United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1979
Permits taxpayers to designate on their income tax returns whether they wish to contribute any portion of their income tax refund or make any additional contribution to the support of either the arts or the humanities. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to amend income tax return forms to provide a notice to taxpayers of their option to contribute. Authorizes the payment of 50 percent of taxpayer refunds or contributions designated for the arts to the National Endowment for the Arts and 50 percent to State Art Agencies. Specifies purposes for which such funds may be used and imposes restrictions on the use of such funds for administrative purposes or for research projects. Treats payments of funds to State agencies as donations from private persons and not as Federal assistance. Authorizes the payment of 80 percent of taxpayer refunds or contributions designated for the humanities to the National Endowment for the Humanities and 20 percent to State Humanities Entities. Specifies purposes for which such funds may be used and imposes restrictions on the use of such funds for administrative purposes or for research projects. Treats payments of funds to State Humanities Entities as donations from private persons and not as Federal assistance. Prohibits any Endowment or agency to which funds are paid under this Act from requiring any applicant for funds to raise additional funds or meet any matching requirements. Prohibits the use of funds raised by this Act to make grants to any institutions which hold such funds for investment. Limits the amount of funds which any institution may receive under this Act according to a specified percentage of the institution's operating budget.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1979
Amends the Copyright Act of 1976 to provide copyright protection for photographic masks and the patterns such masks imprint on integrated circuit chips.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1979
Wildlife on Federal Lands Trapping Act of 1979 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to issue such regulations relating to trapping as are necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act. Prohibits the Secretary from approving any type of trap unless such trap utilizes the most humane capture method available for the species concerned, and minimizes the probability of capturing species for which such trap was not intended. Directs the Secretary to undertake a research program to develop such types of traps. Establishes an advisory commission to make recommendations to the Secretary with respect to traps designed or intended for use. Prohibits the Secretary from permitting trapping on Federal lands where such trapping may reduce any species below specified levels. Sets forth a procedure for the application and issuance of trapping permits. Requires the attachment of a shipping certificate to any package containing the fur, hide, skin, horn, or feathers of any mammal or bird captured by any trap within any State or the District of Columbia if such package is transported in interstate or foreign commerce. Establishes criminal penalties for: (1) engaging in trapping without a permit issued pursuant to this Act; (2) violating any condition of such permit; (3) violating any regulation of the Secretary relating to trapping; (4) selling or transporting in interstate commerce an unapproved trap; (5) falsifying the shipping certificate; or (6) conveying any package under this Act without affixing the shipping certificate or affixing a false certificate. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements with States with respect to the imposition of trapping regulations consistent with those prescribed under this Act. Authorizes such appropriations as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income a corporate stock distribution to a stockholder based upon the reinvestment of stock dividends in the corporation by such stockholder pursuant to his election to participate in a qualified dividend reinvestment plan, as defined in this Act. Limits the amount of such exclusion to $1,500 per year. Establishes a rebuttable presumption that a distribution made by a corporation which purchases its common stock within one year of such distribution shall not be deemed a distribution pursuant to a qualified dividend reinvestment plan.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Handgun Crime Control Act of 1979 - Makes it unlawful for any person to import, manufacture, sell, buy, transfer, receive, or transport any handgun. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to exempt from this prohibition handguns: (1) required for the operation of licensed pistol clubs; (2) utilized by Federal, State, and local agencies; or (3) which are unserviceable and intended for use as collector's items. Establishes procedures for the reimbursement of persons voluntarily delivering handguns to a law enforcement agency. Specifies procedures for the licensing of pistol clubs, including conditions for approval of applications by the Secretary of the Treasury and administrative and judicial review of a license denial or revocation. Sets forth requirements for the operation of licensed pistol clubs, including record keeping of the receipt, sale, or other disposition of handguns. Allows the Secretary, upon request of any State or local government, to release information about the identity of pistol club members and their handguns. Imposes criminal penalties on persons violating the provisions of this Act, including those persons making misrepresentations in required records or license applications. Subjects to seizure and forfeiture any handgun used, or intended to be used, in violation of this Act or any other Federal criminal law.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Voting Rights Act Repealer Amendments Act of 1978 - Amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to repeal the prohibitions against voting qualifications, prerequisites, tests, or devices which abridge the right of a citizen to vote who is a member of a language minority. Repeals bilingual election requirements that States and other political subdivisions make available registration and voting materials, and voting assistance in languages other than English in areas where more than five percent of the citizens belong to a single language minority.