United States · United States Congress · 3 June 1980
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Standing Committee on Federal Judiciary of the American Bar Association and the Attorney General take all measures necessary to end discrimination against potential lifetime Federal judges who do not qualify solely as a result of age barriers.
United States · United States Congress · 29 May 1980
Allows an individual under the Internal Revenue Code an income tax deduction equal to 50 percent of the travel deposit loss sustained by such taxpayer as a result of the boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics. Limits the amount of such deduction to $2,500.
United States · United States Congress · 29 May 1980
Extends the congratulations of the House of Representatives to members of the 1980 handicapped Olympic team and recognizes specified organizations for their efforts in producing the second winter Olympics for the physically handicapped.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 1980
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow individual taxpayers a refundable income tax credit for the purchase of new passenger automobiles after May 14, 1980, and before January 1, 1981, which were manufactured by companies whose average fuel economy rating for passenger automobiles in model year 1979 equals or exceeds 120 percent of their rating for model year 1974. Establishes the amount of such credit at $500.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1980
Prohibits any Federal court (excluding the Supreme Court) from issuing injunctive relief in any case arising out of Federal, State, or local law that prohibits, limits, or regulates abortion or the provision of public assistance for the performance of abortions.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1980
Extends the commendation of the Congress to the military personnel who took part in the attempt to rescue the hostages in Iran and recommends that the President consider awarding appropriate military decorations to such personnel. Extends congressional condolences to the families of the men who died during the attempted rescue. Recommends that Iranian assets frozen in the United States be made available to certain American claimants for damages against Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1980
Peremptory Challenge Act of 1980 - Requires that a civil or criminal case which is to be tried in Federal district court or bankruptcy court shall be reassigned to another appropriate judicial officer if all parties on one side of such case file an application requesting reassignment.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1980
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow homeowners a nonrefundable income tax credit for 50 percent of the expenses paid or incurred to make alterations to their residences for the purpose of making such residences more accessible to, and usable by, a handicapped individual who is either the taxpayer, his spouse, or a dependent of the taxpayer. Limits the amount of such credit, for each such handicapped individual, to the lesser of $1,000 or an amount which, when added to previous year's credits, does not exceed $5,000. Reduces the amount of such credit by one-half of the amount by which the adjusted gross income of the taxpayer exceeds $20,000 ($35,000 in the case of married individuals filing jointly). Defines "handicapped individual" as any individual who has a medically identifiable mental or physical impairment which can be expected to result in death or which can be expected to last for a continuous period of at least 12 months, and which substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of such individual. Requires the handicapped individual to live in the principal residence for which the alterations are made for not less than a nine month period during the taxable year.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1980
Guillain-Barre Syndrome Compensation Commission Act - Establishes the Guillain-Barre Syndrome Compensation Commission to fairly and expeditiously hear, determine, and pay claims against the United States for injuries to individuals who contracted such syndrome after immunization pursuant to the swine flu program. Sets forth the composition and operating procedures of such Commission. Authorizes the Commission to appoint a director and staff and procure other necessary personnel. Directs the Commission to hold hearings at times and places necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act. Authorizes the Commission to issue subpenas relative to procuring evidence of the liability of the United States for damages to a claimant. Provides judicial procedures for refusal to obey such subpenas. Authorizes the Chairperson of the Commission to secure any information from Federal agencies not exempted from disclosure by rule of law. Directs that any claim for relief under this Act shall be submitted to the Commission within 12 months after the date of enactment of such Act. Requires the Commission, within 120 days of receipt of such claim, to hold a hearing to determine the eligibility and amount of damages due any such claimant. Declares a claimant eligible for damages if: (1) a timely claim has been filed; (2) the Guillain-Barre Syndrome was contracted within 20 weeks after immunization; and (3) the claimant has not received a full settlement of such claim against the United States. Specifies time periods under which the Commission shall make a final determination pursuant to any claim and to make payment of damages due any claimant. Declares that any payment to a claimant shall be in full settlement of all claims of such claimant against the United States arising out of the swine flu program. Directs the Commission to submit a final report to the President and each House of Congress pursuant to its operations under this Act, within three years after the date of enactment of such Act. Declares that the Commission shall terminate on a date determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1980
