United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1983
Patent Term Restoration Act of 1983 - Amends the patent laws to extend the terms of patents which encompass specified products or a method for using a product, any of which are subject to certain nonpatent regulatory review periods. Sets forth the terms and conditions of such extension, including a seven year limitation. Directs the Commissioner of Patents to issue to the owner of record of a patent a certificate of extension stating the fact and length of the extension and identifying the product and the use and the claim to which such extension is applicable. Makes such certificate a part of the original patent. Limits the application of such patent term extension to patents for products subject to regulation under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the Public Health Service Act, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act, and the Act of March 4, 1913 (relating to virus, serum, toxin, and analogous products).
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1983
Exchange for Understanding Act - Establishes the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe Exchange Fund in the Treasury. Authorizes appropriations for the Fund. Establishes the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe Exchange Commission. Requires the Commission to issue regulations, within 90 days, governing its operation and the use of Commission funds. Provides for Commission membership and for a Commission director and staff. Authorizes the Commission to hold hearings and to use the U.S. mails as do other U.S. agencies. Directs that interest on obligations held in the Fund be available for payments to the Commission for specified uses. Requires the Commission to use such funds to make grants to support exchanges between the United States and the Soviet Union and the countries of Eastern Europe. Sets forth the projects to which the Commission shall give priority. Grants the Commission the exclusive authority to determine the number and types of exchanges to be supported each year. Directs the Secretary of State to cooperate with the Commission to ensure that the exchanges are coordinated with the countries involved and to ensure that the participants receive appropriate briefings and information. Authorizes specified funds for the Commission's operating expenses. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to invest that portion of the Fund not required for current withdrawals in specified U.S. obligations or U.S. guaranteed obligations. Authorizes the Secretary to sell obligations acquired by the Fund and to credit the Fund with any interest on and the proceeds from such sale. Requires the Commission to submit annual reports, describing the Commission's activities, to the President and to Congress. Requires the Commission to terminate October 1, 1994. Directs all investments to be liquidated and all remaining funds to be deposited in the Treasury upon termination.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1983
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that one-half of the cost of insurance paid by a self-employed taxpayer for medical care during the taxable year will be allowed as a business deduction.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1983
National Economic Cooperation Act of 1983 - Amends the Employment Act of 1946 to add a new title on national economic cooperation. Establishes a National Economic Cooperation Council. Sets forth the purposes of the Council, including the requirement that the Council report annually to the President and the Congress on the state of the national economy. Requires that the general policies and administrative direction of the Council shall be controlled by a Board composed of nine members appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Sets forth the qualifications of members of the Board. Requires the principal administrative officer of the Council to be an Executive Director appointed by the Board. Requires the Council to promote the growth and vitality of the U.S. economy by: (1) collecting and analyzing relevant data concerning economic trends and market opportunities; (2) evaluating existing and alternative government and business policies in terms of their impact on the capacity of American enterprises to take advantage of those trends and opportunities; (3) recommending government and business strategies and practices which will improve that capacity; (4) developing such concensus among the branches of government, labor, and business as is necessary to implement such strategies and practices; and (5) evaluating State and local policies and practices in terms of their impact on the economy. Sets forth methods for the Council to follow in carrying out such functions. Authorizes the Council to make special reports as necessary, in addition to its annual report. Sets forth the authority of the Council to conduct hearings. Establishes within the Council a Bureau of Economic Information and a Bureau of Economic Analysis and Policy. Sets forth the duties of such Bureaus. Directs the President to designate a Special Adviser for Economic Coordination who: (1) shall be the principal official responsible for the coordination of executive branch trade and economic functions and activities; and (2) shall serve as the principal liaison official between executive branch departments and agencies and the Council. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 through 1989. Sets forth general administrative provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 1983
Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1984 - Amends the Education of the Handicapped Act ("the Act") to revise definitions. Redefines "handicapped children" to include: (1) "behaviorally disordered" children (rather than "seriously emotionally disturbed" children); and (2) language impaired children. Renames the National Advisory Committee on Handicapped Children as the National Advisory Committee on the Education of Handicapped Children. Includes the Northern Mariana Islands under the definition of "State." Replaces outdated references to the Commissioner of Education and the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare with references to the Secretary of Education ("the Secretary"). Establishes within the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services in the Department of Education an Office of Special Education Programs to be the principal agency for administering and carrying out the Act. Provides that such Office shall be headed by a Deputy Assistant Secretary, with a specified number of persons in certain positions to assist such official. Reestablishes the National Advisory Committee on the Education of Handicapped Children ("the Advisory Committee"). Authorizes appropriations for the Advisory Committee for FY 1985 through 1987. Revises provisions relating to grants for the removal of architectural barriers. Revises evaluation provisions. Directs the Secretary to: (1) provide for specified types of evaluation studies to determine the impact of the Act; and (2) publish an annual report on the progress being made toward the provision of free appropriate public education to all handicapped children and youth. Requires that such report be: (1) transmitted to the appropriate congressional committees and to the Advisory Committee; and (2) published and disseminated in sufficient quantities to the education community and other interested parties. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1985 through 1987 to carry out evaluation provisions. Revises incentive grants provisions to permit such grants to be used for providing education and related services for handicapped children from birth to three years of age. Revises Part C provisions of the Act for centers and services to meet special needs of the handicapped. Provides that regional resource centers shall provide technical assistance to State education agencies (SEAs) (including comparable educational agencies within the Departments of Defense and of the Interior relating to educational programs and services for handicapped children and youth) and through such SEAs to local educational agencies (LEAs). Includes among center functions assistance in information and training services for professionals and parents of handicapped children. Requires each center to report a summary of materials produced or developed. Requires inclusion of center reports in the annual report to Congress. Revises provisions for services for deaf-blind children to extend services to deaf-blind youth. Deletes provisions for model centers. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to and contracts or cooperative agreements with public or nonprofit private agencies, institutions, or organizations to assist SEAs to: (1) assure deaf-blind children and youth a free appropriate public education pursuant to the Act and preliminary transitional services; and (2) make available to deaf-blind youth, upon their attaining age 22, programs and services to facilitate their transition from educational to other social services. Sets forth requirements for programs receiving such grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into a limited number of cooperative agreements or contracts to establish and support regional programs for the provision of technical assistance in the education of deaf-blind children. Requires programs supported under provisions for services for deaf-blind children and youth to report annually on the numbers of deaf-blind children and youth, paraprofessionals and professionals, and family members directly serviced by each activity. Directs the Secretary to summarize this data in the annual report. Revises provisions for early education for handicapped children to include among program activities the demonstration of services in the least restrictive environment taking advantage of noncategorical preschool programs serving nonhandicapped children. Authorizes the Secretary to make a grant to each State through the SEA or other State agency to assist such State agency in planning, developing, and implementing a comprehensive delivery system for the provision of special education and related services to handicapped and other developmentally delayed children from birth through five years of age. Directs the Secretary to make one of the following types of such grants to any State which submits an application which meets the specified requirements: (1) a planning grant for up to two years; (2) a development grant for up to three years; or (3) an implementation grant for up to three years (but requiring an annual renewal application by the State). Directs the Secretary to include in the annual report: (1) specified information on such grants and activities; and (2) beginning in 1986, a description of the status of special education and related services to handicapped and developmentally delayed children from birth through five years of age. Provides for waivers of Federal regulations which interfere with achievement of the objectives of such grants program. Limits funds for such grants to 30 percent of funds available under provisions for early education for handicapped children. Requires that at least 15 percent of funds for such grants be for training and technical assistance to States. Authorizes the Secretary, in carrying out provisions for research, training, and dissemination activities in connection with centers and services for the handicapped, to address the needs of the severely handicapped. Directs the Secretary to make grants and contracts under provisions for postsecondary education programs: (1) on a competitive basis; and (2) giving priority consideration to four regional centers for the deaf and to model centers and programs for individuals with handicapping conditions other than deafness for specified types of programs. Sets a required minimum amount for such payments to the four regional centers for the deaf. Directs the Secretary to make grants and contracts for a national clearinghouse on postsecondary education for handicapped individuals. Defines "handicapped individuals," for purposes of such provisions for postsecondary education programs, as individuals who are mentally retarded, hard of hearing, deaf, speech or language impaired, visually handicapped, behaviorally disordered, orthopedically impaired, or other health impaired individuals, or individuals with specific learning disabilities who require special education and related services. Establishes a program of assistance for secondary education and transitional services for handicapped youth. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to and contracts with institutions of higher education, SEAs and LEAs, and other appropriate public and private nonprofit institutions or agencies for secondary special education programs and other services to assist handicapped youth in the transition to postsecondary education, vocational training, competitive employment, continuing education, and adult services. Sets forth types of projects which may be assisted. Requires that the results of the Secretary's evaluations of the effectiveness of each program assisted under Part C provisions of the Act for centers and services to meet the special needs of the handicapped be analyzed and submitted to the appropriate congressional committees. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1985 through 1987 to carry out Part C programs under provisions for centers and services to meet special needs of the handicapped, including: (1) regional resource centers; (2) centers and services for deaf-blind children and youth; (3) early education for handicapped children; (4) research, training, and dissemination activities in connection with centers and services for the handicapped; (5) postsecondary education programs; and (6) secondary education and transitional services for handicapped youth. Revises Part D provisions of the Act for training for the education of the handicapped. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants, which may include scholarships with stipends and allowances, to institutions of higher education and other appropriate nonprofit agencies for training personnel for careers in special education. Authorizes the Secretary to reserve up to five percent of the amount available under personnel training grants provisions for contracts to prepare personnel in areas of need not adequately represented in the grant process. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to institutions of higher education and other appropriate nonprofit agencies to conduct special projects to develop and demonstrate new approaches for preservice training, regular educators, and inservice training of special education personnel. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants through a separate competition to private nonprofit organizations to provide training and information to parents of handicapped children and volunteers. Revises provisions for grants to SEAs for traineeships to direct the Secretary to make such grants to SEAs and to comparable educational agencies or offices in the Departments of Defense and the Interior. Revises provisions for grants or contracts to improve recruiting of educational personnel and dissemination of information concerning educational opportunities for the handicapped. Authorizes the Secretary to make such grants or contracts for a national clearinghouse on the education of the handicapped and for other support projects to achieve specified objectives, including providing technical assistance to State and local parent training and information programs. Deletes provisions for grants for training physical educators and recreation personnel for handicapped children. Revises reporting requirements to require that reports to the Secretary by grant or contract recipients under part D: (1) be submitted within 60 days after the end of the fiscal year; and (2) include specified information. Requires that a summary of such data be included in the annual report of the Secretary. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1985 through 1987 to carry out Part D provisions for training personnel for the education of the handicapped, including: (1) grants to institutions of higher education and other appropriate institutions or agencies; (2) grants to SEAs; and (3) recruitment of educational personnel and the provision of information concerning the education of handicapped individuals. Revises Part E provisions of the Act for research in the education of the handicapped. Provides that grants and contracts for research and demonstration projects in education of handicapped children shall be used by the recipient agencies to assist special education personnel, related services personnel, and other appropriate persons, including parents, in improving the education and related services for handicapped children and youth. Requires that such research and related activities include specified activities. Directs the Secretary to publish in the Federal Register: (1) a proposed set of research priorities every two years and allow a period of 60 days for public comments and suggestions; and (2) a final set of research priorities within 30 days after the close of the comment period. Directs the Secretary to: (1) provide an index of all research projects conducted in the prior fiscal year in a specified annual report; and (2) make reports of research projects available to the education community at large and other interested parties. Directs the Secretary to: (1) coordinate research priorities established under this Act with those established by the National Institute of Handicapped Research; and (2) provide information concerning research priorities established under this Act to the National Council of the Handicapped and to the National Advisory Committee on the Education of Handicapped Children. Provides that the panels of experts appointed by the Secretary shall evaluate various types of proposals for projects under parts C, D, E, and F of the Act. (Current law only requires such evaluation of part E research or demonstration projects.) Directs the Secreary to secure the advice and recommendations of one such panel before making any grant or contract under parts C, D, E, and F of the Act. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1985 through 1987 to carry out Part E provisions for research in the education of the handicapped. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1985 through 1987 to carry out Part F provisions of the Act for instructional media for the handicapped. Repeals Part G of the Act (provisions for special programs for children with specific learning disabilities, including provisions for research, training, and model centers for such programs). Makes technical and conforming amendments. Include the Northern Mariana Islands among the territories and possessions of the United States for purposes of allocation of specified funds under the Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 1983
Amends the Federal Supplemental Compensation Act of 1982 to extend the Federal supplemental unemployment compensation program for an additional six months, through March 31, 1984.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 1983
Work Opportunities and Renewed Competition Act of 1983 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a taxpayer to elect to treat an excess investment tax credit as a reinvestment tax credit. Requires a taxpayer to forfeit any investment tax credit carryover if the taxpayer elects to take a reinvestment tax credit. Sets the amount of such reinvestment tax credit at 85 percent of the taxpayer's qualified investment in reinvestment credit property. Terminates such credit after 1984. Makes such reinvestment tax credit refundable. Requires the recapture of the reinvestment tax credit under specified circumstances. Sets forth rules relating to such recapture.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1983
Expresses the sense of the Congress that use of the five year quantitative restrictions recommended by the domestic specialty steel industry on imported specialty steel will: (1) eliminate unfair competition; and (2) provide time for plant modernization and for research and development projects. Urges the President to implement such import relief for the domestic industry in lieu of the restrictions recommended by the United States International Trade Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 1983
Veterans Administration Adjudication Procedure and Judicial Review Act - Title I: Adjudication Procedures - Codifies, for Veterans Administration (VA) adjudication purposes, the burden of proof and reasonable doubt standards currently provided for by VA regulation. States that a claimant has the burden of submitting sufficient evidence to justify his or her claim, and that if an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence exists regarding the merits of a claim, the VA is to resolve such doubt in favor of the claimant. States that VA subpoenas may be served either by personal delivery or by registered or certified mail. Increases the maximum size of the Board of Veterans' Appeals from 50 to 65 members. Requires the chairman of such Board to submit an annual report to the appropriate congressional committees concerning the Board's current handling of cases and projections for the subsequent fiscal year. Requires the Board to: (1) provide notice to a claimant and an opportunity for a hearing before a decision may be based on "additional official information" received after a Board decision has previously been made; and (2) make its decision exclusively on evidence and material of record in the proceeding. Removes the requirement that new