United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1985
Requires that funds be made available from appropriations under the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies Appropriation Act, 1985 to enable the National Institutes of Health to award 6,500 new and competing research grants in FY 1985.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1985
Adolescent Pregnancy and Parenthood Act of 1984 - Amends title XX (Adolescent Family Life Demonstration Projects) of the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants and projects for: (1) prenatal and postpartum care; (2) well-child infant care; (3) comprehensive family planning services to prevent unintended repeat pregnancies; and (4) educational, vocational, and other counseling services. Gives priority to under-18 year olds where the incidence of adolescent child bearing is high, where the proportion of low income and minority families is high, and where such services are most needed. Stresses the role of voluntary family support. States that services provided under this Act shall be voluntary. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) establish a program data reporting system; and (2) report annually to Congress. Authorizes FY 1986 through 1988 appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1985
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the payment of title II benefits to individuals who have been deported pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act because of activities conducted under the direction of association with the Nazi government of Germany or its allies.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1985
Voluntary National Youth Service Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to eligible States and local governments for youth service projects. Requires the Secretary to designate specified activities as service categories in which project participants may serve. Sets forth criteria for such designations. Sets forth types of positions which such service categories may include. Sets forth grant eligibility requirements for States and local governments, including requirements for plans and matching funds. Requires that specified percentages of poor persons and of unemployed persons participate in such projects. Sets forth requirements relating to the amount of wages, benefits, and subsistence allowances for project participants. Requires the Secretary to distribute such grants among eligible States and local governments on the basis of which ones will best use such funds, as determined on the basis of the plans submitted. Sets forth nondiscrimination provisions. Requires that project participants be not less than 17 and not more than 24 years old. Prohibits any person from serving on such a project for more than a two-year period. Requires participants to agree to serve for at least a six-month period. Prohibits acceptance for project service of any person who does not hold a high school diploma or its equivalent, unless such person has not been enrolled as a high school student during the three-month period before the date of such acceptance. Limits to 15 percent of any such grant the amount which may be used for administrative expenses. Sets forth project grant review and reporting requirements. Directs the Secretary to report annually to the President and the Congress on the activities conducted under this Act. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 and succeeding fiscal years.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1985
Equal Access to Public Accommodations Act of 1985 - Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit sex discrimination in public accommodations and in private clubs which are not open to the public but which are used in substantial degree for business purposes of their members.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1985
Women's Business Ownership Act of 1985 - Establishes the National Commission on Women's Business Ownership to review: (1) the status of women owned small businesses nationwide; (2) the role of the Federal Government in aid to and the promotion of women owned small businesses; (3) data collection procedures and the availability of data relating to women owned businesses, women owned small businesses, and small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged women; (4) other Federal initiatives relating to women owned small businesses, including those relating to Federal procurements; and (5) special impediments suffered by small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged women. Directs the Commission to recommend: (1) new private sector initiatives which would provide management and technical assistance to women owned small businesses; (2) ways to promote greater access to financing and procurement opportunities for such businesses; and (3) other measures relating to small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged women. Terminates the Commission on the date that it transmits its final report to the President and to each House of the Congress. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1985
Amends the Federal Supplemental Compensation Act of 1982 to extend the Federal supplemental unemployment compensation program for an additional 18 months, through September 28, 1986.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the Government should manage the nation's affairs in a manner that is more beneficial to younger and future generations; (2) the Federal budget deficit should be reduced in a way that is fair to Americans of all ages; and (3) the President should report to the Congress concerning the effects of current Federal taxation and spending policies on Americans of different age groups.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1985
Title I: General Accounting Office Investigation and Report - Directs the General Accounting Office to investigate the situation of displaced nationals of El Salvador, including determinations of those Salvadorans in Central America, unlawfully in the United States, or returned from the United States to El Salvador. Requires a report to the Congress. Title II: Congressional Review - Provides that such report shall be referred to the appropriate committees for hearings and committee reports. Title III: Temporary Stay of Deportation - Provides for a temporary stay of detention and deportation for specified Salvadorans presently in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1985
