United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1988
Designates the Labor Day Weekend beginning on September 3, 1988, as National Drive for Life Weekend. Calls on people to observe that weekend with a pledge to not drink and drive.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 1988
Amends Federal law to authorize Federal employees who are separated from service (for other than gross misconduct) and individuals who cease to meet unmarried dependent child requirements to continue Federal health benefits coverage. Authorizes coverage for former employees up to 18 months and for unmarried dependents up to 36 months at their own cost. Authorizes the Office of Personnel Management to prescribe regulations for continued coverage for certain former spouses, legally separated individuals, and members of employee organization plans.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 1988
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to prevent double-counting of income in the conduct of needs analysis for student assistance programs under such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 1988
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish the National Park of Samoa. Provides for the management of such park. Directs the Secretary to establish an Advisory Board to provide advice on the management of such park. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 1988
Expresses the sense of the Congress urging Government agencies to avoid actions that would reduce amateur radio frequency allocations used for emergency communications and encouraging support for the Amateur Radio Service in its emergency communications efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 1988
Fatal Drug Crimes Act of 1988 - Amends the Controlled Substances Act to provide that in the case of a violation involving any controlled substance in schedule I or II, other than marijuana, if death results from the use of such substance, such person shall be subject to the death penalty or life imprisonment. Sets forth procedures for the imposition of the death penalty. Prohibits sentencing to death any person under 18 years of age at the time of the offense. Sets forth mitigating factors to be considered by the jury or the court in determining whether a sentence of death is justified. Includes as aggravating factors to be considered: (1) previous convictions for Controlled Substances Act violations; and (2) the creation of a grave risk to persons other than the victim. Requires the Government, for such offense, to serve notice upon the defendant a reasonable time before trial or acceptance of a plea, disclosing that it intends to seek the death penalty and the aggravating factors upon which it will rely. Requires a separate sentencing hearing before a jury, or the court upon motion by the defendant, when the defendant is found guilty. Allows the defendant and the Government to present any information relevant to sentencing, without regard to the rules of evidence, but permits information to be excluded where its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice, confusion of the issues, or misleading of the jury. Requires the court to instruct the jury not to consider the race, color, national origin, or sex of the defendant in its consideration of the sentence. Requires each juror to return a signed certificate stating that race, color, national origin, creed, or sex of the defendant was not involved in such juror's decision. Directs the court: (1) upon a finding that the death sentence is justified, to sentence the defendant to death; and (2) upon a finding that no required aggravating factor exists or that such sentence is not justified, to impose a sentence of life imprisonment. Establishes procedures for appeal from a death sentence. Requires the Court of Appeals, upon consideration of the record and the information and procedures of the sentencing hearing, to affirm the decision if: (1) the sentence was not imposed under the influence of passion, prejudice, or arbitrariness; and (2) the information supports the finding of aggravating factors. Requires the court to provide a written explanation of its determination. Requires a death sentence to be implemented in the manner prescribed by the State in which the sentence is imposed or, if such State's laws do not provide for a death sentence, as prescribed by another State as designated by the court. Prohibits the death sentence from being carried out upon a person who lacks the mental capacity to understand the death penalty and why it was imposed or upon a woman while she is pregnant.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1988
College Savings Bond Act of 1988 - Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to issue college savings bonds in the interest of encouraging long-term savings for postsecondary education. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the gross income of an individual any interest on college savings bonds to the extent these proceeds are used to pay the qualified educational expenses (tuition, fees, books, supplies, reasonable living expenses) of the taxpayer, spouse, child, or dependent at an institution of higher education, including a postsecondary vocational school. Decreases the permissible exclusion for taxpayers having adjusted gross income above $60,000, allowing no exclusion if income exceeds $80,000.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 1988
EPA Law Enforcement Powers Act of 1988 - Amends the Federal criminal code to authorize law enforcement officers with responsibility for the investigation of criminal violations of a law administered by the Environmental Protection Agency to: (1) carry firearms; (2) execute and serve warrants; and (3) make arrests without a warrant for any offense against the United States committed in such officer's presence or any felony offense against the United States if such officer has probable cause to believe that the person to be arrested has committed or is committing such felony offense.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 1988