material sufficient to allow the Board to reopen a previously disallowed claim be in the form of official reports. Provides that the Board's discretionary authority to reopen a claim will not be diminished by a judicial decision following an appeal as provided for by this Act. Requires the Board to mail to the claimant notice of its decision and the reasons for such decision. Provides that, upon the request of a claimant, the Board shall provide an independent advisory medical opinion when there exists substantial medical disagreement with respect to a material issue in a veteran's appeal. Sets forth new procedural rules for adjudication hearings regarding: (1) oaths, affirmations, and witness examination; (2) admissibility of evidence; (3) procedural rights of claimants; (4) disqualification of a hearing officer; (5) the record of the proceedings and the claimant's right to examine and obtain a copy of such record; and (6) the exclusiveness of veterans' adjudication procedures and rights prescribed by the Administrator. Requires the Administrator to provide at each stage of the appeal proceedings written notice to a claimant of the claimant's procedural rights. Directs the Administrator to conduct a study of two alternative claims resolution methods: (1) a new intermediate-level adjudication process; and (2) an enhanced schedule of formal Appeals Board hearings. Directs the Administrator to report to Congress on such studies. Title II: Veterans Administration Rule Making - Includes the VA's rulemaking procedures under the relevant provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act. Title III: Judicial Review - Provides for judicial review of VA decisions in the Federal court system. States with regard to jurisdiction: (1) the definition of final decision; (2) that judicial review of a final decision in a claim for benefits may be obtained in a civil action brought within 180 days of the Board's mailing of notice of its decision, and that such action shall be brought in Federal district court; (3) that the VA shall file the various materials constituting the record in a case together with its answer to the claimant's complaint; (4) that the court may render a decision on the pleadings; and (5) that the judicial review procedures established under this Act shall not apply to insurance and home loans. States, with regard to the reviewing court's scope of review, that such court: (1) shall decide questions of law and interpret constitutional, statutory, and regulatory provisions, but that questions of fact (unless unsupported by substantial evidence) will not be subject to a trial de novo; and (2) in reviewing a final decision of the VA which is adverse to a party solely because such party failed to comply with VA procedures, may only review questions concerning such procedures. Sets out provisions regarding remand, survival of actions, and appellate review. Title IV: Attorneys' Fees - Authorizes the Administrator to allow attorneys' fees above the present $10 maximum if the appealing party's claim is allowed by the VA after an initial denial. States that such fee shall be the lesser of: (1) the fee agreed upon by the party and attorney; (2) $500, unless the Administrator approves a greater amount; or (3) if the party and attorney have entered into a contingent-fee agreement, not more than 25 percent of the total of any past-due benefits awarded on the basis of such party's claim. Provides for the approval of attorneys' fees, in successful veterans' claims brought before a court, as provided for under this Act. States that such fees shall be determined by such court, and in contingent-fee agreements such fees shall not exceed 25 percent of the total of any past-due benefits awarded on the basis of such claim. Authorizes attorneys' fees of up to $750 in certain unsuccessful veterans' claims. Prohibits the VA from authorizing payment to a claimant's attorney based on past-due benefits unless such benefits are owed as of the date of the VA's or a court's award. States that such provisions regarding attorneys' fees shall only apply to claims for benefits under the laws administered by the VA and shall not apply in cases in which the VA is the plaintiff or in which other attorneys' fees statutes are otherwise controlling. Title V: Effective Dates - Sets forth the effective dates for this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 1983
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) State regulatory commissions should carefully review requests for telephone rate increases; (2) the Federal Communications Commission should ascertain the impact on telephone rates of regulatory changes and judicial decisions and should furnish the House with an estimate of the number of people who would suffer an economic hardship or be forced to discontinue telephone service as a result of such changes and decisions; and (3) specified House committees should consider legislation that will assure affordable telephone service for all the people of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1983
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that losses attributable to disasters determined to warrant assistance under the Disaster Relief Act of 1974 shall be allowable as an income tax deduction without regard to whether they exceed ten percent of the adjusted gross income of the taxpayer.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 1983
Bankruptcy Court and Federal Judgeship Act of 1983 - Title I: Bankruptcy Jurisdiction, and Procedure - Confers upon the district courts original and exclusive jurisdiction of all cases under title 11 (the bankruptcy code). Confers original, but not exclusive, jurisdiction upon the district courts of all civil proceedings arising under title 11 or arising in or related to cases under title 11. Authorizes district courts to refer all cases and civil proceedings arising under title 11 to the bankruptcy court for the district. Confers upon such bankruptcy court all jurisdiction granted the district courts for title 11 actions and proceedings. Authorizes district courts to withdraw certain actions previously referred to bankruptcy courts. Allows district courts to abstain from hearing a particular proceeding under title 11, and precludes appeals from such decisions. Requires the district courts to abstain, upon proper motion, from adjudicating claims based upon State law where such claims will be timely instituted in an appropriate State forum. Authorizes district courts to exercise jurisdiction over all the debtor's property, wherever located, and over the bankruptcy estate. Sets venue guidelines for: (1) cases and proceedings under title 11; (2) cases to enjoin actions in a State or Federal court; and (3) actions to enjoin liens against property in such courts. Delineates procedures for removal of bankruptcy cases by a party. Authorizes courts to remand cases which have been so removed, and precludes any appeal of a remand decision. Designates bankruptcy courts for each judicial district. States that such courts shall constitute a department of the district court and be comprised of bankruptcy judges in regular active service. Requires the United States court of appeals for a circuit to appoint the bankruptcy judges for each judicial