United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Domestic Fishermen's Emergency Assistance Act - Permits commercial fishermen who are adversely affected by the imposition of prohibitive Federal and State restrictions to apply to the Secretary of the Interior for grants to enable such person to meet the usual business expenses, which, but for the economic loss caused him by the imposition of such restrictions, such person would ordinarily be able to meet. Limits reimbursement to restrictions related to a deterioration in the quality of the aquatic environment and imposed on or after January 1, 1973, by any State or by any department or agency of the Federal Government which, in the judgment of the Secretary, impairs the economic feasibility of any type of domestic fishing to such an extent as to reduce: (1) by 50 percent or more of the fair market value, in the affected area, of fishing or equipment principally useful for that type of fishing or (2) by 20 percent or more of the market value of the commercial catch in the affected area which would have been realized in the calendar year concerned but for the imposition of such restrictions. Authorizes the Secretary to attach conditions and limitations on such grants. Provides that the acceptance of a grant under this Act shall operate as an assignment to the Secretary of all rights of the eligible person receiving the grant to recover damages against any party for committing or failing to commit acts which resulted in the imposition of the prohibitive Federal or State restrictions on the basis of which the eligible person obtained such grant.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Provides that the Secretary of State shall make compensatory payments to States and political subdivisions with respect to United Nations property tax exemptions in such States or political subdivisions.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Hemophilia Act - Provides that any individual suffering from hemophilia may file a claim for benefits under this Act with the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in such form and containing such information as he may reasonably require. States that benefits under this Act shall be paid to, or on behalf of a claimant, in an amount equal to 100 percent of the actual cost of providing blood, blood products, and services associated with the treatment of hemophilia, less: (1) amounts payable by third parties (including governmental agencies); and (2) amounts determined by the Secretary (in accordance with this Act) to be payable by the individual suffering from hemophilia. Authorizes to be appropriated for fiscal years 1976, 1977 and 1978, such sums as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of these provisions. Directs the Secretary to provide for the establishment of no less than fifteen new centers for the diagnosis and treatment of individuals suffering from hemophilia. Authorizes to be appropriated to carry out such purposes: $5,000,000 for fiscal year 1975, $10,000,000 for fiscal year 1976, and $15,000,000 for fiscal year 1977. Provides that the Secretary shall establish a program within the Public Health Service to provide for diagnosis, treatment, and counseling of individuals suffering from hemophilia. States that such program shall be made available through the facilities of the Public Health Service to any individual requesting diagnosis, treatment, or counseling for hemophilia. Permits the Secretary to make grants to public and nonprofit private entities, and to enter into contracts with such entities and individuals, to establish blood fractionation centers for the purpose of fractionating and making available for distribution blood and blood products, in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary to hemophilia treatment and diagnostic centers. Authorizes to be appropriated $5,000,000 for fiscal year 1975, $10,000,000 for fiscal year 1976, and $15,000,000 for fiscal year 1977 for this purpose. Establishes in the National Institutes of Health a National Hemophilia Advisory Board to be composed of twenty members. States that it shall be the function of the Board to: (1) establish guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of persons suffering from hemophilia; and (2) submit a report to the President for transmittal to the Congress not later than January 31 of each year on the scope of actions conducted under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Provides that, beginning one year after enactment of this Act, no law enforcement grants under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 will be made to State and local governments unless these units of government have instituted a law enforcement officer's grievance system and have enacted into law a "Law Enforcement Officers' Bill of Rights" which will cover all law enforcement officers in the States. Declares that this Bill of Rights shall provide law enforcement officers statutory protection for certain rights enjoyed by other citizens. Requires the bill of rights to provide, at a minimum, the following: (1) law enforcement officers shall not be prohibited from engaging in political activity, except when on duty or acting in an official capacity; (2) when an officer is subject to an investigation that could lead to disciplinary action or criminal charges: (a) the investigation shall be conducted at a reasonable hour, preferably while the officer is on duty, (b) the investigation shall occur at the office of the investigating officer or at the precinct where the incident occurred, (c) there shall be one interrogator asking all questions to the officer and the names of all investigating officers shall be known by him, (d) the officer shall know the nature of the investigation and the names of complainants, (e) all civilian complaints must be duly sworn to before an official authorized to administer oaths, (f) interrogating sessions shall be of reasonable length, (g) the officer under investigation shall not be subject to abuse or threats, (h) all interrogations shall be recorded, (i) if the officer is to be placed under arrest, he shall be fully informed of his rights before interrogation, and (j) the officer shall have a right to counsel who shall be present during any interrogations dealing with the officer's continued fitness for law enforcement service; (3) citizen review boards having porportionate police representation; (r) law enforcement officers shall have recourse to civil actions for damages suffered or for abridgement of their civil rights arising out of the performance of official duties; (5) financial disclosures shall not be required unless obtained under legal procedures or there is evidence of a conflict of interests; (6) notice of and reasons for all disciplinary action is required; and (7) no officer shall be disciplined or discriminated against in any way by reason of his exercise of these rights. Establishes in each State and unit of local government a law enforcement officers grievance commission composed of an equal number of governmental representatives, law enforcement officers, and members of the general public which shall have the authority to receive, investigate, and determine complaints and grievances arising from claimed infringement of rights of any law enforcement officer. Allows employee organizations to act on the officer's behalf, at his request, regarding any complaint before the commission. Permits certified employee organizations to initiate actions on behalf of their members. Provides that, in addition to this grievance procedure, law enforcement officers may institute a civil action for redress of the grievances.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