Fair Tax Act of 1985 - Title I: Reduction of Individual and Corporate Tax Rates - Subtitle A: Reduction of Rates - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise individual tax rates. Imposes a flat tax rate of 14 percent on the taxable income of individuals. Imposes a surtax of 12 and 16 percent of the amount by which adjusted gross income exceeds specified levels. Imposes a flat tax rate of 30 percent on the taxable income of estates and trusts. Imposes a flat tax rate of 30 percent on the taxable income of corporations. Subtitle B: Increase in Personal Exemption for Taxpayer and Standard Deduction - Increases the personal exemption to $1,600 for an individual taxpayer and spouse and to $1,800 for an individual who is a head of a household. Raises the standard deduction to $6,000 in the case of a joint return or a surviving spouse or $3,000 in the case of an individual or a married individual filing a separate return. Subtitle C: Repeals Related to Reduction in Rates - Repeals provisions relating to: (1) tax tables for individuals; (2) minimum tax for tax preferences; (3) personal service corporations; (4) special averaging rules for lump-sum distributions; (5) accumulated corporate surplus; (6) personal holding companies; (7) income averaging; and (8) graduated corporate tax rates. Repeals the indexing of tax rates. Applies the trust throwback rules only to amounts distributed from foreign trusts. Title II: Base Broadening-Subtitle A: Credits - Repeals the general tax credit, the investment tax credit, the possessions tax credit and the income tax credits relating to: (1) the elderly and the permanently and totally disabled; (2) contributions to candidates for public office; (3) home purchases; (4) residential energy conservation; (5) producing fuel from a nonconventional source; (6) alcohol used as fuel; (7) increasing research activities; (8) employee stock ownership; and (9) clinical testing for certain drugs. Allows an income tax deduction for household and dependent care expenses necessary for employment. (Present law allows an income tax credit for such expenses.) Subtitle B: Exclusions - Repeals the partial income tax exclusion for interest and dividends. Repeals the exclusion for: (1) qualified transportation furnished by an employer; (2) cafeteria plans furnished by an employer; (3) dependent care assistance programs; (4) dividend reinvestment in public utilities; (5) payments to encourage mining for defenses purposes; (6) earned income of citizens living abroad; (7) certain allowances; (8) income earned from sources within possessions of the United States; and (9) income earned from sources within Puerto Rico. Treats as taxable income: (1) amounts paid by an employer for group-term life insurance; (2) unemployment compensation; (3) the annual increase in the cash surrender value of life insurance policies; (4) interest on industrial development bonds and mortgage subsidy bonds; and (5) amounts contributed by an employer to accident and health plans. Provides a limited exclusion from income for scholarships and fellowships. Imposes the surtax on the gain from the sale of a principal residence. Amends the Merchant Marine Act to repeal the tax exemption for deposits into, and withdrawals from, a capital construction fund. Subtitle C: Deductions - Repeals the deduction for two-earner married couples and the deduction for adoption expenses. Limits the amount of the interest deduction for individuals. Repeals the deduction for State and local personal property and sales taxes. Restricts the charitable contribution for corporations to 50 percent of the charitable contributions made during the year. Increases the floor on the deduction for medical and dental expenses from five percent to ten percent. Subtitle D: Repeal of Special Capital Gains Treatment - Repeals the alternative tax on capital gains for corporations and the deduction for individuals for capital gains. Limits the amount of the capital loss deduction without regard to distinctions between short term and long term capital losses. Eliminates the distinction between short-term and long-term gains and losses. Title III: Capital Cost Recovery-Subtitle A: Simplified Cost Recovery Systems - Allows individuals and corporations a deduction from gross income for a percentage of the balance in a recovery account for each year. Includes in the recovery account the cost of recovery property which is depreciable property used in a trade or business or held for the production of income which is placed in service after December 31, 1986. Establishes six classes of recovery property and specifies a class life for each. Assigns property to each class according to the class life of the property. Sets forth rules for the calculation of the recovery percentage on the basis of the class life of the property. Allows individuals and corporations a deduction for depletable property determined as a percentage of the balance in a recovery account for each year. Establishes six classes of depletable property and assigns a class life to each. Assigns a ten-year class life for oil, gas, and geothermal wells. Subtitle B: Other Changes - Repeals the income tax deductions for: (1) intangible drilling and development costs for oil, gas, and geothermal wells; (2) depreciation; (3) amortization of pollution control facilities; (4) improvements made by a lessee on a lessor's property; (5) certain depreciable assets; (6) amortization of reforestation expenditures; (7) percentage depletion; (8) development expenditures; and (9) mining and exploration expenditures. Allows a ten-year period for the amortization of construction period interest and taxes. Allows a deduction of circulation expenses for a newspaper, magazine, or other periodical ratably over a ten-year period. Excludes amounts chargeable to a capital account from such treatment. Provides for the deduction of 50 percent of tertiary injectant expenses in the taxable year and 50 percent of such expenses in the succeeding taxable year. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - Subtitle A: Foreign Income - Requires an individual who owns stock in a corporation which is a controlled foreign corporation to include in income a pro rata share of the corporations's earnings and profits for such year. Reduces such amount by any amount required to be included in income by reason of the amount being foreign personal holding company income. Repeals the foreign sales corporations (FSC) provisions for taxable years beginning after December 31, 1986. Repeals the domestic international sales corporations (DISC) provisions for taxable years beginning after December 31, 1986. Subtitle B: Other Miscellaneous Provisions - Repeals the tax exemption for credit unions. Reduces the limit on benefits which may be paid to a participant under defined benefit plans and defined contribution plans. Repeals the cost-of-living adjustment for defined benefit plans. Continues the cost-of-living adjustment for purposes of calculating a participant's average compensation for his or her high three years. Requires farmers to compute their taxable income using the accrual method of accounting with the capitalization of preproduction expenses. Exempts taxpayers who do not have gross receipts exceeding $1,000,000. Requires farming syndicates to use the accrual method of accounting without regard to gross receipts. Provides that farmers who must use the accrual method cannot expense the following: (1) soil and water conservation expenditures; (2) fertilizer; and (3) expenses for clearing land. Requires the deferral of income or loss must be taken into account in determining tax liability under completed contract method of accounting. Requires that the taxpayer with adjusted gross income in excess of $100,000 must make estimated payments equal to 90 percent of current year tax. Requires the recognition of the gain or loss on distributions of property by corporations. Eliminates the special bad debt reserves of financial institutions. Title V: Effective Dates - Sets forth the effective dates for the provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1985
Prohibits the importation of any South African krugerrands or any other gold coin minted in or sold by South Africa. Establishes penalties for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1985
Homeless Assistance Act of 1985 - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to permit persons with no fixed address to use food stamps to buy prepared meals at specified establishments. Amends part A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) of title IV of the Social Security Act to: (1) repeal the 30-day limitation on emergency assistance to needy families with children; and (2) extend emergency assistance to specified individuals (including minors) and couples.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1985
Directs the President to: (1) secure from the Indochina nations a full accounting of Americans captured or missing as a result of the Vietnam conflict; and (2) work for the release of captive Americans and the return of the remains of those American servicemen and civilians who died in Southeast Asia. Requires the President to submit two reports to Congress on American POW/MIAs in Southeast Asia.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1985
Directs the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives to conduct an investigation into the murders of U.S. citizens in El Salvador and report to the House with findings and conclusions.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1985
Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1985 - Amends the Education Amendments of 1972, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to provide a definition of the phrase "program or activity." Defines such term as all of the operations of: (1) a department or agency of a State or of a local government; (2) the entity of such State or local government that distributes Federal assistance and each such department or agency to which the assistance is extended; (3) a university or a system of higher education; (4) a local educational agency or other school system; (5) a corporation, partnership, or other private organization; or (6) any other entity consistent with the coverage provided above.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1985
Merchant Marine Defense Service Recognition and Medals Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to award decorations and insignia to members of the U.S. Merchant Marine performing meritorious acts or distinguished service. Permits such honors to be of the same design as other comparable military honors. Authorizes the Secretary to cite any U.S. ship for outstanding or gallant acts. Permits the awarding of plaques for the ships and ribbons to the personnel. Authorizes the Secretary to provide a flag and grave markers for merchant mariners who served the United States or its allies in periods of conflict. Establishes criminal penalties for the unauthorized manufacture or display of these awards or decorations. Repeals the Merchant Marine Medals Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1985
Congressional and Judicial Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1985 - Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require that personnel actions affecting employees or applicants in the legislative and judicial branches of the Government be free from any discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, handicap, or age. Allows Members of Congress to take into consideration an individual's domicile and political affiliation. Establishes within the judicial branch an Employment Review Board. Provides that members of the board be appointed from the retired judges of the Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals. Authorizes an aggrieved individual to file a written complaint with the Board. Establishes procedures for the Board to investigate, settle, hear, and determine the claims alleged. Provides that if a violation is found an order for relief may compel the defendant to: (1) employ or reinstate such individual on such terms and conditions as may be appropriate; (2) pay compensatory damages; (3) pay punitive damages; and (4) pay fees and allowances of witnesses and reasonable attorneys' fees. Authorizes the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to review, enjoin, set aside, suspend, modify, or enforce orders of the Board. Requires members of the Board to submit written reports to the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct of the House of Representatives and the Senate Select Committee on Ethics describing complaints during the reporting period involved.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1985