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 to require the annual rate of pay of Members of Congress and individuals paid under the Executive Schedules to be decreased (or increased, if appropriate) so that the average of that annual rate for all pay periods beginning in October, November, and December of each year after 1981 reflects the budget deficit of the Federal Government for the fiscal year ending immediately before such three-month period. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to determine and make public after the end of each fiscal year the revenues received and the budget outlays made during that year.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require an annual cost-of-living adjustment, based on the Consumer Price Index, to the individual income tax rates and the personal exemption.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends title II (Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to disregard renewal commissions received by an insurance salesman from life insurance policies which such salesman sold before reaching age 65, for purposes of computing OASDI benefits based on income.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Title I: Domestic Oil Pollution Liability, Compensation, and Fund - Establishes in the Treasury of the United States the Comprehensive Oil Spill Liability Fund for the purposes of paying for otherwise uncompensated losses resulting from oil pollution. Enumerates the sources of monies to be deposited in such fund, including a fee not to exceed three cents per barrel of oil, imposed upon owners of facilities receiving oil. Obligates owners of such oil to reimburse the refinery or terminal the full amount of the fee levied on such person's oil. Imposes a civil penalty on any person required to pay or collect such fees who fails to do so. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to issue obligations to the Secretary of the Treasury at times when fund assets are insufficient to meet fund liabilities. Lists the types of injuries which may be compensated under this Act and the potential claimants who have standing to assert claims involving each such type of damage. Imposes joint, several, and strict liability on the owners and operators of each pollution source. Specifies liability limits, except in cases of gross negligence or willful misconduct, for ships and other vessels. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish limits on the liability of classes of facilities used for transporting, producing, processing, storing, or transferring oil. Requires the owner or operator: (1) of any such facility; or (2) of any vessel which uses such facility or navigable waters of the United States, to establish and maintain evidence of financial responsibility in an amount sufficient to satisfy applicable liability limits. Directs the person in charge of a vessel or facility to immediately notify the Secretary of Transportation of any pollution incident in which the vessel or facility is involved. Specifies procedures whereby the Secretary may, in the absence of such an admission, designate and advertise pollution sources. Directs the Secretary, in instances in which (1) the owner and operator of a vessel or facility designated by the Secretary deny such vessel's or facility's involvement; (2) the source of the discharge is a public vessel; or (3) the Secretary is unable to designate the pollution source, to advertise claims with limited exceptions to be presented initially to the owner or operator, or to such person's guarantor. Permits claimants either to present a claim to the fund or to bring an action in an appropriate United States court if liability is denied or the claim is not settled within a specified period. Sets forth procedures for the disposition and appeal of claims submitted to the fund. Requires both the plaintiff and the defendant in a court action brought against an owner, operator, or guarantor to forward copies of all pleadings to the fund. Permits the fund to intervene in such actions. Subrogates any person or government entity, including the fund, paying compensation to all the claimant's claims and rights under this Act. Specifies procedures for and the measure of recovery in actions brought by the fund against owners, operators, or guarantors of alleged pollution sources. Declares that the rights and remedies under this Act shall be exclusive with respect to economic loss caused by oil pollution. Sets penalties for persons failing to comply with specified provisions in this Act. Directs the President to conduct a study to determine whether adequate private oil pollution protection is reasonably available to owners and operators of vessels and facilities. Title II: Effective Dates; Conforming Amendments - Specifies the effective date of this Act. Amends specified laws, including the Deepwater Port Act of 1974, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Act, to conform with the the provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Limits the number of District of Columbia area residents which may be employed by Executive agencies in such area by October 1, 1981, to 50 percent of the total number of employees of those agencies on the date of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Prohibits Federal agencies from building, altering, acquiring, or leasing any building for office or storage space within a 50-mile radius of the Capitol Building between October 1, 1979, and September 30, 1989. Makes specified exemptions from the provisions of this Act including: (1) construction, alteration, or acquisition of a building if the cost of such transaction is less than $500,000; (2) leasing a building at an annual rate of less than $25,000; (3) leasing of a building to the extent that the total aggregate space being leased in the building does not exceed that being leased on October 1, 1979; (4) buildings to be used for national security purposes; and (5) construction or alteration of a building pursuant to a contract entered into before October 1, 1979.