National Cancer Research Act - Title I: Short Title and Declaration of Policy - Declares it to be the purpose of this Act to carry out within five years the goal that cancer research activities of the United States shall be priority oriented and shall be conducted so as to contribute materially to one or more of the following objectives: (1) the expansion of human knowledge of methods in which to detect, prevent, and cure cancer; (2) the development of cancer preventative vaccines, or other preventatives; (3) the improvement of the usefulness and of the dissemination of information from, all cancer-related research activities conducted in the United States; and (4) the development and operation of cancer research facilities, equipment, and supplies, capable of making significant advances in cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and cure. Title II: Coordination of Cancer Research Activities - Establishes, for five years, in the Executive Office of the President the National Cancer Research Council to be composed of the Vice President, Secretary of State, Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, Administrator of the National Cancer Research Administration, and Director of the National Institutes of Health. Directs the Council to develop a comprehensive program of cancer research and to resolve differences among various agencies with respect to cancer research. Establishes, for five years, the National Cancer Research Administration, the administrator of which shall plan, direct, and conduct the cancer research activities of the United States; and disseminate information concerning its activities. Authorizes the Administration to acquire property, enter into contracts, use facilities of Federal agencies, and appoint personnel. Requires semiannual reports from the Administration to the Congress. Title III: Miscellaneous - Allows the President to transfer to the Administration for five years any functions of any other department, agency, or officer of the United States which relate primarily to the functions, powers and duties of the Administration. Requires information obtained by the Administration to be available for public inspection. Provides for retention of property rights and patenting by the United States of inventions made in the performance of any work under any contract with the Administration. Allows the administrator to waive all or part of the rights of the United States to an invention if he determines that the interest of mankind and the United States will thereby be served, subject to reservation of an irrevocable, nontransferrable, royalty-free license for the practice of such invention by the United States. Allows the administration to make a monetary award to any person for any medical, scientific, or technical contribution to the Administration, not exceeding $10,000. Title IV: Funding - Imposes on the income of every individual, estate, trust, and corporation a tax equal to 2 percent of the adjusted tax for the taxable year. Authorizes withholding of such tax according to tables prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury. Appropriates to such fund, sums as are necessary. Terminates such fund on January 1, 1981.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Establishes an executive department to be known as the Department of Health. Provides for a Secretary of Health, an Under Secretary, seven Assistant Secretaries, and a Chief Medical Officer, all of whom shall be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. Transfers to the Secretary all functions of the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare under specified Federal laws. Transfers various functions of the Secretary of HEW in regard to the Public Health Service. Redesignates the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare as the Department of Education and Welfare. Authorizes the Secretary of Health to appoint and fix the compensation of such officers and employees as are necessary to carry out his functions. Transfers to the Secretary the personnel, property, and authorizations of the Acts and functions listed in this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to establish a working capital fund for expenses necessary for the maintenance and operation of common administrative services and equipment. Authorizes the Secretary to provide for certain services and supplies for employees and their dependents stationed at remote localities. Provides that the Secretary shall appoint such advisory committees as appropriate for consultation with the Department in the performance of its functions. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into contracts with educational institutions and public or private agencies for research into problems related to authorized programs. Establishes the National Advisory Commission on Health Planning to be composed of 19 members, which shall conduct a study of the programs of the Department, and shall submit a comprehensive report of its findings and legislative and administrative recommendations to the President, the Secretary, and the Congress. Provides that the Commission shall also conduct a detailed study of the current and future health needs of the United States, and issue a national health plan for health needs over the next ten years. Authorizes expenditures by the Commission not to exceed $5,000,000. Requires the Secretary to make a report in writing to the President for submission to the Congress on the activities of the Department during the preceding fiscal year. Continues all rules, contracts, and privileges effective under any Act previously listed, until suspended. Provides that this Act shall not affect any proceedings pending at the time of enactment. Makes the provisions of this Act effective 90 days after enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Travel Agents Registration Act - Declares the finding of Congress that it is in the public interest to strengthen the travel agency industry and to maintain public confidence in travel agents by regulating travel agents. Provides that on and after January 1, 1975, no person shall, directly or indirectly, engage in the business of conducting a travel agency without having first received a registration certificate as provided by this Act. Establishes in the Department of Transportation a Bureau of Travel Agents Registration, headed by a Director appointed by the Secretary of Transportation. Establishes a Travel Agents Registration Board to advise the Director and to pass on applications for registration certificates. Provides that the Director, with the advice of the Board, shall promulgate such rules and regulations as are considered necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act. Provides that the Director, with the advice of the Board, shall promulgate a code of ethics for the travel agency industry. Requires the granting of a certificate by the Director if the applicant was conducting a travel agency on September 3, 1968, has been doing so for two or more years, and has been approved for appointment as an agent for two or more years by two or more conferences of air or steamship carriers, unless the Director makes a specific determination that the applicant lacks good character or financial integrity. Provides that when an application for a registration certificate shall have been examined by the Director and the Director, with the advice of the Board, has determined that the applicant has complied with the rules and regulations promulgated by the Director and the Director, with the advice of the Board, shall have determined that the applicant, if issued a certificate of authorization, would provide a useful public service, the Director shall issue and deliver a registration certificate to the applicant. Provides that a registration certificate shall not be issued to any person who has been convicted in any State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a possession of the United States, of a felony or a crime concerning activities prohibited by this Act. Provides that registration certificates issued pursuant to this title shall not be assignable or transferable, and shall expire every second year. Provides for a fine of up to $1,000 upon a finding that the holder of a registration certificate has engaged in any of the following practices: (1) fraud or bribery in securing a registration certificate issued pursuant to this title; (2) the making of any false statement as to a material matter in any application or other statement required by or pursuant to this title; (3) violation of any provision of this title or any code, rule, or regulation adopted hereunder; (4) any fraud or fraudulent practice in the operation and conduct of a travel agency business including, but not limited to, intentionally misleading advertising; (5) activities prohibited by this title leading to conviction of a misdemeanor; and (6) activities leading to conviction of a felony. Provides for the revocation of the certificates of a registered agency for violations of this title after an opportunity for a hearing and review by the United States court of appeals Provides penalties of up to $500 or imprisonment of not more than 6 months, or both, for any knowing and willful violations of this title.