United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1983
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Organic Act - Title I: Declaration of Findings, Purposes, and Policies - Sets forth the findings, purposes, and policies of Congress concerning marine and atmospheric resources. Title II: Establishment; Powers; Functions - Establishes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as an independent agency. Provides for the principal officers, with an Administrator as the head of NOAA, and sets out the functions, responsibilities, and powers of the Administrator. Requires the recipient of a grant, loan, or other form of financial assistance from NOAA to keep records on the disposition of the funds. Grants the Administrator access to such records to determine if the funds were used in accordance with applicable law and regulations. Title III: Coordination - Requires the Administrator to consult with other Federal departments and agencies to insure that inconsistent and duplicative requirements are not imposed on regulated industries or individuals. Directs the Administrator to consult with the Secretary of State on agreements, treaties or understandings with foreign nations or international bodies concerning areas in which NOAA has domestic responsibility. Title IV: Enforcement - Sets forth the enforcement powers of NOAA's authorized officers. Authorizes the Administrator to utilize the personnel, services, and facilities of any State agency to assist with his enforcement authority. Sets forth provisions concerning the issuance of citations, the disposition of seized property and vessel penalties. Grants jurisdiction to the U.S. district courts for cases arising out of this Act. Sets out the remedies the Administrator may seek for violations of law for which he has enforcement authority. Grants to individuals the right to institute civil actions for violations of laws administered by NOAA. Title V: Miscellaneous Provisions - Transfers the functions and authority from the existing National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the Department of Commerce to the new NOAA. Transfers personnel, property, records, and funds to the new NOAA. Permits the President to make interim appointment of officers for the NOAA until permanent officers may be appointed with the advice and consent of the Senate. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the President to submit biennial authorization requests to the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 1983
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) State regulatory commissions should carefully review requests for telephone rate increases; (2) the Federal Communications Commission should ascertain the impact on telephone rates of regulatory changes and judicial decisions and should furnish the House with an estimate of the number of people who would suffer an economic hardship or be forced to discontinue telephone service as a result of such changes and decisions; and (3) specified House committees should consider legislation that will assure affordable telephone service for all the people of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 1983
Water Quality Renewal Act of 1983 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (also known as the Clean Water Act) to authorize appropriations for FY 1983 through 1988 for: (1) specified research, investigation, and training programs in water pollution control; (2) State and interstate pollution control programs; (3) undergraduate programs in water quality control; (4) grants for developing waste treatment management plans for areas with substantial water quality control problems; (5) water pollution control programs in agricultural areas; (6) agreements among Government agencies providing for maximum use of existing programs for water quality control; (7) grants to States for lake pollution control; and (8) carrying out such Act generally. Increases the authorization for grants for construction of waste treatment works for FY 1984 and 1985. Authorizes appropriations for such grants for FY 1986 through 1988. Revises the timetable for compliance of all pollutants with effluent limitations. Requires as new conditions for the modification of treatment requirements with respect to the discharge of pollutants from a publicly owned treatment works that an applicant for such modification demonstrate that: (1) in the case of a treatment works serving a population of 50,000 or more, there is in effect a specified pretreatment program for toxic pollutants introduced into such works for which there is no pretreatment requirement in effect; and (2) the effluent which is discharged from such works is receiving primary treatment and meets the criteria for water quality established by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Revises the meaning of the phrase "discharge of any pollutant into marine water." Requires that a water quality standard which is revised after January 1, 1983, maintain the designated uses of the navigable waters involved in effect on such date, except that such a standard may contain a less restrictive use if the State demonstrates that: (1) the existing designated use is not attainable because of natural background or irretrievable man-induced conditions; or (2) the application of effluent limitations needed to attain the existing designated use would result in substantial and widespread adverse economic and social impact. Requires a State to revise water quality standards to preserve the quality of those waters within the State exceeding the level necessary to support the designated use contained in existing water quality standards. Requires a State to consider the need to adopt numercial criteria in addition to other water quality criteria' with respect to specified toxic pollutants whenever such State reviews a water quality standard. Requires the maintenance and protection of water the quality of which exceeds levels necessary to support the propagation of fish and wildlife and to allow recreation in and on the water, unless a State chooses, after compliance with intergovernmental coordination and public participation requirements, to allow lower water quality because of essential economic or social development for which there is no feasible alternative. Prohibits a degradation of water quality which will interfere with or injure instream water uses. Prohibits degradation in high quality waters which constitute an outstanding national resource. Requires a State to minimize the effects of development on water quality in any case where water quality degradation is permitted. Requires the Administrator to publish in the Federal Register a list of all navigable waters in each State the water quality of which is being impaired by the discharge from specific sources of toxic pollutants. Directs the Administrator to establish an individual control strategy for each listed segment of navigable waters which shall reduce the discharge of toxic pollutants from such sources so as to allow the achievement of water quality which provides for the protection and propagation of fish, shellfish, and wildlife and provides for recreation in and on the water. Increases the civil penalties for violations of requirements with respect to water quality standards under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. Requires the Administrator to convene a management conference whenever the attainment or maintenance of water quality in an estuary requires the control of sources of pollution in more than one State. Provides that such a management conference shall establish and provide for the implementation of a master plan which addresses the pollution problems of the estuary involved. Authorizes the Administrator to make grants to States participating in such a management conference which are equal to 55 percent of a State's cost of implementing a master plan for a fiscal year. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 through 1988 for such grants. Authorizes appropriations to the Administrator for FY 1984 through 1988 for: (1) administrative expenses with respect to management conferences; (2) grants for the development of master plans for estuaries; and (3) monitoring the implementation of such master plans. Prohibits the specification of a disposal site in navigable waters for the discharge of dredged or fill material unless the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, determines that the discharge of such material at such site will not have an unacceptable adverse effect on the aquatic environmental and that there is no less adverse practicable alternative to the proposed discharge. Requires that an application for a permit to discharge dredge or fill material into navigable waters at a specified disposal site be filed with the district engineer of the Corps of Engineers for the district where the discharge is to be made. Requires the district engineers to notify the Administrator, the Secretaries of the Interior and Commerce, and other appropriate Federal agency heads of any such application. Specifies the time periods within which such agencies may submit comments on such applications. Requires the district engineer to give full consideration to such comments in deciding whether to issue a permit. Requires the district engineer to notify the Administrator or the appropriate Secretary if a permit to which the Administrator or the Secretary is opposed is to be issued. Specifies the time periods within which the district engineer must publish a decision with respect to a permit application. Provides that a denial of a permit application shall be the final decision of the Secretary of the Army. Provides that a decision to issue a permit shall be the final decision of the Secretary of the Army unless the Administrator, the Secretary of the Interior, or the the Secretary of Commerce requests a review of such a decision in any case in which the Administrator or either Secretary opposed the issuance of a permit. Specifies the time periods within which the Secretary of the Army must issue a final decision following such a request. Requires the Administrator to study and report to Congress on the effects of the impoundment and discharge of waters by dams upon the quality of navigable waters.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1983
Decentralization Study Commission Act of 1983 - Establishes the Decentralization Study Commission which shall identify Government functions performed in the District of Columbia that may be moved to other locations within the United States without substantially impairing the performance of such functions. Directs the Commission to submit a report of its findings and legislative and administrative recommendations to the President and Congress within 20 months. Terminates the Commission 60 days after submission of such report. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 1983
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit an income tax deduction for charitable contributions of partial interests in property or property placed in trust where the governing instrument of the transfer is amended or conformed to meet certain requirements after the initial transfer. Allows the adjustment or exchange of an income interest or remainder interest transferred for charitable purposes where the donee receives an interest in property not less in value than that of the original transfer. Allows an estate or gift tax charitable deduction for a partial interest where the reformable interest in the charitable trust had not been corrected and there had been a termination of all intervening interests in the trust. Provides that interest on underpayment of tax will not be collected where the underpayment results from a disallowance of a charitable deduction involving a reformable partial interest. Extends until December 31, 1985, the period for filing a claim or credit for refund of overpayment of tax where the overpayment resulted from the allowance of a charitable deduction as a result of amending or conforming the transfer instrument.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1983
Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to eliminate provisions which: (1) permit petitions to the Secretary of Energy for prescription of rules which supersede State energy efficiency standards; and (2) provide for supersedure of State energy efficiency standards prescribed after January 1, 1978.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 1983
Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1983 - Title I: Public Water Systems - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to promulgate recommended maximum contaminant levels and revised national primary drinking water regulations within specified time periods for: (1) each of 14 contaminants listed in 47 Federal Register 9352; (2) toxic water pollutants which are found in drinking water; and (3) other substances which may have an adverse effect on the health of persons. Sets forth requirements with respect to such contaminant levels and drinking water regulations. Requires the Administrator to list a contaminant and promulgate a revised drinking water regulation for such contaminant which requires the use of treatment techniques if such contaminant cannot be accurately enough measured in water to establish a maximum contaminant level. Authorizes the Administrator to enter into arrangements with independent scientific organizations to assist in the establishment of recommended maximum contaminant levels. Requires the Administrator to establish a program which shall require a representative sample of various public water systems to monitor for unregulated contaminants. Directs the Administrator to require the owner or operator of a public water system to give notice to persons served by it of contaminant levels of any unregulated contaminants required to be monitored. Requires the Administrator to enforce compliance with national primary drinking water regulations through civil actions or administrative orders with respect to public water systems, unless there is in effect a variance or an exemption. Revises the compliance schedules in the case of public water systems which have been granted an exemption from compliance with interim or revised national primary drinking water regulations. Permits extensions of such exemptions in certain cases. Sets forth procedural requirements with respect to administrative orders issued to enforce compliance with regulations, schedules, or other requirements under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Directs the Administrator to seek an injunction or to recover a civil penalty; or both, with respect to any person who fails to comply with such an administrative order. Prohibits any action by the Administrator, by a State, or by a court which would delay or make less stringent any requirement of a primary national drinking water standard. Permits the Administrator to commence a civil action or to issue an administrative order to enforce compliance in the case of a public water system which fails to comply with a national primary drinking water regulation beyond the thirtieth day after the date of a notice of noncompliance by the Administrator to the State