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![Official portrait of Rep. Kazen, Abraham, Jr. [D-TX-23]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/k000025_200.jpg)
United States · Official source
No stored named vote for this person. House roll-calls come from Congress.gov; Senate member lists come from senate.gov LIS XML.
United States · United States Congress · 8 August 1984
Authorizes and requests the President to designate the week beginning October 7, 1984, as National Port Week.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1984
Designates September 7, 1984, as National Buddy Holly Day.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 1984
Designates the week of October 14 through October 21, 1984, as National Housing Week.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 1984
Designates the week beginning February 17, 1985, as a time to recognize the contributions of volunteers who give their time to become Big Brothers and Big Sisters to youths in need of adult companionship.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 1984
Economic Growth Zone Act of 1984 - Title I: Designation of Economic Growth Zones - Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to designate between 200 and 250 nominated areas as economic growth zones over a five year period. Sets forth the authorities that a State or local government must have in order to nominate an area for such designation. Sets forth the eligibility requirements that an area must meet in order to be nominated for designation, including pervasive poverty, unemployment, and general distress. Permits the Secretary to give preliminary approval to a nominated area as an economic growth zone if: (1) the local government involved has prepared a preliminary economic growth zone development plan containing specified information; and (2) the local government involved prepares a preliminary plan for a comprehensive improvement of the infrastructure of such area so as to improve general economic conditions. Permits the Secretary to approve such designation if preliminary approval has been given and specified conditions are met. Sets forth considerations for the final review and approval of an application for designation. Title II: Advisory Neighborhood Councils - Requires the State or local government in which a economic growth zone is designated to establish an advisory neighborhood council to advise the local government on all matters relating to economic growth zone activities. Title III: Assistance for Economic Growth Zones - Requires each local government in which an economic growth zone is located to establish an economic growth zone development fund to be used as a revolving fund for making or guaranteeing loans to small businesses for initial or working capital, or facilities and equipment. Sets forth the procedures for making such loans and guarantees. Permits the Secretary to guarantee the notes or other public obligations issued by units of local government for the acquisition, construction, rehabilitation, or repair of the infrastructure of economic growth zones located in such units of general local government. Requires that a certain percentage of appropriated funds be set aside for the purpose of making grants to units of general local government on behalf of projects located within economic growth zones. Requires that preference in the Department of Housing and Urban Development programs be given to any program or organization located in or primarily serving an economic growth zone and to any local government which has an economic growth zone. Permits the Secretary to make mortgage insurance available for eligible properties within an economic growth zone. Provides for the use of vacant or underdeveloped dwellings for economic and community development within such areas. Permits the Secretary to make grants to units of local government and nonprofit organizations for the development of facilities in economic growth zones to be used by new businesses. Amends the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation Act to require the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation to carry out neighborhood preservation projects in appropriate economic growth zones. Amends the Housing Act of 1964 to permit the Secretary to make loans for the rehabilitation of commercial property in economic growth zones. Prohibits assistance for facility relocation if it adversely affects the employment or economic base of the location from which the facility is to be relocated. Title IV: General Provisions - Requires the Secretary to coordinate the economic growth zone program with other Federal programs. Requires the Secretary to issue regulations to carry out the provisions of this Act. Requires the Secretary to make annual reports to Congress on the effects of the designation of such economic growth zones in accomplishing the purposes of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 1984
Designates January 27, 1985, as National Jerome Kern Day.