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Juvenile and Adult Correctional Facilities Improvement Act - Asserts that it is the purpose of this Act to provide financial assistance to the States and localities for the construction of new correctional facilities and for the modernization of correctional institutions. Authorizes the Attorney General in accordance with this Act to make payments to State agencies for the period beginning July 1, 1975 and ending June 30, 1979. Authorizes to be appropriated the sum of $100,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1975; $100,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1976; $200,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1977; $300,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1978; and $300,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1979. Provides that from the sums appropriated under this Act the Attorney General shall allot not more than 5 percent thereof among Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. Provides that the Attorney General shall allot to each State an amount which bears the same ratio to the remainder of such funds as the number of persons in correctional institutions in such State bears to the number of such persons in all States. Provides for the reallotment of any State's funds if the Attorney General determines that such funds will not be required. Provides that each State which desires to receive its allotment under this Act shall submit a State plan consistent with such criteria as the Attorney General may establish. States that such criteria shall include the general manner in which such State agency shall determine project priority and general standards of construction and equipment for correctional facilities of different classes and in different types of locations. States that payments under this Act from a State's allotment shall equal 50 percent of the cost of construction projects and 75 percent of the cost of modernization projects for any fiscal year. Directs that no payments will be made until the Attorney General has determined that such State will expend for correctional purposes not less than the total amount expended for such purposes during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1969 plus the amount needed for the non-Federal share of projects under this Act. Provides for judicial review of the Attorney General's actions with respect to any State plan. States that the Attorney General shall administer the provisions of this Act through the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
National Commission on Epilepsy and Its Consequences Act - Directs the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to appoint a National Commission to determine the most effective means of finding the cause and cures and treatments for epilepsy. Directs that such Commission shall develop a national plan for the control of epilepsy and its consequences. Provides for the membership of such Commission. Sets forth the duties of such Commission. Requires that it shall be a duty of the Commission to develop a comprehensive national plan for the control of epilepsy and its consequences based on the most thorough, complete, and accurate data available on the disorder. Requires the Commission to make recommendations concerning the proper roles of the Federal and State governments, and the national and local public and private agencies in research, prevention, identification and rehabilitation of persons with epilepsy. Requires the transmittal to the President and to the Congress of a final report under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Provides, under the Foreign Assistance Act, that whenever the President finds that, in any country receiving assistance under such Act, property of the United States Government has been willfully damaged or destroyed by the action of participants in any civil insurrection or rebellion or any rioting or other mob violence, and that reasonable measures were not taken by police or other local authorities to protect the property of the United States from damage or destruction, no assistance shall be provided such country under the Act for the twelve-month period following the damage or destruction to United States property unless certifed to the Congress by the President as being necessary to the national security.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Psychotropic Substances Act - Presents the finding of the Congress that it is essential that the United States cooperate with other nations in establishing effective controls over international traffic in psychotropic substances. Makes it the intent of the Congress that the provision of this Act will satisfy all obligations of the United States under the Convention on Psychotropic Substances, signed at Vienna, Austria, on February 21, 1971, which is designed to establish suitable controls over the manufacture, distribution, transfer, and use of certain psychotropic substances. States the desire of the Congress that, in the implementation of the Convention, the control of psychotropic substances in the United States should be accomplished within the framework of the procedures and criteria for classification of substances provided in the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970, or, when appropriate, in accordance with the provisions for new drugs pursuant to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, consistent with the obligations of the United States under the Convention. Requires that whenever the Secretary of State receives notification from the Secretary General of the United Nations that information has been transmitted by or to the World Health Organization, pursuant to the Convention on Psychotropic Substances, which may justify adding a drug or other substance to one of the schedules of the Convention, transferring a drug or substance from one schedule to another, or deleting it from the schedules, the Secretary of State shall immediately transmit the notice to the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. Directs the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare to prepare for transmission to the World Health Organization such medical and scientific evaluations as may be appropriate regarding the possible action through the Secretary of State that could be proposed by the World Health Organization.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Provides that quota visa numbers not issued during fiscal year 1973, as determined and proclaimed by the Secretary of State shall be transferred to an immigration pool. Provides that visa numbers from the pool shall be made available during the two fiscal years following enactment of this Act (50 percent each fiscal year) to immigrants otherwise admissible under the provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act from any foreign state which received during fiscal year 1968 less than the annual average number of immigrant visas issued during the ten-fiscal-year period prior to July 1, 1971, to such foreign state.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Provides that the provisions of the Flammable Fabrics Act shall extend to construction materials used in the interiors of homes, offices, and other places of assembly or accommodation. Authorizes the establishment of toxicity standards by the Secretary of Commerce.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Exempts streams and other bodies of water, the navigable portions of which lie within a single State, from the jurisdiction of the Federal Power Commission. (Amends 16 U.S.C. 796, 797, 817)
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Urban Recreational Opportunities Act - Expresses the findings of Congress that the solution of the problem of providing recreational opportunities for the Nation's underprivileged youth lies in: (1) the establishment of a permanent year-round urban recreational opportunities program within the Department of Labor; and (2) the providing of the necessary linkage on the local level with already existing Federal, State, or locally funded programs in such a way as to utilize existing resources. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor, in consultation with the Secretary of the Department of Interior, to develop and to implement programs which are used or usable for recreation. Provides for the coordination of all such programs by the Secretary with units of local government. Provides that programs will be carried out through grants made directly to units of local government, with particular attention being given to the needs of Appalachia and Indian Tribes. Allows agencies to contract with private nonprofit agencies or organizations to implement program projects. States that programs assisted under this Act shall, to the extent feasible, be designed to include information tours, cultural field trips, athletic activities, and admission to special events. Requires the Secretary to submit an annual report to the Congress on the progress of this Act. Authorizes to be appropriated to carry out the provisions of this Act $100,000,000 for fiscal year 1973 $150,000,000 for fiscal year 1974; and $200,000,000 for fiscal year 1975.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
