United States · United States Congress · 8 December 1987
Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the targeted jobs income tax credit. Extends the credit to employees who begin work in 1989 through 1991. (Current law terminates the credit for employees who begin work after December 31, 1988.) Includes as a targeted group individuals aged 65 or older who are members of economically disadvantaged families. Revises the minimum employment period requirement for purposes of this credit.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 1987
Great Lakes Pollutant Discharge Inventory Act - Directs the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, Department of Commerce, to inventory the categories and quantities of pollutants entering the Great Lakes during a two year period. Lists the categories of pollutants and sources of pollution that must be included in such inventory. Authorizes agreement with Canada to obtain pollutant information. Requires that such inventory be made public upon completion. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 and 1989.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 1987
Expresses the sense of the Congress that, in celebration of the millennium of the Christianization of Kievan-Rus', the Soviet Union should: (1) comply with its international obligations and allow Christians to practice their faith without harassment; (2) grant a general amnesty for all Christians who have been imprisoned because of their religious beliefs; (3) allow religious believers to practice their faith freely; (4) permit unlimited publication, distribution, and importation of religious materials; and (5) allow closed churches to reopen, new churches to be built, and theological seminaries to open or expand.
United States · United States Congress · 3 December 1987
Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate the Wildcat River, New Hampshire, as a unit of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish a Wildcat River Advisory Commission to assist in the conservation of resources of such River. Permits land acquisition by donation only. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 1987
Includes service of at least one year but less than two years in the Cadet Nurse Corps during World War II as creditable service for purposes of civil service retirement. (Current law provides for individuals with two or more years of service.) Requires affected individuals to: (1) file appropriate written application to the Office of Personnel Management within 14 months of enactment of this Act; and (2) make required deposits to the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund with respect to service in the Corps.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1987
Act for Better Child Care Services of 1987 - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 and such sums as necessary for FY 1989 through 1992 to carry out the purposes of this Act. Specifies the manner of making allotments for child care services. Requires the designation of a lead agency in each State which participates in the programs under this Act. Requires States to submit, in order to qualify for assistance under this Act, an application and plan to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Requires each plan to cover a five-year period and to meet specified requirements for providers of child care services. Authorizes the use of State allotments: (1) by contracts with or grants to eligible child care providers, or public or private nonprofit agencies, to enable such providers or agencies to operate programs directly or by subcontract; or (2) by distributing child care certificates that parents may use as payment for child care services. Requires that a percentage of funds be reserved to enable part-day programs to extend existing hours of operation and provide full-day child care services. Authorizes the Secretary to make planning grants to States which desire to participate under this Act but cannot fully satisfy the requirements of a State plan without financial assistance. Provides for a review of the operation of a State plan during the five-year period to determine its continued eligibility for funds. Requires the Governor of each participating State to establish: (1) a State interagency advisory committee on child care to assist the lead agency in carrying out its responsibilities; and (2) a State committee on licensing to review the licensing requirements, the law, and the policies regulating child care services and programs within the State. Requires each participating State to recognized private nonprofit community-based organizations, or public organizations, as resources and referral agencies for particular geographic areas. Requires each participating State to require that all employed or self-employed persons providing licensed or regulated child care complete at least 15 hours per year of inservice, continuing education, or other training as described in this Act. Directs the Secretary to establish within the Department of Health and Human Services an Administrator of Child Care to carry out the provisions of this Act. Establishes enforcement provisions for review of State plans and monitoring of State compliance. Declares the Federal share of child care programs to be 80 percent and requires the State to demonstrate that the remaining 20 percent will be provided from other sources. Requires the Secretary to establish a National Advisory Committee on Child Care Standards to: (1) review Federal policies on child care services and such other data as appropriate; (2) submit to the Secretary proposed minimum standards for child care programs; and (3) develop and make available to lead agencies model regulations for resources and referral agencies. Terminates the committee 90 days after the date of publication of final minimum child care standards. Prohibits the use of funds under this Act for: (1) sectarian purposes or activities; (2) capital improvements to sectarian institutions; and (3) tuition.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 1987
Dwight David Eisenhower Commemorative Coin Act of 1987 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than a specified number of one dollar silver coins in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Dwight David Eisenhower. Sets forth certain features of such coins and provides for their design, issuance, and sale. Terminates the minting of the coins after December 31, 1990. Requires the Secretary to deposit in the Treasury all surcharges received from the sale of the coins, to be used to reduce the national debt.
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 1987
Authorizes the Vietnam Women's Memorial Project, Inc., to establish a commemorative statue within the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to recognize and honor the women of the U.S. armed forces who served in the Vietnam war. Expresses the sense of the Congress that after the addition of such statue, no further commemorative works should be added to the Memorial. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to select a site for the statue within the Memorial. Makes the design proposal subject to the approval of the Secretary and the National Capital Planning Commission. Prohibits the United States and the District of Columbia from paying any expense of establishing the statue.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 1987
Amends the Uniformed Services Former Spouses' Protection Act by directing the Secretary of Defense to prescribe regulations to provide commissary and exchange benefits to certain unremarried former spouses of members or former members of the uniformed services who performed at least 20 years of creditable service, without regard to the date of the final divorce, dissolution, or annulment decree.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 1987
Designates the building on Orange Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, known as the General Mail Facility of the United States Postal Service, as the John O. Holly Station of the United States Postal Service.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 1987
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the people of the United States should purchase U.S. products and services whenever possible. Urges the President and the State Governors to issue proclamations calling upon the people to promote this policy with appropriate ceremonies and activities. Requests that leaders of civic and consumer organizations, and of the mass media, assist in: (1) promoting awareness of the importance of selecting U.S. goods and services; and (2) identifying such American goods and services, and the merchants from whom they may be acquired. Requests and encourages U.S. producers and manufacturers to make every effort to label and advertise the U.S. origin of such goods.