United States · United States Congress · 30 May 1984
Authorizes the Kahlil Gibran Centennial Foundation of Washington, District of Columbia, to erect a memorial on public ground in the District of Columbia in commemoration of the Lebanese-American poet and artist, Kahlil Gibran. Provides that the memorial shall be in the form of a sculptured monument and shall be designated the Kahlil Gibran Memorial. Directs the Secretary of the Interior, with the approval of the National Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission, to select a site on public grounds for such memorial. Subjects the design and any plans for the memorial to the approval of the Secretary, the National Commission of Fine Arts, and the National Capital Planning Commission. Prohibits the United States or the District of Columbia from expending any money for the establishment of the memorial. Provides that the authority of this resolution shall lapse unless: (1) construction is commenced within five years from the enactment of this resolution; and (2) prior to the commencement of construction, the Secretary determines that sufficient funds are available for the completion of the memorial. Makes the maintenance and care of the monument the responsibility of the Secretary of the Interior.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1984
Designates August 1984 as Polish American Heritage Month.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1984
Designates the week beginning on September 9, 1984, as National Community Leadership Week.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1984
United States-Mexico Joint Development Bank Act - Authorizes the President to enter into an agreement with Mexico to establish a United States-Mexico Joint Development Bank (the Bank) to make economic development loans in Mexico and in the border region of the United States. Sets forth information that shall be included in the agreement, including the requirement that: (1) assistance provided by the Bank shall be directed at improving employment opportunities and enhancing the economic development of the geographic and economic sectors of Mexico which are the major sources of undocumented Mexican nationals who enter the United States; and (2) the United States and Mexico contribute equally to the Bank. Directs the President to appoint the U.S. Directors of the Bank. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury, upon the United States entering into an agreement with Mexico to establish the Bank, to subscribe to the capital stock of the Bank. Authorizes appropriations to pay for such subscription. Requires that the provision of the Bretton Woods Agreement Act that establishes the National Advisory Council on International Monetary and Financial Problems shall apply to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Monetary Fund. Prohibits any person or agency on behalf of the United States, unless authorized by Congress, from: (1) agreeing to an increase in the U.S. subscription to the Bank; (2) agreeing to an agreement which increases U.S. obligations or which would change the Bank's purpose or functions; or (3) providing financing to the Bank.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1984
United States-Mexican Border Economic Recovery Act - Title I: Reauthorization of the Economic Development Administration - Amends the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 to authorize appropriations for FY 1983 through 1985 to carry out grants for public works and development facilities, with specified amounts earmarked for grants for health projects. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1983 through 1987 for: (1) public works and development facility loans and for business loans and loan guarantees; (2) the redevelopment area loan program; (3) technical assistance and economic development planning, with specified amounts earmarked for grants to the States; (4) supplemental and basic grants to the States; (5) certain economic development districts; and (6) special economic development and adjustment assistance. Limits the percentage of special economic development and adjustment assistance funds that may be expended in areas suffering from the effects of extraordinary, servere and temporary natural conditions and in areas suffering from the effects of foreign currency devaluations, unless the Secretary of Commerce (the Secretary) determines that additional funds are necessary. Extends the job opportunities program through FY 1987. Title II: Technical Trade Assistance - Border Communities' Trade Capacities Expansion Act of 1984 - Authorizes any community affected by extraordinary, severe temporary natural conditions and foreign currency devaluation to file with the Secretary a petition for certification for technical assistance. Permits the petition to be filed by one or more affected communities or by the Governor of the State in which the affected community is located. Provides for investigation of such petition. Requires the Secretary, within 60 days of the filing of the petition, to certify an affected community as eligible for technical assistance if the Secretary determines that extraordinary, severe temporary natural conditions and foreign currency devaluation have contributed importantly to a decline in sales or production in the affected community. Directs the Secretary, if a petitioner meets such requirements, to: (1) determine whether there are any other affected communities located in the same area in which the petitioner is located which meet such requirements; and (2) after consulting with the Secretary of Labor, establish the size and boundaries of each impacted area. Provides for termination of the certificate of eligibility if the Secretary determines that no additional assistance is necessary for an impacted area. Requires the Secretary, within 60 days after a community is certified, to: (1) inform officials and other residents of affected communities of benefits available; and (2) assist such officials and residents in developing and planning programs to increase such localities' foreign trade capacity. Directs the Secretary to establish an Area Council for Technical Assistance for each impacted area or to designate an appropriate entity as the Council for an area. Requires the Council to develop a proposal for a technical assistance plan and to coordinate community action under the plan. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to such Council. Authorizes the Council to apply to the Secretary for technical assistance. Declares that technical assistance shall consist of: (1) assistance to an affected community in developing a proposal for increasing its foreign trade capacity; (2) assistance in the implementation of such a plan; and (3) such additional assistance as the Secretary determines appropriate. Prohibits technical assistance unless the Secretary approved the technical assistance plan. Authorizes appropriations. Title III: United Services Customs Service - Amends the Customs Procedural Reform Simplification Act of 1978 to prohibit paying administrative expenses in connection with reducing employment in the U.S. Customs Service below the level of December 31, 1983. Title IV: Enterprise Zones - Border Aid Enterprise Zone Act of 1984 - Subtitle A: Designation of Enterprise Zones - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the designation of enterprise zones by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for purposes of extending the tax incentives and regulatory flexibility measures provided by this title. Requires State and local governments to nominate areas for such designation. Limits the period during which such designations shall remain in effect. Prohibits a designation as an enterprise zone from taking effect until the State or local government submits to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development an inventory of historic properties within such area. Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to designate such zones only if: (1) the area is within the jurisdiction of the local government; (2) the boundary of the area is continuous; (3) the area has a population of at least 4,000 if any portion thereof is located within a standard metropolitan statistical area (with a population of at least 50,000) or 1,000 otherwise, or is within an Indian reservation; and (4) the area meets specified unemployment and poverty requirements and the area suffers from significant economic difficulties resulting from the decline in value of a foreign currency. Requires nominating State and local governments, as a condition of designation, to agree in writing to follow a course of action which may include reducing tax rates, improving local services, simplifying or streamlining regulation of business, or receiving commitments of private entities to assist employees and residents of the area. Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to submit to the Congress every four years a report on the effects of such enterprise zones' designation. Requires that any property tax reduction effected by a local government under the terms of this title be disregarded for purposes of determining the eligibility of a State or local government for Federal assistance or benefits. States that designation of an enterprise zone shall not give displaced persons from such an area any rights or benefits under the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970. Exempts enterprise zones from certain requirements relating to Federal environmental policy. Subtitle B: Federal Income Tax Incentives - Part I: Credits for Employers and Employees - Allows employers located in enterprise zones a nonrefundable income tax credit for increased employment expenditures and employment of the disadvantaged. Allows a three-year carryback and 15-year carryover of such credit. Sets the amount of such credit at ten percent of the increase in payroll (taking into account a maximum of $17,500 in wages per year per employee) plus 50 percent of the wages paid to certain disadvantaged workers for the first three years of the enterprise zone designation. Phases out such credit in the last three years of the enterprise zone designation. Disallows a deduction for the portion of wages taken into account for such credit. Allows employees located in enterprise zones a nonrefundable income tax credit equal to five percent of qualified wages earned per year (taking into account a maximum of $10,500 in wages per year). Phases out such credit in the last three years of the enterprise zone designation. Requires each employer of employees located in enterprise zones to furnish employees with a written statement showing the amount of qualified wages paid by the employer to each such employee. Part II: Credits for Investment in Tangible Property in Enterprise Zones - Allows businesses an additional investment tax credit for investment in certain tangible property located in enterprise zones. Limits such credit to five percent for zone personal property and ten percent for new zone construction property, including rental property. Requires that the property subject to such credit be predominantly used in the zone, be purchased after zone designation, and not be acquired from relatives or related corporations. Requires the recapture of such credit upon early disposition of the property. Phases out such credit in the last three years of the enterprise zone designation. Part III: Reduction in Capital Gain Tax Rates - Reduces the capital gains tax of a corporation on the capital gains attributable to the sale or exchange of qualified enterprise zone property made after the enterprise zone designation. Disallows certain capital gains or losses attributable to the sale or exchange of an interest in a qualified enterprise zone business. Qualifies certain rental property located in an enterprise zone for reduced corporate capital gains treatment. Permits property to remain qualified for purposes of the revised capital gains treatment after a designation of an enterprise zone has terminated. Exempts gain from the sale or exchange of property used in a business in an enterprise zone from the computation of the minimum tax. Allows noncorporate taxpayers to deduct from gross income 100 percent of any net capital gain from qualified enterprise zone property. Part IV: Rules Relating to Industrial Development Bonds - Provides that limitations on the cost recovery deductions for property financed with tax-exempt industrial development bonds shall not apply to enterprise zone property. Provides that the termination of the small issue exemption shall not apply to industrial development bonds the proceeds of which are used to finance facilities in such enterprise zones. Part V: Sense of the Congress with Respect to Tax Simplification - Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Internal Revenue Service should simplify the administration and enforcement of any provision of the Internal Revenue Code affected by this Act. Subtitle C: Regulatory