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Inflation Reduction and Jobs Protection Act - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1939 to postpone from 1980 to 1982 increases in the minimum wage. Amends the Fair Labor Standards Amendments of 1977 to postpone from 1980 to 1982 modification of the formula for determining the amount of wages which an employer is deemed to have paid to a tipped employee.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Nondiscrimination in Insurance Act of 1979 - Prohibits any discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin regarding contracts for, or terms of, insurance policies. Permits insurers, who regularly provide insurance solely to persons of a single religious affiliation, to continue to do so. Authorizes the Federal Trade Commission to administer and enforce this Act. Requires aggrieved persons to file such discrimination charges with State or local agencies in certain circumstances. Sets forth the procedures on charges filed with the Commission. Requires insurers to keep records and make reports as the Commission shall prescribe. Provides penalties for disclosure of information by employees of the Commission. Authorizes civil actions in U.S. district courts by the Commission if a conciliation agreement cannot be secured from the insurer. Allows an aggrieved person to institute a civil action against the insurer if the Commission has not instituted a civil action within certain time periods. Specifies the judicial relief available, if the court determines that the insurer has committed a discriminatory action.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Prescription Drug Freshness Act - Requires the prominent labeling of prescription and over-the-counter drugs and pharmaceuticals, whose effectiveness or potency become diminished after storage, as to the date beyond which the product shall not be used. Authorizes the Food and Drug Administration to establish the "beyond use" dates for all applicable products, and the manner in which they shall be labeled.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Prescription Drug Patent Licensing Act - Requires that whenever, upon complaint by a qualified applicant for a license under a drug patent, the Federal Trade Commission determines that such license application was not granted and that the price quoted to druggists by the patentee is more than 500 percent of the total cost of production, the Commission shall order the patentee (under penalty of patent cancellation by the Commissioner of Patents) to grant an unrestricted license to any qualified applicant to make, use, and sell such drug. Permits the Commission to delay the issuance of such order for up to five years to provide a fair return on the patentee's invested capital.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Prescription Drug Labeling Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require that in the labeling and advertising of drugs sold by prescription the established name of such drug must appear each time the drug's proprietary name is used. Allows a pharmacist to fill or refill a prescription for a drug identified by its proprietary name with a substitute drug of the same established name or the same qualitative composition, unless the prescription requires the proprietary name drug exclusively. Requires that such substitute drugs, whether identified in the prescription by proprietary or by established name, be sold at a cost to the patient which is less than the cost of the drug so identified.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Two-Step Budget Process Act 1978 - Title I: Amendments to the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 - Amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to require that the contents of the first concurrent resolution of the budget be separated into two titles. States that the first title shall contain: (1) the level of total budget outlays and total new budget authority; (2) the amount of any surplus or deficit; (3) the recommended level of Federal revenues; and (4) the appropriate level of the public debt. Requires the second title to contain the levels of new budget authority and estimates of budget outlays for each of the major functional categories. Prescribes a two-step process for the consideration of amendments to such budget resolution by which amendments to the first title must be considered and disposed of prior to the consideration of amendments to the second title. Title II: Miscellaneous Provisions - States that such amendments are enacted as an exercise of Congressional rulemaking power.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Handgun Control Act of 1979 - Makes it unlawful for any person to import, manufacture, sell, buy, transfer, receive, transport, own, or possess any handgun or handgun ammunition. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to exempt from this prohibition handguns: (1) required for the operation of licensed pistol clubs; (2) utilized by Federal, State, and local agencies or by licensed security guard services; or (3) manufactured before 1890 and which are unserviceable and intended for use as collector's items. Specifies procedures for the licensing of pistol clubs, including conditions for approval of applications by the Secretary of the Treasury and administrative and judicial review of a license denial or revocation. Sets forth requirements for the operation of licensed pistol clubs, including record keeping of the receipt, sale, or other disposition of handguns. Imposes criminal penalties on persons violating the provisions of this Act, including those persons making misrepresentations in required records or license applications. Subjects to seizure and forfeiture any handgun used, or intended to be used, in violation of this Act or any other Federal criminal law. Establishes procedures for the reimbursement of persons voluntarily delivering handguns to a law enforcement agency.