having primary enforcement responsibility over such public water system. Authorizes the Administrator to provide technical assistance to small public water systems to enable them to achieve and maintain compliance with national drinking water regulations. Authorizes appropriations for such assistance for FY 1984 through 1987. Authorizes the Administrator to require, as a condition of a State exercising primary enforcement responsibility with respect to national drinking water regulations, that the State carry out technical assistance programs for small public water systems which are substantially similar to the Federal program. Provides that, in requiring a public water system to keep records with respect to the compliance with national primary drinking water regulations, the Administrator shall take into account the system size and the contaminants which are likely to be found in the system's drinking water. Sets forth criminal penalties for tampering with a public water system. Provides that notice by the owner or operator of a public water system which fails to comply with national primary drinking water regulations to the persons served by such system shall provide an explanation of such failure, the steps being taken to correct such failure, and the groups which should seek alternative water supplies until such failure is corrected. Requires each owner or operator of a public water system to also give annual notice to the persons served by it of the availability to the public of records and reports kept by such system with respect to compliance with the national primary drinking water regulations. Permits civil actions by public water systems and any other persons against any persons who are causing or contributing to the presence of a contaminant in the drinking water used by such systems or other persons if such contamination results in the water supply not meeting national primary drinking water regulations. Title II: Protection of Underground Sources of Drinking Water - Prohibits the disposal of hazardous waste by underground injection above, into, or under a formation which contains a drinking water source, unless it is established that such injection will not cause the hazardous waste to migrate into or otherwise endanger drinking water sources. Requires State underground injection programs to prohibit the disposal of brine brought to the surface in connection with oil by any means other than underground injection in compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act. Defines the term "drinking water source" as underground water which supplies a public water system, is capable of supplying a public water system, or could supply a public water system if the system used technologically advanced treatment. Requires the Administrator to publish notice in the Federal Register if an area has an aquifer which furnishes or may furnish in the future a substantial part of the drinking water supply for any public water system and which would create a significant hazard to the public health if contaminated. Permits Federal financial assistance for projects which are designed not to contaminate such an aquifer. Requires the Administrator to promulgate regulations for State programs to prevent surface impoundments which are not subject to regulation under the Solid Waste Disposal Act from endangering drinking water sources. Permits States to apply to exercise primary enforcement responsibility. Requires the Administrator to prescribe a program for a State if no State program is approved. Permits States to submit to the Administrator plans to protect underground drinking water sources. Authorizes the Administrator to provide technical assistance and to make grants to the States to assist them in the development of such plans. Requires that Federal actions with respect to underground drinking water sources in a State be coordinated with the State protection program. Authorizes the Administrator to issue an administrative order to enforce compliance with underground injection control program requirements. Sets forth procedural requirements with respect to such administrative orders. Directs the Administrator to seek an injunction or to recover a civil penalty, or both, with respect to any person who fails to comply with such an administrative order. Prohibits any action by the Administrator, by a State, or by a court which would delay or make less stringent any requirement of an underground injection control program. Permits the Administrator to commence a civil action or to issue an administrative order to enforce compliance in the case of any person who fails to comply with underground injection control program requirements beyond the thirtieth day after the date of a notice of noncompliance by the Administrator to the State having primary enforcement responsibility for underground water sources. Title III: Authorization of Appropriations - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 through 1989 for: (1) the provision of research, technical assistance, information, and training of personnel to the States and municipalities to implement the Safe Drinking Water Act; and (2) grants to States for public water system supervision programs and underground water source protection programs. Extends indefinitely the authority of the Administrator to issue certifications of need and orders for the provision of chemicals necessary for the treatment of water.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 1983
Amends the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933, as amended by the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, to subject imported tomatoes to the same packing restrictions that apply to domestic tomatoes.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1983
Truth in Budgeting Resolution - Amends the Rules of the House of Representatives to prescribe a congressional budget process. Sets forth a timetable for reports of House Committees and the Congressional Budget Office for submission to the Budget Committee. Requires the House to complete action on the omnibus budget bill by June 30 of each year.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1983
Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to: (1) remove the minimum wage floor for handicapped workers; and (2) link such workers' wages with worker productivity.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 1983
Expresses the support of the House of Representatives for Lebanon's and Israel's agreement on arrangements for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon. Calls upon other nations to work toward the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon. Emphasizes the need of all nations to recognize the sovereignty of Lebanon. Urges Syria and the Palestine Liberation Organization to agree to the arrangements for the withdrawal of their forces from Lebanon.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1983