Choices in Child Care Act of 1988 - Title I: Tax Credit for Families with Young Children - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an individual a refundable income tax credit for each dependent under age six who resides in the household. Sets a maximum credit of $400 per qualified dependent child. Reduces the credit for taxpayers whose adjusted gross income exceeds $20,000. Disallows the credit with respect to a dependent claimed under the dependent care income tax credit. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe tables to be used to determine the credit amount. Provides for advance credit payments by employers to employees who provide certification of eligibility. Requires taxpayers to file information returns to reflect such payments. Revises the dependent care credit to: (1) disqualify children six years old or older from credit determinations (current law permits the credit with respect to dependents up to age 15); and (2) disallow the credit to taxpayers whose adjusted gross income exceeds $30,000. Permits businesses a ten percent investment tax credit in connection with certain depreciable property used as part of a child care facility operated by the employer on or near the work site for the care of enrollees, at least 30 percent of whom must be dependents of the employer's employees. Provides for recapture of the credit amount if the facility ceases to be a qualified child care property. Limits to $200,000 the annual qualified investment subject to the credit. Sets reduced self-employment tax rates in connection with income earned from child care services in either a family-based (at the home of the taxpayer) or in-home (at the home of the recipient child) child care facility. Amends the Social Security Act to reflect this provision. Excludes income earned from child care services from wage withholding requirements and from the surtax imposed for failure to pay estimated income tax. Title II: Supplemental Child Care Assistance for Low-Income Working Parents - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to the States to provide certificates to eligible individuals for child care services. Sets out eligibility criteria, including a requirement that a State submit a plan detailing its program for child care services for low-income children under 14 to enable family members to work or to participate in employment training programs. Prescribes the process for review of applications, reimbursement procedures, and reporting requirements in connection with the program. Authorizes appropriations. Title III: Block Grants to States for Activities Relating to Dependent Care Services - Amends the State Dependent Care Development Grants Act to increase the FY 1989 amount authorized for grants to States for dependent care services and to authorize FY 1990 through 1993 appropriations. Restructures the block grants program for dependent care services, enumerating a wide range of permissible uses for allotments paid to States under the program. Includes such activities as loans to establish child care services to school-age children before or after school, training programs for child care providers, scholarships to low-income individuals for child care training, activities designed to make liability insurance more available and affordable for care providers, and projects to meet the care needs of special populations. Decreases the permissible Federal share of the cost of projects under the program. Revises reporting requirements in connection with the program to require State reporting. Applies nondiscrimination provisions to the program, but permits the refusal of a fund recipient to provide services to a child on the basis of handicap under limited circumstances when other care is reasonably available. Title IV: Miscellaneous - Directs the Secretary of Labor to study and report to specified congressional committees concerning barriers to employer provision of child care services for their employees. Repeals the Child Development Associate Scholarship Assistance Act of 1985 (a grant program providing scholarships to low-income candidates for the Child Development Associate credential).
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 1988
Homeless Family Relief Incentive Act of 1988 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit an income tax deduction in connection with the charitable contribution of a leasehold interest in a dwelling that the recipient organization will use to house a homeless family for one year or less. Prescribes administrative details relating to the property and its valuation.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 1988
Targeted Relief Disclosure Resolution of 1988 - Amends rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives to require each report accompanying each bill or joint resolution of a public character reported by the Committee on Ways and Means to identify: (1) each provision which is intended to provide special benefits with respect to five or fewer taxpayers, transactions, events, items of property, projects, or issuances of bonds; (2) each beneficiary of such provision; (3) the Member of Congress who sponsored the inclusion of each such beneficiary; and (4) an estimate by the Joint Committee on Taxation of the loss in revenues resulting from such provision with respect to each such beneficiary for the fiscal year for which such loss in revenues first occurs and each of the five fiscal years thereafter.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 1988
Extends best wishes to President Jose Napoleon Duarte of El Salvador. Expresses support for the Government and people of El Salvador and hope that President Duarte will accomplish his ambition of turning the presidency over to an elected successor.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 1988
Designates specified lands in the Los Padres National Forest, California, as the Sespe, Matilija, and San Rafael Wilderness Areas, which shall be components of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Provides for the administration of such areas by the Secretary of Agriculture in accordance with the Wilderness Act of 1964. Authorizes the Secretary to take necessary actions for fire prevention and watershed protection in such areas and for the management of the Sespe Condor Sanctuary. Requires maps and descriptions of each wilderness area to be filed with specified congressional committees and to be made available for public inspection. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a study of the Johnston Ridge Trail located on the Ojai Ranger District, Los Padres National Forest, for purposes of ascertaining the appropriate management of the trail in relation to other portions of the District. Specifies that such study shall consider the environmental impacts of mechanized vehicles and shall require preparation of an environmental assessment. Requires the study to be completed within two years after enactment of this Act and submitted to specified congressional committees. Declares that, pending completion of such study and a final management determination, it is the intent of the Congress that the trail shall remain open to off-highway vehicle use.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 1988
