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United States · Official source
4,495 records where Rep. Murphy, Austin J. [D-PA-20] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 1981
Urges the President to continue the embargo of agricultural commodities to the Soviet Union.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 1981
Economic Stabilization Act of 1981 - Authorizes the President, through fiscal year 1985, to issue such orders and regulations as may be deemed appropriate to stabilize prices, rents, wages, salaries, and profits at levels not less than those prevailing on January 1, 1981, and to stabilize interest rates and corporate dividends and similar transfers at levels consistent with orderly economic growth. Establishes a $25,000 maximum fine for, and provides for injunctive relief from, violations of any such orders.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 1981
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase from $20,000 to $75,000 in 1981 (with annual adjustments up to $95,000 in 1985 and thereafter) the earned income exclusion for U.S. citizens working abroad who are bona fide residents of a foreign country. Repeals the requirement that, as a condition of their employment, such individuals reside in a hardship area. Reduces from 17 to 11 months the residency requirement for such exclusion. Provides for an income tax exclusion for the value of employer-provided lodging in a camp in cases where satisfactory housing is not generally available. Reduces from 17 to 11 months the foreign residency requirement with respect to the deduction for certain housing expenses of living abroad.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 1981
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt from taxation income earned from sources outside the United States for all individuals who are bona fide residents of foreign countries or who are present in a foreign country for a specified time (current law excludes such income of such individuals only if they reside in camps located in hardship areas). Eliminates restrictions on such tax exclusion with respect to: (1) the dollar amount of such exclusion; (2) the taxable year to which the income earned abroad is attributed; (3) community income earned abroad; and (4) meals and lodgings provided by the employer. Repeals provisions added by the Tax Reform Act of 1976 which allow income tax deductions for various expenses related to living abroad.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 1981
Establishes the Barrier Islands National Parks. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to acquire lands within the boundaries of the barrier islands units except that the Secretary may acquire developed land only with the consent of the owner or following a determination by the Secretary that an actual or proposed change in the use of such land would impair the quality of the unit. Withdraws lands within the barrier islands units from entry or appropriation under U.S. mining laws and from the operation of the mineral leasing laws subject to valid existing rights. Prohibits any Federal agency from providing financial assistance or issuing any form of approval for: (1) the construction of any structure, road, or facility of any type on any barrier island unit of the Atlantic or gulf coast of the United States; (2) any road, airport, boat landing facility or other facility to be used for providing access to any such barrier island contrary to the purposes of this Act; (3) any project to prevent the erosion of, or to otherwise stabilize, any shoreline or inshore area of such a barrier island, and (4) the replacement, reconstruction, or repair of any property owned by any person other than the United States if such property is located on a barrier island and damaged or destroyed by a natural disaster. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 1981
Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to prohibit the employment of any blind person, or person with impaired sight, at less than the applicable minimum wage under such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 1981
Prohibits the total annual Government expenditures for the care of a former President, excepting Secret Service protection, from exceeding ten times the poverty level income for one urban family of four.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 1981
Requests the President to designate the week of October 4 through October 10, 1981, as "National Diabetes Week."
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 1981
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to include displaced homemakers as a targeted group for whom the new employee credit is available. Defines "displaced homemaker" as an individual who: (1) has not worked in the labor force for a substantial number of years but has provided unpaid services in the home for family members; (2) has been dependent on public assistance or the income of another family member but is no longer supported by that income; and (3) is unemployed or underemployed and has encountered difficulty in obtaining suitable employment.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 1981
Requests the President to designate March 16th of each year as "Freedom of Information Day."
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 1981
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt from income taxation any income resulting from the transfer of stock to an individual exercising a stock option under an incentive stock option plan. Specifies that the optionee may not dispose of stock within two years after an option is granted nor within one year after the transfer of shares. Requires that the optionee be an employee of the corporation granting such option at all times during the period after an option is granted and for three months after such option is exercised. Defines "incentive stock option" as an option granted to an individual in connection with employment by a corporation to purchase stock of such corporation. Sets forth the following conditions for the granting of such options: (1) approval of a plan for granting options by the shareholders of the corporation; (2) the granting of options within ten years of either the adoption or approval of the plan; (3) the termination of the option after ten years; (4) an option price which is not less than the fair market value of the stock subject to such option; (5) the nontransferability of the option; and (6) the optionee may not hold more than ten percent of the stock of the corporation, unless the option price is at least 110 percent of the fair market value of the stock subject to the option and such option is terminable five years after it is granted.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 1981
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize the Attorney General to order the deportation of certain nonimmigrant aliens (including foreign students) in the United States who: (1) knowingly participated in a political demonstration resulting or intending to result in personal injury or property damage; or (2) while in the United States, took part in any unlawful activity or advocated the overthrow by violence of any organized government. Permits the Attorney General to suspend deportation of such students.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 1981