States that no device shall be used to abridge or deny the equal right of citizens whose primary language is other than English to vote in any election. Provides that whenever the Director of the Census, upon suggestion of the Attorney General, finds that over 7 percent of the voting age population residing in a particular State or political subdivision thereof are persons whose primary language is other than English, and that less than 50 percent of those persons so residing, though citizens, were not registered to vote in the last election to which electors for President of the United States were chosen, the Attorney General may apply to the appropriate district court of the United States for orders: (1) that special Federal registrars who speak and understand the primary language of such citizens be appointed under the supervision of the Attorney General to facilitate the registration for voting by such citizens according to the lawful qualifications for voters established by the authority of the State in whose jurisdiction such citizens reside; and (2) that special Federal election officials who speak and understand the primary language of such citizens be appointed under the supervision of the Attorney General to facilitate the voting by such citizens in elections in such State or political subdivision thereof.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Requires, under the Communications Act of 1934, that specified television broadcasting stations include locally produced foreign language subtitles in programs of local origin when 5 percent or more of the residents in a station's grade A coverage area utilize any language other than English as their primary spoken language. Provides that compliance with this requirement shall be taken into account in broadcast license renewals.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
National Health Action Corps Act - States that the purpose of this Act is to increase the number of trained professional personnel in the allied health field by providing young Americans training and practical work experience in the allied health field. Establishes within the executive branch an independent agency to be known as the Health Action Corps. Provides that the Corps shall be headed by a Board of Directors which shall consist of the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, or their respective designees. States that it shall be the duty of the Corps to provide opportunities for young Americans to participate in programs which provide training and practical work experience in the allied health field. Provides that such programs shall include career counseling, exposure to various health-related occupations, and training and work experience in clinical settings. Stipulates that the Corps shall be composed of volunteers selected by the Administrator in accordance with policies and procedures established by the Board. States that the Administrator, in accordance with policies and procedures prescribed by the Board, may provide to any volunteer who has completed his period of enlistment: (1) a scholarship of $3,000 if such volunteer is a full-time student at a junior college, college, or university; or (2) a bonus of $3,000, if such volunteer works for one year in an area which (as determined by the Administrator) has a critical shortage of trained professional personnel in the allied health field. Stipulates that the Board shall establish a National Advisory Committee to advise, consult with, and make recommendations to the Board on matters relating to the following: (1) policies for the recruitment of Corps volunteers; (2) evaluation of the quality of the training provided to the Corps volunteers; (3) the projected future demand for trained professionals in the allied health field; and (4) innovations in the utilization of trained professional personnel in the allied health field.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Extends, under the Public Health Service Act, to commissioned officers of such Service all rights, benefits, and immunities of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act of 1940.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Authorizes the construction and maintenance of the General Draza Mihailovich Monument in Washington, District of Columbia, in recognition of the role he played in saving the lives of approximately five hundred United States airmen in Yugoslavia during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Consumer Class Action Act - Provides that the Congress declares that the protection afforded under the existing Federal Trade Commission Act is not sufficient to prevent unfair and deceptive acts perpetrated against consumers and that consumers should be allowed to sue directly for redress in the case of such practices. Provides that an act in defraud of consumers which affects commerce is unlawful and the district courts of the United States shall have original jurisdiction without regard to the amount in controversy to entertain civil class actions for redress of such unlawful acts. Defines "act in defraud of consumers" for purposes of this Act. Provides that in the case of any class action brought upon the basis of a violation of consumers' rights under any State law the court shall, in deciding such action, apply specified criteria, including: (1) Federal law applicable to each class fashioned upon the law of the State and State statutory and decisional construction applied as if jurisdiction of the Federal court were based on diversity of citizenship; and (2) in cases of conflict between State statutory and decisional construction and Federal law the latter shall prevail, and Federal law governing the case shall be fashioned from State law not in conflict, and from Federal law. Provides that whenever a class of consumers prevails in a class action under this Act, the court shall award to the attorneys representing such class a reasonable fee based on the value of their services.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Provides former members of the Armed Services and their dependents medical and dental care in uniformed services facilities during the sixty-day period after discharge or separation. Makes such persons eligible for post exchange and commissary privileges during such sixty- day period.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Bill of Rights for the Mentally Retarded - States that the purpose of this Act is to establish standards which assure the humane care, treatment, habilitation, and protection of the mentally retarded in residential facilities, and to improve the system for the provision of services to the mentally retarded through the encouragement of and support for the planning and development of strategies to implement such standards, minimize inappropriate admissions to residential facilities and stimulate the development of regional and community programs integrating such residential facilities which conform to such standards. Provides for a new title to the Public Health Service Act: Title XI: Support of Residential Facilities for the Mentally Retarded - Authorizes the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to make grants to States to aid them with the cost of bringing existing residential facilities into compliance with the standards established under this Act, and to improve existing residential facilities for the mentally retarded. Authorizes to be appropriated $30,000,000 ($15,000,000 for each program) for fiscal year 1974, and for each of the next two succeeding fiscal years, for such grants. Authorizes to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to enable the Secretary to make grants to States for the purpose of assisting States in meeting the expenses for bringing publicly operated facilities and publicly assisted facilities into conformity with the standards established by this Act. Stipulates that any State desiring to receive such a grant shall submit a plan to the Secretary setting forth a schedule for compliance with such standards. Provides that the total of the grants with respect to any such project bringing facilities into conformity with the standards imposed by this Act may not exceed 75 percent of the necessary cost thereof as determined by the Secretary. Requires, within five years after the date of enactment of this Act, that no residential facility for the mentally retarded shall be eligible to receive payments either directly or indirectly under any Federal law, unless such facility meets the standards promulgated under this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to any public or private non-profit agency, organization or institution to meet the