Rural Electrification and Telephone Revolving Fund Self-Sufficiency Act of 1983 - Amends the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (REA) to eliminate the requirement for a State certificate of convenience and necessity before the Administrator may make loans to provide rural telephone service. Revises the liabilities and uses of the Rural Electrification and Telephone Revolving Fund established under the REA to provide that notes of the Administrator to the Secretary of the Treasury to obtain funds for loans shall be equity capital of the Fund. States that assets of the Fund shall be available only for: (1) payment of interest and principal on loans to the Administrator from the Secretary of the Treasury; and (2) for certificates of beneficial ownership issued to such Secretary or in the private market. Requires the Administrator to maintain two separate accounts within the fund: (1) the Electrification Account; and (2) the Telephone Account. Lists the items that shall be accounted for in each Account respectively, and restricts the purposes for which the assets of each Account shall be available. Authorizes the Administrator to repurchase specified certificates of beneficial ownership under certain conditions affecting their interest rates. Establishes guidelines for interest-bearing insured loans made by the Administrator to electric and telephone borrowers. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to request in each annual supplemental budget estimate the amount needed to replenish the Fund for anticipated and actual costs resulting from loans made at less than a specified rate during the preceding fiscal year. Directs the Administrator to guarantee loans to specified borrowers or to accommodate or subordinate liens or mortgages held in the Fund, according to prescribed rules and regulations. Directs the Administration to promulgate such rules and regulations within 90 days after the effective date of this Act. Prescribes guidelines under which certain lenders are authorized to adjust interest rates on loans guaranteed by the Administrator. Requires rural electrification borrowers to obtain concurrent supplemental financing according to prescribed guidelines in any fiscal year in which the minimum loan level for insured rural electrification loans is less than $1,000,000,000. Repeals the loan-making authority of the Governor of the Rural Telephone Bank which require approval by the Secretary of Agriculture of facilities or lines to be acquired with such loans. Eliminates loan restrictions placed upon potential borrowers whose net worth exceed their assets by twenty percent.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 1983
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that regulations relating to title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (concerning sex discrimination in education) should not be amended or altered in any manner which will lessen the comprehensive coverage of such statute in eliminating gender discrimination throughout the American educational system.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 1983
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to define "geothermal energy" as the natural heat of the Earth at any temperature (present regulations require that such heat must exceed a specified temperature). Qualifies for the residential energy tax credit and the investment tax credit for energy property energy systems which use both geothermal energy and another energy source not eligible for such credits if geothermal energy provides more than 80 percent of the energy for such system. Qualifies for the investment tax credit for energy property energy systems which use both geothermal energy and another energy source eligible for such credit (such as biomass, solar, wind, ocean thermal, or hydroelectric) if the combination of such energy sources provides more than 80 percent of the energy for such system.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 1983
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the Republic of South Africa should comply with international human rights agreements by ending its "black-spot" policy and by allowing forcibly relocated South Africans to return to ancestral lands; (2) U.S. nonrecognition of South African "homeland" sovereignty should continue; (3) travel to the United States should be denied to "homeland" officials who seek to enter this country under "homelands" visas; and (4) the President should send a copy of this resolution to the Republic of South Africa.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 1983
Environmental Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 1984 - Authorizes appropriations to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for FY 1984 and 1985 for activities authorized under the: (1) Clean Air Act; (2) Federal Water Pollution Act; (3) Safe Drinking Water Act; (4) Solid Waste Disposal Act; (5) Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act; (6) Public Health Service Act (radiation activities); (7) interdisciplinary activities provisions; (8) Toxic Substances Control Act; (9) energy research programs; (10) acid rain research programs; and (11) Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (Superfund) (hazardous waste activities). Authorizes appropriations to the EPA Office of Research and Development for FY 1984 and 1985 for program management and support. Sets forth permissible uses of such funds. Provides for congressional oversight of transfers of funds between categories. Prohibits the Administrator of the EPA from using any funds appropriated under this Act for a reduction-in-force, unless the Administrator has provided certain information to Congress in advance. Requires that a specified amount of the funds appropriated from the Hazardous Substance Response Trust Fund for FY 1984 and 1985 be expended for research and development activities for each fiscal year. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the costs of those research and development activities associated with or necessitated by the actual or threatened release of hazardous substances be paid for out of such fund created by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (Superfund). Directs the Administrator of the EPA to establish and maintain a separately identified program of continuing long-term environmental research and development that will support and contribute to each research category for which appropriations are authorized under this Act. Requires that at least 20 percent of such funds be obligated for such long-term research and development. Directs the Administrator to report annually on the performance of such long-term research and development programs to the appropriate congressional committees at the time the President's budget is submitted to the Congress. Requires that appropriations authorized for energy research under this Act be used for environmental research associated with: (1) synthetic fuels production; (2) coal, oil, natural gas, and other fossil fuel extraction, processing, transportation, and combustion; and (3) other energy development activities and related problems posing threats to public health and the environment (including indoor air pollution). Directs the Administrator to: (1) establish and maintain a long-term health and ecological effects research program on energy-related pollutants; (2) coordinate such program with related Federal research programs; and (3) establish and maintain an energy-related pollutants monitoring program. Directs the Administrator to continue to conduct development and demonstration of energy-related pollution control technologies as required by pertinent pollution control statutes. Directs the Administrator to develop a Senior Environmental Assistance Program to aid Federal, State, and local environmental agencies in carrying out programs under this Act. Requires, to the fullest extent possible, the utilization of existing older American programs in providing such assistance. Requires State and local environmental agencies to certify that activities thus assisted will supplement and not support existing jobs. Amends the Environmental Research, Development, and Demonstration Authorization Act of 1978 to revise provisions relating to the membership of the Science Advisory Board. Requires that the