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to remove the limitation on the amount of outside income which an individual may earn while receiving benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 1981
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that the standard mileage rate used in computing the charitable deduction for expenses incurred in the operation of a motor vehicle shall be the same as the standard mileage rate for the business related deduction.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 1981
Regulatory Procedure Act of 1981 - Title I: The Analysis, Management, and Organization of Agency Functions - Requires the head of each Federal agency to publish for each proposed major rule a preliminary regulatory analysis which describes: (1) the need for the rule; (2) the reasonable alternative approaches; (3) regional differences; (4) the projected benefits, adverse economic effects, and effectiveness of the proposed rule and alternatives; and (5) the advantages and disadvantages of adopting performance standards rather than design standards. Requires that each agency publish for each final major rule a final regulatory analysis which includes: (1) an explanation of the selection of the rule considering its adverse economic effects; (2) a summary of the significant issues raised by public comments; and (3) the total costs to the agency of the preliminary and final regulatory analysis. Directs each agency to: (1) include in the notice of each proposed and final major rule, instructions of how the public may obtain copies of such analyses; and (2) send a copy of such analyses to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Authorizes an agency to delay completing such analyses by publishing a finding that the rule is being adopted in response to an emergency that makes completion of such analyses impossible. Terminates any such emergency rule if such analyses are not completed within 180 days of the publication of the rule. Bars judicial review of such regulatory analyses. Requires the Director of OMB and the Comptroller General to report to Congress on agency compliance with the requirements of this title. Requires each agency to publish in the Federal Register, semiannually, a regulatory agenda containing a list of major and other rules for the next year and certain specified information concerning such rules. Directs each agency to submit its proposed major rules to the President for incorporation into a semiannual Calendar of Federal Regulations. Requires the Director of OMB to review and publish a list of rules submitted which potentially duplicate or conflict with other proposed or existing rules. Directs each agency: (1) include in the notice of a rulemaking or adjudicatory proceeding the date by which the agency intends to complete such proceeding; and (2) to prepare and publish in the first regulatory agenda of the year a report on such proceedings which includes the number of proceedings the agency failed to complete by the established deadline and the reasons for such failure. Requires that such report also disclose specified information concerning the use of funds by the agency for procuring services for the preparation of any report in connection with such a proceeding. Requires each agency, within 6 months of the effective date of this Act, to: (1) establish an office, within such agency, to be responsible for regulatory planning and management; (2) issue guidelines for determining which rules are significant rules; and (3) issue guidelines to insure that an adopted major or significant rule meets certain criteria including requirements that: (a) the rule is written to be easily understood; (b) there has been full consideration with affected State and local governments; and (c) the public has been given a full opportunity to participate in the rulemaking process. Requires that each agency submit to OMB and publish in the Federal Register a draft schedule for the review, over a ten-year period, of its major rules and practices. Sets forth guidelines for such review. Directs each agency to publish a final review schedule within one year. Requires that each agency announce the review date for each major rule upon its publication. Requires each agency to publish an assessment of each precept reviewed. Declares that such review requirements shall not apply to any rule or practice involving the internal revenue laws of the United States. Title II: Reorganizing and Improving Agency Proceedings - Requires that the general notice of a proposed rule include: (1) a statement that the agency seeks proposals from the public of alternative methods; and (2) a statement of where the file of the rulemaking proceeding may be inspected or how file copies may be obtained. Subjects rules concerning public property, loans, grants, benefits, or contracts to notice and comment rulemaking procedures. Directs each agency to maintain a file of each rulemaking proceeding. Requires each agency to transmit semiannually to the appropriate Congressional committees an agenda listing all areas in which the agency intends to propose major rules during the following year. Directs each agency to transmit a copy of each final rule to each House of Congress and to such committees on the day the rule is published. Prohibits the rule from becoming effective: (1) until 30 days after it is received by such committees; (2) until the earlier of the expiration of 60 days after the date on which a committee reports a resolution disapproving the rule or the date on which such resolution is rejected; or (3) if such a resolution is enacted. Exempts from such time constraints any major rule promulgated in response to an emergency situation. Prohibits an agency from promulgating a new rule substantially the same as a disapproved rule. Requires agencies to respond in an appropriate manner to good faith requests from interested persons for interpretations of agency rules. Creates a new procedure for administrative proceedings required by statute. Establishes an "expedited procedure" which applies to any proceeding predominantly concerning policy issues of a general character, including rulemaking and initial licensing. Requires "trial-type procedures" for proceedings which predominantly concern specific factual questions, including proceedings to assess a civil penalty or fine or to determine a claim for certain individual benefits. Directs the agency to conduct a hearing in such a proceeding to afford parties an opportunity to submit written data, arguments, and responses, and, at the request of any party, an opportunity for oral argument. Requires the presiding employee to designate a disputed question for formal cross-examination upon determining, at the conclusion of the hearing, that there is a substantial dispute of fact which can be resolved sufficiently only by formal cross-examination and upon which the decision of the agency is likely to depend. Sets forth procedures for issuing subpoenas in formal proceedings under the expedited or trial-type procedures. Enumerates the powers and responsibilities of a presiding employee at proceedings under trial-type procedure. Allows an agency to designate an appropriate employee to recommend a decision for a proceeding under expedited procedure when the presiding employee submits the record of the proceeding without a recommended decision. Authorizes each agency to establish employee boards to review the decisions of presiding employees. Directs each agency to specify conditions under which it will accept an appeal of a decision of a presiding employee or such a board, and the conditions under which it will exclude a decision from the jurisdiction of a review board. Requires an action to be brought in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the review of an agency rule for which there is no applicable special statutory review procedure. Prohibits a court reviewing an agency action involving a rule from making any presumption in favor of or against the agency action. Requires such court to determine the agency's jurisdiction on the basis of the language of the authorizing statute or other evidence of legislative intent.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 1981