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 1987
Amends the Federal Land Policy Management Act to authorize the issuance of rights-of-ways on public lands for the construction or operation of a non-Federal dam, diversion, or appurtenant project works for the generation of electric energy if consistent with the public interest or applicable management plan. Requires public participation in processing proposed right-of-ways. Requires the Federal agency or agencies with jurisdiction over the surface to prepare any necessary environmental impact statement under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Authorizes the charging of fees to an applicant to offset administrative costs.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 1987
Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National Park Service, to study and report to the Congress on national forest lands within the Smith River watershed region in Northern California and Southern Oregon and to recommend the means of permanent Federal protection for such resources. Requires that the study include a cost-benefits analysis of protecting such resources and enhancing the region's recreational potential. Prohibits timber sales on such lands until the Congress has had a fixed period in which to examine the study. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to compensate counties for lost timber sales during that period, subject to adjustment if the interim protection is extended.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 1987
Expresses the opposition of the House of Representatives to the continued control of the cathedral in Vilnius, Lithuania, by the Soviet Union. Calls upon the President, the Secretary of State, and Members of Congress visiting the Soviet Union to raise the issue of the cathedral's return to the Roman Catholic Church in meetings with Soviet officials. Urges U.S. representatives to speak out forcefully for such a return at international human rights forums. Voices the House of Representatives' support to the Lithuanian people in their efforts to secure basic religious freedoms and the return of the cathedral. Urges the Soviet Government to allow Roman Catholics to worship at the cathedral and to return it to Roman Catholic Church control before the end of 1988.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 1987
Goose, Gander, and Sauce Act of 1987 - Declares that the pay of any person employed by the United States is subject to garnishment, execution, levy, attachment, and other legal process in the same manner as persons not employed by the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 1987
Prison Industries Reform Act of 1987 - Amends the Federal criminal code to require the value of any property transferred to the Federal Prison Industries to be taken into account as a factor in determining the price in any tender by the Industries of products made through the use of that property or equipment. Requires all overhead to be similarly treated in determining such prices. Eliminates the special privileges accorded the Federal Prison Industries when seeking Government contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 1987
Cocaine and Crack Dealers' Graduated Penalties Act of 1987 - Amends the Controlled Substances Act to establish increased penalties for certain offenses involving the possession of cocaine base.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 1987
Rural Crisis Recovery Program Act of 1987 - Amends the Rural Development Act of 1972 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to provide grants for educational, retraining, and counseling assistance to farmers and rural families who have been adversely affected by the current rural economic crisis. Includes the following services among such assistance: (1) clinical outreach counseling and crisis management assistance; (2) financial planning; (3) vocational counseling and job search assistance; (4) literacy skills training; and (5) tuition and educational assistance. Encourages the Agricultural Extension Service to work with State, local, and nonprofit organizations to develop a comprehensive grant plan. Terminates grant authority on December 23, 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 1987
Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to provide that in any price support reductions under a Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) sequestration order, the Secretary of Agriculture, after consultation with the Office of Management and Budget, shall make program revisions based upon program outlay reductions not exceeding specified cumulative sequestration percentage reductions.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 1987
Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act to require that meat and meat food products containing specified amounts of cheese substitutes or imitations are so labeled.
United States · United States Congress · 14 October 1987
Veterans' Agent Orange Disabilities Act of 1987 - Creates a non-rebuttable presumption that, for the purposes of wartime disability compensation for Vietnam veterans, the following diseases shall be considered to have been incurred in, or aggravated by, active military, naval, or air service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era: (1) non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; (2) lung cancer becoming manifest within 25 years of service; and (3) a disease that, in accordance with this Act, is determined to be reasonably associated with damage to or suppression of the immune system resulting from exposure to dioxin or any other toxic herbicide used in Vietnam and that is listed in regulations prescribed by the Administrator of Veterans Affairs. Requires the Administrator to enter into an agreement with an appropriate nonprofit private scientific organization to: (1) conduct a survey of all scientific studies of the effects of dioxin and other toxic herbicides used by the United States in Vietnam on humans or animals; and (2) determine what (if any) diseases are reasonably associated with damage to or suppression of the human immune system as a result of exposure to such herbicides. Designates the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) as the appropriate nonprofit organization, unless: (1) the NAS does not enter into such an agreement with the Administrator; (2) the Administrator has notified the veterans' committees of an alternative organization; and (3) 90 days have elapsed since such notification. Requires that the scientific organization report to the Administrator and the veterans' committees on the name of each disease determined to be reasonably associated with human immune system damage or suppression within one year after enactment of this Act. Directs that the Administrator prescribe regulations listing each such disease within 90 days of receipt of such report, unless a disease is specifically excluded by law. Directs the Administrator to periodically (but not less than annually) survey additional completed studies to determine whether any diseases should be added to the list. Requires that the Administrator: (1) compile and analyze, on a continuing basis, all clinical data obtained by the VA in connection with physical examinations and treatment furnished after November 3, 1981, to veterans who were exposed to dioxin or any other such toxic substance; and (2) submit to the Senate and House Committees on Veterans' Affairs a semiannual report containing such compilation and analysis, along with a discussion of the disabilities identified or treated by the VA, the Administrator's explanation for the incidence of such disabilities, and other reasonable explanations for the incidence of such disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 14 October 1987
Redefines "eligible veterans" for purposes of determining eligibility as a Vietnam veteran for educational assistance to include any individual who had commenced the third academic year as a cadet or midshipman at one of the service academies before January 1, 1977, if the individual: (1) graduated from such academy; (2) served on active duty for more than 180 days after graduation; and (3) was discharged or released from active duty under conditions other than dishonorable. Sets forth provisions governing the transition to such educational assistance program for veterans enrolled in the educational assistance program for post-Vietnam era veterans. Requires an eligible veteran electing to make such transition to file such election with the Veterans Administration before the expiration of the G.I. Bill.