costs of development, improvement, extension, or expansion of community resources and community living situations for the mentally retarded other than live-in-residential facilities for the mentally retarded. Establishes a National Advisory Council on Standards for Residential Facilities for the Mentally Retarded to: (1) advise the Secretary with respect to any regulations promulgated or proposed in the implementation of the standards established under this Act; (2) study and evaluate such standards authorized by this Act; and (3) recommend to the Secretary any changes, revisions, modifications, or improvements in the standards established under this Act. Provides that the ultimate aim of the residential facility shall be to foster those behaviors that maximize the human qualities of the resident, increase the complexity of his behavior, and enhance his ability to cope with his environment. Requires such facilities to be located within, and conveniently accessible to, the population served, so as to have access to necessary generic community services. Provides that the facility and the surrounding community should be encouraged to share their services and resources on a reciprocal basis. Provides that residents of the facility should be integrated to the greatest possible extent with the general population. Provides that the facility shall have a written outline of the philosophy, objectives, and goals it is striving to achieve. Requires such outline to be available for distribution to staff, consumer representatives, and the interested public. Provides that the governing body of the facility shall exercise general direction and shall establish policies concerning the operation of the individuals served. Provides that the administration of the facility shall provide for effective staff and resident participation and communication. Requires the facility to designate a percentage of its operating budget for self-renewal purposes. Provides that the facility shall have a description of services for residents that is available to the public. Provides that the facility shall provide for meaningful and extensive consumer-representative and public participation. Provides that a public education and information program should be established that utilizes all communications media, and all service, religious and civil groups, to develop attitudes of understanding and acceptance of mentally retarded persons in all aspects of community living. Provides that admission and release procedures shall: (1) encourage voluntary admission; (2) give equal priority to persons of comparable need; (3) facilitate emergency, partial, and short-term residential care; and (4) utilize the maximum feasible amount of voluntariness in each individual case. Authorizes the residential facility to admit only residents who have had a comprehensive evaluation. Provides that all admissions to the residential facility shall be considered temporary. Provides that there shall be a regular, at least annual, joint review of the status of each resident by all relevant personnel. Provides that at the time of permanent release or transfer there shall be recorded a summary of findings, progress, and plans for protective supervision and other followup services in the resident's new environment. Provides that the performance of each employee of the facility shall be evaluated at least annually. Provides that staffing shall be sufficient so that the facility is not dependent upon the use of residents or volunteers for productive services. Provides that food services shall recognize and provide for the physiological, emotional, and cultural needs of each resident, through provision of a planned, nutritionally adequate diet. Provides that each resident shall have an adequate allowance of neat, clean, fashionable, and seasonable clothing. Provides that residents shall be trained to exercise maximum independence in health, hygiene, and grooming practices. Provides that living unit components or groupings shall be small enough to insure the development of meaningful interpersonal relationships among residents and between residents and staff. Requires dental services to be provided all residents in order to maximize their general health by maintaining an optimal level of daily oral health, through preventive measures and correcting existing oral diseases. Provides that educational services, defined as deliberate attempts to facilitate the intellectual, sensorimotor, and affective development of the individual, shall be available to all residents, regardless of chronological age, degree of retardation, or accompanying disabilities or handicaps. Provides that food and nutrition services shall be provided in order to: (1) insure optimal nutritional status of each resident, thereby enhancing his physical, emotional, and social well-being; and (2) provide a nutritionally adequate diet, in a form consistent with developmental level, to meet the dietary needs of each resident. Makes library services, which include the location, acquisition, organization, utilization, retrieval, and delivery of materials in a variety of media, available to the facility, in order to support and strengthen its total habilitation program by providing complete and integrated multimedia information services to both staff and residents. Provides that medical services shall be provided in order to: (1) achieve and maintain an optimal level of general health for each resident; (2) maximize normal function and prevent disability; and (3) facilitate the optimal development of each resident. Provides that residents shall be provided with nursing services, in accordance with their needs, in order to: (1) develop and maintain an environment that will meet their total health needs; (2) foster optimal health; (3) encourage maximum self-care and independence; and (4) provide skilled nursing care. Provides that, where appropriate to the facility, there shall be a pharmacy and therapeutics committee, that includes one or more pharmacists, to develop policy on drug usage in the facility, and to develop and maintain a current formulary. Provides that physical and occupational therapy services shall be provided in order to: (1) prevent abnormal development and further disability; (2) facilitate the optimal development of each resident; and (3) enable the resident to be a contributing and participating member of the community in which he resides. Requires psychological services to be provided in order to facilitate, through the application of psychological principles, techniques, and skills, the optimal development of each resident. Provides that recreation services should provide each resident with a program of activities that: (1) promotes physical and mental health; (2) promotes optimal sensorimotor, cognitive, affective, and social development; (3) encourages movement from dependent to independent and interdependent functioning; and (4) provides for the enjoyable use of leisure time. Makes religious services available to residents, in accordance with their basic right to freedom of religion. Provides that all social services shall be available to all residents and their families in order to foster and facilitate: (1) maximum personal and social development of the resident; (2) positive family functioning; and (3) effective and satisfying social and community relationships. Provides that speech pathology and audiology services shall be available, in order to: (1) maximize the communications skills of all residents; and (2) provide for the evaluation, counseling, treatment, and rehabilitation of those residents with speech, hearing and/or language handicaps. Requires each facility to provide all its residents with rehabilitation services, which include the establishment, maintenance, and implementation of those programs that will ensure the optimal development or restoration of each resident physically, psychologically, socially and vocationally. Provides that volunteer services shall be provided in order to enhance opportunities for the fullest realization of the potential of each resident by: (1) increasing the amount, and improving the quality, of services and programs; and (2) facilitating positive relationships between the facility and the community which it serves. Provides that a record shall be maintained for each resident that is adequate for: (1) planning and continuous evaluating of the resident's habilitation program; (2) providing a means of communication among all persons contributing to the resident's habilitation program; (3) furnishing documentary evidence of the resident's progress and of his response to his habilitation program; (4) serving as a basis for review, study, and evaluation of the overall programs provided