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the carryover basis provisions enacted by the Tax Reform Act of 1976 which provide that beneficiaries receiving property from a decedent's estate will retain the decedent's basis in the property. Restores prior law which "stepped up" or "stepped down" the property's basis to its market value at the time of death without imposing tax consequences on the appreciation or depreciation the property underwent while held by the decedent.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Prescription Drug Price Information Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require retailers of prescription drugs to post the prices of certain commonly prescribed drugs for the general public. Directs each drug retailer to prominently post a list of the prices of the 100 prescription drug products that had the highest dollar volume of retail sales by such drug retailer within a period to be determined by the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. Requires the posting for each such drug to: (1) list the drug product under its established name (if any) and its proprietary name (if any); and (2) contain the lowest price at which such drug product is offered for sale by such retailer for a quantity which the Secretary determines is the quantity in which the drug product is most commonly dispensed. Prohibits the sale of any prescription drug product whose price is so posted: (1) at a unit price greater than the posted one, if the quantity sold is equal to or greater than the posted quantity; or (2) at a unit price greater than 110 percent of the posted one, if the quantity sold is less than the posted quantity.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to add Title V: Financing of General Election Campaigns for the House of Representatives. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to maintain, in the Presidential Election Campaign Fund, the House of Representatives Election Campaign Account. Sets forth eligibility requirements to be met by candidates for election to the House of Representatives seeking payments from such Account. Limits expenditures from personal funds which may be made by candidates meeting such eligibility requirements. Entitles eligible candidates to matching payments and sets forth the procedure for determining the amounts of these payments. Stipulates that the aggregate payments to all candidates in an election shall not exceed three times the maximum amount payable in matching funds. Suspends certain expenditure limitations on eligible candidates if any candidate not eligible to receive payments pursuant to this Act makes expenditures or receives contributions in excess of specified amounts. Sets forth the procedure for requesting matching payments. Sets forth procedures to be followed by the Secretary of the Treasury in maintaining the House of Representatives Election Campaign Account. Directs the Federal Elections Commission to conduct examinations and audits of the campaign accounts of ten percent of the eligible candidates. Provides for the participation of the Commission in judicial proceedings arising under this Act. Authorizes appropriations necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Sunset Act of 1979 - Title I: Reauthorization of Government Programs - Sets forth a ten-year schedule for reauthorization of all Federal programs according to budget function and subfunction as set forth in the Budget of the United States Government for Fiscal Year 1979. Sets forth the procedure in the House of Representatives and the Senate for the consideration of any bill, resolution, or amendment which authorizes new budget authority. States that it is not in order for either House to consider any legislation which authorizes the enactment of new budget authority for a program for a period of more than ten years, for an indefinite period, or for any fiscal year beginning after the next reauthorization date applicable to such program. Provides that before the Congress can appropriate funds for any program, after its first reauthorization date, there must be a specific authorization in law to support the appropriation. Requires the committees of the Senate and House of Representatives to conduct a sunset review of programs during the Congress in which such programs are scheduled for review. Requires that the report accompanying such reauthorization contain specified information, and that the report be completed during the Congress in which the program is scheduled for reauthorization. Exempts from the requirements of this Act specified programs such as interest on Federal debts, health care services, general retirement and disability payments, as well as litigation activities which have as their objectives the protection and implementation of civil rights guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States and specified retirement pay and benefits. Allows the reauthorization schedule set forth in this Act to be changed by concurrent resolution of the two Houses of Congress and sets forth the procedure for such change. Requires all legislation and other matters related to changes in the dates for programs under this Act to be referred to the committee with legislative jurisdiction over any program affected by the proposal and, sequentially, to the Committee on Rules in the House of Representatives and to the Committee on Rules and Administration in the Senate. Requires such committees to report any concurrent resolution or bill referred to it by a committee of legislative jurisdiction within 30 days, with a statement on each of its recommendations. Makes provisions for any proposed change which has been reported by a committee before June 1, 1980. Title II: Program Inventory - Directs the Comptroller General and the Director of the Congressional Budget Office, in cooperation with the Director of the Congressional Research Service, to prepare an inventory of Federal programs. Declares that the purpose of such program inventory is to advise and assist Congress in carrying out the reauthorization and reexamination requirements and to link such reauthorization and review process with the budget