United States · United States Congress · 14 October 1987
Calls upon the Government of the Soviet Union to: (1) grant to all those who wish to join spouses in the United States permission to emigrate with their family members to the United States; and (2) give special consideration to such cases that have remained unresolved for many years.
United States · United States Congress · 13 October 1987
Omnibus Taxpayers' Bill of Rights Act - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury (Secretary) to prepare a statement setting forth in nontechnical terms: (1) the rights and obligations of a taxpayer and of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) during a tax audit; (2) the procedures by which a taxpayer may appeal adverse decisions, prosecute refund claims, and file complaints; and (3) the procedures that the IRS may use in enforcing revenue laws. Directs the Secretary to transmit drafts of such statement to specified congressional committees and to distribute the final statement to all taxpayers receiving annual tax filing forms from the IRS. Requires the IRS, upon taxpayer request, to conduct any interview regarding the determination or collection of any tax at a reasonable time and place convenient to the taxpayer and to the IRS, and to permit the taxpayer, at his or her own expense, to record the interview. Authorizes the IRS interviewer to record such interview if the taxpayer has been given prior notice and is provided, upon request and payment of reproduction costs, with a transcript of the recording. Requires the interviewer to explain to the taxpayer the audit process, including the taxpayer's rights with respect to the process. Requires the Secretary to abate any penalty or interest imposed on any deficiency attributable to erroneous advice in writing given to a taxpayer by an IRS officer or employee in response to such taxpayer's specific inquiry. Authorizes the IRS Ombudsman, upon application filed by a taxpayer, to issue a Taxpayer Assistance Order if, in the determination of the Ombudsman: (1) the taxpayer is suffering or is about to suffer from an unusual or irreparable loss as a result of the manner in which the internal revenue laws are being administered by the Secretary; and (2) the Secretary has failed to carry out any of his or her duties or has violated any provision of law. Allows the terms of a Taxpayer Assistance Order to require the Secretary to release property of the taxpayer levied upon or to cease or refrain from certain actions. Requires the Secretary to obey any Taxpayer Assistance Order issued by the Ombudsman. Directs the Secretary, within 90 days of this Act's enactment, to issue regulations with respect to Taxpayer Assistance Orders, including provisions to assure full, fair, and impartial due process for affected taxpayers. Amends the Inspector General Act of 1978 and other Federal law to establish within the Department of the Treasury an Office of Inspector General. Transfers to such Office the existing audit and investigation units of the Department. Sets forth criteria with respect to: (1) the authority of the Inspector General to conduct an investigation; and (2) the authority of the Secretary in cases of audits or investigations requiring access to information of a sensitive or confidential nature. Allows the Secretary to prohibit investigations under specified circumstances. Restricts disclosure by the Inspector General of tax returns and return information. Prohibits records of tax enforcement results from being used to evaluate certain IRS personnel or to impose or suggest production quotas. Requires district directors to certify compliance with this mandate on a monthly basis. Requires the Secretary to certify that a rule proposed by the IRS is substantially the only alternative that meets the mandate of the relevant statute in order for the rule to be considered an interpretative rule (and thereby not subject to analyses under the Regulatory Flexibility Act). Amends the Regulatory Flexibility Act to require regulatory flexibility analyses to include consideration of both the direct and indirect beneficial and negative effects of a proposed or final rule. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to direct the Secretary, with limited exceptions, to send a preliminary letter of deficiency to a taxpayer prior to the mailing of a deficiency notice. Specifies required contents for tax due notices and deficiency notices, including the basis of the deficiency and a breakdown of the total amount into tax, interest, and penalty. Directs the Secretary, within 90 days of this Act's enactment, to issue regulations requiring all IRS personnel to explain and support their position in assessing any penalties or additions to tax. Requires the Comptroller General to study IRS procedures with respect to such assessments and to present findings to specified congressional committees no later than December 31, 1988. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into a binding agreement with a taxpayer under which the taxpayer may pay tax liability in installments if the Secretary determines that such an agreement will facilitate collection of the liability. Permits the Secretary, after proper notice and a hearing, to modify or annul the agreement upon the finding that the financial condition of the affected taxpayer has significantly changed. Renders such an agreement nonbinding if the taxpayer fails to pay any installment or any other tax liability when due. Extends from ten to 30 days the period between the required notice to a person who neglects or refuses to pay tax liability and a levy on such person's salary, wages, or other property. Specifies information that must be incorporated in such notice, including possible alternative actions and the appropriate appeals procedures. Adds to the circumstances triggering termination of such a levy: (1) an agreement between the taxpayer and the Secretary for payment of the liability; and (2) the Secretary's determination that the taxpayer's financial condition precludes enforceability of the liability. Revises the list of property exempt from levy to: (1) increase the exempt amount permitted for certain personal effects, the property of a business, and wages; (2) add an exemption for certain deposits in qualified institutions; and (3) provide an express exemption, except under limited circumstances specified in this Act, for the taxpayer's principal residence, a motor vehicle used by the taxpayer as the primary means of transportation to work, and