United States · United States Congress · 9 December 1982
Amends the Federal criminal code to make it a Federal offense to maliciously cause injury or death to any person by adulterating a food, drug or cosmetic product. Provides for a prison term of up to 20 years if personal injury results, or up to life if death results.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 1982
Iran Claims Act - Authorizes the U.S. Foreign Claims Settlement Commission to determine the validity of claims by U.S. nationals against Iran within: (1) the jurisdiction of the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal; or (2) the terms of an agreement for an en bloc settlement. Requires the Commission to certify to the Secretary of the Treasury any awards made. Authorizes the Secretary to make payments of the lesser of $10,000 or the principal amount of an award. Deducts two percent of the amount of an award as reimbursement to the U.S. Government, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and other agencies for expenses incurred in the arbitration of the claim. Declares that such deduction shall not apply to an amount awarded for an en bloc settlement. Authorizes the Secretary to reimburse the Federal Reserve Bank of New York for expenses incurred in the settlement or arbitration of such claims.
United States · United States Congress · 29 November 1982
Directs the President to negotiate an agreement with the Soviet Union for the establishment of a permanent joint United States-Soviet Communications Center to provide an additional channel for communications between the United States and the Soviet Union in order to reduce the threat of an accidential nuclear war. Declares that the agreement should provide that: (1) the function of the Center would be to serve as a direct and secure means of communications between the two countries; (2) the Center would have no intelligence gathering capabilities and would not be used for espionage; (3) the Center would be located in an agreed upon third country with the operating costs shared equally; and (4) the Center would be staffed by an equal number of personnel from each country. Requires the agreement to be either a treaty or an executive agreement which will enter into force only upon its approval by both Houses of Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 1982
Product Liability Act of 1982 - Sets forth uniform national standards for products liability cases. Preempts inconsistent Federal and State laws. Permits actions under this Act to be brought in State court or Federal court if the United States is a party or diversity jurisdiction exists. Prohibits recovery for other than commercial loss or damage to the product itself, except as otherwise provided in this Act. Sets forth basic standards of responsibility for manufacturers and product sellers other than manufacturers including wholesalers, distributors, retailers, lessors, packagers, and repairers. Establishes rules relating to proof in products liability cases with respect to Federal government standards and contract specifications. Prohibits admission of postmanufacturing improvements except for the purpose of impeaching a witness for the product seller who denies the feasibility of such improvements. Allows a manufacturer to introduce certain precautionary measures. Provides that all product liability actions shall be governed by the principles of comparative responsibility. Specifies the manner in which damages are to be apportioned. Provides that comparative damages apply only to compensatory damages. Requires the reduction of any damage award by the amount of workers' compensation benefits which are paid. Makes a product seller who acted with flagrant indifference to consumer safety, where the act was an extreme departure from accepted practice, liable for punitive damages. Establishes a two-year statute of limitations and a ten-year statute of repose.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 1982
Reaffirms the commitment of Congress to locating and repatriating Americans unaccounted for in Southeast Asia. Expresses congressional appreciation to the Lao Government for its expressed willingness to help. Supports the President's actions to locate and return missing Americans. Urges the President to respond to the indicated willingness of the Lao Government to cooperate in this effort.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 1982
Declares that it should be U.S. policy to: (1) support the people of Afghanistan in their struggle to be free from foreign domination; (2) provide the Afghans, upon request, with material assistance; and (3) pursue a negotiated settlement of the war in Afghanistan based on the total withdrawal of Soviet troops and the recognition of the right of the Afghans to choose their own destiny.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 1982
Designates 1983 as the Tricentennial Anniversary Year of German Settlement in America. Expresses congressional support for the President's Youth Exchange Initiative, and especially the concept of a United States-German teenage exchange sponsored by the Congress and the West German Bundestag.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1982
Declares that in order to protect the rights of all persons by the equal protection clause of the Constitution, it is necessary to establish a uniform nationwide standard governing classifications based on gender. Prohibits the Federal Government and any State or local government from making and enforcing a classification based upon gender unless it is necessary to achieve a compelling interest of that government and is the least burdensome alternative possible.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1982
Urges the President and the Secretary of Defense to comply with the National Cemeteries Act of 1973 and arrange for the burial of an unknown soldier from the Vietnam era at Arlington National Cemetery.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 1982
Military Widows and Surviving Children Benefits Restoration Act - Directs the head of a designated agency to make monthly payments to the surviving spouse of a veteran in the amount such spouse would have received under the Social Security Act were she caring for a child under 16 (when such child is actually between 16 and 18 years of age). Directs the head of a designated agency to make monthly payments equivalent to the child's insurance benefit under the Social Security Act before the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 to certain children between the ages of 18 and 22 attending institutions of higher learning. Limits eligibility for such payments to children of veterans who died on active duty before August 13, 1981, or from a service-connected disability. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide the designated agency head with information necessary to carry out this Act. Sets forth provisions determining time and percentage of increases in benefits, including a requirement that all payments be rounded down to the next lower multiple of $1. Directs the Secretary of Defense during FY 1983 to transfer funds from the Retired Pay, Defense account to whomever is chosen to administer this program. Requires such head to establish an account in his or her agency to receive such payments. Permits such head and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to combine specified payments into a single monthly payment.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 1982
Urges the President to declassify and publicize to the American people existing intelligence information on the military threat to the United States and its allies posed by the Soviet Union.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 1982
Directs the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to provide technical assistance for streambank failure retardation and erosion control. Authorizes appropriations to carry out this Act through FY 1987.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 1982
Expresses the sense of Congress that all the factions involved in the Middle East crisis following the assassination of Lebanon's President-elect Bashir Gemayal should work to end the foreign occupation of Lebanon and stop pursuing conflicting policies.