Extends through September 30, 1984, the period of Vietnam-era veterans' eligibility for readjustment counseling and related mental health services.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 1981
Directs the Secretary of Labor to pay a benefit of $50,000 to the survivors of any Federal law enforcement officer or firefighter who has died as the direct result of an injury sustained in the line of duty. Sets forth the order of precedence as to the beneficiaries of such payment. Authorizes the Secretary to make an interim payment not to exceed $3,000 to a survivor who, in the Secretary's determination, probably will receive such a benefit. Declares that no such benefit shall be subject to execution or attachment. Prohibits payment of such benefit: (1) if death was caused by the intentional misconduct, suicide, or intoxication of the officer or firefighter; and (2) to any beneficiary whose actions contributed to the death of the officer or firefighter. Declares that the provisions of this Act shall apply with respect to injuries sustained on or after September 23, 1976.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 1981
Prohibits the issuance of any regulations by the Internal Revenue Service on employee fringe benefits after April 30, 1981.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 1981
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 standard 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. Stipulates that VA subpoenas may be served either by personal delivery or by registered or certified mail. Increases the 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; (2) provide the claimant with an opportunity for a hearing; and (3) 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 disagreements with respect to a material issue in a veterans' 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 claimants' 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 procedural rights and procedures. Directs the Administrator to conduct a study of two alternate claims resolution methods, one a new intermediate-level adjudication process, the other an enhanced schedule of formal Appeals Board hearings. 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) 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; (2) that in cases not directly involving a claim for benefits a civil action otherwise authorized by law shall not be precluded; (3) the definition of final decision; (4) that the judicial review procedures established under this Act shall not apply to insurance and home loans; (5) that the VA shall file the various materials constituting the record in a case together with its answer to the claimant's complaint; and (6) that the court render a decision on the pleadings. States, with regard to the reviewing court's scope of review, that such court: (1) 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, such court 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. Stipulates 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. Establishes procedures for the review of the VA's or a court's approval of attorneys' fees. States that in the case of a benefits claim resolved before the VA, either the claimant or the attorney may challenge the award in the Federal district court in which the claimant resides or has his principal place of business within 30 days after notice of the attorneys' award. Provides that all parties be given notice. Stipulates 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 - States that this Act shall become effective 180 days after enactment. Permits review of Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions rendered on or after January 1, 1977, and prior to the effective date of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 1981
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to phase out by 1986 the limitation on outside income for beneficiaries age 65 or older.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 1981
Prevention, Identification, and Treatment of Elder Abuse Act of 1981 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish an office known as the National Center on Elder Abuse to: (1) compile an annual summary of recently conducted research on elder abuse; (2) develop and maintain an information clearinghouse on all programs for the prevention and treatment of such abuse; (3) compile training materials for personnel engaged in elder abuse prevention; (4) provide technical assistance for the planning and implementing of programs relating to the problems of elder abuse; and (5) investigate the causes and national incidence of elder abuse. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to or enter into contracts with public agencies or nonprofit organizations for demonstration projects designed to prevent and treat elder abuse. Sets forth the terms and conditions for such grants. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States for the development and implementation of elder abuse prevention and treatment programs. Requires such States to have in effect a State elder abuse law with mandatory reporting provisions. Sets forth other requirements for eligibility. Prohibits the use of assistance for construction of facilities. Directs the Secretary to establish criteria to achieve equitable distribution of assistance among the States. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 1981
National Condominium Act of 1981 - Provides for the designation of an Assistant Secretary for Condominiums within the Department of Housing and Urban Development to assist in the planning, development, construction, or operation of condominiums or the purchase of condominium units. Prohibits the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from making any housing loan to a developer of a condominium project unless the developer discloses information assuring compliance with specified standards governing the sale and conversion of condominiums. Allows any purchaser of a federally-assisted condominium at least 30 days after signing a purchase agreement to cancel such agreement. Directs the Secretary to assist State and local governments to establish standards to protect purchasers of condominiums and residents of structures being converted to condominiums. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to such governments for the establishment of offices to enforce such standards. Authorizes appropriations. Establishes penalties for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 1981
Requests the President the designate the week commencing with the third Monday in February of 1982 as "National Patriotism Week."