American Defense Education Act - Authorizes a national program to provide incentives to local educational agencies (LEAs) to improve: (1) instruction in mathematics, science, communication skills, foreign languages, and technology; and (2) guidance and counseling. Title I: Elementary and Secondary Education Programs - Requires LEAs which desire to participate in such national program to develop and carry out a program of improvement of instruction and student achievement. Sets forth requirements for such programs. Entitles participating LEAs to receive basic payments for each fiscal year equal to: (1) two and one-quarter percent of an established payment rate multiplied by the number of children, aged five through 17, in the school district of the LEA who are eligible to be counted under LEA basic grant provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; and (2) two percent of the established payment rate multiplied by the number of such children who are not eligible to be so counted. Entitles LEAs which show substantial evidence of meeting program goals to an incentive payment equal to an additional two percent of the established payment rate multiplied by the average daily attendance. Sets forth a formula for determining such payment rate on the basis of average per pupil expenditure in the State, with a minimum payment rate no less than the average per pupil expenditure in the United States. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 through 1988 for such basic payments to LEAs. Sets forth requirements for applications for payments. Directs the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) to approve applications which meet such requirements, including compliance with fiscal control and fund accounting procedures. Sets forth provisions for participation in such program by children enrolled in private schools. Title II: Teacher Training and Postsecondary Programs - Authorizes the Secretary to establish a program of grants to institutions of higher education for coordination between such institutions and LEAs in improving science and mathematics education, through precollege teacher training, development, and recruitment programs. Sets forth requirements for grant proposals and priorities in grant selection. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 through 1988 for such grants. Provides that no funds are authorized to be appropriated for such purpose for any fiscal year for which funds are appropriated to carry out the Emergency Mathematics and Science Education and Jobs Act (including any amendment made by such Act). Title III: General Provisions - Directs the Secretary to administer the program and to pay each LEA with an approved application the amount to which it is entitled for each fiscal year. Provides for a joint survey and report to Congress by the Secretaries of Defense and Education, for each year from 1986 through 1988, on the academic achievement levels of U.S. 18-year-olds and the personnel training and educational needs of the armed forces. Sets limitations on the authorization of appropriations. Provides that no funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act for any fiscal year if the amount appropriated to carry out any of the following chapters or Acts for such fiscal year does not equal or exceed the amount appropriated to carry out such chapter or Act for the preceding fiscal year: (1) chapter 1 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981 (ECIA); (2) chapter 2 of ECIA; (3) the Education of the Handicapped Act; (4) the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act of 1963; (5) the Bilingual Education Act; or (6) the Emergency Immigrant Education Act of 1984.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1985
South African Human Rights Act of 1985 - Title I: Investment in South Africa - Directs the President to prohibit U.S. persons from making any investment in South Africa. Directs the President to: (1) attempt, through negotiations, to persuade other governments to adopt restrictions on new investment in and bank loans to South Africa; and (2) report annually to the Congress on the status of such negotiations. Sets forth penalties for violations of such prohibition. Terminates such prohibition upon enactment of a joint resolution approving a finding by the President that South Africa has made substantial progress toward the full participation of all the people of South Africa in the social, political, and economic life in that country and toward an end to discrimination based on race or ethnic origin. Title II: Labor Standards - Requires any United States person who has or controls an enterprise in South Africa which employs more than 20 people to ensure that in operating such enterprise the following employment principles are implemented: (1) desegregation in any employment facility; (2) equal employment for all employees; (3) equal pay for equal work; (4) establishment of a minimum wage and salary structure; (5) increase in the representation of nonwhites in managerial, supervisory, administrative, clerical, and technical jobs; (6) improvement of the quality of employees' lives outside the work environment; and (7) recognition of labor unions and fair labor practices. Declares that the Secretary of State (the Secretary) may issue guidelines and give advisory opinions on compliance with such principles. Directs the Secretary to establish an Advisory Council in South Africa to advise the Secretary with respect to the implementation of such employment principles and to review the annual reports which each U.S. person covered by this Act must submit to the Secretary on the progress made in implementing such principles. Directs the Secretary to establish in the United States an American Advisory Council to make policy recommendations regarding labor practices of U.S. persons in South Africa to review such persons' progress in implementing such employment practices. Directs the Secretary: (1) to take specified actions to ensure compliance with the implementation of such employment principles; and (2) to review the compliance of such persons at least biennially. Sets forth penalties for noncompliance. Authorizes the President to waive compliance with the implementation of such principles if such compliance would harm U.S. national security. Title III: Prohibition on Loans and Importation of Gold Coins - Prohibits any U.S. bank from making any loan directly or through a foreign subsidiary to South Africa unless such loan is for educational, housing, or health facilities available to all persons on a nondiscriminatory