any tangible personal property essential to the operation of the taxpayer's business in cases when a levy would prevent the taxpayer from carrying on such business. Prohibits a levy on any property when levy and sales expenses would exceed either the liability for which the levy is made or the fair market value of the levied property. Permits the Secretary to demand surrender of bank accounts only after 21 days in escrow have passed since service of the notice of levy on the accounts. Sets forth situations in which the Secretary must release a levy. Applies to jeopardy levies the administrative and judicial review procedures currently applicable to jeopardy assessments. Permits a taxpayer to bring a civil action against the United States in the Tax Court for judicial review of jeopardy levies and assessments. (Under current law an action for judicial review of jeopardy assessments may be filed only in district court.) Increases the time during which a taxpayer may petition for such review. Describes the jurisdictional requirements to be applied to such actions. Allows an administrative appeal of tax liens. Grants to the Tax Court exclusive jurisdiction to enjoin premature assessments if the taxpayer has filed a timely petition for review. Provides for review of such injunctive orders by the U.S. Court of Appeals. Grants to the Tax Court jurisdiction to enforce payment by the Secretary of refunds of overpayment and interest to taxpayers. Places on the Secretary the burden of proof of justifying any failure to refund, credit, or offset relevant amounts with respect to a taxpayer. Entitles a prevailing taxpayer to: (1) an interest rate of 120 percent of the overpayment rate with respect to refunds; and (2) reasonable litigation costs. Grants to the Tax Court jurisdiction to: (1) review jeopardy assessment sales of assets; and (2) redetermine interest under certain circumstances when a taxpayer claims an overpayment of the interest. Vests in the Tax Court original jurisdiction over any civil action against the Secretary for the recovery of any tax, additions to tax, and penalties with respect to income, estate, gift, and certain excise taxes. Authorizes an award of reasonable litigation costs to the prevailing party in proceedings by taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service. Permits a taxpayer to bring a civil action in district court for actual damages resulting from the failure of any Federal officer or employee to release a tax lien on the taxpayer's property. Permits a civil cause of action in district court for damages resulting from the careless, reckless, or intentional disregard of internal revenue laws by any Federal officer or employee. Denies damage awards in cases of contributory negligence. Authorizes a damage award, to a $10,000 maximum, to the United States in cases of frivolous or groundless claims by a taxpayer. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to prescribe criminal penalties for: (1) any investigation or surveillance authorized or conducted by an officer or employee of the United States in connection with Federal tax laws that inquires into the beliefs, associations, or activities of any individual or organization; or (2) the maintenance of any records containing information derived from such an investigation. Establishes in the Internal Revenue Service the Office for Taxpayers Services, under the supervision of an Assistant Commissioner of Internal Revenue. Directs this Assistant Commissioner to: (1) be responsible for telephone, walk-in, and educational services, and for the design and production of tax and information forms; and (2) prepare annually, for presentation to specified congressional committees, a joint report (with the Chief Problem Resolution Officer for the IRS) on the quality of taxpayer services.
United States · United States Congress · 13 October 1987
Department of Veterans Affairs Act - Redesignates the Veterans Administration (VA) as the Department of Veterans Affairs (the Department), an executive department within the executive branch of the Government. Provides that the Department shall be headed by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, to be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Designates as other principal officers of the Department the Deputy Secretary, the Chief Medical Director, and the Chief Benefits Director. Provides for the temporary continuation of service of the current Administrator, Deputy Administrator, Chief Medical Director, and Chief Benefits Director of Veterans Affairs. Establishes within the Department eight Assistant Secretaries, each of whom shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to perform such functions as the Secretary may prescribe. Directs the Secretary to assign to one such Assistant Secretary all functions regarding the National Cemetery System and the State cemetery grant program. Outlines functions which the Secretary shall assign to the Assistant Secretaries. Provides for the temporary continuation of the performance of such functions by present personnel until such functions are assigned to an individual appointed as Assistant Secretary under this Act. Redesignates the current VA's Department of Medicine and Surgery as the Veterans Health Services Administration of the Department. Redesignates the VA's current Department of Veterans Benefits as the Veterans Benefits Administration of the Department, whose primary function shall be to administer nonmedical programs which provide assistance to veterans, their dependents, and their survivors. Establishes within the Department the Office of the General Counsel. Redesignates the current Office of Inspector General of the VA as the Office of Inspector General of the Department. Provides that any references to departments or positions under the current VA system shall be considered to be references to such departments and positions of the Department as modified under this Act. Provides continuing effect of all legal documents, suits, actions, and property and resources of the current VA. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, after appropriate congressional consultation, to prepare and submit to the Congress proposed legislation containing technical and conforming amendments to reflect the changes made under this Act. Requires such legislation to be submitted no later than six months after the enactment of this Act. Provides that any spending authority of the Department is subject to available amounts as provided in appropriation Acts.