United States · United States Congress · 19 August 1982
United States Academy of Freedom Act - Establishes a United States Academy of Freedom as an independent nonprofit corporation. Sets forth the functions of the Academy, including: (1) the performance of research necessary to forward a geo-political strategy for the defeat of all forms of communist aggression and the promotion of the growth of democracy and free and open societies; (2) the education of citizens for purposes of developing a "freedom offensive"; and (3) the provision of assistance to training staffs of Government agencies handling U.S. global operations. Sets forth the powers and duties of the Academy, including authority to establish an Endowment of the United States Academy of Freedom. Provides that, with certain exceptions, the Academy shall not be considered a department, agency, or instrumentality of the Government.
United States · United States Congress · 18 August 1982
Foreign Surveillance Prevention Act of 1982 - Directs the President, whenever the President has reason to believe that any individual covered by diplomatic immunity is willfully engaging in electronic surveillance on behalf of a foreign power in the United States, to inform specified congressional committees and, unless it would seriously compromise U.S. intelligence gathering sources, to: (1) inform those persons reasonably believed to be targets of such surveillance; (2) inform the foreign power and demand that such surveillance cease; and (3) declare the individual persona non grata in the United States if the surveillance does not cease within 30 days and demand that that person leave the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 13 August 1982
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an income tax credit to any individual who maintains a household which includes one or more elderly qualified persons. Sets the amount of such credit at $1,000 for each such elderly person living in the household. Limits the aggregate amount creditable to $2,000 on any return for the taxable year. Defines "qualified elderly person" as any individual who: (1) has attained age 65; (2) has an impairment which, as determined by a physician, renders such individual physically or mentally incapable of caring for himself and has lasted or is expected to last six months or longer; and (3) has as a principal place of abode for more than half of the taxable year the home of the taxpayer.
United States · United States Congress · 10 August 1982
Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from issuing any oil and gas lease on specified submerged lands of the Outer Continental Shelf off the California coastline.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 1982
Insanity Defense Limitation Act of 1982 - Amends the Federal criminal code to make it an affirmative defense to a Federal prosecution that the defendant, as a result of mental disease or defect, lacked the ability to understand the nature and quality of the act or lacked the ability to distinquish right and wrong with respect to the act. Places the burden of proof of insanity on the defendant. Requires that any person found not guilty only by reason of insanity be committed to a facility until eligible for release. Requires the court to commit such person to the custody of the Attorney General upon a finding by a preponderance of the evidence that the person is currently suffering from a mental disease or defect and his release would create a substantial danger to himself or herself or another person or serious damage to property of another. Directs the Attorney General to release such person to a mental hospital or other suitable facility. Requires the court to hold a hearing upon the certification by the director of the facility that such person's release will no longer create a substantial danger. Directs the court to order the discharge of a person who is found to have recovered. Provides for a special verdict of "guilty but mentally ill." Directs the Attorney General to take action to assure that a person found guilty but mentally ill receives appropriate treatment for any mental illness occurring during the term of such sentence.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 1982
Congressional Page Education and Dormitory Act - Establishes the Congressional Page Board to establish and maintain a school and dormitory for the education and housing of congressional pages. Authorizes appropriations as necessary. Prohibits a person from serving as a page before the age of 16 years (currently 14 years for a Senate page).