Flexibility - Revises the definition of "small entity" for purposes of the analysis of regulatory functions, to include qualified businesses (as defined in Subtitle B of this title), governments, and nonprofit enterprises operating within enterprise zones. Authorizes Federal agencies, upon request by a designating government, to waive or modify rules and regulations which pertain to the carrying out of projects or activities within an enterprise zone. Requires agencies to approve such request if the resulting benefits of job creation, community development, or economic revitalization outweigh the public interest in continuation of the rule unchanged. Disallows waiver or modification of a rule that would directly violate a statutory requirement (including the Davis-Bacon Act and Fair Labor Standards Act) or which would present a danger to the public health and safety. Provides that such waivers or modifications of a rule shall remain in effect as long as the zone designations. Amends the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act to direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to promote the coordination of all enterprise zone programs and consolidate all periodic reports required under such programs into one summary report. Subtitle D: Establishment of Foreign-Trade Zones in Enterprise Zones - Requires the Foreign-Trade Zone Board to consider on a priority basis and expedite the processing of applications for the establishment of foreign-trade zones within enterprise zones. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to give priority to, and expedite applications for, the establishment of ports of entry necessary to establish such zones. States that to the maximum extent practicable foreign-trade zones should be established within enterprise zones. Title V: Veterans' Administration - Requires the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs to submit to Congress, within 90 days of enactment of this Act, a report on the need for a veterans medical facility in southern Texas. Title VI: Farmers Home Administration - Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act Amendments of 1984 - Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to fix the amount of the grant for each rural water and waste facility project. Provides for a graduated scale of grant amounts with higher grants being provided for projects in communities that have lower population and income levels. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to use a project selection system to determine on the basis of relative need which applicants shall receive assistance. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to make payments to certain rural associations for certain predevelopment costs incurred in connection with the planning and design of community water and waste disposal facilities. Requires such payments to be not less than five percent of any appropriations provided to carry out such projects unless applications for payments total less than five percent of such amount. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to make grants to private nonprofit organizations to enable such organizations to provide to rural associations technical assistance to: (1) identify and evaluate solutions to water treatment and waste disposal problems in rural areas; (2) prepare applications for financial assistance; and (3) improve the operation and maintenance practices at existing water treatment or waste disposal plants in rural areas. Requires such payments to be not less than two percent of the appropriations provided to carry out such projects unless applications for payments total less than two percent of such amount. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to use a project selection system to determine which applicants for financial assistance for essential community facilities shall be selected. Sets forth provisions of such selection system. Sets the interest rate for water and waste disposal facility loans at: (1) not more than five percent in areas where the median family income is below 80 percent of the statewide nonmetropolitan median family income; and (2) not more than seven percent in areas where such income level is less than 100 percent of the statewide nonmetropolitan median family income. Requires the interest rate on loans for such facilities and for essential community facilities to be the lower of either the rate in effect at the time of the loan approval or the rate in effect at the time of the loan closing. Amends business and industry loan provisions to give priority to areas of economic distress. Provides for the recapture of low-income farm ownership loans when a borrower sells such property. States that these loans constitute a secured debt. Permits borrowers of farm ownership, operating, or emergency loans, or loans under the Emergency Agricultural Credit Adjustment Act of 1978 to use mineral (including oil and gas) rights leasing proceeds (from land used as security for such loans) to make current loan payments. Establishes FY 1984 through 1986 lending limits under the Agricultural Credit Insurance Fund for real estate loans, farm ownership loans, water development and conservation loans, operating loans, and emergency loans. Allocates specified amounts for insured and guaranteed loans. Authorizes fund transfers. Establishes FY 1984 through 1986 lending limits under the Rural Development Insurance Fund for water and waste disposal loans and for community facility loans. Reserves at least 20 percent of the farm ownership and operating loans for low-income, limited-resource applicants. Amends the Public Health Service Act to provide that certain grants by the Secretary of Health and Human Services may cover the costs of repaying loans made by the Farmers Home Administration and other lending institutions for buildings.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1984
Designates the week of November 11 through November 17, 1984, as Women in Agriculture Week.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1984
Designates August 21, 1984, as Hawaii Statehood Silver Jubilee Day.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1984
Designates the week of May 13 through May 19, 1984, as Smokey Bear Week.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1984
Directs the Secretary of the Army to enter into a contract for the design of replacement facilities for the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. Directs the Secretary to submit a report to Congress on the number of hospital beds in the replacement facility.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1984