Establishes within the National Institutes of Health the Office of Drugs of Limited Commercial Value under the direction of the Director of the National Institutes of Health. Establishes within the Office an advisory council to advise the Director and make recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (formerly Health, Education, and Welfare) respecting the time required for drug approval under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Authorizes the Director to provide financial assistance to entities for the development of drugs of limited commercial value, defined as a drug for a condition or disease of low incidence, to undertake the development of such drugs, undertake studies to determine the potential and need for specific drugs, and coordinate the efforts of public and private entities engaged in the development of such drugs. Requires the submission and approval of an application containing the scientific basis for the development of the drug and the proposed therapeutic use of the drug and other specified information before financial assistance is provided. Requires each entity receiving funds to keep specified records. Requires the Director to report to Congress within two years on the effectiveness of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 1980
Directs the President to utilize the forum of the Venice Economic Summit to urge the development of an International Code of Business Conduct. Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should negotiate and report to Congress concerning agreements to establish standards of ethical and equitable conduct of international business and mechanisms to resolve problems. Requires the Joint Economic Committee to report to Congress concerning its recommendations regarding such negotiations.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 1980
Proclaims October 19, 1981, a national day of celebration as the two hundredth anniversary of the victory of General George Washington at Yorktown, Virginia.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 1980
Rescinds $229,000,000 in appropriations provided for the purchase of furniture by Federal agencies and departments in fiscal year 1980. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to allocate such rescission among the agencies and departments and to report to the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate concerning the allocation. Rescinds $15,000,000 in appropriations made to the Federal Buildings Fund for the rental of space in fiscal year 1980.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1980
Expresses the sense of Congress that school authorities and college and university administrators should consider strengthening the study of foreign languages and cultures through appropriate actions.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1980
National Educational Opportunities Act of 1980 - States the purpose of this Act to be to: (1) establish a national policy on equal educational opportunities based on the implementation of quality education with equal educational opportunities for all students regardless of race, color, or national origin; (2) provide an experimental mechanism for States and their local educational systems to implement such national policy; (3) support experimental efforts to reduce achievement disparities between racial and socio-economic groups in the schools; and (4) facilitate, where possible, a reduction in the concentration of children from low-income and minority groups in certain schools primarily by means other than busing. Requires a State wishing to receive funds under this Act to submit a desegregation plan and an implementation plan. Sets forth the guidelines and requirements for such implementation plan, including: (1) the creation of a State advisory council and local advisory committees: (2) an intradistrict and interdistrict transfer plan; (3) an intradistrict and interdistrict cooperation plan; and (4) a compensatory education program. Requires such implementation to: (1) be submitted to the Secretary of Education by January 31, 1982; (2) be developed in consultation with local educational agencies and the State advisory council; and (3) define goals consistent with the purpose of this Act and provide for attaining such goals by a date approved by the Secretary, but in no event later than October 1, 1987. Requires the Secretary to provide notice to applicants 30 days before a final selection is made. Authorizes appropriations for fiscal years 1981-1985.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1980
Pollution Control Capital Recovery Act of 1980 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce from five to three years the amortization period for pollution control equipment.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1980
Food Security Act of 1980 - Declares it to be U.S. policy to develop a wheat reserve solely to provide for emergency food needs in developing countries. Directs the President, in order to carry out such policy, to establish a reserve stock of wheat of up to 4,000,000 metric tons for specified purposes. Permits stocks of wheat for such reserve to be acquired: (1) through purchases from producers or in the market, if the Secretary of Agriculture determines that such purchases will not unduly disrupt the market; and (2) by designation by the Secretary of stocks of wheat acquired by the Commodity Credit Corporation. Authorizes the President to release such designated or acquired wheat reserve stocks to provide, on a donation or sale basis, emergency food assistance to developing countries at any time that the U.S. domestic wheat supply is so limited that quantities cannot be made available for disposition, except for humanitarian purposes, under the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954. Provides that up to 300,000 tons of wheat may be released from the reserve in any fiscal year for use under such Act in providing urgent humanitarian relief in developing countries which suffer major disasters (as determined by the President), in circumstances of unanticipated and exceptional need when the normal means of obtaining food assistance make timely programming impossible. Directs the President to report to the appropriate congressional committees on wheat so released and its timely replenishment. Allows such wheat to be processed in the U.S. and shipped to the recipient country as wheat flour, when necessary. Requires that such wheat be made available under such Act, with specified provisions as to determinations of availability inapplicable thereto. Directs