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Provides that remarriage of a veteran's surviving spouse after age 60 shall not result in termination of dependency and indemnity compensation.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Research Modernization Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish within the National Institutes of Health a National Center for Alternative Research to develop and coordinate alternative methods of research and testing which do not involve the use of live animals. States that the Center shall be managed by a Director appointed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services and that the head of any Federal agency which conducts or sponsors research or testing involving the use of live animals appoint one employee to serve as a member of the Center. Directs the Secretary to establish within the Center an Advisory Committee to advise the Center. Requires the Secretary to make and publish in the Federal Register descriptions of alternative methods of testing which meet the regulatory scientific needs of the agencies and which have been reported in summary or plan. Prohibits the use of Federal funds to sponsor research or testing involving the use of live animals if alternative methods have been published in the Federal Register or if such work duplicates work performed by another agency. Requires each agency conducting research involving the use of live animals to: (1) implement a program to develop and utilize alternative methods of research and testing that would reduce or eliminate reliance on the use of live animals; and (2) make grants and enter into contracts with educational institutions to establish courses for the training of scientists in methods of research and testing which do not involve the use of live animals. Requires the Secretary to submit to Congress annually a summary of the Director's annual report of the performance of the Center.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income a corporate stock distribution to a stockholder based upon the reinvestment of stock dividends in the corporation by such stockholder pursuant to his election to participate in a qualified dividend reinvestment plan, as defined in this Act. Limits the amount of such exclusion to $1,500 per year. Establishes a rebuttable presumption that a distribution made by a corporation which purchases its common stock within one year of such distribution shall not be deemed a distribution pursuant to a qualified dividend reinvestment plan.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Small Business and Family Farm Preservation Act of 1981 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the unified credit against estate and gift taxes from $47,000 to $155,800. Increases the amount of the annual gift tax exclusion from $3,000 to $6,000.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit the manufacture, importation, installation, offer to sell, rent, or lease, or other distribution of telephone receivers or similar equipment manufactured after the date of enactment of this Act for use in connection with any interstate or foreign communication, unless such receiver or equipment is designed and manufactured to permit telephone reception by means of hearing aids with inductive receptors. Establishes fines for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to transfer the statue of Major General George Gordon Mead presently situated in the District of Columbia to Fort George G. Meade, Maryland.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit taxpayers who do not itemize income tax deductions to claim a deduction from gross income for charitable contributions.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Amends the Federal criminal code to establish mandatory minimum two-year terms of imprisonment for the Federal crimes of burglary, aggravated assault, second degree murder, commission of an offense with a firearm or destructive device, rape, and robbery (including bank robbery). Increases the minimum term to four years for repeat offenders. Stipulates that the execution or imposition of sentences: (1) may not be suspended; (2) may not include probation or parole; and (3) is not subject to good time provisions or the Federal Youth Corrections Act. Specifies mitigating circumstances for the imposition of such mandatory sentences. Requires a sentencing hearing to determine if such circumstances are applicable.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to include within the categories of deportable aliens foreign students who knowingly participated in a political demonstration resulting in, or intending to result in, injury or damage to another's person or property. Permits the Attorney General to suspend deportation of such students.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Job Expansion and Urban Development Tax Act of 1981 - Title I: Designation of Eligible Areas and Businesses - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to define a job expansion area as any area in the United States designated by one or more local governments as such. Limits eligibility for such designation to areas with a population of at least 5,000 whose rates of poverty and unemployment exceed specified national averages, and whose rates of per capita income growth fall below specified levels. Defines a "job expansion business" as one: (1) at least 50 percent of whose hours of service are performed by employees working in one or more job expansion areas; and (2) except in extenuating circumstances, at least 50 percent of such qualified employees are residents of a job expansion area. Title II: Tax Incentives - Subtitle A: New Investment - Provides for an election of an additional $40,000 ($80,000 in the case of married individuals filing jointly) first-year depreciation for machinery and equipment purchased by a qualified job expansion business. Requires recapture of the tax that would otherwise have been paid if the property concerned ceases to be used predominantly inside a job expansion area. Allows an additional five percent investment tax credit for new buildings placed in service by a qualified job expansion business. Subtitle B: Investment in Used Equipment and Rehabilitated Buildings - Allows the election by a qualified job expansion business of an investment tax credit of an additional $400,000 of cost for used equipment used predominantly in a job expansion area. Provides for recapture of the tax benefit in the event such property ceases to be used predominantly in such area. Allows a 25 percent investment tax credit for expenditures paid or incurred for rehabilitation of a building located in a job expansion area. Subtitle C: Limited Refund of Investment Tax Credit - Provides for the refundability of the investment tax credit for job expansion area property of up to $100,000. Subtitle D: Increases in Targeted Jobs Credit - Allows the targeted jobs credit for employment of residents of a job expansion area. Increases the amount of such credit for the employment of such individuals: (1) from 50 percent to 60 percent of the first-year wages; and (2) from 25 percent to 35 percent of the second-year wages. Title III: Effective Date - States the effective date of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Sunset Review Act of 1981 - Requires the House Committee on Rules and