Designates July 1984 as National Ice Cream Month and July 15, 1984, as National Ice Cream Day.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1984
Academic Equity and Excellence Through Bilingual Education Act of 1984 - Amends the Bilingual Education Act (the Act, which is also title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965) to revise and reauthorize programs under the Act. Includes under the statement of policy for the Act the recognition that: (1) there are growing numbers of children of limited English proficiency; (2) the Federal Government has a special and continuing obligation to assist in providing equal educational opportunity to limited English proficient children; (3) the segregation of many groups of limited English proficient children remains a serious problem; (4) both limited English proficient children and children whose primary language is English can benefit from bilingual education programs, and that such programs can help develop our national linguistic resources; (5) data collection capabilities need to be strengthened to better identify and promote effective programs and instructional practices; (6) parent and community participation in bilingual education programs contributes to program effectiveness; and (7) because of limited English proficiency, many adults are not able to participate fully in national life, and limited English proficient parents are often not able to participate effectively in their children's education. Provides that assistance under the Act shall be given to local educational agencies (LEAs), and, for certain related purposes, to State educational agencies (SEAs), institutions of higher education, and community organizations. Includes adult programs (in addition to related preschool, elementary, and secondary school programs) among those bilingual education programs to be assisted under the Act. Requires programs under the Act to be designed to enable students to achieve full competence in English. Permits such programs to also provide for the development of student competency in a second language. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the Act for FY 1985 through 1991. Authorizes separate appropriations for such period for grants to State programs under the new part B (Data Collection, Evaluation, and Research). Directs the Secretary to reserve, from the appropriations to carry out the Act: (1) at least 60 percent for programs under part A (Financial Assistance for Bilingual Education Programs), and of such reserved amount at least 75 percent shall be reserved for transitional bilingual education programs; (2) at least 25 percent for training activities under a redesignated part C (Training and Technical Assistance); and (3) not more than one percent for the National Advisory and Coordinating Council on Bilingual Education. Revises definitions under the Act to include under the definition of "limited English proficiency" difficulties with the English language which deny to specified categories of individuals the opportunity to participate fully in our society. Sets forth a definition of "program of transitional bilingual education" which is similar to the current definition of "program of bilingual education" under the Act. Deletes a requirement that the principal purpose of any participation of children whose language is English in a bilingual education program must be to contribute to the objective of assisting children of limited English proficiency to improve their English language skills. Deletes certain requirements relating to applications for assistance for bilingual education programs. Sets forth a new definition, defining "program of developmental bilingual education" as a full-time program of instruction in elementary and secondary schools which provides, with respect to the applicable years of study, structured English-language instruction and instruction in a second language. Requires that such programs: (1) be designed to help children achieve competence in English and a second language while mastering subject matter skills; and (2) to the extent necessary, be in all courses or subjects of study which will allow a child to meet grade-promotion and graduation standards; and (3) where possible, have classes comprised of approximately equal numbers of students whose native language is English and limited English proficient students whose native language is the second language of instruction and study in the program. Sets forth a new definition, defining a "family English literacy program" as a program of instruction designed to help limited English proficient students and out-of-school youth achieve competence in the English language. Permits such programs to: (1) be conducted exclusively in English or in English and the student's native language; and (2) where appropriate, include instruction on how parents and family members can facilitate the educational achievement of limited English proficient children. Requires that preference for participation in such programs be accorded, to the extent feasible, to the parents and immediate family members of children enrolled in programs assisted under the Act. Sets forth a new definition, defining "programs of academic excellence" as programs of transitional or developmental bilingual education which: (1) have an established record of providing effective, academically excellent instruction; and (2) are designed to serve as models of exemplary bilingual education programs and to facilitate the dissemination of effective bilingual education practices. Redefines "Office," "Director," and "Council" to refer, respectively, to: (1) the Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs; (2) the Director of the Office; and (3) the National Advisory and Coordinating Council on Bilingual Education. Includes specified Adult Education Act programs as examples under the definition of "other programs for persons of limited English proficiency." Provides that the Secretary's consultation with various entities in prescribing regulations under the Act shall be done through the Council. Requires that part A funds shall be used for programs of: (1) transitional bilingual education; (2) developmental bilingual education; (3) academic excellence; (4) family English literacy; (5) bilingual preschool, special education, and gifted and talented education preparatory or supplementary to programs such as