorney who collects debts on behalf of a client be subject to the provisions of such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Civilian Nuclear Power Regulation Improvement and Safety Incentives Act of 1985 - Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to eliminate the ceiling on the aggregate liability for a single nuclear incident of persons indemnified. Requires the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), with respect to nuclear incidents, to incorporate provisions in indemnity agreements with licensees and contractors and to require provisions to be incorporated in insurance policies or contracts furnished as proof of financial protection which waive: (1) issues or defenses as to conduct of the claimant or fault of the persons indemnified; (2) issues or defenses as to charitable or governmental immunity; or (3) issues or defenses based upon any statute of limitations if suit is instituted within three years from the date a claimant first knew or could reasonably have known of the injury and its cause. Eliminates the requirement that a suit be filed within 20 years after a nuclear incident in order for a waiver of a defense based upon a statute of limitations to be effective. (Under current law, the NRC may incorporate such waiver provisions and may require the incorporation of such provisions with respect to extraordinary nuclear occurrences.)
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Construction Industry Labor Law Amendments of 1985 - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to provide that in the construction industry two or more business entities engaged in the same or similar work with common ownership or control shall be deemed a single employer. Applies the terms of a collective bargaining agreement regarding employees of such business entities to all other business entities comprising the same single employer within the geographical area covered by the agreement. States that collective bargaining agreements may only be repudiated after the National Labor Relations Board certifies election results in which a majority of the employees select a bargaining representative other than the representative with whom such agreement was made.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Allows parties that prevail against the United States in specified administrative and judicial proceedings to be awarded attorneys' fees and other expenses. Permits the relevant agency or court to assess a civil penalty not exceeding the amount of such costs against an officer or employee of the United States, if such agency or court determines that the proceedings involved were based on a clearly arbitrary or capricious action of such officer or employee. Authorizes the agency or court to consolidate proceedings. Amends the Equal Access to Justice Act to repeal the termination dates of costs and fees award provisions.
![Official portrait of Rep. Jacobs, Andrew, Jr. [D-IN-10]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/j000033_200.jpg)