district within such circuit. Sets forth provisions for: (1) official duty stations of bankruptcy judges; (2) removal procedures of such judges; (3) salaries ; (4) outside employment; (5) division of business; (6) appointment of chief bankruptcy judgeships; (7) temporary transfers of bankruptcy judges; and (8) court personnel. Requires district courts to withdraw specified actions previously referred to the bankruptcy courts. Authorizes district courts to refer certain cases or proceedings to: (1) a bankruptcy court to serve as special master; (2) a United States magistrate; or (3) a bankruptcy judge who shall exercise all the powers of a United States magistrate. Confers jurisdiction upon the district courts to hear appeals from bankruptcy court judgments and establishes appellate procedure. Sets standards for bankruptcy judge salaries and terms of office. Title II: Omnibus Judgeship - Enumerates additional permanent circuit and district judgeships for the States. Establishes retirement guidelines for judges holding office during good behavior. Outlines retirement and resignation criteria for judges, including retirement pay and salary upon resignation. Title III: Conforming Amendments - Makes technical and conforming amendments. Provides for annuities for certain bankruptcy judges. Provides criteria for filling vacant bankruptcy judgeships.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1983
National Summit Conference on Education Act of 1983 - Authorizes appropriations to the Department of Education for conducting a National Summit Conference on Education. Sets forth provisions for appointment of participants to the Conference. Directs the Conference to develop recommendations in response to the findings of the National Commission on Excellence in Education and relating to specified areas of educational policy. Directs the Conference to transmit its recommendations to the President, the Congress, and State Governors by January 15, 1984.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 1983
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that hospice care is a necessary and humane alternative to traditional health care for the terminally ill.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 1983
World Peace Tax Fund Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit conscientious objectors to designate their income, estate, or gift tax payments for nonmilitary purposes. Establishes within the Treasury a World Peace Tax Fund to receive such tax payments. Defines a conscientious objector as an individual who is opposed to war in any form and who has been exempted from combat training in the Armed Forces under the Military Selective Service Act, or who satisfactorily demonstrates that he is conscientiously opposed to war in any form. Requires tax forms to contain a checkoff for taxpayers who wish to claim conscientious objector status and designate their tax payments for the World Peace Tax Fund. Permits the setting aside of criminal or civil penalties imposed upon a taxpayer for nonpayment of tax prior to 1979 if the taxpayer pays the tax and satisfactorily establishes that the nonpayment was due to his religious beliefs. Directs the Comptroller General to determine the percentage of actual appropriations made by the United States from the Federal budget during the preceding fiscal year for military purposes. Requires the publication of such information in the Congressional Record. Establishes a World Peace Tax Fund Board of Trustees. Sets forth the membership structure and duties of the Board. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 1983
Terminated Employee Pension Restoration Act of 1983 - Authorizes payment of a Federal annuity to persons (or spouses of such persons) who: (1) were participants in a private employee pension plan which was terminated before September 2, 1974; (2) had immediately before termination a nonforfeitable benefit under the plan; and (3) have not received payment in full of such benefit because of the plan's termination. Sets forth the method of computing the annuity. Directs the Secretary of Labor to approve a claim for such an annuity if the claim meets the Secretary's regulation and includes evidence establishing that the claimant is a qualified participant or a qualified spouse. Sets forth the procedure for review of denial of such an annuity claim. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to make annuity payments to entitled individuals after the receipt of specified information from the Secretary of Labor. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to work with other Federal agencies to avoid unnecessary expense and duplication of functions. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require disclosure of tax return information to Labor Department employees for comparison of specified records in order to establish the validity of an annuity claim. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 to the Department of Labor to carry out its functions under this Act. Authorizes appropriations to the Department of the Treasury to make annuity payments under this Act beginning with FY 1984 and continuing until the last such payment is made.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 1983
Occupational Disease Compensation Act of 1983 - Establishes a compulsory compensation program for employees and their survivors for death or disability resulting from work-related exposure to toxic substances. Includes compensation for disabilities which are partial or temporary. Sets forth formulas for monetary benefits for partial and total disability (generally 80 percent of the national manufacturing or construction average weekly wage for the month of the onset of disability). Requires such benefits to be paid from the date of onset of the disability and continuing for the duration of the disability. Sets forth formulas for death benefits. Provides that there shall be no maximum limitation on the total amount or duration of medical benefits or monetary disability or death benefits. Declares ineffective any compromise or release of monetary or medical benefits unless the Secretary of Labor (the Secretary) determines it is in the best interest of the claimant. Declares absolutely ineffective any waiver or release concerning future coverage or compensation under State workers' compensation law or under this Act which was executed before death or onset of disability from work-related exposure to toxic substances. Details eligibility criteria for compensation. Includes among them a determination that work-related exposure to a toxic substance significantly contributed to or aggravated the disability or death. Identifies pathological conditions irrebutably presumed to have resulted form work-related exposure to asbestos. Establishes procedures for filing, adjudicating, and appealing claims. Makes compensation under this Act the claimant's exclusive remedy for disability or death resulting from workplace exposure to asbestos or other toxic substance. Limits the maximum period for retroactive payments to five years from the date the claim was filed. Requires a court to stay any pending liability action for death or disability against a third party if a compensation claim has been filed under this Act. Requires