basis. Prohibits the importation of any gold coin minted in South Africa or sold by South Africa. Directs the Secretary to take specified actions to enforce the prohibitions on loans and the importation of gold coins. Sets forth penalties for violations of such prohibitions. Authorizes the President to waive such prohibitions for one year if South Africa meets specified conditions. Title IV: Reimposition of Export Controls - Amends the Export Administration Act of 1979 to reimpose for one year the foreign policy export controls which were in effect on February 28, 1982, and ceased to be effective on March 1, 1982, September 15, 1982, or January 20, 1983 (except those controls with respect to the 1980 summer Olympic games). Authorizes one-year extensions of such controls. Title V: Nuclear Exports - Prohibits, unless the affected country agrees to maintain International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards: (1) issuing an export license for the export to a nonnuclear-weapon state of goods or technology which are to be used or are likely to be diverted for use in a nuclear production or utilization facility; (2) giving authorization to engage in the production of any special nuclear material in a nonnuclear-weapons state; (3) issuing a license for the export to such a state of parts or items especially relevant because of their significance for nuclear explosive purposes; and (4) retransfering to a nonnuclear-weapon state any such goods, technology, or items. Authorizes the President to waive such prohibition if application of the prohibition would be seriously prejudicial to the achievement of U.S. nonproliferation objectives or would otherwise jeopardize the common defense and security and if the President submits the executive order containing the waiver to the Congress 60 days before the activity is carried out. Title VI: General Provisions - Directs Federal agencies to cooperate with the Secretary in carrying out provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1985
Antibiotic Protection Act of 1985 - Prohibits: (1) any antibiotic drug certified for human use from being added in sub-therapeutic doses to animal feed or to feed ingredients; and (2) antibiotic drugs or agents not certified for human use from being so used in animal feed unless such drugs have been demonstrated not to increase antibiotic-resistant bacteria in humans or animals.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1985
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to provide that disability insurance benefits for an individual having a terminal illness shall begin with the first month such individual has such illness.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Federal Home Loan Bank Board should delay until June 30, 1985, the effective date of its proposed regulations regarding limitations on direct investment in real estate, service corporations, and equity securities by federally insured savings and loan associations. Directs the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs of the House of Representatives to examine alternatives to the proposed regulations which will ensure safety and sound investment activities.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1985
Repeals the requirement added by the Tax Reform Act of 1984 relating to the maintenance of contemporaneous records with respect to: (1) business travel expenses, including automobile expenses; (2) business entertainment expenses; and (3) expenses for gifts.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 1985
Amends the Export Administration Act of 1979 to prohibit the export to South Africa of goods or technology to or for use by South African military or police entities. Excludes from such prohibition medicines and medical supplies not primarily destined to or for use by South African or Namibian military or police entities. Prohibits the export of computers, computer software, or goods or technology intended to service computers to South Africa or to any organization controlled by South Africa. Excludes from such prohibition donations of computers to primary and secondary schools. Prohibits the export to South Africa of any item on the United States Munitions List contained in the Arms Export Control Act. Authorizes the export of aircraft and helicopters to South Africa only pursuant to a validated export license which may not be issued unless the Secretary of Commerce receives written assurances that the aircraft or helicopter will not be used for military, paramilitary, or police purposes. Extends the authority of the Export Administration Act of 1979 through September 30, 1987.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Civil Liberties Act of 1985 - Title I: Recognition of Injustice and an Apology on Behalf of the Nation - States that the Congress recognizes that a grave injustice was done to both citizens and resident aliens of Japanese ancestry by the evacuation, relocation, and internment of civilians during World War II. Title II: United States Citizens of Japanese Ancestry and Resident Japanese Aliens - Requests the President to offer pardons of those convicted of violating laws during the internment period whose violation was based on a refusal to accept racially discriminatory treatment. Provides that Federal departments and agencies that review applications for restitution of positions, status, or entitlement lost during the internment period shall review such applications giving full consideration to the findings of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians. Establishes within the Treasury a Civil Liberties Public Education Fund. Authorizes appropriations for the Fund. Requires the Attorney General to pay $20,000 from the Fund to each surviving internee. Establishes a Board of Directors which shall be responsible for making disbursement from the Fund. Provides that disbursement from the Fund shall be used to: (1) sponsor research and public educational activities dealing with the internment; (2) fund studies of similar civil liberties abuses; (3) prepare and distribute hearings and findings of the Commission; and (4) promote the general welfare of the ethnic Japanese community in the United States. Title III: Aleutian and Pribilof Islands Restitution - Aleutian and Pribilof Islands Restitution Act - Establishes within the Treasury the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands Restitution Fund. Directs the Administrator of the Fund (the Aleutian/Pribilof Islands Association) to make restitution for certain Aleut losses sustained in World War II. Requires the Administrator to establish a trust of $5,000,000 and to distribute the interest of such trust for: (1) the benefit of the elderly, disabled, or seriously ill; (2) students in need of scholarship assistance; (3) preservation of Aleut cultural heritage and historical records; (4) the improvement of community centers of affected Aleut villages; and (5) other purposes to improve Aleut life. Authorizes the Administrator to rebuild and restore churches and church property damaged or destroyed in Aleut villages during World War II. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to make payments of $12,000 from the fund to each eligible Aleut for any uncompensated personal property loss. Authorizes the Secretary of the Army to implement a program for the removal and disposal of live ammunition, obsolete buildings, abandoned machinery, and other hazardous debris remaining in populated areas of the lower Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to convey to the Aleut Corporation all right, title, and interest of the United States in Attu Island, Alaska. Authorizes appropriations. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - Provides that all documents, personal testimony, and other material collected by the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians shall be deposited in the National Archives of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Amends the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to require that any attorney who collects debts on behalf of a client be subject to the provisions of such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Civilian Nuclear Power Regulation Improvement and Safety Incentives Act of 1985 - Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to eliminate the ceiling on the aggregate liability for a single nuclear incident of persons indemnified. Requires the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), with respect to nuclear incidents, to incorporate provisions in indemnity agreements with licensees and contractors and to require provisions to be incorporated in insurance policies or contracts furnished as proof of financial protection which waive: (1) issues or defenses as to conduct of the claimant or fault of the persons indemnified; (2) issues or defenses as to charitable or governmental immunity; or (3) issues or defenses based upon any statute of limitations if suit is instituted within three years from the date a claimant first knew or could reasonably have known of the injury and its cause. Eliminates the requirement that a suit be filed within 20 years after a nuclear incident in order for a waiver of a defense based upon a statute of limitations to be effective. (Under current law, the NRC may incorporate such waiver provisions and may require the incorporation of such provisions with respect to extraordinary nuclear occurrences.)
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Construction Industry Labor Law Amendments of 1985 - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to provide that in the construction industry two or more business entities engaged in the same or similar work with common ownership or control shall be deemed a single employer. Applies the terms of a collective bargaining agreement regarding employees of such business entities to all other business entities comprising the same single employer within the geographical area covered by the agreement. States that collective bargaining agreements may only be repudiated after the National Labor Relations Board certifies election results in which a majority of the employees select a bargaining representative other than the representative with whom such agreement was made.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Requires the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to: (1) conduct research for identifying and measuring wage discrimination; (2) assist any public or private entity in eliminating discriminatory pay practices; and (3) implement policies and procedures to prohibit employment discrimination. Requires the Commission to determine the number and nature of all charges filed under the Civil Rights Act of 1954 and to report to the Congress with a summary prepared pursuant to this Act. Requires the Commission to conduct a study in consultation with organizations representing Federal employees and analyze: (1) the procedures established by the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to establish classifications of positions in the competitive service; and (2) the actual practice of the Director and the heads of Federal agencies in complying with the principle of equal pay for work of equal value when establishing job classifications for employees. Requires the Commission to report to the President and the Congress on its findings and provide a copy to the Director of OPM. Directs the Director to submit his comments on the report to the President and the Congress. Directs the Secretary of Labor, acting through the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, to report to the President and the Congress on actions taken to enforce the prohibitions contained in Executive Order Numbered 11246 against discrimination by Federal contractors. Requires the Attorney General, acting through the Office of Civil Rights, to report to the President and the Congress on actions taken to enforce the prohibitions against sex discrimination in compensation contained in title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order Numbered 11246, and other Federal laws. Requires Federal agencies responsible for submitting equal employment opportunity plans to include in such plans: (1) a review and identification of any discriminatory pay practices and any violation of the principle of equal pay for jobs of equal value; and (2) a plan for eliminating any such practices and remedying any such violation.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal rules relating to the determination of the issue price of certain debt instruments issued for property. Amends the Tax Reform Act of 1984 to repeal the revisions made to rules for the imputation of interest on certain deferred payments. Provides that the Internal Revenue Code shall be applied and administered as if such revisions had not been enacted.