Board be composed of members appointed by the Administrator from nomineees recommended by a nominating committee. Requires that the nominating committee's representation include the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, National Cancer Institute, National Science Foundation, National Academy of Sciences, and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). Directs the NIEHS, in consultation with the Administrator, to establish, chair, and manage the nominating committee. Directs the nominating committee to solicit candidates for nomination to the Board from the general public through notice in the Federal Register. Authorizes the Administrator to obtain necessary information from nominees. Directs the Administrator to publish the name, address, and professional affiliation of each nominee in the Federal Register. Directs the Administrator to ensure that Board membership is fairly balanced in terms of points of view represented and functions to be performed. Requires that the terms of Board members be three years and be staggered so that the terms of no more than one-third of the total membership of the Board and its committees expire within a single fiscal year. Requires that each member of the Board serve a full term unless such member is unable, for involuntary reason, to discharge Board duties or has violated conflict of interest regulations. Requires, if a vacancy on the Board is not filled by the Administrator within 90 days, the nominating committee to meet and appoint, within 60 days, a member to fill such vacancy from its list of recommended nominees. Directs the Administrator, within 120 days after enactment of this Act, to promulgate regulations regarding conflict of interest with respect to Board members. Requires that the Board's advice and comments and the response of the Administrator be included in the record with respect to any proposed rule and published in the Federal Register in accordance with the requirements of the environmental statutes and the authority of the Administrator. Directs the Administrator to carry out a research program with respect to indoor air quality. Requires that such program be designed to: (1) gather data and information on all aspects of indoor air quality in order to contribute to the understanding of health problems associated with the existence of air pollutants in the indoor environment; and (2) coordinate Federal, State, local and private research, development, and demonstration efforts relating to the improvement of indoor air quality. Authorizes the Administrator to establish committees of representatives of appropriate Federal agencies, and advisory groups of representatives of the scientific community, industry, and public interest organizations, as may be necessary to assist in carrying out such indoor air quality research program. Directs the Administrator to consult and coordinate with State and local officials and other interested parties having concerns related to such program. Requires the indoor air quality research program to include research concerning: (1) monitoring of pollution sources and levels; (2) effects of indoor air pollution on human health; (3) control technologies; and (4) information dissemination to assure public availability of research findings. Directs the Administrator to submit to the Congress: (1) an indoor air quality research implementation plan within one year after enactment of this Act; (2) a progress report within 36 months of such enactment; and (3) a final report within 54 months of such enactment. Requires that the progress report and final report be submitted to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) within a reasonable period before submittal to the Congress and contain any NAS comments when submitted. Reserves specified amounts to carry out such program from funds appropriated pursuant to authorization under this Act for FY 1984 and 1985.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 1983
Atmospheric, Climatic, and Ocean Pollution Act of 1983 - Title I: Declaration of Findings and Purposes - Sets forth the findings and purposes of Congress concerning the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Title II: General Program Authorizations and Reporting Requirements - Authorizes appropriations for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the Department of Commerce for FY 1984 and 1985 in the following categories: (1) ocean research; (2) atmospheric programs; (3) satellite and environmental data and information services; and (4) the National Climate Program Office. Prohibits the transfer of funds among categories in excess of ten percent of the funds authorized unless Congress is given 30 days written notice or each committee having jurisdiction transmits a notice of no objection to the Administrator. Directs the Administrator to keep all appropriate committees informed of the activities of NOAA. Requires the Administrator to include a report in the annual budget request. Directs the Administrator to submit to Congress and the President with the FY 1985 budget request a report on the importance of meteorological satellites to weather forecasting, including lifetimes and replacement times for NOAA weather satellites. Prohibits the Secretary of Commerce from transferring ownership or management of any civil land, meteorological, or ocean remote sensing space satellite system and associated ground equipment until such Secretary presents to Congress a comprehensive plan and Congress then enacts a law containing necessary procedures and limitations. Earmarks funds for the continuation of a civil land remote sensing satellite system if no alternative is implemented. Directs the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the National Research Council of the Academies of Science and Engineering to conduct a study of the National Weather Service and related activities. Requires the Administrator to report to Congress within six months on the NOAA's efforts to negotiate such study. Requires that a final report be made to Congress within two years. Authorizes appropriations for such study for FY 1984 and 1985. Title III: National Climate Program - National Climate Program Amendments of 1983 - Amends the National Climate Program Act to direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish and maintain an interagency Climate Program Policy Board (Board) to coordinate planning, review all executive branch budget requests relating to climate, and establish other groups as necessary. Establishes the position of Director to head the National Climate Program Office, represent the Board, and be the spokesperson for the program. Requires the Office to analyze agency budget requests, coordinate interagency participation in international climate-related activities, and work with the National Academy of Sciences and other groups in preparing and implementing the five-year climate plan. Permits the Office to provide financial assistance for activities needed to meet the goals of the program set forth in such plan. Expands the mechanisms for intergovernmental climate-related studies and services under the program. Requires that the plan be revised and extended not more than biennially but not less than quadrennially. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 and 1985. Requires that at least 25 percent of such authorizations be made available each fiscal year for intergovernmental climate-related activities and at least 20 percent for experimental climate forecast centers. Title IV: Ocean Pollution Research - Amends the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 to consolidate various reporting requirements into an annual report to Congress due each March. Includes within National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) long-term research activities: (1) techniques to define and quantify marine environment degradation; (2) assessment of marine adaptability; (3) continuation of ongoing monitoring programs; and (4) dumping improvements. Requires the Environmental Protection Agency: (1) in cooperation with Federal, State, and local agencies to study comprehensive regional waste management plans; and (2) in cooperation with NOAA, to report to Congress within one year on sewage sludge disposal options in the New York region. Authorizes FY 1984 and 1985 appropriations, including amounts for such New York study. Title V: Miscellaneous - Amends the National Ocean Pollution Planning Act of 1978 to authorize appropriations for FY 1984 and 1985 to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to carry out out such Act. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to provide at least 60 days notice to affected persons of any weather service office closure or consolidation. Sets forth the criteria the Secretary must use in making a determination, including the effect on the community served and the employees of the office. Requires the Secretary to keep written records of all aspects of such a determination. Requires any decision to close or consolidate to be in writing. Prohibits the Secretary from acting until 60 days have elapsed from the time the written decision is made available. Permits an affected State to sue for review of any such determination. Deems any determination or decision by the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to close or consolidate a Weather Service Office to have been made by the Secretary.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1983
Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to treat elderly or disabled individuals living in certain types of group-living arrangements as individual households.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1983
Shared Housing Residents Assistance Act - Amends title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) of the Social Security Act to exclude from unearned income, for the purpose of determining eligibility based on income, support and maintenance received in kind if the residents of a household share the facilities and at least two of the residents (of whom at least one is eligible for SSI) are unrelated. Requires an individual living in such a household to spend for food and shelter at least 25 percent of the applicable monthly amount determined under title XVI.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1983
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that participating in certain shared-housing arrangements does not make a taxpayer ineligible for the one-time exclusion of gain from sale of a principal residence by individuals who have attained age 55. Defines a "shared-housing arrangement" as a living situation in which two or more unrelated individuals who are either handicapped or have attained age 60 share housing.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1983
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for a business expense income tax deduction for additions to a reserve established for the cost incurred by a regulated public utility in decommissioning (retiring) a nuclear powerplant. Limits the deduction to the amount which the regulatory body having ratemaking jurisdiction over the utility permits as addition to a reserve and which is included in its cost of service for ratemaking purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 1983
Amends the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act and the Walsh-Healey Act to require overtime compensation only for hours of employment in excess of 40 hours in a workweek for employees of Federal Government contractors or subcontractors.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 1983
State and Local Fiscal Assistance Amendments of 1983 - Extends the general revenue sharing program through FY 1987. Extends through FY 1988 the provisions which allow for a State variation of local government allocations. Authorizes appropriations to the State and Local Government Fiscal Assistance Trust Fund to pay entitlement amounts to State and general local governments. Repeals the requirement that States refund categorical grant program amounts to the Federal Government before they can receive entitlement amounts. Repeals the separate law enforcement officer allocations for Louisiana. Requires a State or local government receiving a revenue sharing entitlement payment to have an audit annually (or biennially if such government operates on a biennial fiscal period). Requires such government, not later than 30 days following completion of the audit, to submit a copy to the Secretary of the Treasury for public inspection. Permits a waiver of such audit requirement if the Secretary decides that the financial statements of such government for such year cannot be audited, and the government shows substantial progress in making the statements auditable.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 1983
Deauthorizes the Cross-Florida Barge Canal project. Authorizes the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to operate and maintain existing facilities and appurtenant lands of such project. Extends the boundaries of the Ocala National Forest, Florida. Provides for the transfer of certain lands, administered by the Corp of Engineers, to the Secretary of Agriculture to be administered and made part of the Ocala National Forest. Provides for the acquisition of certain lands within the Ocala National Forest which are held by the State of Florida. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1983
Global Resources, Environment, and Population Act of 1983 - Declares it to be the public policy to: (1) promote national population stabilization; (2) encourage other nations to achieve population stabilization; and (3) coordinate research and national planning concerning global trends in population characteristics, the availability of natural resources, and environmental change. Directs all Federal agencies to: (1) use reliable demographic research in planning and decisionmaking which affect national and global population characteristics; and (2) develop procedures to insure the consideration of population characteristics, population stabilization, and environmental, economic, and natural resource aspects in agency planning and decisionmaking. Directs each agency head to: (1) review the agency's statutory authority, policies, and regulations to determine whether there are any impediments to complying with this Act; and (2) recommend the necessary administrative or legislative actions to eliminate such impediments. Establishes an Interagency Council on Global Resources, the Environment, and Population to: (1) coordinate research, conduct studies, and report to the President and Congress on trends in population characteristics; (2) assess the impact of such trends on population stabilization, the environment, and the availability of natural resources; (3) recommend legislative and administrative actions to modify or eliminate Federal programs, laws, and regulations which limit the achievement of the policies of this Act; and (4) recommend to Congress and the President a national population policy and policies to encourage global population stabilization at a level which maintains the highest possible standard of living and does not deplete the world's natural resources or degrade the global environment. Requires the President to submit to Congress, annually, a national population change and planning report which includes: (1) an evaluation of the impact that national and global trends in population characteristics, the availability of natural resources, and environmental change will have on the nation's economy and national security; and (2) recommendations for necessary legislative actions.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1983