the court to dismiss such an action with prejudice upon notification by the Secretary that a final agency determination has been made on the claim. Authorizes the Toxic Substance Employee Compensation Insurance Pool (established by this Act) to offer claimants interim monetary and medical benefits during the pendency of a compensation claim. States such interim benefits are not recoverable if the claim is ultimately denied. Requires employers to contribute to the Pool in order to enjoy the limitations on liability provided by this Act. Requires the Secretary to apportion the obligation to provide insurance coverage among employers and toxic substance market participants. Delineates the legal theories upon which liability actions against third parties may be based. Vests in the Pool responsibility for the payment of all compensation claims. Prescribes procedures by which employers and toxic substance market participants may become covered contributors to the Pool. Proposes alternative measures by which toxic substance market participants may meet their contribution obligations. Authorizes the Secretary to suspend Pool membership upon failure to comply with specified provisions. Authorizes the Secretary to bring a civil action and to assess civil penalties if a Pool contributor fails to maintain insurance sufficient to meet its financial obligations. Establishes the Toxic Substance Employee Compensation Insurance Pool to underwrite liabilities under this Act and to pay compensation and benefits provided by this Act. Makes participation in the Pool available to casualty insurance carriers, workers' compensation carriers, and employers and toxic substance market participants who choose to self-insure. Requires the Secretary of Labor to promulgate standards for participation in the Pool by insurance carriers and by employers or toxic substance market participants as self-insurers. Requires the Pool to pay the Secretary an annual fee to cover administrative costs. Establishes guidelines for the payment of compensation claims. Includes a procedure for appealing orders to suspend payments. Provides for 20 percent additional compensation in cases of late payments. Sets forth provisions for representation and witness fees in compensation payment disputes, to be paid by the employer or the employer's insurance carrier to the claimant's representative. Sets criminal penalties for: (1) receiving any unapproved consideration or gratuity for representative services; or (2) soliciting employment as a representative in such disputes. Prohibits employment discrimination based upon the filing of a claim or the instituting of a proceeding under this Act. Establishes civil penalties for such discrimination. Provides a grievance procedure for the investigation and determination of discrimination complaints. Voids any insurance policy provision which relieves the employer from sole personal liability and payment. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in coordination with the Secretary of Labor, to conduct research into improved means of: (1) surveillance of workers exposed to occupational health hazards; and (2) medical treatment of such workers. Directs the Secretary of Labor to promulgate regulations which provide compensation for: (1) occupational exposure in addition to asbestos; and (2) specific categories of workers whose occupational exposure to toxic substances results in death or disability. Directs the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to report to the Secretary of Health and Human Services the results of its review of current scientific studies concerning the incidence of work-related diseases. Authorizes the Secretary, after evaluating such reports, to recommend to the Secretary of Labor regulations covering benefits for additional work-related diseases. States that any regulations promulgated by the Secretary of Labor in response to such recommendations shall be effective unless within 90 days after Congress is notified both Houses adopt a resolution of disapproval. Requires the Director of the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs to establish a separate task force within such office to administer claims filed under this Act. Establishes procedural guidelines for: (1) such Director; and (2) the Benefits Review Board. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into specified contracts in order to administer the Pool. Exempts such contracts from competitive bidding requirements. Authorizes the Secretary to enjoin violations of this Act in district court.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1983
United States Caribbean Possessions Act - Title I: Eastern Caribbean Regional Development Fund - Lists countries which the President shall consider in designating beneficiary countries for purposes of this title. Prohibits the President from designating a country a beneficiary country: (1) if such country is a communist country; (2) if the country has taken certain expropriating actions against property owned by U.S. citizens; (3) if the country fails to act in good faith with respect to arbitral awards involving U.S. citizens or companies; (4) if the country affords preferential treatment to a developed country other than the United States which adversely affects U.S. commerce unless the President receives certain assurances; (5) if a government-owned entity in such country engages in the broadcast of copyrighted material belonging to U.S. copyright owners without their express consent; and (6) unless such country is party to a treaty regarding the extradition of U.S. citizens. Lists factors the President shall take into account in determining whether to designate a country a beneficiary country. Prohibits the President from terminating the designation of a country as a beneficiary country unless, at least 60 days before the termination, the President has notified the Congress and the beneficiary country of such determination. Directs the President to withdraw or suspend the designation of a country as a beneficiary country if, because of changed circumstances, the country would be barred from designation as a beneficiary country. Establishes in the Treasury the Eastern Caribbean Regional Development Fund. Appropriates to the Fund the amount of money collected from: (1) the import duties on articles entered from beneficiary countries; and (2) the taxes on rum imported into the United States from beneficiary countries. Authorizes the Administrator of the Fund to allocate and distribute the moneys in the Fund to island beneficiary countries. Sets forth the method of allocation. Title II: Tax and Tariff Provisions - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require that if the amount of taxes collected on rum imported into the United States from beneficiary countries exceeds the amount needed in the Eastern Caribbean Regional Development Fund the excess shall be covered into the treasuries of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Prohibits granting duty-free treatment to bulk rum manufactured outside the United States, its territories, or possessions.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1983
Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to: (1) remove the minimum wage floor for handicapped workers; and (2) link such workers' wages with worker productivity.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 1983
Expresses the support of the House of Representatives for Lebanon's and Israel's agreement on arrangements for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon. Calls upon other nations to work toward the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon. Emphasizes the need of all nations to recognize the sovereignty of Lebanon. Urges Syria and the Palestine Liberation Organization to agree to the arrangements for the withdrawal of their forces from Lebanon.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1983
Rural Electrification and Telephone Revolving Fund Self-Sufficiency Act of 1983 - Amends the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (REA) to eliminate the requirement for a State certificate of convenience and necessity before the Administrator may make loans to provide rural telephone service. Revises the liabilities and uses of the Rural Electrification and Telephone Revolving Fund established under the REA to provide that notes of the Administrator to the Secretary of the Treasury to obtain funds for loans shall be equity capital of the Fund. States that assets of the Fund shall be available only for: (1) payment of interest and principal on loans to the Administrator from the Secretary of the Treasury; and (2) for certificates of beneficial ownership issued to such Secretary or in the private market. Requires the Administrator to maintain two separate accounts within the fund: (1) the Electrification Account; and (2) the Telephone Account. Lists the items that shall be accounted for in each Account respectively, and restricts the purposes for which the assets of each Account shall be available. Authorizes the Administrator to repurchase specified certificates of beneficial ownership under certain conditions affecting their interest rates. Establishes guidelines for interest-bearing insured loans made by the Administrator to electric and telephone borrowers. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to request in each annual supplemental budget estimate the amount needed to replenish the Fund for anticipated and actual costs resulting from loans made at less than a specified rate during the preceding fiscal year. Directs the Administrator to guarantee loans to specified borrowers or to accommodate or subordinate liens or mortgages held in the Fund, according to prescribed rules and regulations. Directs the Administration to promulgate such rules and regulations within 90 days after the effective date of this Act. Prescribes guidelines under which certain lenders are authorized to adjust interest rates on loans guaranteed by the Administrator. Requires rural electrification borrowers to obtain concurrent supplemental financing according to prescribed guidelines in any fiscal year in which the minimum loan level for insured rural electrification loans is less than $1,000,000,000. Repeals the loan-making authority of the Governor of the Rural Telephone Bank which require approval by the Secretary of Agriculture of facilities or lines to be acquired with such loans. Eliminates loan restrictions placed upon potential borrowers whose net worth exceed their assets by twenty percent.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1983
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to repeal provisions requiring the purchase rather than the rental of durable medical equipment if it appears that purchasing such equipment would be less costly and more practical than renting.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1983
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide coverage for services necessary to determine the refractive state and visual function of an individual with a severe visual disability.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1983
Medicare Vision Act of 1983 - Provides coverage under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act for: (1) eye examinations for the purpose of prescribing, fitting, or changing eyeglasses; (2) procedures performed to determine the refractive state of the eyes; and (3) services performed by a doctor of optometry. Permits payment for services under part B for services performed by an optometrist, or services performed by another doctor which could be performed by an optometrist, only if payment is made on the basis of an assignment.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1983
National Industrial Strategy Act - Title I: Economic Cooperation Council - Establishes the Economic Cooperation Council to collect and analyze economic data and, upon request to make recommendations to Congress, Federal departments and agencies, and the National Industrial Development Bank (established by this Act) regarding national industrial policy and sectoral strategies. Requires the Council, within one year after enactment, to report to Congress and the President its recommendations for changes in any Federal policy necessary to implement an effective national industrial strategy. Exempts the Council from the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Establishes within the Council a Bureau of Economic Information and a Bureau of Economic Analysis. Requires the Council to send annual reports to the President, Congress, and the National Industrial Development Bank about the major industrial development priorities of the United States and the policies needed to meet them. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: National Industrial Development Bank - Establishes the National Industrial Development Bank to make loans and loan guaranties and to issue debt instruments in such a way as to improve the overall economic goals of the Nation and broad public interest. Sets forth general provisions regarding the issuance of financial assistance. Directs the Bank to provide financial assistance to those mature and linkage industries which can be restructured to become competitively successful in the long term. Requires such a company to submit a plan to the Bank which demonstrates that it will be viable in the long run without additional Federal financial assistance. Authorizes financial assistance to develop and market new technologies and to aid in the growth of emerging industries. Authorizes financial assistance to regional development banks. Requires annual reports to Congress. Terminates the Bank on September 30, 1989. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1983
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should seek a consensus at the Williamsburg Summit, aimed at: (1) reducing disparities in certain financial rates and economic policies among summit countries; and (2) arranging a meeting of summit country finance ministers with the Secretary of the Treasury, to achieve an alignment between the interest rates and major currencies. Urges the President to arrange, in conjunction with the Williamsburg Summit, bilateral discussions with the Prime Minister of Japan to bring about further realignment of the yen and dollar exchange rates.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1983