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Sex Discrimination in the United States Code Reform Act of 1985 - Title I: Armed Forces, Soldiers' Home, Coast Guard, Lighthouse Service, and Merchant Marine - Amends Federal laws dealing with the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, and the Coast Guard to eliminate gender-based distinctions. Title II: Elimination of Gender-Based Distinctions Under the Social Security Act and the Railroad Retirement Act - Eliminates gender-based distinctions in the social security and railroad retirement programs. Title III: Amendments to United States Code - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act, the Walsh-Healey Act, the Child Nutrition Act of 1966, the Federal criminal code and other Acts (dealing with Indian affairs, transportation, public lands, Saint Elizabeths Hospital, contract law, the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, longshoremen and harbor workers, conservation programs, internee benefits, and the spouses of former presidents, among other subjects) to eliminate gender-based distinctions. Title IV: Effective Date - Sets forth the effective date for the provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Civil Rights Amendments Act of 1985 - Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of affectional or sexual orientation. Provides that this Act shall not be construed to permit a finding of discrimination based on statistical differences or the fashioning of any remedy requiring a quota.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Defense Economic Adjustment Act - Title I: Defense Economic Adjustment Council - Establishes in the Executive Office of the President the Defense Economic Adjustment Council to be cochaired by the Secretaries of Commerce and Labor. Establishes in the Executive Office an Office of Economic Adjustment, headed by a Director, to provide staff support to the Council. Directs the Council to disseminate information from the Secretary of Defense to Federal, State, and local agencies concerning proposed or pending changes in defense spending which would affect employment in the defense industry. Requires the Council to perform other duties, including: (1) encouraging the preparation of plans for non-defense-related public projects; (2) coordinating and developing information on priority, federally funded projects and programs pertaining to defense economic adjustment; (3) monitoring job services information banks; and (4) determining criteria for eligibility for assistance under this Act. Directs the Secretary of Defense to provide the pertinent information to the Council a year in advance of any change and to furnish the Council with projected future defense spending levels. Directs the Council to prepare and distribute a Conversion Guidelines Handbook to outline requirements of programs for professional retraining of personnel. Title II: Community Economic Adjustment Planning - Makes eligible for Federal assistance for economic adjustment planning any community which is substantially affected by reduction or elimination of Government defense facilities or curtailment or conclusion of defense contracts. Directs the Council to make available to alternative use committees information on economic development programs of any Federal instrumentality which provides funds which may be used for planning. Requires the Council to report to Congress at least annually on any such economic development program. Directs the Council to use data from other departments to develop criteria which insure that assistance is directed to those communities which are most vulnerable economically to reductions in defense expenditures. Requires the Council to publish a semiannual list of eligible communities. Requires excess property resulting from a closing or reduction in a Government-owned facility to be appraised for purposes of resale to the community. Title III: Alternative Use Committees - Requires the establishment of alternative use committees at defense facilities to plan for economic conversion in the event of closure or reduction. Directs such committees to: (1) evaluate the assets of the facilities and the resources and requirements of the local community; (2) develop at least biennially a detailed plan for conversion of the facility to non-defense-related productive activity; and (3) provide retraining and reemployment counseling services. Requires conversion plans to maximize the pool of skills of available personnel and specify in detail the composition of the work force and plant, material, and financing requirements. Penalizes any contractor who fails to submit an alternative use plan or carry out one approved by the Council by making such contractor ineligible for future defense contracts for three years. Title IV: Economic Adjustment Assistance for Workers - Makes displaced workers certified by the local alternative use committees to the Council eligible for benefits for two years under this Act. Includes among such benefits weekly compensation, vested pension credit, maintenance of health insurance, retraining for civilian work, job search allowance, and reimbursement for relocation expenses. Requires completion of a program of professional retraining before certain employees are eligible for assistance. Directs the Council to enter into agreements with a State or agency in the State administering the unemployment compensation law to disburse benefits under this Act. Requires displaced workers to accept any employment determined by the State agency or Secretary of Labor to be comparable to the former job, or benefits will terminate. Excludes these benefits from other determinations of eligibility for unemployment compensation under any Federal or State law. Title V: Economic Adjustment Fund - Establishes in the Treasury a Workers Economic Adjustment Reserve Trust Fund. Requires defense contractors to pay a specified percentage into the Fund. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to deposit a percentage of the projected savings resulting from a cancellation or cutback in defense spending. Title VI: Use of Research Funds - Requires the Council to define urgent national requirements for nondefense sectors of the economy in any determination of the Secretary of Defense as to how certain research and development funds are to be spent. Title VII: Authorization of Appropriations - Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Consumer Privacy Protection Act - Amends the Privacy Act of 1974 to increase the minimum amount of civil damages against the United States from $1,000 to $2,000 when an agency fails to maintain a record on an individual with accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness in order to assure fairness. Imposes a $20,000 limitation on such recoveries. Establishes a Privacy Protection Study Commission composed of five members appointed by the President. Requires the Commission to: (1) make a study of the data banks, automated data processing programs, and information systems of public and private organizations to determine standards and procedures in force for the protection of personal information; (2) recommend to the President and the Congress the extent to which provisions of the Privacy Act should be applied to such organizations; and (3) report on other legislative recommendations necessary to protect the privacy of individuals while meeting the legitimate needs of government and society for information. Authorizes the Commission to research, examine, and analyze: (1) the interstate transfer of information about individuals; (2) data banks and information systems that affect privacy rights; (3) the use of social security numbers and other universal identifiers to gain access to centralized information systems; and (4) the matching and analysis of statistical data. Permits the Commission to examine personal information activities in the following areas: (1) medical; (2) insurance; (3) education; (4) employment and personnel; (5) credit; (6) commercial reporting industry; (7) cable television; (8) travel and entertainment reservations; and (9) electronic check processing. Requires the Commission to examine: (1) certain mailing list procedures; (2) whether the Internal Revenue Service should be prohibited from transferring individually identifiable data to other agencies; (3) whether the Federal Government should be liable for damages as a result of certain violations of the Privacy Act; and (4) how standards for confidentiality of records should be applied when records are disclosed to a person other than an agency. Prohibits the Commission from investigating information systems maintained by religious organizations. Requires the Commission to: (1) determine what laws, executive orders, and regulations are consistent with the rights of privacy; (2) determine to what extent governmental and private information systems affect Federal-State relations; (3) examine the standards relating to the collection of personal information; and (4) collect reports and recommendations of governmental, legislative, and private bodies which pertain to the study. Requires the Commission to report to the President and the Congress on its activities in carrying out this Act. Provides penalties for: (1) any member, officer, or employee of the Commission with access to records (which contain individually identifiable information) who willfully discloses the information to any person or agency not entitled to receive it; and (2) any person who requests or obtains any record concerning an individual from the Commission under false pretenses.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Vietnam Veterans Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Compensation Act - Creates a presumption of service-connection for disability purposes for veterans suffering from a post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam era.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Electric Consumers Protection Act of 1985 - Amends the Federal Power Act to require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to issue a new license to an existing licensee for a hydroelectric project authorized under such Act if the United States does not, upon the expiration of the existing license, exercise its right to take over, maintain, and operate such licensee's project, unless the Commission determines that such licensee's project will not meet the licensing standards under such Act. Provides that if the Commission determines that such licensee's project does not meet such standards, the Commission is authorized to issue a new license to a new licensee which may cover the existing licensee's project provided that the new licensee pays just compensation determined by the Commission and enters into any contracts required under the Federal Power Act. (Under current law, the Commission is authorized to issue a new license to the original licensee or a new license to a new licensee if the United States does not exercise its rights with respect to an expired license.)
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Olmsted Heritage Landscapes Act of 1985 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National Park Service, to prepare a State-by-State inventory of Olmsted heritage landscapes. Provides that all properties on the inventory shall be part of an Olmsted heritage landscape system. Requires periodic updating of the inventory. Directs the Secretary to: (1) promulgate general standards for preservation of historic landscapes; (2) provide technical assistance to Federal agencies, State and local governments, private organizations, and other interested individuals on the identification, commemoration, and preservation of Olmsted heritage landscapes; (3) conduct and submit to the Congress a thematic study of historic landscapes to identify those landscapes which would qualify as national historic landscapes; (4) encourage a program for the use of the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site in Massachusetts as a center for research and establish an advisory committee for the site; and (5) encourage appropriate international activities related to the Olmsted heritage landscapes. Requires the Secretary to provide for the coordination of applications for grants for the preservation of Olmsted heritage landscapes. Requires the Secretary to encourage maximum public participation in carrying out the purposes of this Act. Requires the Secretary to conduct appropriate activities during the decade of 1985 to 1995 to commemorate the Olmsted achievements and influence on American life. Establishes the Advisory Committee on Olmsted Heritage Landscapes, which shall assist the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation in carrying out those of its duties under the National Historic Preservation Act that relate to Olmsted heritage landscapes. Terminates such Committee after December 31, 1995. Authorizes appropriations.