United States · United States Congress · 13 October 1987
Rural Development Reorganization Act of 1987 - Title I: Reorganization Within Department of Agriculture - Amends Federal law to rename the Department of Agriculture the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Retitles the Secretary of Agriculture the Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. Establishes the Rural Development Administration within such Department. Renames the Farmers Home Administration the Farm Administration. Makes conforming administrative changes. Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to permit the Secretary to provide employment-related technical assistance in economically distressed rural areas. Directs the Secretary to carry out the provisions of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act, except for specified loan provisions, through the Rural Development Administration. States that titles V and VI of the Rural Development Act of 1972 shall be carried out through the Rural Development Administration. Amends the Agriculture and Food Act of 1981 to expand the number of designated assistance areas from 225 to 450. Transfers certain conservation loan programs from the Farmers Home Administration to the Soil Conservation Service. Makes conforming amendments to specified agricultural and rural affairs Acts. Title II: Administration of Federal Rural Housing and Community Development Programs - Transfers to the Rural Development Administration current Farmers Home Administration (FmHA) loan programs for: (1) business and industry; (2) community facilities; (3) water and waste disposal (including grant authority); and (4) rural development and planning, excluding farm production. Transfers to the new Farm Administration current FmHA single-family housing loan programs. Makes conforming amendments to the Housing Act of 1949. Provides for farm ownership assistance to be carried out through such Administration. Makes conforming amendments to the Federal National Mortgage Association Charter Act and the Federal Financing Bank Act of 1973. Title III: Administrative Provisions - Sets forth administrative provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 1987
Veterans' Employment and Training Act of 1987 - Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to require the administrative head of the employment service in each State to assign local veterans' employment representatives (LVERs) to the staffs of local employment service offices. Outlines various functions to be performed by such LVERs in service to veterans in such employment area, including: (1) maintaining ties with the local community in order to keep business leaders aware of the availability of qualified veterans for employment; (2) encouraging business owners and labor unions to hire qualified veterans; (3) promoting, facilitating, and monitoring the participation of veterans in Federal and federally-funded employment and training programs; (4) working closely with Veterans Administration (VA) personnel engaged in providing counseling and rehabilitative services to veterans in identifying qualified disabled veterans who need employment; (5) assisting in securing and maintaining current information regarding available employment and training opportunities; and (6) assisting Federal and State agencies to obtain prosthetic and sensory aids and devices which enhance the employability of disabled veterans. Requires each LVER to be administratively responsible to his or her local employment service manager and provide periodic reports to such manager and to the Director for Veterans' Employment and Training regarding compliance with Federal law and regulations in the provision of such services to veterans. Directs the Secretary of Labor, acting through the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans' Employment and Training, to make available during each fiscal year for use in each State an amount sufficient to support a specified number of LVERs, depending upon the number of eligible veterans residing in such local employment area, and on the number of eligible veterans residing in such State at the end of the previous fiscal year. Outlines a method for determining the number of LVERs to be so supported in each State. Outlines requirements for the proper registration of an individual for assistance with a local employment office during a program year. Amends general veterans' administrative provisions to require the Secretary, through the Assistant Secretary, to: (1) carry out all provisions under the Secretary's jurisdiction for the provision of employment and training services to eligible veterans; (2) encourage the entering into of cooperative agreements with private industry and business concerns in order to make maximum use of available resources; (3) ensure that maximum effectiveness and efficiency are achieved in the provision of services and assistance to eligible veterans; (4) ensure that job placement activities are carried out in coordination and cooperation with appropriate State public employment service officials; (5) monitor and supervise the distribution and use of funds provided for States for veterans' assistance purposes; (6) monitor the appointment of disabled veterans' outreach specialists and the assignment of LVERs in order to assure compliance with specified Federal provisions; and (7) promote, facilitate, and monitor participation of qualified veterans and eligible persons in employment and training opportunities under the Job Training Partnership Act and other Federal and federally-funded employment and training programs. Outlines administrative provisions concerning the distribution of funds and the terms and conditions of grants to States for the above purposes. Directs the Secretary to assign to each region for which the Secretary operates a regional office a representative of the Veterans' Employment and Training Service (who shall be an eligible veteran) to serve as the Regional Administrator for Veterans' Employment and Training in such region. Outlines responsibilities of such Regional Administrator relating to the employment of qualified veterans in such region. Establishes in the Department of Labor the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans' Employment and Training within the Senior Executive Service. Requires such appointment no later than the beginning of program year 1989. Revises certain administrative provisions to provide for the budgeting of the National Veterans' Employment and Training Service Institute. Directs the Secretary, no later than December 1 annually, to report to the appropriate congressional committees on the provision of employment and training services to meet the needs of veterans. Specifies general contents of such report. Adds certain specified monitoring responsibilities to those required at the State level for the Directors for Veterans' Employment. Directs the Secretary, through the Assistant Secretary, to establish and make available necessary funds to operate a National Veterans' Employment and Training Service Institute (the Institute) for the training of disabled veterans' outreach program specialists, LVERs, State Directors and Assistant State Directors for Veterans' Employment and Training, and other personnel involved in the provision of employment, job-training, counseling, placement, and related services to veterans. Adds representatives of the Secretary of Education, the Postmaster General, and the Director of the ACTION Agency to those required to be represented on the Secretary of Labor's Committee on Veterans' Employment. Authorizes the Secretary, in appointing a State Director or Assistant Director for Veterans' Employment and Training, to waive the required State residency requirement if the Secretary finds that there is no qualified veteran available who meets such requirement.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 1987