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 1982
Extends the congratulations of Congress to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the individuals who contributed to the successful completion of the test flight phase of the Space Shuttle program and the entry of the United States into a new era of space flight.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 1982
Residential Mortgage Investment Act of 1982 - Permits employee benefit plans, as defined under this Act, to engage in any qualified mortgage transaction involving any qualified residential mortgage loan, provided transactions between all parties are at arm's length. Permits such plans to participate in any mortgage pool, provided such pool conforms to specified requirements with regard to permitted investments. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe regulations to carry out this Act. Provides that this Act shall supersede any and all contrary provisions of State law, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, and the Internal Revenue Code. Prohibits the imposition of Federal excise tax on a plan or pool that engages in a transaction described under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 1982
Expresses the support of the Congress for beginning strategic arms reductions talks. Urges the Soviet Union to join with the United States in concluding an equitable and verifiable agreement which freezes strategic nuclear forces at equal and substantially reduced levels. Reaffirms congressional support for the position that the United States should not enter into an arms agreement which provides for force levels inferior to those of the Soviet Union. Declares that the United States should propose practical measures to: (1) reduce the danger of accidental nuclear war; (2) prevent the use of nuclear weapons by third parties, including terrorists; and (3) halt the worldwide proliferation of nuclear weapons. Insists that any arms control agreement must be fully verifiable.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 1982
Caribbean Basin Economic Revitalization Act of 1982 - Authorizes additional FY 1982 appropriations to carry out the purposes of the Economic Support Fund in Caribbean countries. Sets forth requirements relating to the use of funds appropriated under this Act. Earmarks a specified amount for projects which are: (1) consistent with U.S. development assistance policy, as expressed in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961; and (2) in accordance with the provisions of such Act dealing with agricultural development in rural areas, agricultural research, population planning and health programs, and education and human resources development. Earmarks a specified amount for: (1) scholarships for persons from Caribbean countries; and (2) the Inter-American Foundation. Limits the amount of funds appropriated under this Act that may be used for aid to any one country. Directs the President to seek a reasonable balance in allocating the funds appropriated under this Act between aid for the public sector and aid for the private sector and between balance-of-payments support and support for development projects. Authorizes providing El Salvador with funds in excess of the per country limitation set in this Act in order to facilitate implementation of El Salvador's land reform program. Sets forth the manner in which such funds shall be used. Prohibits using any of the funds appropriated under this Act for El Savador unless the President reports to Congress that: (1) El Salvador has not altered the land reform program in a manner detrimental to the rights of the beneficiaries or potential beneficiaries of the reform; and (2) El Salvador is making substantial progress in implementaing the land reform program. Directs the President to include in the annual report to Congress on foreign assistance programs a report on the disposition of the funds appropriated under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 1982
Amends the Federal criminal code to abolish the defense of insanity. Provides that insanity at the time of an offense will not negate the mental state or condition required by law to convict a defendant, provided that the defendant was able to understand the nature and consequences of the offense. Places upon the defendant the burden to prove a lack of comprehension of the nature of his offense which is necessary to excuse him from trial. Requires a judge to commit to the appropriate medical institution any defendant so excused. Allows the court to commit a convicted defendant to an appropriate institution for medical assistance, until the defendant is declared sane by the medical authorities at the institution. Requires any remainder of a sentence to be served in prison.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 1982
Authorizes the United States Secret Service Uniformed Division to: (1) use the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of State and local governments, with their consent, to carry out its functions of protecting the President, the Vice President, members of the President's and Vice President's families, and any office building in which presidential offices are located; and (2) reimburse such governments if such use causes an excessive economic burden. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 1982
Directs the Secretary of Commerce to give adequate public notice of any intention to close or consolidate a weather service office. Sets forth factors the Secretary must consider in deciding to close or consolidate, including the effect on the community served and the economic savings to the National Weather Service. Permits the appeal of a closing by any person served by the office to the Federal Committee for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 1982
Amends the Federal criminal code to establish criteria for the imposition of the death penalty for Federal crimes. Requires the Government, for any offense punishable by death, to serve notice upon the defendant a reasonable time before trial or acceptance of a plea 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 or pleads guilty to an offense punishable by death. Provides that no presentence report shall be prepared in such cases. 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 the jury. Specifies mitigating factors which the defendant must establish by a preponderance of the information and aggravating factors which the Government must prove beyond a reasonable doubt. Includes as threshold, aggravating factors for homicide that the defendant: (1) intentionally killed the victim; (2) intentionally inflicted serious bodily injury which resulted in the death of the victim; (3) intentionally participated in an act which he reasonably should have known would create grave risk of death to a person and the victim did die as a direct result of the act; or (4) attempted to kill the President of the United States. Sets forth special aggravating factors with respect to the crimes of treason and espionage. Includes among the mitigating factors that the defendant was less than 18 years old at the time of the crime. Conditions imposition of the death penalty on a unanimous finding by the jury that: (1) some aggravating factor exists in addition to a threshold factor; and (2) the aggravating factors sufficiently outweigh any mitigating factor found to exist. Directs the court to impose the death penalty upon a finding that such sentence is justified. Requires the court to instruct the jury not to consider the race, color, national origin, creed, or sex of the defendant in its consideration of the death sentence. Limits the circumstances under which the offense of delivering defense information to aid foreign governments is punishable by death. Allows the death penalty to be imposed for the murder of foreign officials and for an offense of kidnapping resulting in the death of any person. Eliminates the death penalty for the crime of rape. Authorizes the death penalty for the crime of attempting to kill the President of the United States if the attempt results in bodily injury to the President or otherwise comes dangerously close to causing his death. Establishes procedures for appeal from a death sentence. Requires the Court of Appeals, upon considering the record and the information and procedures of the sentencing hearing, to affirm the decision if: (1) the sentence was not imposed under influence of passion, prejudice, or arbitrariness; and (2) the information supports the finding of aggravating factors or the absence of mitigating factors. Requires the court to provide a written explanation of its determination. Increases the minimum sentence for carrying a firearm during the commission of a felony from two to five years. Provides that a person convicted of carrying a firearm during a commission of a felony shall not be eligible for parole.
![Official portrait of Rep. Lagomarsino, Robert J. [R-CA-19]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/l000020_200.jpg)