Declares that the Commissioner of Social Security and the Secretary of Health and Human Services should immediately study and report to Congress on ways to correct the benefit disparity caused by the 1977 changes in the social security retirement benefit formula.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 1983
Sexual Exploitation of Children Act of 1983 - Amends the Federal criminal code dealing with the sexual exploitation of children. Increases the penalties for the sexual exploitation of children from $10,000 to $75,000 and, on a subsequent conviction, from $15,000 to $150,000. Establishes as an affirmative defense to prosecution that the medium (upon which such prosecution is based), when taken as a whole, possesses serious literary, artistic, scientific, social or educational value.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1983
Broadcast Licensing, Renewal, and Deregulation Act of 1983 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to establish new procedures for reviewing petitions to deny broadcast license applications. Requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to grant a license renewal application by a radio or television broadcast station licensee unless the actions of the licensee evidences such serious disregard for the Communications Act and for the rules and policies of the FCC that denial of the application is justified. Prohibits the FCC from considering the applications of other persons for a broadcast station's facilities when the FCC is acting upon a license renewal application by a radio or television broadcast station. Permits persons holding construction permits or station licenses to transfer the permit or license without first obtaining an FCC finding that the transfer serves the public interest. Requires the FCC to be notified of such transfer. Provides for public notice of the transfer. Provides for disposition by the FCC of objections to such transfer. Prohibits the FCC from considering whether the public interest would be served by the transfer of the permit or license involved to a different person. Repeals certain provisions relating to the application of the antitrust laws. Prohibits the FCC from imposing requirements on radio or television licensees relating to: (1) programs; (2) programming formats; (3) ascertainment; (4) commercialization; and (5) maintenance of program logs.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1983
United States Immigration Court Act of 1983 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish a United States Immigration Court, consisting of a 70-judge trial and a six-judge appellate division. Sets forth jurisdictional provisions and appellate review procedures. Grants jurisdiction to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to review immigration matters such as deportation, exclusion and asylum. Provides for exclusion without hearing under specified circumstances. Permits any alien physically present in the United States or at a land border or port of entry to apply for asylum unless exclusion or deportation proceedings have been instituted. Prescribes conditions under which asylum shall be considered even where exclusion or deportation proceedings have been instituted. Provides for a public asylum hearing and requires aliens to be advised of right of counsel. Sets forth effective dates and transition procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1983
Florida Frontier Rivers Conservation District Act of 1983 - Establishes the Florida Frontier Rivers Conservation District in Florida. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to request the Governor of Florida to establish a Florida Frontier Rivers Conservation District Management Steering Committee, which shall develop a comprehensive management plan for the District. Requires that such plan contain: (1) a resource assessment of the District; (2) a map delineating the boundaries of the District and the areas of natural, historical, recreational, aesthetic, scenic, cultural, agricultural, and ecological significance; (3) a land use capability map and a statement of land and water use policies for the District; (4) a program for coordinating Federal, State, and local policies and programs with respect to the District; (5) a public use program; (6) financial information; (7) a program for public and local government participation in the management of the District; (8) a program for State and local government implementation of the plan; and (9) a program to implement the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act with respect to the surface and ground waters of the District. Provides that Florida shall adopt and submit the plan to the Secretary for approval. Sets forth approval procedures. Requires the Secretary to submit the approved plan to Congress. Requires the Secretary to monitor the implementation of the plan. Requires the Secretary to provide technical and financial assistance to Florida for the purpose of developing and implementing the plan. Sets forth conditions for land acquisition by both the State and the Secretary. Requires Committee review of Federal assistance applications and proposals for direct Federal actions which involve housing, industrial park, highway, or sewage or waste treatment facility construction in the District and in Florida. Requires further review and approval or disapproval by the Secretary of such applications or proposals. Authorizes appropriations for assistance in development of the plan and for land acquisition.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1983
Declares that the House of Representatives deplores the denial of the rights of Hungarians and people of other nationalities in Transylvania by the Romanian Government. Requests the President and the Secretary of State to discuss the human rights of the Hungarians in Transylvania with the Government of Romania.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1983
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the highway use tax on heavy trucks. Increases the excise tax on diesel fuel from nine cents per gallon to 12 cents per gallon in 1983 and from 12 cents per gallon to 14 cents per gallon in 1984. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe regulations exempting from such increases diesel fuel used in automobiles and light trucks.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1983
States that the Government should restore balance to the Department of Energy's FY 1984 budget by maintaining funding for energy conservation, solar and renewable energy, and weatherization programs and by distributing information on conservation and renewable and solar energy.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1983
Urges the President and the Secretary of Defense to act expeditiously to carry out the National Cemeteries Act of 1973 by arranging for the burial of the remains of an unknown soldier of the Vietnam era in the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1983