process. Requires the Comptroller General to submit such program inventory to each House of Congress no later than January 1, 1980. Sets forth the contents of the inventory program, including the type of authorization provided for such programs' new budget authority; and the manner in which related program areas may be grouped for evaluation and review. Permits the congressional committees, the Congressional Budget Office, and the Congressional Research Service to review the program inventory and suggest revisions. Requires that the program inventory be revised at the end of each session of Congress, and that such revisions be reported to each House. Requires that periodic reports tabulate the progress of congressional action on bills and resolutions authorizing budget authority for programs in the inventory. Requires the Comptroller General and the Director of the Congressional Budget Office to submit periodic reports to the Congress on the adequacy of the functional and subfunctional categories for grouping programs of like missions or objectives. Title III: Program Reexamination - Requires each committee of the Senate and the House of Representatives to reexamine selected programs or groups of programs over which it has jurisdiction. Sets forth procedures for such review, and criteria for selection of program areas for evaluation. Directs each committee to consult with the appropriate committees of either the House of Representatives or the Senate in order to achieve coordination of program reevaluation and inform itself of the related activities of or available assistance from the General Accounting Office, the Congressional Budget Office, the Congressional Research Service, the Office of Technology Assessment, and appropriate instrumentalities in the executive and judicial branches. Requires each committee to deliver a report on the reexamination to the Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk of the House at the date specified in the funding resolution first reported by such committee in 1981 and thereafter for the first session of each Congress. Allows two or more committees which have legislative jurisdiction over the same programs or portions of the same programs to examine such programs jointly and submit a joint report. Stipulates that such report: (1) contain the findings, recommendations, and justifications of the program; and (2) include specified information including, but not limited to, an assessment of the cost-effectiveness of the program and an identification of any trends, developments, and emerging conditions which are likely to affect the nature and extent of the problems or needs which the program is intended to address. Requires each executive department or agency which is responsible for a program selected for reexamination to submit a report to the Office of Management and Budget and to the appropriate committees of the Congress on its findings, recommendations, and justifications of specified aspects of the program. Title IV: Citizens' Commission on the Organization and Operation of Government - Establishes, as an independent instrumentality of the United States, the Citizens' Commission on the Organization and Operation of Government to conduct a nonpartisan study and investigation of the organization and methods of operation of all departments, agencies, independent instrumentalities, and other authorities of the executive branch of the Government, and to make such recommendations as it determines are necessary to promote economic, efficient and improved services in the transaction of public business. Requires the Commission to submit interim reports to the President and the Congress, and to submit a final report with its findings and recommendations. Requires the Comptroller General to report once a year for two years after submission of the Commission's final report on the status of actions taken as a result of the report. Specifies the composition of the 15-member Commission and sets forth the duties and powers of the Commission. States that the Commission shall cease to exist 90 days after submission of its final report. Authorizes to be appropriated until September 30, 1984, without fiscal year limitations, $4,000,000 to carry out the provisions of this Title. Title V: Regulatory Impact - Requires the President to submit, at the beginning of each of the five congresses beginning with the 97th Congress, an analysis of the purposes, function, and efficiency of 16 specified regulatory agencies. Requires the President to submit legislative plans, based on such analyses, for the improvement of operations of such agencies. Establishes a schedule according to which plans for specified agencies will be submitted early in each of the five congresses for which the required analyses are submitted. Directs the President, with each plan, to submit a report on the cumulative impact of government regulatory activity on specific industry groupings. Directs the Comptroller General and the Director of the Congressional Budget Office to assess each of the agencies included in the President's plan and to analyze the plan, and submit such information to the Congress. Title VI: Government Accountability - Requires the President, beginning with the first year of the 97th Congress, to submit biennially, as part of the budget, a report on the management of the executive branch. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to provide an evaluative report on Federal programs to the President to be included with the President's report. Title VII: Tax Expenditures - Requires the Director of the Congressional Budget Office, after consultation with the Joint Committee on Taxation of the Congress, to prepare an inventory of tax expenditure provisions and to submit a report on such inventory to the Committee on Ways and Means of the House and the Senate Finance Committee. Defines the term "tax expenditure provision" as any provision of Federal law which allows a special exclusion, exemption, or deduction in determining liability for any tax or which provides a special credit against any tax, a preferential rate of tax, or a deferral of tax liability. Specifies the contents of the report which include an estimate of the revenue loss from each tax provision. Requires the Director to: (1) submit a revised inventory to each House of Congress by December 1, 1980; (2) revise the inventory after the close of each session of Congress and report such revisions to Congress; and (3) periodically report on congressional action on bills and resolutions which create or affect tax provisions. Directs the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Committee on Finance to prepare a reauthorization schedule for all tax provisions similar to the schedule set out for Federal programs in title I of this Act. Requires Congress to take final action on the reauthorization schedule for tax provisions before the end of the 96th Congress. Provides that each tax expenditure provision shall expire unless it is reauthorized by a law enacted during the Congress in which it is scheduled for review. Sets forth procedures and restrictions for the consideration of bills reauthorizing tax provisions, which are similar to the restrictions and procedures governing bills authorizing new budget authority for Federal programs as described in title I. Requires that the report accompanying a reauthorization bill include specified information. Permits Congress to prescribe technical rules as may be necessary to mitigate adverse effects which might result for taxpayers who rely on a certain tax provision. Title VIII: Miscellaneous - Amends the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921 to permit the committees of Congress to obtain from the agencies of the Government estimates or requests for appropriations or requests for increases in an item of any such estimate or request, and recommendations as to how the revenue needs of the Government should be met. Declares that nothing shall require the public disclosure of records which are specifically authorized under criteria established by an Executive order to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or foreign policy and are in fact properly classified pursuant to such Executive order, or which are otherwise specifically protected by law. Sets forth administrative procedures and requirements. Directs the President, with the cooperation of the head of each appropriate agency, to submit to the Congress a "Regulatory Duplication and Conflicts Report" for all programs scheduled for reauthorization in the next Congress. Stipulates that each such report identify duplicative or conflicting rules and regulations promulgated by executive departments, independent agencies, and State and local governments and contain recommendations which address such conflicts or duplications. Defines the term "required authorization waiver resolution" for purposes of this Act. Sets forth the procedure which the chairman of the committee of the Senate or the House of Representatives having legislative jurisdiction over programs must follow in order to introduce a required authorization waiver resolution. Makes it the duty of the Committees on Governmental Affairs and on Rules and Administration of the Senate and the Committees on Government Operations and on Rules of the House of Representatives to review the operation of the procedures established by this Act and to submit a report every five years beginning December 31, 1986. Authorizes to be appropriated through fiscal year 1990 such sums as may be necessary to carry out the review requirements and for the compilation of the inventory of Federal programs.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Constitutional Amendment - Requires Congress to assure that the total outlays of the Government, during any fiscal year, do not exceed the total receipts of the Government during such fiscal year. Provides for the phased implementation of this requirement after the ratification of this amendment. Permits expenditures to exceed national revenues in time of national emergency, but states that such expenditures shall never exceed receipts by more than ten percent. Provides that during the fourth fiscal year beginning after the ratification of this amendment and for the next 19 succeeding fiscal years thereafter, the total receipts of the Government shall exceed outlays by an amount equal to five percent of the Federal indebtedness at the beginning of the fourth year fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Constitutional Amendment - Provides that total appropriations shall not exceed estimated revenues. Authorizes the suspension of such prohibition in time of war or national emergency. Prohibits any increase in the national debt as it exists on the date this article is ratified. Sets forth a schedule for repayment of the national debt.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Establishes the Claude Pepper Senior Citizen Congressional Intern program which authorizes each Member of Congress to hire each year one senior citizen intern to serve within the District of Columbia for one of two two-week periods. Specifies that such intern shall be compensated at a rate not to exceed $300 per week.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1979
Directs that the House of Representatives may meet only on calendar days during certain periods of time. Declares that the House is not required to meet on any Saturday or Sunday or any legal holiday. Stipulates that the House may meet on any day determined to be in the public interest or pursuant to any provision of law or the United States Constitution.
United States · United States Congress · 14 October 1978
Prohibits the opening of mail which is sealed against inspection except: (1) with the consent of the sender or addressee; (2) pursuant to a search warrant; (3) by a Postal Service employee for the purpose of determining an address of delivery or upon suspicion that the mail contains an explosive device; or (4) by an employee of the Customs Service upon suspicion that an item weighing more than one ounce contains material which is being imported illegally. Authorizes any person whose mail is illegally opened to bring a civil action against those persons responsible and to a recover a minimum of $1,000 plus court costs.