Directs the President to issue a proclamation each year calling on all churches, synagogues, schools, community centers, and other public buildings in the United States to toll their bells for one minute beginning at 11:00 a.m. on Memorial Day in remembrance of the men and women who died defending our Nation and freedom.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 1988
Authorizes any Army, Navy, Marine Corps, or Air Force band to produce recordings for commercial sale. Allows proceeds to be used to reimburse the appropriations of the Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, for the expenses of production and sale of such recordings. Directs the Secretaries of the Army, Navy, and Air Force to prescribe regulations governing the accounting of such expenses and proceeds.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 1988
Urges the Government of Iran to uphold the human rights of all its nationals, including members of the Baha'i faith, and to restore fully the rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Calls upon the President to: (1) monitor and report on developments affecting the Baha'i minority in Iran and in other countries; (2) cooperate with other governments in continuing to make appeals to Iran concerning the situation of the Baha'is; (3) initiate and support efforts in the United Nations and its agencies on behalf of the Baha'is; and (4) provide, and urge others to provide, for refugee and humanitarian assistance for those Baha'is fleeing their homelands to escape religious repression.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 1988
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) any proposal to legalize illicit drugs, as a method to combat their sale and use, should be rejected; and (2) the Congress should explore only those proposals which directly attack the supply of, and demand for, illicit drugs.
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 1988
National Gleaning Clearinghouse Act of 1988 - Establishes in the Extension Service of the Department of Agriculture a National Gleaning Clearinghouse to promote the collection and distribution of gleaned agricultural products and crops to assist persons in need.
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 1988
Commends the President for his efforts on behalf of human rights while at the Moscow summit. Urges the Soviet Government to comply with its commitments to respect internationally recognized human rights. Reaffirms the commitment of the American people and the Congress to continue to press the Soviet Union for compliance with international agreements on human rights.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 1988
Forest Wildfire Emergency Pay Equity Act of 1988 - Allows Federal forest firefighters to be paid overtime without limitation while serving during forest wildfire emergencies.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 1988
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States should not provide any agricultural commodities under the Food for Peace Act of 1966 or any other economic assistance to Vietnam until the Government of Vietnam fully accounts for all members of the U.S. armed forces of the Vietnam era still listed as missing.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1988
Social Security Work Incentives Act of 1988 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to reduce monthly disability benefits by 50 percent of a beneficiary's monthly earnings in excess of $85. Limits the total amount by which an individual's OASDI disability benefits may be reduced if such individual is also eligible for benefits provided under title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Act to individuals who perform substantial gainful activity despite severe medical impairment. Prohibits deductions from disability-based child insurance benefits for the recovery of prior overpayments resulting from a failure to reduce such benefits on the basis of earnings. Extends to current OASDI disability beneficiaries the rule preventing reductions in the primary insurance amount for prior recipients. Continues an individual's entitlement to disability benefits while such individual is under disabled and working status, meaning that such individual is earning enough to be considered engaged in substantial gainful activity, but would otherwise continue to satisfy eligibility requirements. Sets a four-year limit on the Medicare hospital insurance eligibility (under part A of title XVIII of the Act) of individuals who owe their eligibility to their disabled and working status under the OASDI program. Amends the Medicare program to authorize such individuals to enroll for hospital insurance benefits upon the termination of such four-year limit. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Act to cover Medicare cost-sharing amounts for individuals of disabled and working status who are entitled to enroll for Medicare hospital insurance benefits and whose income and resources do not exceed 300 percent of the Federal poverty level and the SSI resource eligibility limit, respectively. Requires States to collect a coinsurance percentage from such individuals pursuant to a sliding scale which increases such percentage from 0 to 100 percent in reasonable increments as incomes move from 150 to 300 percent of the Federal poverty level. Extends to all recipients of disability-based child's insurance benefits the rule permitting continued entitlement to Medicaid benefits of individuals who would remain eligible for SSI benefits but for their receipt of such child's insurance benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 1988