National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act, 1984 - Title I - Authorizes appropriations to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for research and development, construction of facilities, and research and program management for FY 1984. Permits appropriations for research and development to be used for any items of a capital nature (other than acquisition of land) which may be required at locations other than NASA installations for the performance of research and development contracts, and for grants to nonprofit institutions of higher education or to nonprofit organizations whose primary purpose is the conduct of scientific research for purchase or construction of additional research facilities. Requires the Administrator to notify the appropriate committees of Congress whenever the cost of a facility exceeds a specified amount. Permits funds appropriated for research and development or for construction of facilities to remain available without fiscal year limitation. Permits the funds for construction of any of specified facilities: (1) in the discretion of the NASA Administrator, to be varied upward ten percent; or (2) following a report by the Administrator to the Committee on Science and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate on the circumstances of such action, to be varied upward 25 percent to meet unusual cost variations. Limits the total cost of all construction work to the total of the amounts specified. Permits one-half of one percent of the funds appropriated for research and development to be transferred to the "Construction of facilities" appropriations. Authorizes the expenditure of such funds, together with $10,000,000 of the funds appropriated for construction of facilities, to construct, expand, or modify laboratories and other installations. Requires the Administrator to notify the appropriate committees of Congress of the specific nature, cost, and reasons for such construction 30 days before expending funds. Permits each committee to provide the Administrator with a written waiver of such period. Prohibits the expenditure of appropriations for deleted programs, for programs in excess of the amount authorized, and for programs which have not been presented to the appropriate committee for a period of 30 days. Amends the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 to prohibit the misuse of the agency's name and initials. Permits the Attorney General to initiate a civil proceeding to enjoin such misuse. Prohibits the Secretary of Commerce from transferring the ownership or management of any civil land remote sensing space satellite system until a comprehensive plan for such a transfer is submitted to and approved by Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1983
United States Olympic Checkoff Act of 1983 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow taxpayers to designate on their income tax returns a contribution of one dollar of their income tax refunds or any cash amount voluntarily forwarded with their returns to support the U.S. Olympic Trust Fund. Establishes in the Treasury a U.S. Olympic Trust Fund (trust fund). Appropriates to such trust fund an amount equal to the amount designated on tax returns. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to pay amounts so transferred to the U.S. Olympic Committee. Allows specified administrative expenses to be paid from such trust fund.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 1983
Enterprise Zone Act of 1983 - Title I: 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 Act. Specifies that State and local governments shall nominate areas for such designation. Limits the designation of enterprise zones to 75 nominated areas per year over three years (one third of which such designations shall remain in effect. Specifies that the Secretary may 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. Requires nominating local governments, as a condition of the Secretary's 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. Terminates the authority of the Secretary to designate enterprise zones on June 30, 1986, or three years after the publication of regulations pertaining to such zones, whichever is later. Describes areas to which preference shall be given in deciding to designate enterprise zones. Exempts enterprise zones from certain requirements relating to Federal environmental policy. Requires the Secretary to prepare and 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 Act 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. Title II: Federal Income Tax Incentives - Subtitle A: 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 $15,000 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 $9,000 in wages per year). Phases out such credit in the last three years of the enterprise zone designation. Subtitle B: 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. Subtitle C: Reduction in Capital Gain Tax Rates - Eliminates the capital gains tax on property of corporations acquired after the enterprise zone designation and used in a zone business. Qualifies certain low-income rental housing located in an enterprise zone for such 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. Subtitle D: 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. Subtitle E: 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. Title III: Regulatory Flexibility - Revises the definition of "small entity" for purposes of the analysis of regulatory functions to include qualified businesses (as defined in Title II of this Act), governments, and nonprofit enterprises operating within enterprise zones. Authorizes Federal agencies, upon the request of 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 continuing 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 remain in effect. 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. Title IV: Establishment of Foreign-Trade Zones in Enterprise Zones - Requires the Foreign-Trade 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.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1983
Skilled Enlisted Reserve Training Act - Directs the Secretary of each military department to establish a skilled enlisted reserve training program to obtain adequate numbers of enlisted members with critical technical skills. Permits each Secretary to enter into agreements with a qualified person under which the Secretary agrees to provide educational assistance in a technical field in exchange for that person's agreement to perform either three or more years of active or six or more years of reserve service in the armed forces. Permits the Secretary to pay up to 100 percent of educational expenses and a monthly stipend. Sets forth eligibility requirements. Requires accepted members to complete basic training before beginning technical training. Sets forth the penalties for noncompletion of training, including possible reimbursement of educational assistance. Requires the Secretary concerned to approve the courses and educational institution before entering an agreement with a member. Permits the Secretary to provide assistance to educational institutions providing courses of training. Permits the Secretary to detail members for instructional and administrative duties at such institutions. Directs the President to make an annual report to Congress concerning such program. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1983
World War I Veterans Service Pension Act - Directs the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to pay (in addition to any pension already paid) a monthly pension of $150 to each veteran of World War I who meets specified service requirements and to certain surviving spouses.
![Official portrait of Rep. MacKay, Buddy [D-FL-6]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m000023_200.jpg)