United States · United States Congress · 13 October 1978
Biennial Budgeting Act - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to establish a two-year cycle for the congressional budget process. Requires each standing committee of Congress to review the laws and programs under its jurisdiction every other year and to consider the desirability of new legislation in such areas. Requires separate consideration for authorizing legislation, budget resolutions, and appropriation bills.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 1978
Amends the Copyright Act of 1976 to provide copyright protection for photographic masks and the patterns such masks imprint on integrated circuit chips.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 1978
Presidential Records Act - States that the United States shall reserve and retain complete ownership, possession, and control of all Presidential records. Requires the President to assure that the performance of official Presidential duties is adequately documented and that documentary materials be appropriately maintained. Permits the President to dispose only of such records which have no administrative, historical, informational, or evidentiary value if: (1) the President obtains the views, in writing, of the Archivist of the United States concerning the proposed disposal schedule of such records; (2) copies of such schedule and the Archivist's views are submitted to Congress at least 60 days in advance of the proposed disposal; and (3) the President receives notification that the Archivist does not intend to consult with Congress on the disposal of such records. Directs the Archivist to consult with Congress on the disposal of such records when such a consultation is in the public interest or when the records to be disposed of may be of special interest to Congress. Requires the Archivist to assume custody, control, and preservation of and access to the records of a President upon the conclusion of the President's term of office. Requires the Archivist to place such records in a Presidential archival depository or another archival facility operated by the United States. Authorizes the Archivist to designate, after consultation with the President, a director for each depository or facility. Permits restrictions on access to Presidential records for up to 12 years if such documents have been validly classified as secret, relate to a Federal appointment, certain trade secrets or other commercial information obtained under privileged circumstances, consist of confidential communications requesting or submitting advice between the President and his advisers or between advisers, or contain personal information, disclosure of which would constitute an unwarranted invasion of privacy. Establishes limits on the duration of the restriction of disclosure of Presidential records. Subjects Presidential records to subpena or other judicial process for the purposes of any civil or criminal investigation or proceeding. States that such records shall be available to an incumbent President and to either House of Congress. Makes the records of a former President available to such former President or the designated representative of such former President. Applies all provisions of this Act to Vice-Presidential, as well as Presidential records.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 1978
Sunset Program Reauthorization and Evaluation Act - Title I: Reauthorization of New Budget Authority - Requires Government programs to be evaluated pursuant to a specified schedule to determine whether each such program should be continued, terminated, or altered (reauthorization review). Prohibits the authorization of new budget authority for a period of more than ten years. Prohibits the authorization of new budget authority for any program for which there has not been conducted a reauthorization review. Requires the Director of the Congressional Budget Office, in consulation with the Comptroller General and the Director of the Congressional Research Service, to compile a list of programs subject to a reauthorization date for which new budget authority was not authorized. Title II: Program Inventory - Requires the Comptroller General to compile an inventory of Federal programs including a description of such programs covering specified topics. Title III: Program Review and Evaluation - Requires each House of Congress to select from the programs scheduled for reauthorization review in any given year a number of programs for comprehensive reauthorization review. Requires the President and each congressional committee to recommend such programs. Title IV: Citizens' Commission on the Organization and Operation of Government - Establishes an independent Citizen's Commission on the Organization and Operation of Government to study the organization and operation of Federal agencies and to recommend ways to improve the efficiency and operations of such agencies. Requires the Commission to submit its final report by July 1, 1983, and terminates the Commission 90 days after the submission of such report. Title V: Miscellaneous - Requires the Comptroller General to furnish Congress with the results of prior audits and reviews of programs being reviewed under this Act. Requires all agencies which are exempt from reauthorization review to submit a status report to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 1978
Expresses the concern of Congress for the safety of the residents of the South African black community known as "Crossroads." Urges the South African Government: (1) to reconsider its plan to destroy Crossroads; and (2) to recognize the right of the residents to continue to live in Crossroads.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 1978
Citizen Protection Act - Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require a subpena duces tecum for the search for and seizure of evidence when anyone acting under color of law has probable cause to believe evidence of a crime is located on or about premises in which the person in possession of the evidence has a reasonable expectation of privacy. Permits issuance of a search warrant instead of a subpena duces tecum only if there is probable cause to believe: (1) the person in possession of the evidence may be involved in the crime under investigation; or (2) the evidence sought to be seized would be destroyed, hidden, or moved if the subpena duces tecum procedures set out in this Act were followed. Creates a cause of action for any person aggrieved by a violation of this Act, allowing punitive damages of up to $10,000 for each violation.
United States · United States Congress · 17 August 1978
Prohibits the issuance of a warrant to search for or seize any property (other than things otherwise criminally possessed) that is possessed by, or located on premises occupied by, a person not suspected of committing a criminal offense with respect to such property, unless there is reasonable cause to believe that such property will be destroyed or removed or otherwise become unavailable notwithstanding the issuance of a subpoena commanding its production.
United States · United States Congress · 17 August 1978
Anti-Inflation Tax Reduction and Reform Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide cost-of-living adjustments for the individual income tax rates and withholding tables.
United States · United States Congress · 16 August 1978
Sales Representatives Protection Act - Requires a principal who, without good cause, terminates or fails to renew a contract between such principal and a sales representative, or reduces the rate of commission for orders solicited on behalf of such principal, to indemnify the representative according to this Act. Requires a principal who reduces the size of the geographic territory assigned to a representative for a specified account, which results in a specified reduction in commissions, to indemnify such representative. Sets forth formulae for the indemnification of such representatives. Requires a principal to furnish specified information to a sales representative concerning orders placed through the representative's account and a monthly accounting of commissions due such representative. Allows a plaintiff to bring an action to enforce any rights or liabilities created by this Act in a United States district court. Stipulates the procedure for such action.