Declares it to be the policy of the United States that employers should give reasonable advance notice to employees affected by major employment reductions. Directs the Secretary of Labor (the Secretary) to encourage: (1) employers to comply with such policy, both directly and by communications with trade associations and other employer organizations; and (2) employer organizations to develop codes of ethics or other mechanisms to publicize and promote such policy among their members. Directs the Secretary to: (1) collect data on the extent to which businesses give or do not give advance notice of major employment reductions, as well as on the circumstances surrounding such reductions; and (2) compile such data and, on request, make it available to the Congress. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) investigate flagrant instances in which such reductions occur without advance notice; and (2) publicize the facts and circumstances surrounding such instances. Directs the Secretary to make recommendations to deter such occurrences. Requires each government contractor who is required to file a written affirmative action compliance program (pursuant to regulations issued under a specified Executive Order) to specify as an appendix to such program the minimum period of advance notice, and any exceptions thereto, that the contractor will give of major employment reductions. Provides that the substance of such appendix shall not be subject to review or approval by the Secretary or the contracting agency. Provides that nothing in this Act shall be considered to require any advance notice that would interfere with an employer's ability to raise financing necessary to prevent major employment reductions or otherwise impede the continuance of operations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 1988
Directs the Secretary of Energy to convey to the State of California by quitclaim deed certain lands in a naval petroleum reserve if California agrees to accept: (1) all existing agreements for the operation and development of the mineral resources of such property; and (2) all restrictions applicable to such property for the purposes for which the reserve is maintained. Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to provide that money received from naval petroleum reserves shall be treated the same as money received from other public lands.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 1988
Protests Soviet human rights violations, especially its restrictive emigration regulations. Calls upon: (1) the Soviet Union to release all prisoners of conscience; and (2) the President to stress at the upcoming summit meeting in Moscow the inherent link between respect for human rights and the achievement of lasting peace.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 1988
Condemns the disruption of food production and relief efforts by parties involved in armed conflicts in Ethiopia, Sudan, Mozambique, and Angola. Urges the President and the Secretary of State to: (1) support proposals made by international relief organizations to negotiate agreements to ensure safe transportation and distribution of emergency food assistance; (2) pursue negotiations leading to the cessation of hostilities in such countries, including efforts to include countries providing military assistance to parties involved in the conflicts in the negotiations; and (3) seek the involvement of other countries of Africa and the United Nations as mediators to facilitate peace negotiations. Urges that: (1) all U.S. humanitarian assistance be made available to noncombatants on the basis of need and without regard to political considerations or affiliation; and (2) all countries providing military assistance shift their emphasis from military assistance to diplomatic efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1988
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Protection Act of 1988 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to direct the Director of the National Park Service to provide for the constant presence of law enforcement officers at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Allows the Secretary to accept and use any donated funds for such purpose. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1988
Designates the period of July 25 through July 31, 1988, as National Week of Recognition and Remembrance for Those Who Served in the Korean War. Authorizes and requests the President to urge that the American flag be flown at half staff on July 27, 1988, in honor of those Americans who died as a result of their service in Korea.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1988
Declares that the Congress recognizes the heroic acts of civilian construction workers who participated in the defense of Wake Island during its invasion by Japan between December 8 and December 23, 1941.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1988
Debt for Development Act of 1988 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the use of up to $75,000,000 in loan repayments from developing countries in FY 1989 for development activities in those countries.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1988
Congressional and Judicial Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1988 - Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require that personnel actions affecting employees or applicants in the legislative and judicial branches of the Government be free from any discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, handicap, or age. Allows Members of Congress to take into consideration an individual's domicile and political affiliation. Establishes within the judicial branch an Employment Review Board. Provides that members of the board be appointed from the retired judges of the Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals. Authorizes an aggrieved individual to file a written complaint with the Board. Establishes procedures for the Board to investigate, settle, hear, and determine the claims alleged. Provides that if a violation is found an order for relief may compel the defendant to: (1) employ or reinstate such individual on such terms and conditions as may be appropriate, except that the Board may not compel any committee or Member of Congress to employ or reinstate, or modify the terms and conditions of employment of, any individual; (2) pay compensatory damages; and (3) pay fees and allowances of witnesses and reasonable attorneys' fees. Authorizes the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to review, enjoin, set aside, suspend, modify, or enforce orders of the Board. Requires members of the Board to submit written reports to the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct of the House of Representatives and the Senate Select Committee on Ethics describing complaints during the reporting period involved.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1988
Expresses U.S. policy that Nicaragua should undertake specified reforms, such as reinstating due process and fair trials, ending torture, conducting free elections, allowing an uncensored free press, ensuring the right to strike and to publish for unions, allowing the Catholic Church to reopen its offices, and ending the forced relocation of Indians and Creoles. Urges all countries in Central America to continue to work toward achieving the democratic principles and processes specified in the August 7, 1987, Central American peace accord.