Medicaid Home and Community Quality Services Act of 1987 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require States to provide Medicaid coverage of community and family support services for severely disabled individuals who became disabled before age 22 and are living in a family home, foster family home, or community living facility. Requires that such services be provided in accordance with a written habilitation plan developed by an interdisciplinary team on the basis of a comprehensive assessment of the individual's strengths and the services and support necessary to: (1) enable such individual to attain or retain capabilities for independence or self-care; (2) promote interaction between disabled and nondisabled individuals within the community; and (3) enable disabled individuals who are over age 18 to engage in paid employment. Increases the age at which newly disabled individuals will be eligible for this Act's coverage so that eventually individuals who become disabled between age 22 and 50 will be covered. Lists the services which may comprise community and family support services, requiring that such services include at a minimum: (1) case management services; (2) individual and family support services; (3) specialized vocational services; and (4) protective intervention services. Excludes from such services: (1) room and board, other than room and board provided for less than six consecutive weeks and less than 12 weeks per year; (2) cash payments as a service; (3) aversive behavior intervention, management, or therapies; (4) services provided to a disabled individual living in a hospital, or skilled nursing or intermediate care facility; (5) educational services which the State makes generally available to its residents without cost and without regard to their income; and (6) services for which payment is made under title XVIII (Medicare), or part A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) or B (Child Welfare Services) of title IV of the Act. Requires each State to make certain assurances regarding their provision of community and family support services and submit an implementation strategy to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Requires that such implementation strategies: (1) describe the extent and scope of community and family support services provided to the severely disabled and the extent and scope of services provided to the severely disabled who are institutionalized; (2) set forth the objectives and a five-year strategy for expanding community and family support services for the severely disabled; (3) include certain procedures for transferring severely disabled, institutionalized individuals to family homes, foster family homes, or community living facilities; (4) set forth standards for the provision of community and family support services and a program for licensing and certifying all facilities and programs providing such services; (5) provide for assessments of the provision and affect of community and family support services and the correction of service deficiencies; (6) provide the public with an adequate opportunity to comment on the strategies; (7) set forth methods ensuring that the personnel providing community and family support services receive adequate training and are competent to provide such services; (8) provide that the State has in effect a management information system capable of collecting, storing, and retrieving data on the severely disabled who receive community and family support services; (9) provide an opportunity for an appeal and hearing before a hearing officer to individuals who believe themselves to be inappropriately served or denied an appropriate service, or who are being scheduled for an involuntary transfer from one living arrangement to another; (10) describe the methods to be used in administering community and family support services; and (11) set forth procedures to protect the interests of public employees who will be affected by the transfer of the severely disabled from public institutions. Allows States to provide any new community and family support service for up to three years without meeting the Medicaid requirements that they provide a service on a statewide basis and that the service be comparable in all parts of the State. Requires that intermediate care facility services for the mentally retarded include the ascertainment of the individual needs of each newly admitted individual by an interdisciplinary team within 30 days and the development of a written habilitation plan for each individual. Limits Medicaid payments to States for skilled nursing and intermediate care facility services furnished to individuals under age 65 who became disabled before age 22 to the amount payable for such services in the fiscal year ending after the enactment of this Act, increased if and by the extent to which the percentage increase in the consumer price index exceeds six percent. Makes such limitation inapplicable to facilities which have less than 16 beds or meet the size and location requirements for a community living facility. Requires States to have in effect a system to protect and advocate those rights of the severely disabled who are eligible for medical assistance which relate to the provision of such assistance. Provides Federal Medicaid matching funds for such system. Gives individuals who are adversely affected by a violation of this Act's requirements the right to bring an action to enjoin such violation. Allows States to set payment rates for community and family support services for the severely disabled. Authorizes States to treat severely disabled individuals under age 19 who are not in a medical institution as receiving benefits under title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Act for Medicaid eligibility purposes if they would be eligible for SSI benefits if institutionalized. Requires States to establish a uniform income standard for the severely disabled regardless of whether or not they are in a medical institution. Authorizes States to provide Medicaid coverage of disabled spouses and children who, except for the resources deemed to them, would be eligible for SSI benefits. Removes certain limitations on the Secretary's approval of reduction and correction plans for deficient intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded. Makes individuals who are severely disabled and receiving or deemed to be receiving SSI benefits eligible for Medicaid as long as such qualifications continue to be satisfied. Directs the Secretary to establish, within the Health Care Financing Administration, a Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services responsible for administering Medicaid programs for the severely disabled. Requires the Secretary to: (1) develop standards and a program for training Federal and State personnel who perform surveys of skilled nursing and intermediate care facilities to determine whether such facilities meet Medicaid participation requirements; and (2) periodically conduct studies of the reliability of such surveys and make the changes necessary to improve such reliability. Directs the Secretary to support the development of: (1) instruments to assess outcomes in the provision of this Act's services; and (2) competency-based personnel standards for agencies and organizations providing services to the severely disabled pursuant to this Act. Requires the Secretary to: (1) conduct an annual assessment of each State's compliance with this Act's requirements; and (2) issue final regulations regarding this Act's amendments prior to the first fiscal year beginning after this Act's enactment. Sets forth reporting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 1987
Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to authorize the Administrator of Veterans Affairs (the Administrator) to establish, at any Veterans Administration (VA) medical center at which significant medical or scientific research is carried out, a nonprofit research corporation to carry out and administer funding for approved research at such center. Requires any such nonprofit research corporation (NRC) to comply only with those Federal laws, rules, and regulations that apply generally to private nonprofit corporations. Requires the Administrator to dissolve such corporation if, at the end of the three-year period following its establishment, it is not recognized as a non-taxable entity under Internal Revenue Code regulations. Outlines administrative provisions concerning such NRCs, including the creation of a board of directors, general powers, and State laws applicable to such NRCs. Empowers the Inspector General of the VA with the right to examine the records of each NRC. Requires each NRC to submit annual reports to the Administrator on its activities. Requires each NRC board member and each VA employee involved in NRC functions to submit to the Administrator an annual statement certifying awareness of Federal conflict of interest regulations. Prohibits any NRC from being established after September 30, 1990. Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to authorize the Administrator to enter into agreements for the recruitment and retention of registered nurses at those VA medical centers with a significant shortage of registered nurses. Provides that any such agreement entered into will require the registered nurse to agree to serve in the VA for a period of time of not less than two nor more than four years. Authorizes the Administrator to pay incentive pay at specified rates for nurses consenting to enter into such agreements. Requires repayment to the VA by any registered nurse receiving such incentive pay and failing to complete the agreed-upon period of service. Allows the Administrator to authorize the use of the official seal and other symbols of the VA by any person who makes a significant gift or contribution to the Administrator for the support of special recreational activities which further the rehabilitation of disabled veterans. Prohibits any appropriation for a major medical facility project unless both the Senate and the House Veterans' Affairs Committees have adopted a resolution approving such project and setting forth the estimated cost of such project. Authorizes the Chief Medical Director of the VA's Department of Medicine and Surgery to waive certain license requirements for the appointment of a practical or vocational nurse or physical therapist if: (1) such person is to be employed in a research position having no direct responsibility for patient-care services; or (2) such person is to be employed in a country other than the United States and the licensure or registration of such person is in the country in which the person is to serve. Authorizes the Director to waive a required internship for employment as a psychologist if the position is a research or academic position with no responsibility for direct patient-care services. Authorizes the Administrator to make additional personnel appointments of pharmacists and occupational therapists within the VA for the care and treatment of veterans. Authorizes special pay for such medical personnel who agree to serve for a specified period of time. Authorizes the Veterans' Canteen Service to operate child day care centers at VA medical facilities for the care of the children of VA employees. Authorizes the Service to establish reasonable charges for the provision of such care. Requires the Administrator to assign suitable employees to the operation of such day care centers. Requires the Administrator, when entering into a contract which would convert an activity formerly performed by Federal employees into an activity performed by a Government contractor, to receive responsible bids from at least two financially autonomous bidders before such a contract may be awarded. Establishes an income limit for determining a veteran's eligibility for VA domiciliary care.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 1987
Federal Employees' Political Activities Act of 1987- Prohibits an employee from using or attempting to use official authority or influence to interfere with or affect the result of any election. Prohibits an employee from using or attempting to use official authority to intimidate, threaten, coerce, command, or influence: (1) any individual for the purpose of interfering with the right of any individual to vote as the individual may choose, or of causing any individual to vote, or not to vote, for any candidate or measure in any election; (2) any person to give or withhold any political contribution; or (3) any person to engage, or not to engage, in any form of political activity. Prohibits an employee from using or attempting to use, or permitting the use of, any official information unless such information is available to the general public. Prohibits an employee from: (1) giving or offering to give a political contribution to any individual either to vote or refrain from voting, or to vote for or against any candidate or measure, in any election; (2) soliciting, accepting, or receiving a political contribution to vote or refrain from voting, or to vote for or against any candidate or measure, in any election; or (3) giving or handing over a political contribution to a superior of the employee. Prohibits an employee from soliciting, accepting, or receiving, or from being in any manner concerned with soliciting, accepting, or receiving, a political contribution: (1) from another employee (or a member of another employee's immediate family) with respect to whom the employee is a superior; or (2) in any room or building occupied in the discharge of official duties by a Federal employee or official or an individual receiving salary or compensation from the Treasury. Prohibits an employee from soliciting, accepting, or receiving a political contribution from, or giving a political contribution to, any person who: (1) has, or is seeking to obtain, contractual or other business or financial relations with the employing agency; (2) conducts operations or activities which are regulated by that agency; or (3) has interests which may be substantially affected by the performance of the employees' official duties. Directs the Special Counsel of the Merit Systems Protection Board to prescribe regulations which exempt employees from such prohibitions. Prohibits an employee from engaging in political activity: (1) while on duty; (2) in any room or building occupied in the discharge of official duties by a Federal employee or official; (3) while wearing a uniform or official insignia identifying the office or position of the employee; or (4) while using any vehicle owned or leased by the Government. Exempts certain high level political appointees from such prohibitions if the costs associated with the political activity are not paid for by money derived from the Treasury. Describes such a political appointee as one: (1) whose duties and responsibilities continue outside normal duty hours and while away from the normal duty post; (2) who is paid from an appropriation for the Executive Office of the President; (3) whose position is located within the United States; and (4) who determines policies to be pursued by the United States in its relations with foreign powers or in the nationwide administration of Federal laws. Authorizes leave without pay or accrued annual leave to an employee who is a candidate, upon request, to allow such employee to engage in activities relating to that candidacy. Declares that such request may be denied if the exigencies of the public business so require. Declares that such employee may be required to take leave without pay or accrued annual leave in order to be a candidate if activities relating to the candidacy interfere with the employee's performance of duties. Directs the Special Counsel to prescribe rules and regulations to implement this Act. Applies this Act to postal employees and employees of the Postal Rate Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 1987
Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to make advance deficiency payments for the 1988 through 1990 crops of wheat, feed grains, upland cotton, and rice under specified conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 1987
Alternative Motor Fuels Act of 1987 - Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to direct the Secretary of Energy to ensure that beginning in FY 1990 the maximum practicable number of Federal passenger automobiles and light duty trucks be either methanol-powered or dual energy vehicles. Directs the Secretary to conduct studies regarding such vehicles' performance, fuel economy, safety, and maintenance costs. Requires methanol fuel to be made available to the public at locations where the Federal vehicles are fueled. States that appropriations for Federal vehicle acquisition shall apply only to that portion of the cost of methanol-powered (or dual energy) vehicles which exceeds the cost of comparable conventionally fueled vehicles. Provides that: (1) such vehicles shall not be counted in any average fuel economy calculation of the Federal passenger automobile fleet acquired in any fiscal year; and (2) the incremental cost of such vehicles over the cost of comparable conventionally fueled vehicles shall not be applied to any calculation regarding the maximum cost of individual Federal vehicles. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 through 1993. Requires the Secretary to establish a demonstration program to study methanol use in heavy duty trucks. Requires methanol to be made available to the public at locations where such trucks are fueled. Authorizes appropriations for such program for FY 1989 through 1992. Directs the Secretary to: (1) assist in the acquisition of buses capable of operating on compressed natural gas, methanol, and LP-gas, beginning in FY 1989; and (2) test the emissions levels, durability, and fuel economy of such buses in an urban setting (in cooperation with Federal agencies regulating motor vehicles for safety and environmental purposes). Authorizes appropriations for such program for FY 1989 through 1992. Declares that any governmental entity which receives, after January 1, 1992, Federal financial assistance to acquire buses for mass transportation in a predominantly nonattainment area, shall acquire certain types of buses which shall operate exclusively on methanol, compressed natural gas, or LP-gas. Directs the Secretary to provide supplemental grants for such bus acquisitions. Authorizes supplemental grants for the purchase and installation of facilities providing such alternative fuels. Cites circumstances under which this program will be suspended. Establishes the Interagency Commission on Methanol to develop and coordinate efforts to implement a national methanol energy policy. Requires the Commission chairperson to establish a private sector advisory panel to inform the Commission about methanol-related matters. Requires the Commission to submit interim reports to the Congress, and a final report no later than September 30, 1992. Terminates such Commission upon submission of its final report. Directs the Secretary to undertake a comparative study of methanol costs based upon natural gas, coal, and other resources, and to submit semiannual study reports. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989. Requires that after January 1, 1989, fuel tanks and underground piping or equipment at certain retail outlets be capable of use with fuels containing 85 percent or more methanol, ethanol, or other alcohols. Precludes the voiding of any guaranty or warranty with respect to any federally acquired passenger automobile or light-duty truck after October 1, 1988, on the grounds that such vehicle is operated with nonstandard fuels. Sets forth fuel efficiency standards for: (1) methanol-powered vehicles; (2) dual energy vehicles; (3) natural gas-powered vehicles; and (4) natural gas duel energy vehicles.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 1987
Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to States to assist in providing to the public information on the diagnosis, prevention, and control of Lyme disease. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 and 1989.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 1987
Directs the Veterans' Canteen Service to operate child day care centers at Veterans Administration (VA) medical facilities for the care of the children of VA employees. Directs the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to provide to the Service, without charge, support services and utilities. Authorizes the Service to establish reasonable charges for the provision of such care. Requires the Administrator to assign suitable employees to the operation of such day care centers.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 1987
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Federal estate and gift taxes should not be changed in order to increase Federal revenues as part of deficit reduction.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 1987
Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to provide that, notwithstanding the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) and the subsequent sequestration order issued by the President (under such Act), FY 1987 dairy expenditure reductions shall be implemented through a reduction in the price received by milk producers rather than through a reduction in Commodity Credit Corporation payments for dairy product purchases. States that such reductions shall be no greater than needed to equal the reduction in milk support expenditures required by such order.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 1987
Hazardous Materials Transportation Amendments of 1987 - Amends the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act to direct the Secretary of Transportation to enter into an agreement with a private entity regarding the establishment of a real-time computerized central reporting system and data center for the shipment of hazardous materials. Prescribes the contents of such system. Requires the private entity to provide: (1) access at all times to data in the system at no cost to law enforcement and firefighting personnel; and (2) technical information at no cost for meeting emergencies related to hazardous materials transportation. States that the United States shall not contribute to the cost of such system, except for the transmittal of a manifest regarding a hazardous materials shipment, and for certain data retrieval by the Secretary. Directs the Secretary to require every hazardous materials generator to prepare an accurate manifest capable of transmission by telecommunication equipment and transmit it to the data center established by this Act. Mandates the establishment of an electronic central data system to receive such generator's information regarding hazardous materials transportation. Requires the Secretary to impose a $12 fee for each hazardous materials manifest entered into the data center (payable either by the hazardous materials generator or by the private entity providing the data service). Directs the Secretary to make grants in FY 1988 through 1992 to assist governmental entities in the training of emergency response personnel and the purchasing of loading equipment. Requires the Secretary to publish guidelines regarding emergency response training programs, including guidelines for the loading and handling of explosives and hazardous materials. Requires the Secretary to produce a hazardous materials flow study. Prescribes the contents of such study, and requires the Secretary to report periodically to the Congress on the study results.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 1987
Nursing Shortage Relief Act of 1987 - Amends title VIII (Nurse Training) of the Public Health Service Act to add a new part on initiatives to reduce nursing shortages. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary) to establish a special advisory committee to develop a comprehensive plan regarding long-term solutions to problems in recruiting and retaining nurses. Requires nurses to be included on the committee. Directs the Secretary to determine whether a nonprofit private entity with a record in supporting innovative health initiatives has completed or is completing a project to demonstrate and evaluate innovative hospital nursing practice models. Requires models to include initiatives to: (1) restructure the role of the hospital nurse, through changes in the composition of hospital staff and through innovative approaches for interaction between hospital administration and nursing personnel; (2) test innovative wage structures for nurses; and (3) evaluate the effectiveness of providing benefits such as pensions, sabbaticals, and payment of educational expenses for nurses. Directs the Secretary, if the Secretary so determines, to make a grant to the nonprofit private entity for dissemination of information describing the results of such project. Directs the Secretary, if no such project has been or is being completed, to make grants for carrying out such projects and disseminating the results. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 through 1990. Directs the Secretary to make grants to or enter into contracts with public and nonprofit private entities accredited for the training of nurses for projects to: (1) demonstrate and evaluate innovative nursing practice models regarding long-term health care services in the home or in long-term care facilities; and (2) develop collaborative clinical practice setting alternatives for nursing students. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 through 1990. Directs the Secretary to make grants to and enter into contracts with public and nonprofit private entities to develop, establish, and operate at least one and not more than five regional model professional nurse recruitment centers to recruit individuals to enter into programs to train nurses. Directs the Secretary, in making grants, to ensure inclusion of not less than one center in a rural area. Sets forth requirements for centers. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 through 1990. Directs the Secretary to make grants to develop and establish local educational outreach and nurse recruitment programs. Directs the Secretary, in making grants, to give priority to applicants carrying out associated degree programs in nursing education that train not more than 20 nursing students per year and have arrangements with baccalaureate degree nursing programs. Requires grant funds to be used for identifying a local area's long-term nursing needs, designing local recruitment programs, and providing for the modification and expansion of existing nursing programs. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 through 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 1987
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to study, by the end of FY 1988, the suitability of areas adjacent to the Mississippi and Upper Mississippi Rivers for inclusion in a Mississippi River National Park.
![Official portrait of Rep. Jontz, Jim [D-IN-5]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/j000265_200.jpg)