the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration to jointly develop and maintain an inventory of all Federal programs and tax expenditures. Requires such inventory to classify all such programs and expenditures according to the jurisdiction of the various legislative committees of the two Houses. Requires the General Accounting Office (GAO), before the beginning of the 98th Congress, after consultation with the appropriate legislative committees and the Congressional Budget Office, to submit a draft inventory to the House Committee on Rules and the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. Requires such Committees to notify each legislative committee of the programs and tax expenditures which are classified within its jurisdiction. Allows any legislative committee to propose revisions of such inventory within 30 days after notification. Requires that such inventory be published in a single document. Requires that an update be made of such inventory at the beginning of every Congress. Specifies information to be contained in such an inventory. Directs the GAO to publish a supplement to such inventory which includes certain budget information. Requires each legislative committee of the House of Representatives and the Senate, by a specified date, to report a resolution setting forth an agenda for the sunset review of selected Federal programs within its jurisdiction, or, in the case of the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Committee on Finance, of selected tax expenditures. Directs the committees of each House to develop their sunset review agenda in consultation with any other committee which has concurrent jurisdiction over any programs or tax expenditures involved. Requires, where practicable, that related programs and expenditures be reviewed during the same Congress. Requires the report accompanying any agenda reported in the 104th Congress and every fifth Congress thereafter to summarize the programs and expenditures reviewed and not reviewed during the five previous Congresses. Prohibits either the House or the Senate from considering a primary expense resolution for any legislative committee in any Congress until that committee has developed and submitted its sunset review agenda. Requires the House Committee on Rules and the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration to incorporate such agendas into a consolidated sunset review agenda and to report such consolidated agenda to its House in the form of a concurrent resolution, within seven legislative days after all committee sunset review agendas have been submitted. Requires the consolidated sunset review agenda to be adopted in the House and in the Senate no later than March 30 in the first session of each Congress. Sets forth the procedures for the consideration and adoption of such agenda. Requires each committee of the House or the Senate, not later than May 15 in the second session of each Congress, to report a bill or bills modifying, continuing, or terminating each program or tax expenditure which it has been directed to review under the consolidated sunset review agenda adopted during the first session. Requires such bill to be accompanied by a report. Requires each department, agency, and instrumentality in the executive branch of the Government which is responsible for the administration of a Federal program or tax expenditure selected for sunset review to provide the appropriate Congressional committees with its views, information, and assistance. Directs the Comptroller General to supply specified information on audits. Exempts foreign intelligence or counterintelligence programs designated by the President as requiring protection from unauthorized disclosure. Directs the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate to review such programs pursuant to the spirit of this Act. Amends rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives to include the consolidated sunset review agendas and the Congressional inventory of Federal programs as part of the House Committee on Rules' functions.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Establishes the Sunday after the first Monday in November in 1982, 1984, 1986, and 1988 as the day for election of Representatives and Delegates to the Congress. Requires electors of the President and Vice President for 1984 and 1988 to be appointed on the Sunday after the first Monday in November. Specifies the hours during which polling places shall be opened for such presidential elections. Requires the Federal Election Commission to report to Congress and the President on the amendments made by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Anti-Inflation Tax Act of 1981 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require annual cost of living adjustments, based on the Consumer Price Index, to individual income tax rates, the personal tax exemption, withholding requirements, and minimum income tax return amounts.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt ten barrels per day, per quarter, of royalty owner oil production from the windfall profit tax. Requires proportionate allocation of any production in excess of ten barrels per day between tier 1 oil, tier 2, and tier 3 oil and within any tier on the basis of removal prices. Requires allocation of the ten barrel amount among royalty owners who are members of the same related group.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Omnibus Tax Reform and Industry Tax Assistance Act of 1981 - Title I: Amendments Related to Business - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit a taxpayer engaged in a trade or business a nonrefundable income tax credit equal to 25 percent of the cash contributions made by such taxpayer to a reserve fund established to finance basic research in the scientific or engineering fields. Limits the total amount of such credit to five percent of the taxable business income of the taxpayer for the taxable year. Exempts such reserve fund from income taxation. Allows an income tax deduction for the basic research expenses paid out of the reserve fund during the taxable year. Specifies that research financed pursuant to this Act shall be performed by an institution of higher education. Allows a nonrefundable income tax credit of 25 percent of the qualified research and experimental expenditures paid or incurred by a taxpayer in carrying on a trade or business. Defines "qualified research and experimental expenditures" as those business-related expenditures which are currently deductible under provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. Limits the scope of such expenditures to technological research designed to develop or improve products or services. Excludes expenditures for research in the social sciences or humanities or for government-funded research. Limits the amount of expenditures eligible for the credit to those which exceed the annual average of such expenditures for the immediately preceding three years. Requires taxpayers under common control to aggregate such expenditures for purposes of computing the credit. Sets forth rules for adjusting such expenditure amounts when there is a change in business ownership. Provides for a three-year carryback and seven-year carryover of unused credits. Provides for a system of simplified cost recovery as an alternative method of computing