the Secretary to provide for reserve management as to location and class of wheat needed to meet emergencies, rotation to avoid spoilage and deterioration, and prompt equivalent replacement of removed quantities. Specifies that stocks of wheat shall not: (1) be considered a part of the total domestic supply (including carryover) for certain purposes; or (2) be subject to any quantitative export limitations under the Export Administration Act of 1979. Directs the Secretary to utilize the funds and authorities of the Commodity Credit Corporation in carrying out this Act, except that any restrictions applicable to the acquisition, storage, or disposition of Corporation owned or controlled commodities shall not apply to wheat for or in the reserve. Requires that the Corporation be reimbursed for actual costs under such program. Declares final any determination by the President or the Secretary under this Act. Provides that: (1) this Act shall take effect on October 1, 1980; (2) the authorities of this Act shall expire on September 30, 1983; and (3) any wheat in the reserve when such authorities expire shall be distributed under the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act in fiscal year 1984 and subsequent fiscal years.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1980
Establishes the Falls of the Ohio National Monument in order to provide for the preservation, protection, and public outdoor recreation use of the Falls of the Ohio located in Jefferson County, Kentucky. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to acquire land or interests in lands within the boundaries of the monument by donation, purchase with donated or appropriated funds, or exchange. Specifies that the owner or owners of any improved residential property or agricultural property acquired by the Secretary may retain a right of use and occupancy of the property for noncommercial residential or for agricultural purposes, as the case may be, for: (1) a definite term of not more than 25 years; or (2) a term ending at the death of the owner or owners. Allows the Secretary to lease land owned by the United States which has been acquired by the Secretary under this Act and which was agricultural land immediately before such acquisition. Subjects such leases to such conditions and restrictions as the Secretary deems necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act. Withdraws the lands within the monument, subject to valid existing rights, from entry or appropriation under the mining laws of the United States and from the operation of the mineral leasing laws of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1980
Authorizes the President to present, in the name of the Congress, specially struck gold medals to Eric Heiden and the American Hockey Team for their victories at the 1980 winter Olympics. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and furnish bronze duplicates of such medals to the United States Olympic Committee.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 1980
Campaign Contributions Utilization Reform Act of 1980 - Permits a candidate for Federal office or a person holding Federal office to transfer contributed funds to any political party committee. Prohibits the personal use of such funds. Prohibits a person holding office from using such funds to defray office expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1980
Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit any Member of Congress from using funds received as contributions to pay personal expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 1980
Fusion Energy Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 1980 - Directs the Secretary of Energy to establish research, development, and demonstration programs involving magnetic fusion energy systems to: (1) construct and operate a fusion engineering test facility by 1986; (2) construct and operate a magnetic fusion demonstration facility before the end of this century; (3) maintain and expand the base programs for fusion energy research and the development and testing of appropriate alternative confinement technologies; (4) maintain a strong research and development program in advanced fusion fuels; and (5) ensure an uninterrupted source of scientific and engineering talent from institutions of higher learning to support such effort. Requires such programs to include a study of the potential of using fusion energy for the production of synthetic fuels and the electrification of ground transportation systems. Directs the Secretary to disseminate information promoting the practical uses of fusion energy.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1980
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Soviet Union should release Andrei Sakharov from internal exile immediately. Urges the President, through the Secretary of State to: (1) express U.S. opposition to Sakharov's exile; (2) inform the Soviet Union that the United States will take into account, in evaluating its reactions with other countries, the extent to which those countries honor their commitments under international law.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 1980
Expresses the sense of Congress to condemn Soviet actions taken against Andrei Sakharov which further show the lack of the Soviet Union's fitness to host the Olympics.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1980
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the International Olympic Committee should withdraw the 1980 summer Olympic games from the Soviet Union; and (2) there should be a boycott of such games, if they are not withdrawn and Soviet troops have not been withdrawn from Afghanistan.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 1980
Requests the President to ask the International Olympic Committee to transfer the 1980 summer Olympic games from the Soviet Union. Directs the President to: (1) ask the U.S. Olympic Committee to boycott such games if they are not transferred; (2) encourage other nations to do the same; and (3) assist in the organization of a "Free World Olympics."
United States · United States Congress · 20 December 1979
Provides for an exemption from the windfall profits tax for independent oil producers for an amount equal to 1,000 barrels of crude oil multiplied by the number of days in the taxable period.