by the facility for its residents; (5) protecting the legal rights of the residents, facility, and staff; and (6) providing data for use in research and education. Provides that the administration of the facility shall make provision for the design and conduct, or the supervision, of research that will objectively evaluate the effectiveness of program components and contribute to informed decisionmaking in the facility. Provides that the requirements of the Secretary shall be met, with specific reference to the following: (1) provision of adequate and alternate exits and doors; and (2) provision of exit ramps, with nonskid surface and slope not exceeding one foot in twelve; and (3) provision for handrails on stairways. Provides that there shall be records that document strict compliance with the sanitation, health, and environmental safety codes of the State or local authorities having primary jurisdiction over the facility. Provides that adequate, modern administrative support shall be provided to efficiently meet the needs of, and contribute to, program services for residents, and to facilitate attainment of the goals and objectives of the facility. Provides that funds shall be budgeted and spent in accordance with the principles and procedures of program budgeting. Provides that there shall be written purchasing policies regarding authority and approvals for supplies, services, and equipment.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Restricts the sale or distribution of mailing lists by Federal agencies. Sets forth penalties for violation of this Act. Provides that such penalties shall include imprisonment for not more than one year, or a fine of not more than $10,000, or both. (Amends 5 U.S.C. 552)
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Broadcast License Renewal Act - Requires the Federal Communications Commission to establish procedures to be followed by licensees of broadcasting stations to ascertain the needs, views, and interests of their viewers. Sets the term of a broadcast station license, or renewal, at four years and for any other class of station at five years. Provides that any license granted may, upon its expiration, be renewed, if the Commission finds that the public interest, convenience, and necessity would be served by the renewal of such license. Requires that in considering any application for renewal of a broadcast license, the Commission shall not consider: (1) the ownership interests or official connections of the applicant in other stations or other communications media or other businesses; or (2) the participation of ownership in the management of the station for which such application has been filed, unless the Commission has adopted rules prohibiting such ownership interests or activities or prescribing management structures, as the case may be, and given the renewal applicant a reasonable opportunity to conform with such rules. Directs the Commission to prescribe procedures to encourage licensees of broadcasting stations and persons raising significant issues regarding the operations of such stations to conduct, during the term of the licenses for such stations, good faith negotiations to resolve such issues. Directs the Federal Communications Commission to conduct a study to determine how it might expedite the elimination of those regulations of broadcast licensees required by the Communications Act of 1934 which do not serve the public interest and to make annual reports of the results of such study (including any recommendations for legislation) to the Committee on Commerce of the Senate and the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce of the House of Representatives. Directs the Commission to, not later than six months after the date of enactment of this Act, complete all proceedings and take such agency action as it deems appropriate in connection with proposed amendments to the Commission's rules relating to multiple ownership of specified broadcast stations.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Provides that nothing contained in the Federal Trade Commission Act, or in the antitrust Acts, shall render unlawful the inclusion and enforcement in any trademark licensing contract or agreement, pursuant to which the licensee engages in the manufacture, distribution, and sale of a trademarked food product, of provisions granting the licensee the sole and exclusive right to manufacture, distribute, or sell such product in a defined geographic area. Provides that the provisions of this Act shall apply only if: (1) such product is in substantial and effective competition with products of the same general class distributed or sold by others; (2) the licensee is in substantial and effective competition with vendors of other products of the same general class; and (3) the licensor retains control over the nature and quality of such product in accordance with the provisions of the Trademark Act of 1946, as amended.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Records Management Act - Requires the establishment of standards and procedures to assure efficient and effective Government records management. States that such standards and procedures shall seek to effectuate the following goals: (1) accurate and complete documentation of the policies and transactions of the Federal Government; (2) control of the quantity and quality of records produced by the Federal Government; (3) simplification of the processes through which records are created, stored, retrieved, and used; (4) the judicious preservation and disposal of records; (5) the establishment and maintenance of a system which focuses continuous attention upon records from their initial creation to their final disposition; (6) the establishment and maintenance of mechanisms of control with respect to records creation, in order to assure the prevention of unnecessary records; and (7) the establishment and maintenance of such other systems or techniques as the Administrator considers necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act. Provides that the Administrator shall provide guidance and assistance to Federal agencies with respect to records creation, records maintenance and use, and records disposition. Directs the Administrator of General Services to: (1) conduct inspections or paperwork studies, at regular intervals as determined to be necessary by the Administrator, of the records and records management practices and programs of every Federal agency; (2) require the head of every Federal agency to transmit a report to the Administrator with respect to the records and records management practices and programs of each such Federal agency during each period of two calendar years; (3) prescribe rules with respect to records management; and (4) order, to the extent he considers necessary, the head of any Federal agency to take specific action with respect to the records or records management practices of his agency. Establishes in the executive branch a Records Review Board to review any order issued by the Administrator under the provisions of this Act upon appeal by any Federal agency. Directs the head of each Federal agency to make and preserve records containing adequate and proper documentation of the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, and essential transactions of the Federal agency and designed to furnish the information necessary to protect the legal and financial rights of the Federal Government and of persons directly affected by the activities of the Federal agency. Requires each agency head to establish safeguards against the removal or loss of records he determines to be necessary and required by the rules of the Administrator.