United States · United States Congress · 15 August 1978
Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to provide that each State shall have at least one very high frequency commercial television station located within the State.
United States · United States Congress · 14 August 1978
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Environmental Protection Agency, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the Federal courts should expedite all remaining administrative and judicial proceedings with respect to the Seabrook Nuclear Station project (New Hampshire), and that all licensing and permitting procedures for the construction and operation of nuclear generating stations should be reviewed and modified to improve the efficiency of such procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 1978
Prohibits commercial fishing on the Klamath and Trinity Rivers in California until it is determined that such fishing will not have an adverse impact on the fishery resource, the subsistence rights of the Turok, Hoopa, and Karok Indians, and on the continuance of reasonable sports fishing for salmon and steelhead trout.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1978
States that the Territory of American Samoa shall be represented in the United States Congress by a nonvoting delegate to the House of Representatives. Sets forth the procedure for the election of such delegate.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1978
Anti-Dumping Enforcement Act - Amends the Antidumping Act, 1921, to require the Secretary of the Treasury to notify the International Trade Commission upon the publication of a finding that the price of imported products is less than the foreign market or construction value. Eliminates the requirement that the Secretary postpone publication of such a finding pending a determination by the Commission on whether "dumping" is occurring. Decreases the time periods during which the Secretary must complete the investigation of "dumping" allegations. Imposes liquidation deadlines upon imported merchandise upon which a special "dumping" duty has been imposed. Requires the establishment of a task force for each investigation of "dumping" allegations to serve as an intermediary between the Secretary and the industrial and labor groups interested in the investigation.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1978
Urban Growth Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce corporate income tax rates. Increases the corporate surtax exemption to $100,000. Makes the regular investment tax credit permanent. Allows an additional ten percent investment tax credit for new property placed in depressed areas. Increases the limitations on the investment credit to allow it to offset 100 percent of the taxpayer's current liability. Increases the credit allowable for employment of new employees by an amount equal to one percent of the unemployment insurance wages paid to qualified employees during periods of unemployment exceeding seven percent nationally. Allows accelerated amortization of depreciable equipment (with a 60 month period) and facilities (with a period equal to one-half each facility's useful life) which are placed in high unemployment areas. Repeals the income tax exclusion of dividends received by individuals. Allows qualified domestic corporations an unlimited deduction for dividends paid. Provides flat limitations on corporate deductions for dividends from foreign corporations where the taxpayer is not claiming a net operating loss. Allows the current deduction of federally-required, nonproductive expenditures as business expenses. Provides for annual cost-of-living adjustments to depreciation allowances, property bases, and the interest paid on United States savings bonds and certificates, as well as the redemption value of all United States obligations of a year or more, including savings bonds and certificates.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 1978
Presidential Records Act - States that the United States shall reserve and retain complete ownership, possession, and control of all Presidential records. Requires the President to assure that the performance of official Presidential duties is adequately documented and that documentary materials be appropriately maintained. Permits the President to dispose only of such records which have no administrative, historical, informational, or evidentiary value if the President obtains the views, in writing, of the Archivist of the United States concerning the proposed disposal schedule of such records, and copies of such schedule and the Archivist's views are submitted to Congress at least 60 days in advance of the proposed disposal. Requires the Archivist to assume custody, control, and preservation of and access to the records of a President upon the conclusion of the President's term of office. Requires the Archivist to place such records in a Presidential archival depository or another archival facility operated by the United States. Authorizes the Archivist to designate, after consultation with the President, a director for each depository or facility. Permits restrictions on access to Presidential records for up to ten years if such documents have been validly classified as secret, relate to a Federal appointment, certain trade secrets or other commercial information obtained under privileged circumstances, consist of confidential communications requesting or submitting advice between the President and his advisers or between advisers, or contain personal information, disclosure of which would constitute an unwarranted invasion of privacy. Establishes limits on the duration of the restriction of disclosure of Presidential records. Subjects Presidential records to subpena or other judicial process for the purposes of any criminal investigation or proceeding. States that such records shall be available to an incumbent President and to either House of Congress. Makes the records of a former President available to such former President or the designated representative of such former President. Applies all provisions of this Act to Vice-Presidential, as well as Presidential records.
![Official portrait of Rep. McCloskey, Paul N., Jr. [R-CA-12]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m000343_200.jpg)