United States · United States Congress · 20 December 1979
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the people of the United States should observe December 23, 1979, as a national day of prayer and meditation for the hostages in Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 18 December 1979
Used Machinery Investment Credit Adjustment Act of 1979 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase from $100,000 to $200,000 the cost of used property which is eligible for the investment tax credit.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 1979
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Act of 1980 - Title I: Regulation of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Facilities and Plantships - Prohibits any person from owning, constructing, or operating an ocean thermal energy conversion facility and prohibits United States citizens from owning, constructing, or operating an ocean thermal energy conversion plantship without a license issued pursuant to this Act. Authorizes the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to issue, transfer, amend, or renew licenses for the ownership, construction, and operation of such facilities or plantships upon application and in accordance with this Act. Sets forth criteria for determining whether to issue such licenses, and directs the Administrator to prescribe any conditions deemed necessary to carry out this Act or which are required by any Federal department or agency. Directs the Administrator to establish bonding requirements or other assurances necessary to assure that upon revocation or other termination of a license, the licensee will remove all components of any such facility or plantship from the ocean and the seabed. Sets the term of such licenses at a maximum of 25 years, with a right of renewals for an additional ten years for each renewal. Directs the Administrator to issue regulations to carry out the purposes and provisions of this Act. Directs the Secretary of the Interior, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating, the Chief of Engineers of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, and the heads of other Federal departments and agencies having jurisdiction over or expertise concerning any aspect of the construction or operation of such facilities or plantships to submit to the Administrator written comments as to their expertise or statutory responsibilities with respect to this or any other Federal law. Sets forth application procedures and requirements for licenses authorized for issuance by this Act, including provisions for public notice hearings, and Federal agency review. Requires that applicants for licenses remit a fee at the time of filing such application, to be determined by the Administrator, and to be deposited in the miscellaneous receipts of the Treasury. Establishes priorities for the issuance of licenses where more than one application is submitted for the same designated application area. Establishes criminal penalties for the breaking of or injury to any submarine electric transmission cable or equipment being constructed or operated under a license issued under this Act. Requires a licensee to indemnify the owner of any vessel which sacrifices any anchor, fishing net, or other fishing gear to avoid injuring any such cable or equipment. Requires any licensee who causes any break in or injury to any submarine cable or pipeline to bear the cost of the repairs thereto. Directs the Administrator to submit applications for issuance, transfer, or renewal of any license to the Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission for antitrust review. Directs the Administrator to designate as an "adjacent coastal State" any coastal State either directly to be connected by electric transmission cable or pipeline to an ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship or located within 15 miles of any such proposed facility or plantship. Authorizes the Administrator to make such designation for any other State, upon request, upon a determination that there is a risk of damage to the coastal environment or if it is likely that the thermal plume of any proposed facility or plantship would impinge on possible locations for other ocean thermal energy conversion facilities or plantships which would be connected to such State. Requires that the Administrator transmit to the Governor of any designated adjacent coastal State a complete copy of a license application and prohibits the issuance of any license for an ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship without the approval of the Governor of such State where such State has an approved coastal zone management program in effect pursuant to the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972. Stipulates that failure by a State Governor to transmit his approval or disapproval within the alloted time period will result in the approval being conclusively presumed. Prohibits the Administrator from issuing such licenses for any facility or plantship unless the adjacent coastal State to which such facilities or plantship is to be directly connected has an approved coastal zone management plan in effect. Authorizes States to enter into agreements or compacts to apply for such licenses and to establish agencies for implementing such agreements or compacts. Requires the Administrator to issue regulations requiring licensees to pursue diligently such facility or plantship construction and operation and authorizes the termination of any license for failure to comply with such regulations. Directs the Administrator to initiate a program to assess the environmental effects of such facilities or plantships so as to determine whether their cumulative impact requires that a limit be placed on the number or total capacity of such facilities or plantships to be licensed under this Act. States that the issuance of such licenses is deemed to be a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the environment for purposes of the environmental impact statement provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Authorizes the preparation of a consolidated environmental impact statement by the Administrator and other involved Federal agencies and departments. Directs the Secretary of the Department in which the Coast Guard is operating to issue regulations and enforce procedures concerning any ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship, including rules on vessel movement, transfer of materials between facilities and plantships and transport vessels, designation of anchorage areas, maintenance, law enforcement, and the equipment, training, and maintenance required to prevent pollution of and other adverse impacts on the marine environment and to clean up any pollutants which may be discharged. Directs the Secretary to designate a zone of appropriate size around and including any ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship for the purpose of navigational safety, and to establish safety zones during the period of construction of such facilities or plantships. States that for the purposes of the vessel inspection laws, such facilities and plantships shall be deemed to be vessels. Requires that licenses include such conditions as necessary to ensure that construction and operation of such facilities and plantships do