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Directs the Librarian of Congress to conduct seminars for freshmen Members of Congress. Provides for the curriculum and expense reimbursement for such seminars. Authorizes to be appropriated such sums as necessary to carry out this Act. Authorizes each freshman member to employ an interim staff between election and the next regular session of Congress. Authorizes expenditures for stationary during such period. Authorizes to be appropriated such sums as necessary for such purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Drug Safety, Consumer Information, and Medical Records Act - Title I: National Center for Clinical Pharmacology - Establishes, under the Public Health Service Act and within the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, the National Center for Clinical Pharmacology to provide support, in the nature of grants, for the study of clinical pharmacology. Enumerates the nature and general provisions of such grants. Provides for the collection of data regarding drug experiences and adverse drug reactions. Calls for a study to be conducted on the inappropriate prescribing of drugs and on whether controls are needed for such inappropriate prescribing. Requires all organizations receiving assistance under this Act to review the prescribing and administering of all drugs in the course of delivery of health care. Calls for the establishment of procedures to insure the confidentiality of medical records pertaining to the experiences of a specific individual in taking drugs. Provides for Congressional inspection of medical data. Authorizes appropriations through fiscal year 1976 to carry out the purposes and projects of this title. Title II: Promotional Practices - Prohibits, under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the giving by any person engaged in the manufacture, propagation, processing, or distribution of any drug of any gift or other free promotional item having a retail value of more than $5.00 to any practitioner, pharmacist, student, or any other person engaged in the delivery of health care. Prohibits the transfer of samples and free drugs to practioners unless each such practioner has filed a written request for such drug. Places additional restrictions on the transfer of any sample or other free drug. Places a prohibition on prescription surveys. Provides for: (1) price information in drug advertising; (2) restrictions on, remainder labeling and advertising and false and misleading advertising; and (3) certification of training programs for manufactures' representatives. Title III: Drug Quality - Provides, under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, for the establishment of regulations governing the requirements for proof of therapeutic equivalence of drugs. Defines the terms used in this Act. Provides procedures for certification of batches of specified kinds of drugs (other than insulin and antibiotics). Sets forth recordkeeping and reporting requirements for drugs by persons subject to registration under this Act, specifing the procedures under which any such reports shall be made available to the committees of Congress. Title IV: National Drug Compendium - Calls for the preparation of a drug compendium, listing by established name, drugs lawfully available in the United States, to provide adequate and reliable prescribing information. Sets forth the method for compilation and publication of such compendium, including, (1) the appointment of a committee to advise the Secretary on compendium matters, and (2) the requirements governing advertising of information contained in the compendium. Title V: Consumer Drug Information - Requires specified prescription drug information be included on all drug labels in such terms so that it is likely to be understood by the ordinary individual. Directs the establishment of a uniform system of coding of drugs consiting of representing: (1) the identity of the manufacturer, the drug, and the final packager; (2) the dosage form and strength of the drug; (3) the number of drug units in the immediate container. Requires that pharmacies post prescription drug prices. Directs the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to identify methods for informing consumers of the costs associated with the manufacture and distribution of retail drugs. Empowers the Secretary to make grants to consumer groups for informing the public with price comparison data of drugs. Authorizes $1,000,000 to be appropriated for such grants for fiscal year 1975. Title VI: Recall Authority; Increased Criminal Penalty - Vests the Secretary with authority to recall an article of food, drug, device or cosmetic which is liable to be proceeded against on libel of information and condemnation. Increases from $1,000 to $5,000 the criminal penalty for violations of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Provides that local educational agencies shall not receive Federal financial assistance unless they provide educational services to all handicapped children at levels of expenditure at least equal to expenditures for other children. Provides that a parent of a handicapped child may institute a civil action in the United States district court against those responsible for withholding Federal financial assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Budget Information Allocation Act - Requires the annual budget submitted by the President to set forth: (1) the amount proposed for expenditure in each State and each congressional district therein under each program proposed in the budget; (2) the amount by which Federal expenditures for each program would increase or decrease the previous fiscal years total amount or allocation in each State and each congressional district; and (3) the extent to which any function or activity of a Federal program would be expanded or restricted in each State or congressional district pursuant to any change from the previous fiscal year. Directs the President, through the Office of Management and Budget, to develop and implement projects for the improved gathering, compiling, analyzing, publishing, and disseminating of statistical information by the various agencies in the executive branch of the Government. Provides for a semiannual report to Congress by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget describing the requests made for budgetary information and summary data tables. Authorizes the Comptroller General to review the State and congressional budget estimates required under this Act. Authorizes the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, in his role of assisting any Congressional committee having jurisdiction over revenue or appropriations, to furnish the Congress such supporting information as may be necessary to correct inacurrate State and congressional district allotments in the budget.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
National Comprehensive Vision Care Act - Directs the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to make annual grants to the States for the costs of establishing and operating programs under which students in public schools: (1) will receive free vision test; and (2) will be provided, without charge, appropriate necessary follow up services (including opthalmologic and optometric services and eyeglasses). Authorizes such grants to be used to train personnel to administer such tests. Directs the Secretary to establish a panel to advise him with respect to the standards to be prescribed by him under this Act for qualified vision tests. States that such panel shall be composed of four ophthalmologists and four optometrists who by virtue of their training and experience are especially qualified to advise the Secretary with respect to such standards. Requires the Secretary to make an annual report to the Congress respecting the grant program authorized under this Act and to include in such report his recommendations for such legislation as he deems appropriate.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Provides for the regulation of persons rating municipal bonds. Makes unlawful the use of the mails or any instrumentality of interstate commerce in connection with municipal bond rating agencies. Requires such agencies to register with the Interstate Commerce Commission. Directs the Commission to prescribe rules and regulations containing: (1) standards for accurate municipal bond ratings; and (2) requirements to assure procedures for determining such ratings that are fair to issuers and guarantors of municipal bonds. Prohibits publication or communication of municipal bond ratings unless made in accordance with ICC rules and regulations. Provides an opportunity for an administrative hearing for any person aggrieved or adversely affected by an action of a municipal bond rating agency.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Authorizes, under the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, as amended, the assignment of surplus real property to executive agencies for disposal in areas of substantial, consistent, and persistent unemployment. Provides for the administration of property transfers under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Prisoner of War Bonus Benefits Act - Entitles members of the armed forces who were in a missing status for any period during the Vietnam conflict to double credit for such period for retirement purposes. Specifies additional pay and allowances and medical benefits to which such persons are entitled. Provides for double retirement credit to Federal employees in such status during the conflict.