those assisted under the Act; and (6) to develop instructional materials in languages for which such materials are commercially unavailable. Provides that grants for programs described under (1) and (2) shall be for 3 years with an additional 2 years upon reapplication, those described under (3) and (4) shall be for three years, and those described under (5) and (6) shall be for one to three years. Revises application requirements for grants under part A (Financial Assistance for Bilingual Educational Programs). Directs the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for the Bureau of Indian Affairs to report annually to the Congress, the President, and the Secretary of Education. Requires that such report assess: (1) the needs of Indian children with respect to the purposes of the Act in schools operated or funded by the Department of the Interior, including those tribes and LEAs receiving assistance under the Johnson-O'Malley Act; and (2) the extent to which such needs are being met by funds provided to such schools for educational purposes through the Secretary of the Interior. Sets forth a new part B "Data Collection, Evaluation, and Research." (Redesignates the current part B "Administration" as part D.) Provides that funds available under part B shall be used for: (1) collecting data on the number of limited English proficient persons and the educational services available to such persons; (2) evaluating the operation and effectiveness of programs assisted under the Act; (3) conducting research to improve the effectiveness of bilingual education programs; and (4) collecting, analyzing, and disseminating data and information on bilingual education. (These new part B provisions also replace and revise some research and evaluation provisions under the current part C "Supportive Services and Activities.") Sets forth provisions for part B grants to State programs for collecting, aggregating, analyzing, and publishing data and information on the State's population of limited English proficient persons and the educational services provided or available to them. Sets forth application and reporting requirements for such programs. Sets forth additional activities which such programs may provide for. Sets minimum and maximum limits on the amount of such grants. Directs the Secretary to issue within six months after the date of enactment of this Act, regulations which set forth a comprehensive design for evaluating the programs assisted under part A. Requires that such regulations: (1) be developed by the director in consultation with the Council; and (2) provide for the collection of specified kinds of information and data. Directs the Secretary to establish, through competitive three-year grants to institutions of higher education, at least two evaluation assistance centers which shall provide, upon the request of SEAs or LEAs, technical assistance regarding methods and techniques for identifying the educational needs and competencies of limited English proficient persons and assessing the educational progress achieved through programs such as those assisted under the Act. Revises provisions for research contracts under the Act. Provides for continuing longitudinal studies on specified aspects of bilingual education. Provides for studies to determine when students' English language proficiency is sufficiently well developed to permit them to derive optional benefits from an all-English instructional program. Deletes provisions for contracts for development and dissemination of instructional materials and equipment. Requires the Director of the National Institute of Education to consult with the Director and the Council to insure that research activities under the General Education Act complement and do not duplicate activities under part B of the Act. Directs the National Center for Education Statistics to collect and publish as part of its annual report on the condition of education specified data relating to numbers of limited English proficient persons, programs available for their education, and teachers and staff participating in or training for such programs. Sets forth a new part C "Training and Technical Assistance." (Current law has some similar training provisions under part A. The current part C is entitled "Supportive Services and Activities.") Requires that funds available under the new part C be used to: (1) establish, operate, and improve training programs for educational personnel preparing to participate in, or personnel participating in, the conduct of programs of bilingual education (requires that such training programs emphasize opportunities for career development, advancement, and lateral mobility, and permits training of teachers, administrators, counselors, teacher aides, and parents); (2) train persons to teach and counsel such bilingual education personnel; (3) encourage reform, innovation, and improvement in applicable education curricula in graduate education, in the structure of the academic profession, and in recruitment and retention of higher education and graduate school faculties, as related to bilingual education; (4) operate short-term training institutes designed to improve the skills of participants in programs of bilingual education, which may include summer programs designed to include the instructional competency of educational personnel in the languages used in the program; and (5) provide inservice training and technical assistance to parents and educational personnel participating in, or preparing to participate in, bilingual education programs. Allows institutions of higher education to apply for grants or contracts for the activities described in (1), (2), and (3). Allows institutions of higher education (including junior colleges and community colleges), private for-profit or nonprofit organizations (which apply jointly with or after consultation with SEAs or LEAs), SEAs, or LEAs to apply for grants or contracts for the activities described in (4). Allows institutions of higher education (including junior colleges and community colleges), private for-profit or nonprofit organizations, or SEAs to apply for grants or contracts for the activities described in (5). Makes specified application requirements concerning consultation with parents and other representatives of children applicable to applications grants or contracts for preservice or inservice training activities described under (1). Directs the Secretary, in making a grant or contract for preservice training programs described