not interfere with navigation, fishing, energy production, scientific research, or other uses of the high seas, including the operation of other ocean thermal energy conversion plantships and facilities. Authorizes the inspection and monitoring of licensees' activities, and sets forth procedures thereon. Sets forth provisions for the suspension, revocation, and termination of licenses for failure to comply with provisions of this Act or applicable rules or conditions issued or imposed by the Administrator under the authority of this Act. Includes provisions for the immediate suspension of facility or plantship construction or operation upon a determination by the Administrator that such action is necessary to protect public health and safety or to eliminate dangers to the environment, or upon a determination by the President that such suspension is necessary to avoid a conflict with any international obligation of the United States established by treaty or convention. Sets forth provisions concerning recordkeeping, reports, and public access to information. Authorizes licensees to relinquish to the Administrator any right to conduct construction or operation of such a facility or plantship, but stipulates that such relinquishment shall not relieve the licensee of any obligation or liability established by this Act. Authorizes civil actions by any person having a valid legal interest which is or may be adversely affected by actions of licensees or by the failure of the Administrator to comply with the requirements of this Act. Authorizes judicial review of any decision of the Administrator concerning a license. Title II: Maritime Financing for Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion - States that for the purposes of the Merchant Marine Act: (1) any ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship licensed under this Act, and any vessel providing shipping service to or from such facilities or plantships, shall be deemed to be a vessel operated in the foreign or domestic commerce of the United States; and (2) any vessel documented under the laws of the United States and providing such service shall be deemed to be used in, and used in an essential service in, the foreign commerce or foreign trade of the United States. Amends the Federal Ship Mortgage Insurance provisions of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936, to include such facilities and plantships in the definition of "vessel" and to add a definition of "ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship." Amends such provisions to authorize the Secretary of Commerce to guarantee, or make a commitment to guarantee, payment of the principal of and interest on an obligation which aids in financing a vessel designed for use as an ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship. Increases the aggregate principal amount which may be guaranteed with respect to such facilities or plantships constructed without the aid of construction-differential subsidy. Increases the aggregate unpaid principal amount of obligations guaranteed under such Act to $12,000,000,000, and requires that $2,000,000,000 of such amount be limited to obligations pertaining to demonstration ocean thermal energy conversion facilities or plantships guaranteed under such Act. Establishes the OTEC Fund as a special sub-account of the Federal Ship Financing Fund, to be used for obligation guarantees authorized by such Act which do not otherwise qualify under other sections thereof. Limits to five the number of ocean thermal energy conversion facilities or plantships which may obtain obligation guarantees. Title III Enforcement - Provides for the enforcement of provisions of this Act and rules or orders issued thereunder and lists prohibited acts. Authorizes the Administrator to issue compliance orders to any person for violation of specified provisions of this Act and to request the Attorney General to commence civil action for relief or civil penalties for any violation for which the Administrator is authorized to issue such compliance orders. Establishes civil and criminal penalties for such violations as specified. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - Directs the Administrator to issue amendments to any regulations issued under this Act to conform such regulations to any treaty ratified by the United States as a result of any United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea. Exempts from the provisions of this Act any ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship designated by the Secretary of Energy as a demonstration project. Sets forth provisions concerning the relationship of other laws to the facilities and plantships authorized for construction and operation under this Act, including a provision that the law of the nearest adjacent coastal State to which such a licensed facility is connected by electric transmission cable or pipeline is declared to be the law of the United States. Directs the Administrator to establish standards and regulations for the safe construction and operation of submarine electric transmission cables and equipment over which the United States has jurisdiction. Directs the Administrator to submit to Congress an annual report on the administration of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 1979
Authorizes the President to impose higher or additional duties on the products of any country which is not cooperating with the United States in its diplomatic or economic initiatives to terminate the unlawful actions of other foreign governments regarding U.S. citizens assigned to a U.S. diplomatic mission.
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 1979
Amends the Military Personnel and Civilian Employee's Claims Act of 1964 to provide for a maximum payment by the United States of $40,000 in personal property claims by members of the uniformed services or civilian employees of the U.S. incident to evacuations from a foreign country after December 31, 1978. States that such claim must be submitted in writing within two years after it accrues, or within one year after enactment of this Act, whichever is later.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 1979
Telephone Privacy Act - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit unsolicited commercial telephone calls to a telephone subscriber who has notified the telephone company that he does not wish to receive such calls. Directs the Federal Communications Commission to prescribe regulations specifying the manner in which a telephone subscriber shall notify the telephone company that he does not wish to receive unsolicited calls. Prescribes criminal penalties for violations of this Act. Excludes from the definition of "unsolicited commercial telephone calls" calls made in response to an express request of the individual called or made in connection with an overdue debt or contractual obligation.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 1979
Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should establish a Federal strike force and implement a program in each Federal judicial district for the purposes of investigating and prosecuting members of outlaw motorcycle gangs who commit Federal crimes.
![Official portrait of Rep. Mazzoli, Romano L. [D-KY-3]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m000291_200.jpg)