depreciation on all tangible personal property, except public utility property. Assigns the depreciable basis of all such property to one of four recovery periods, representing either two, four, seven or ten years. Specifies that such property shall be placed in a recovery period which is at least 40 percent shorter than its comparable useful life under the Asset Depreciation Range system (ADR) presently utilized under current Treasury Regulations, except that no recovery period shall be shorter than two years. Permits a taxpayer, under the simplified cost recovery system, to elect one of three declining balance methods (200 percent, 150 percent, or 100 percent) in computing allowable depreciation deductions. Excludes from eligibility for recovery cost depreciation treatment the following types of property: (1) livestock; (2) amortization property; (3) property depreciable under certain alternative methods of depreciation; (4) public utility property; (5) oil or gas fired boilers; and (6) property used predominantly outside the United States. Provides for the deferral of gain or loss realized on the disposition of recovery cost property. Increases the permissible variance for assigned useful lives of public utility property under the Asset Depreciation Range system from 20 to 30 percent for utility property. Increases the rate of investment tax credit for depreciable property which has a useful life of between two and seven years. Permits a taxpayer to elect to expense (i.e. currently deduct) up to $25,000 of the costs of new or used tangible personal property used in the taxpayer's business during a taxable year in lieu of current provisions permitting additional first year depreciation. Revises the treatment of progress expenditure property with respect to the investment tax credit. Provides for the nonrecognition of gain from the sale or exchange of qualified new business stock, but only to the extent that such gain does not exceed the cost of qualified new business stock purchased by the taxpayer within one year of the date of the original sale. Defines "qualified new business stock" for the purposes of this Act. Reduces the basis of such stock by the amount of gain which is not recognized. Title II: Amendments Related to Individuals - Revises requirements for the tax exclusion of earned income of Americans working abroad. Permits such exclusion for individuals working in specified developing countries and in other foreign countries if such individuals perform charitable, export-related, or natural resource-related services. Reduces from 17 to 11 months the residency requirement in a foreign country for such tax exclusion. Waives such requirement if the Secretary of the Treasury determines that the taxpayer would otherwise have met the 11 month residency requirement but for the occurrence of civil unrest, war, or other adverse conditions precluding the normal conduct of business. Reduces from 17 to 11 months the residency requirement with respect to the tax treatment of housing costs of such taxpayers. Allows married couples filing a joint tax return an income tax deduction from gross income equal to ten percent of the lesser of $30,000 or the earned income of the spouse with the lower income. Increases to $500 ($1,000 in the case of a joint return) the amount of interest and dividend income which may be excluded from gross income. Amends the Crude Oil Windfall Profit Tax Act of 1980 to repeal the termination date for such exclusion. Allows individuals who are saving for their first home a nonrefundable income tax credit for cash contributions made during the taxable year to an individual housing account. Limits the amount of such credit to $2500 for any taxable year and $10,000 during a lifetime. Sets forth requirements for the establishment of an individual housing account. Imposes penalties for distributions made from an individual housing account which are not used in connection with the purchase of a principal residence. Exempts interest earned on an individual housing account from income taxation. Requires the trustee of an individual housing account to make such reports regarding the maintenance of an individual housing account as the Secretary of the Treasury may require. Prohibits contributions to an individual housing account in excess of prescribed limits and imposes a tax on such excess contributions. Title III: Payroll-Based ESOP Credit - Permits an employer an income tax credit equal to the lesser of the value of securities contributed to an ESOP, or a specified percentage in 1981, 1982, and 1983 of compensation paid to employees who purchase employer stock pursuant to a qualified employee stock ownership plan. Specifies that such credit shall terminate after 1984. Title IV: Development of Legislation for Reducing Inflation Through Tax Incentives - Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Committee on Ways and Means should study and consider legislation to control inflation by providing certain tax benefits. Title V: Study of Foreign Capital Formation Approaches Used by Business - Directs the Joint Committee on Taxation to study and report to specified congressional committees the approaches used by foreign businesses to acquire capital.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Comprehensive Oil Pollution Liability and Compensation Act - Title I: Oil Pollution Liability and Compensation - Provides that, in addition to the processing and settlement of claims, the Comprehensive Oil Pollution Liability Trust Fund (Fund), established in title II of this Act, is immediately available to pay specified removal costs arising out of an oil pollution incident. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations designating the person or persons who may obligate available money in the Fund for such purposes. Permits claims for damages for economic loss, incurred within a specified time, to be asserted for: (1) removal costs; (2) injury to or destruction of property or natural resources; and (3) loss of profits or impairment of earning capacity due to such injury or destruction. Specifies the potential claimants who have standing to assert claims involving each such type of damage. Imposes joint, several, and strict liability on the owners and operators of each pollution source. Specifies liability limits, except in cases of gross negligence or willful misconduct, for ships and other vessels. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish limits on the liability of classes of facilities used for transporting, producing, processing, storing, or transferring oil. Requires owners or operators of vessels over 300 tons (including foreign vessels) and owners or operators of offshore facilities to establish and maintain evidence of financial responsibility in an amount sufficient to satisfy applicable liability limits. Permits any owner or operator of more than one vessel or offshore facility to establish financial responsibility only to meet the maximum liability of the largest of such vessels or facilities, as the case may be. Provides for the enforcement of such financial responsibility requirements. States, in the case of an owner who is the holder of a leasehold interest or permit for the exploration of oil offshore, that evidence of financial responsibility established for the leasehold shall cover such owner for all facilities located on the leasehold. Provides that where an offshore facility is owned or operated by more than one person, evidence of financial responsibility may be established by any one of the owners or operators or in consolidated form. Requires owners or operators of each tank motor vehicle operated on highways and transporting oil in bulk, with a water capacity of more than 3,500 gallons, to establish and maintain evidence of specified financial responsibility. Limits the total liability of any guarantor, under this title, to the aggregate amount which such guarantor has provided as evidence of financial responsibility (except in cases of bad faith by a guarantor in settling a claim). Specifies procedures whereby the Secretary shall designate and advertise pollution sources. Directs the Secretary to advertise claims to be presented initially to the owner or operator, or to such person's guarantor, in instances in which: (1) the owner and operator of a vessel or facility designated by the Secretary deny such vessel's or facility's involvement; (2) the source of the discharge is a public vessel; or (3) the Secretary is unable to designate the pollution source. Permits claimants either to present a claim to the Fund or to bring an action in an appropriate United States court if liability is denied or the claim is not settled within a specified period. Sets forth procedures for the disposition and appeal of claims submitted to the Fund. Requires both the plaintiff and the defendant in a court action brought against an owner, operator, or guarantor to forward copies of all pleadings to the Fund. Permits the Fund to intervene in such actions. Subrogates any person or Government entity, including the Fund, paying compensation, to all the claimant's claims and rights under this Act. Specifies procedures for and the measure of recovery in actions brought by the fund against owners, operators or guarantors of alleged pollution sources. Grants U.S. district courts exclusive original jurisdiction over all controversies arising under this title, without regard to the citizenship of the parties or the amount in controversy. Declares that the rights and remedies under this Act shall be exclusive with respect to economic loss caused by oil pollution (but does not preclude State imposition of taxes or fees to finance the purchase and prepositioning of oil pollution cleanup and removal equipment). Sets penalties for persons failing to comply with specified provisions in this Act. Authorizes appropriations for this title. Directs the Secretary to submit an annual report to Congress on the administration of this title. Title II: Fund and Tax - Establishes the Fund in the Treasury of the United States. Transfers to the Fund amounts determined by the Secretary of the Treasury to be equivalent to: (1) the amounts received in the Treasury under the petroleum excise tax; (2) the amounts recovered or collected on behalf of such Fund under title I of this Act; and (3) any penalties imposed under title I of this Act or under oil and hazardous substances liability provisions of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act insofar as these relate to petroleum oils. Makes amounts in the Fund available only to pay claims for compensable damages recognizable under title I of this Act (including costs incurred by the United States by reason of such claims). Defines "compensable damages" for purposes of the Act. Restricts interest payable out of the Fund. Provides for certain interfund loans, under specified conditions. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to consult with the Secretary of Transportation, in the case of the Fund, and with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, in the case of the Hazardous Substance Trust Fund, concerning such interfund loans. Limits payment of claims by the Fund by requiring a minimum balance of at least $30,000,000 in the Fund. States that claims are to be paid in the order in which they were finally determined. Limits U.S. liability for payment of claims under this Act to the amounts in the Funds established under this title. Prohibits the funds from borrowing any money from the general fund of the Treasury, other than a first year authorization of appropriations as a repayable advance. Sets forth administrative provisions for the Fund, including methods of transfer, management, and investment. Coordinates this title with other provisions in this Act. Provides that nothing in this Act other than this title shall authorize: (1) the establishment of any fund; (2) the payment out of any fund created by this title; (3) the levy or collection of any fee; or (4) the imposition of any requirement with respect to the procedure applicable to rules and regulations prescribed under this title. Provides that, to the extent not inconsistent with this title, any reference in title I of this Act to a fund shall be deemed to refer to the Fund. Provides that, if the balance in any fund is to be transferred to the Fund, then any claim arising before October 1, 1981, which would have been payable out of the other fund shall be payable out of the Fund. Provides that if the Secretary of the Treasury determines that there is: (1) a Trans-Alaska Pipeline (TAP) Liability Fund surplus, then the amount of such surplus shall be treated as an advance payment of the petroleum excise tax on crude oil first transported through the TAP after the date of such determination; or (2) a TAP fund deficit, then the petroleum excise tax on such crude oil shall be increased by two cents per barrel until the total amount of such increased tax equals such deficit. Bases such TAP fund surplus or deficit on whether the amount transferred to the Fund from the TAP Liability Fund is greater or lesser than the total amount of claims which the Secretary of the Interior certifies as outstanding against the TAP Liability Fund at the time of such transfer. Amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 to provide for environmental excise taxes on petroleum and certain chemicals. Imposes an excise tax (the "petroleum tax"), for fiscal years 1981 through 1986, of 1.3 cents a barrel on: (1) crude oil received at a U.S. refinery, to be paid by the operator; (2) petroleum products entered into the United States for consumption, use, or warehousing, to be paid by the person entering such product; and (3) any domestic crude oil used in or exported from the United States which has not been taxed under (1), to be paid by the person using or exporting such crude oil. Exempts from such tax domestic crude oil used, on the premises where it was produced, for extracting oil or natural gas. Defines 'crude oil', 'petroleum product', and 'United States' for purposes of the Act. Provides that only one such petroleum tax shall be imposed on any petroleum product. Title III: Regulations, Effective Dates, and Savings Provisions - Specifies the effective dates of specified provisions of this Act. Amends specified laws, including the Deepwater Port Act of 1974, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Act, to conform with the provisions of this Act. Requires pro rata rebates to owners of oil when: (1) the amount of actual claims settled is less than the amount of claims certified against the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Liability Fund (TAP fund) or (2) any TAP fund surplus is not used as an advanced payment to the Comprehensive Oil Pollution Liability Fund. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to provide that the Secretary of the Army shall make any determination with respect to specified provisions applying to certain navigable waters.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Grants a Federal charter to the United States Submarine Veterans of World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Nondiscrimination in Insurance Act - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in the consideration of applications for, or the granting of, insurance policies and the terms of such policies. Permits insurers who regularly provide insurance solely to persons of a single religious affiliation to continue to do so. Grants to State or local governments having insurance discrimination laws the primary opportunity to enforce this Act. Permits an aggrieved person to file a civil action in State or Federal court against an insurer, if a State or local authority which has received notice of a complaint fails to act within 60 days or with respect to those authorities not having insurance discrimination laws. Authorizes the Attorney General to bring a civil action in district court when there is reasonable cause to believe that a person or group is engaged in a pattern or practice of resistance to the rights granted by this Act and that such denial raises an issue of general public importance.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Amends the Omnibus Crime Control Act of 1970 to revise and increase the mandatory penalties for using or carrying a firearm during commission of a Federal felony. Defines such offense as using a firearm to commit a felony over which the district courts have exclusive jurisdiction or carrying a firearm during such a felony involving violence. Deletes the requirement that the firearm be carried "illegally." Increases the additional penalty imposed for such offense from one to ten years' imprisonment to five to ten years' imprisonment for a first offender and from two to 25 years to ten years to life imprisonment for a second or subsequent offender. Extends to first offenders the directions, currently applicable only to second offenders, that the court not suspend any sentence or grant probation and that the additional sentence not run concurrently with any term of imprisonment imposed for the offense itself. Makes a first offender ineligible for parole for five years and a second or subsequent offender ineligible for ten years. Expresses the sense of Congress that the executive prosecute vigorously such offenses.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Age Discrimination in Employment Amendments of 1981 - Amends the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 to remove the existing 70-year upper age limit to which the discrimination prohibitions apply, thus extending coverage to all individuals who are at least 40 years of age. States that no exceptions to the prohibitions are permitted based on the nature of employment of an individual or entitlement to retirement benefits. Repeals mandatory retirement provisions for Federal civil service employees, District of Columbia employees, and Foreign Service employees.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Equal Pay Reform Act of 1981 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to disallow the economic profitability to the employer of goods worked on in a job as a factor to justify wage differentials based on the sex of the employee holding such job.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the taxation of any title II benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a deduction for cash and other personal property contributions to a parents' and students' savings account (PASS) created or organized exclusively for the purpose of paying the educational expenses of the taxpayer or the taxpayer's child. Limits the amount of such deduction to $1,500 per year, adjusted for inflation. Limits eligibility for such deduction to dependent's of the taxpayer, to individuals who have not attained age 21, full-time students at eligible educational institutions of higher learning or vocational schools, members of the Armed Forces on active duty, volunteers in the Peace Corps, or full-time volunteers with certain other organizations. Excludes distributions from such an account from the gross income of the payee so long as such distributions are used to defray the beneficiary's tuition, fees, books and supplies, and reasonable living expenses. Specifies sanctions for the use of account funds for other than such educational purposes. Requires the beneficiary of a PASS account to maintain certain records and file certain documents with the Secretary of the Treasury.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow individual taxpayers a refundable income tax credit for the purchase of new passenger automobiles after December 31, 1980, and before January 1, 1982, which were manufactured by companies whose average fuel economy rating for passenger automobiles in model year 1979 equals or exceeds 120 percent of their rating for model year 1974. Establishes the amount of such credit as $500.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Young Families Homeownership Opportunity Act of 1981 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow individuals who are saving for their first home a nonrefundable income tax credit for 20 percent of the cash contributions made during the taxable year to an individual housing account. Limits the amount of such credit to $1,000 for any taxable year and $3,000 during a lifetime. Sets forth requirements for the establishment of an individual housing account. Imposes penalties for distributions made from an individual housing account which are not used in connection with the purchase of a principal residence. Exempts interest earned on an individual housing account from income taxation. Requires the trustee of an individual housing account to make such reports regarding the maintenance of an individual housing account as the Secretary of the Treasury may require. Prohibits contributions to an individual housing account in excess of prescribed limits and imposes a tax on such excess contributions.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Individual Investors' Incentive Act of 1981 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow individual taxpayers a nonrefundable income tax credit equal to ten percent of the cost of domestic stock purchased by such taxpayer during the taxable year. Limits the dollar amount of such credit to $1,000 ($2,000 for married individuals filing jointly). Limits such credit to one-tenth of the increase of the aggregate adjusted basis of the taxpayer's domestic stock for the taxable year. Disallows such credit if the taxpayer controls the corporation. Requires the recapture of specified amounts of such credit if any stock for which the credit is allowed is disposed of by the taxpayer within one year of purchase. Disqualifies estates, trusts, and nonresident aliens from eligibility for the credit.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the disability and income requirements for the sick pay exclusion enacted by the Tax Reform Act of 1976. Provides an exclusion from gross income for sick pay not in excess of $100 per week.