Amends the Job Training Partnership Act to revise the definition of "economically disadvantaged" (for purposes of eligibility for training under such Act) to include, in cases permitted by regulations of the Secretary of Labor: (1) handicapped individuals living at home; and (2) individuals who are institutionalized or receiving services in, or are clients of, a sheltered workshop, prison, hospital or similar institution or in community care.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 1983
Home Ownership Incentive Act of 1983 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an income tax deduction for contributions of cash, stocks, bond, or other securities tradeable on an established exchange to a tax-exempt trust account established for the exclusive purpose of purchasing the taxpayer's first principal residence. Limits the maximum annual deduction to $1,000 with a maximum lifetime deduction of $10,000. Excludes distributions from such account from gross income if they are used exclusively for the purchase of a first principal residence. Imposes a ten percent surtax on distributions from an individual housing account which are not used for the purchase of a principal residence. Requires the trustee of an individual housing account to report on the maintenance of the account. Imposes a penalty for failure to file required reports.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 1983
Amends the National Historic Preservation Act to authorize appropriations for the National Museum for the Building Arts in Washington, D.C., for FY 1984 through 1987 in order to keep it operating during the time the museum building is being renovated. Changes the name of the museum from the National Museum for the Building Arts to the National Building Museum.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 1983
Water Resources Research Act of 1983 - Authorizes the establishment, subject to the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, of one water resources research and technology institute in each State at certain colleges or universities. States that each such institute shall: (1) have responsibility for planning, conducting, and/or arranging for competent research in relation to water resources; and (2) cooperate with other colleges and universities in the State to develop a statewide program designed to resolve State and regional water and related land problems. Requires the Secretary to make grants to each institute to be matched at specified rates by non-Federal dollars. Requires each institute, prior to the receipt of funds each fiscal year, to submit to the Secretary a water research program. Requires the Secretary to establish procedures for a detailed evaluation of each institute to determine whether such institute warrants continued Federal support. Provides for such evaluations within two years of establishment and for reevaluations at intervals not to exceed four years. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary to carry out this section for FY 1984 through 1988. Permits the Secretary to make additional grants (on a dollar-for-dollar matching basis) to other qualified institutions and agencies of local or State government for research concerning any aspect of a water-related problem which the Secretary may deem to be in the national interest. States the application requirements for such grants. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary to carry out this section for FY 1984 through 1988. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to certain organizations for technology development concerning any aspect of water-related technology which the Secretary may deem to be of State, regional, or national importance. Authorizes the Secretary to establish any condition for the matching of funds for such grants in the best interest of the Nation considering the technology needs for water resources. States the requirements for applications for grants under this section. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary for carrying out this section for FY 1984 through 1988. Repeals the Water Research and Development Act of 1978. Requires that rules and regulations established under such Act shall remain in effect until superseded by new rules and regulations promulgated under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 1983
Veterans' Programs Improvement Act of 1983 - Title I:Definition of Vietnam Era - Redefines the Vietnam Era to include the period July 8, 1959, through May 7, 1975, for veterans who served in the Republic of South Vietnam during that period. Title II: Women Veterans - Makes women veterans eligible for outpatient treatment at private facilities for medical conditions relating to gender. Title III: Veterans Administration Health-Care Programs - Extends through FY 1985 a Vietnam era veteran's eligibility for readjustment counseling. Makes the Preventive Health-Care Services Pilot Program a permanent program. Title IV: Veterans Administration Health-Care Personnel - Permits the Administrator to appoint licensed practical or vocational nurses for physical therapists, and certified or registered respiratory therapists for the medical care of veterans. Requires such personnel to have such medical, scientific, or technical qualifications as the Administrator shall prescribe. Sets forth the period of appointments and the probationary period for such personnel. Establishes wage scales and other terms and conditions of employment. Requires the Administrator and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to submit a joint report to the Veterans' Affairs Committees concerning the conversion of selected health care occupations to title 38 (Veterans), U.S. Code. Title V: Status and Role of Administrator of Veterans Affairs - Expresses the sense of Congress that the Administrator should be made a fully participating member of the Cabinet. Title VI: Health Hazards Studies and Report - Directs the Administrator to provide for an epidemiological study of the long-term adverse health effects of exposure to ionizing radiation from the detonation of a nuclear device, either in connection with a test or with the American occupation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, following World War II. Directs the Administrator to conduct a comprehensive review of scientific analysis of the literature covering studies relating to such effects. Directs the President and the Administrator to make several reports to the appropriate committees of Congress concerning the steps taken and the results of the literature review. Requires, after two years, an annual report from the Administrator to the appropriate committees concerning the epidemiological study. Directs the Administrator, within 90 days of submitting such report, to set forth in the Federal Register what action he proposes to take concerning Veterans Administration programs in response to such report. Directs the Administrator to report to Congress within 180 days of enactment on alternative approaches to providing benefits to veterans and the natural children of veterans who were exposed during service to either such radiation or to dioxins (Agent Orange) used in Vietnam. Title VII: Technical Amendments - Makes various technical amendments.
![Official portrait of Rep. Murphy, Austin J. [D-PA-20]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m001088_200.jpg)