in (1), to give preference to programs which involve parents in the educational process and which contain coursework in: (1) teaching English as a second language; (2) use of a non-English language for instructional purposes; (3) linguistics; and (4) evaluation and assessment. Requires that preservice training programs be designed to ensure that participants become proficient in English and a second language of instruction. Directs the Secretary to establish at least 16 multifunctional resource centers, through competitive grants or contracts, pursuant to provisions for inservice training and technical assistance to parents and educational personnel participating in, or preparing to participate in, bilingual education programs. Requires that consideration be given to the geographic and linguistic distribution of children of limited English proficiency in awarding grants and contracts for such centers. Requires each center, in addition to providing such technical assistance and training, to gather and provide information to other centers on a particular area of bilingual education, including specified topics. Authorizes the Secretary to award fellowships for advanced study of bilingual education in such areas as teacher training, program administration, research and evaluation, and curriculum development. Requires that at least 500 such fellowships leading to a graduate degree be awarded for FY 1985. Requires that such fellowships be awarded: (1) to the extent feasible, in proportion to the needs of various groups of individuals with limited English proficiency; and (2) with preference given to individuals intending to study bilingual education in the following specialized areas, vocational education, adult education, gifted and talented education, special education, education technology, literacy, and mathematics and science education. Directs the Secretary to: (1) include information on the operation of the fellowship program in specified reports required under this Act; (2) undertake an ongoing longitudinal study of the impact of recipients of such fellowships on the field of bilingual education; and (3) through a specified clearinghouse, disseminate research undertaken by recipients of such fellowships. Requires fellowship recipients to agree to either repay such assistance or work for a period equivalent to the fellowship period in an activity related to bilingual education. Authorizes the Secretary to waive this requirement in extraordinary circumstances. Directs the Secretary, in making grants or contracts under part C, to give priority to eligible applicants with demonstrated competence and experience in the field of bilingual education and provide for stipends for persons participating in part C training programs. Redesignates part B "Administration" provisions under a new part D. (The current part D is entitled "Continued Bilingual Education Assistance.") Renames the Office of Bilingual Education the Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs. Directs the Secretary, in consultation with the Council, to report by February 1 of 1986, 1988, and 1990 to the Congress and the President on the condition of bilingual education in the nation and the administration and operation of the Act and of other programs for persons of limited English proficiency. Revises the required contents of such reports (as compared with earlier required reports). Renames the National Advisory Council on Bilingual Education the National Advisory and Coordinating Council on Bilingual Education. Increases the number of Council members from 15 to 20. Requires that all Council members be experienced in dealing with the educational problems of children and other persons who are of limited English proficiency. Requires that five Council members be State directors of bilingual education programs, at least three of whom represent States with large populations of limited English proficient students. Requires that five Council members be local school board members or local bilingual education program directors, at least three of whom shall represent LEAs with large populations of limited English proficient students. Revises other provisions relating to categories from which specified numbers of Council members must be chosen.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1984
Authorizes and requests the President to designate the week of May 27 through June 2, 1984, as National Animal Health Week.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 1984
Designates April 13, 1984, the birthday of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, leader of the worldwide Lubavitch movement, as Education Day, U.S.A.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 1984
Fair Trade in Steel Act of 1984 - Declares that it is the policy of Congress that access to the U.S. market for foreign-produced carbon, alloy, and specialty steel mill products should be on an equitable basis to safeguard national security, insure orderly trade in steel mill products, reduce unfair trade in steel mill products, and alleviate U.S. balance-of-payments problems. Expresses the intent of Congress to: (1) expand the economic viability of the U.S. steel industry and the jobs of its workers; (2) prevent the further decline of the domestic steel industry; and (3) temper the economic hardships resulting from unemployment in steel industry communities by encouraging reinvestment in existing steelmaking facilities. Limits annual imports of specified steel mill product categories to specified percentages of the apparent domestic supply which are based on adjusted average import penetration levels for each such product category for the years 1979, 1980, and 1981. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to allocate global product limitations among foreign countries, groups of countries, or areas. Sets forth guidelines for making such allocations. Requires the Secretary to make an annual determination of the expected apparent domestic supply in each steel mill product category. Requires the Secretary to revise such determination periodically during the year. Directs the Secretary to determine, within 90 days after the effective date of this Act, whether the steel industry companies have plans to use substantially all of the cash flow from the steel sector for reinvestment in and the modernization of the steel sector. Prohibits the import restrictions from taking effect until the Secretary determines that the steel companies have such plans. Directs the Secretary to monitor steel sector investments made and announced by the steel industry and to consult with steel industry representatives and employees in the course of such monitoring. Directs the Secretary to determine annually whether steel companies are using substantially all the cash flow from the steel sector for reinvestment in and modernization of the steel sector. Directs the Secretary to modify or suspend the relevant import restrictions if the Secretary determines that substantially less than all the cash flow from the steel sector is being used for such reinvestment and modernization and that the level of investment is not demonstrably justified by adverse financial conditions within the industry. Directs the Secretary to publish: (1) each annual determination and its rationale; and (2) the total amount of cash flow from the steel sector and the total amount used for reinvestment in and modernization of the steel sector. Requires the steel companies to provide the Secretary with the information necessary for making such determinations. Directs the Secretary to examine the supply and demand situation in the United States for a specified steel product category if requested by affected steel consumers. Sets forth criteria to be used in determining short supply. Directs the Secretary to monitor imports of fabricated steel mill products. Sets forth the method of investigating whether imports of fabricated steel products are rendering ineffective or materially interfering with the objectives of this Act. Limits the quantity of iron ore that may be entered from all sources during any calendar year after the effective date of this Act. Directs the Secretary to allocate global iron ore limitations among foreign countries, groups of countries or areas. Sets forth guidelines for making such allocation. Directs the Secretary, in making such allocations, to attempt first to accommodate the requirements of individual steel mills which have been traditionally dependent on ocean sourced foreign iron ore and the requirements of contractual obligations incurred before January 1, 1984. Authorizes the Secretary to waive the import restrictions on iron ore if necessary to meet the needs of such individual steel mills. Provides for the enforcement and implementation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 1984
Authorizes and requests the President to designate the month of May 1984 as National Physical Fitness and Sports Month.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1984
Defense Spare Parts Procurement Reform Act - Directs the head of a defense agency to establish procedures to recognize personnel efforts to increase competition and achieve cost savings in spare parts procurement. Requires each contractor supplying a military department to mark each item with: (1) the contractor's name and stock number for the item; and (2) the original manufacturer or producer if not the contractor. Requires all technical data relating to a part delivered under the contract to carry the name of the original manufacturer or producer and the stock number. Prohibits a contractor from entering into agreements with a subcontractor which restrict sales by the subcontractor directly to the United States. Limits such prohibition to contracts involving $25,000 or more. Requires that replacement parts be procured by competitive methods when possible. Directs a contracting officer to determine the availability of a part first through the supply system of the Defense Department and then under Federal supply contracts through the General Services Administration. Requires such officer to review the procurement history and description of a part. Directs the head of the contracting agency to require a bidder on a major system to specify: (1) whether the technical data provided would be with unlimited or limited rights and with a license; and (2) the cost of the United States of acquiring unlimited rights or a license. Requires that such bidders certify that items not available with unlimited rights will be developed at private expense and that the technical data is not in the public domain. Grants the United States unlimited rights in technical data delivered under contract if such data was developed wholly or in part at Government expense or is in the public domain. Establishes a second contractor review system and penalties for false statements concerning assertions that certain technical data is private. Directs a contractor to certify the completeness and accuracy of all statements concerning technical data to be or not to be provided, including opportunities and requirements for cure if such data should prove to be inaccurate or insufficient for subsequent reprocurement purposes. Directs the head of any agency to develop a plan for an accounting system to monitor access to and ownership of data which includes the possibility of a department-wide system for the retrieval of technical data. Requires the submission of such a plan to Congress. Directs the head of each such agency, within three years, to inventory the access to or the ownership of all technical data for each major system under the agency's jurisdiction. Directs the Secretary of Defense to coordinate such inventories to allow the exchange of information. Requires the head of each such agency to designate within the agency a competition advocate for the agency, and one for each procuring activity. Sets forth the functions of such advocates, including maximizing competitive opportunities during acquisition and challenging existing, inhibiting practices. Grants such advocates direct access to agency personnel. Requires each agency head to report to Congress by December 15 of each year on the management of the acquisition of replacement parts, including the activities of the competition advocates. Requires that such reports be submitted by the Secretary of Defense and break down information by the Department as a whole as well as for each of the military departments.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1984
Authorizes and requests the President to designate the month of January 1985 as National Cerebral Palsy Month.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1984
Declares that it is the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to David Phillip Vetter, of Spring, Texas, to be presented to his family in his memory as the oldest survivor of congenital severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID).
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