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Provides for the regulation of broadcasting networks under the Communications Act of 1934. Directs the Federal Communications Commission to issue such rules and regulations as it considers necessary to prevent practices of broadcasting networks which may have the effect of substantially lessening competition with respect to supplying programs to broadcasting stations, and to assure that networks will not adversely affect the ability of broadcast licensees to operate their stations in the public interest. Grants the Federal Communications Commission specific authority to regulate the following provisions of contracts between networks and licensees: (1) maximum duration of the contract; (2) right of first refusal by the licensee of any program of the network; (3) right of the licensee to reject or cancel any program of the network ; (4) compensation paid by the licensee to the network for programs supplied; (5) the extent to which the network may limit the advertising rates of the licensee; and (6) the extent to which the network may limit the content of programs broadcast by the licensee. Grants the Federal Communications Commission authority to regulate the extent to which networks make programs available to competing licensees; hinder the scheduling of a licensee's programs; supply programs to a licensee; license local stations; and represent a licensee in the sale of broadcast time. Provides procedures for the Federal Communications Commission to enforce this Act and prescribes a penalty of $10,000 per day (to a maximum of $500,000) for failure of a network to observe any cease and desist order issued by the Commission under this Act. Provides that the Federal Communications Commission may remit or mitigate forfeiture imposed under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Authorizes the President of the United States to call a White House Conference on Education in 1976 in order to stimulate a national assessment of the condition, needs, and goals of education and to obtain from a broadly representative group of citizens a report of findings and recommendations resulting from such assessment. Requires the Conference to include 5 areas of study in its agenda, as follows: (1) pre-school education, including child care and nutritional programs, and the needs of disadvantaged children; (2) the adequacy of primary education in teaching the skills of communication-reading, writing, and arithmetic; (3) the place of occupational education in helping to meet the nation's requirements for skilled workers; (4) higher education, including ways of providing adequate levels of institutional support and student help; and (5) the adequacy of education at all levels in meeting the special needs of individuals. Authorizes the President to appoint a 35-member National Conference Committee, twelve members of which would be educators, and the remainder representative of the public interest in education. Authorizes the Committee to describe the guidelines, organize the Conference, and make its final report before December 1, 1976. Authorizes grants ranging from a minimum of $25,000 to a maximum of $75,000 to each State to defray the expenses of the conferences. Authorizes necessary appropriations to carry out the provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Rape Prevention and Control Act - Directs the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to establish, within the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Center for the Control and Prevention of Rape. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Center, to conduct a continuing study and investigation of specified areas, including: (1) the effectiveness of existing Federal, State and local laws dealing with rape; (2) the relationship, if any, between traditional legal and social attitutdes toward sexual roles, the act of rape, and the formulation of laws dealing with rape; (3) the treatment of the victims of rape by law enforcement agencies, hospitals, or other medical institutions, prosecutors, and the courts; (4) the causes of rape; and (5) sexual assaults in correctional institutions. Provides that the Center shall compile and publish annually a summary of its findings. Directs the Center to develop an information clearinghouse with regard to enumerated materials regarding rape and rehabilitation of offenders. Authorizes appropriations of such sums as may be necessary for carrying out the purposes of this Act. Provides that the Secretary, through the National Center for the Control and Prevention of Rape, shall make grants to community mental health centers, nonprofit private organizations, and public agencies for the purpose of conducting research and demonstration projects concerning the control and prevention of rape. Authorizes appropriations for such purposes. Requires the Secretary to establish an advisory committee to advise, consult with, and make recommendations to him on matters relating to rape prevention and control.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Pollution Controll Facility Loan Act - Defines the terms used in this Act. Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to make loans to any applicant to aid in financing any project within an eligible area for the acquisition, construction, rehabilitation, alteration, expansion, or improvement of a certified pollution control facility. Specifies the conditions of such loans, including that: (1) no loan shall be made unless it is determined that there is reasonable assurance of repayment; (2) no loan, including renewals or extensions, may be made for a period exceeding twenty-five years; (3) loans shall bear interest at the rate of 5 percent per annum; and (4) no loan shall be made which exceeds 65 percent of the aggregate cost of the project. Establishes in the Treasury a revolving fund available to the Secretary for the purpose of making loans under this Act. Authorizes to be appropriated $750,000,000 to carry out this Act and to be deposited in the revolving fund.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Requires the Administrator of General Services, whenever any real property of the United States is subject to disposition, to notify in writing each Member of Congress in whose congressional district such property is located. Requires the Administrator to keep such Members of Congress informed of all transactions relating to possible disposition of such property.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Provides, under the Military Selective Service Act, for reemployment of members and former members of the Armed Forces who were in the employ of a State or of a political subdivision. States that an employee of the United States Postal Service shall be considered an employee of the United States Government for purposes of this Act. (50 App. 459(b)(B))
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Establishes in the executive branch the Department of Social, Economic, and Natural Resources Planning, to be headed by an Administrator. Requires the Department to report annually to the Congress and the President on the status of resources and social programs and goals for better utilization of resources and social programs.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Youth Camp Safety Act - Makes it the purpose of this Act to protect and safeguard the health and well-being of youth attending day camps, resident camps, and travel camps by providing for the establishment of Federal standards for the safe operation of youth camps. Confers upon the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare the primary responsibility for the promulgation and enforcement of Federal and State youth camp safety regulations. Requires any State which desires to assume responsibility for the development and modification of youth camp safety standards to submit a State plan to the Secretary for his approval. Allows a State whose plan has been rejected to obtain review of the decision in the United States Court of Appeals. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States which have in effect approved State plans, such grants not to exceed eighty percent of the cost of carrying out the State plan. Authorizes to be appropriated for fiscal year 1975, and each of the five succeeding fiscal years, such sums as may be necessary to make the grants provided for in this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to inspect youth camps. Directs the Secretary to establish within the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare an Advisory Council on Youth Camp Safety and to submit to Congress at least once a year a comprehensive and detailed report on his administration under this Act. Authorizes penalties of up to $2,500 for each violation by youth camp operators of the standards promulgated pursuant to this Act. Authorizes the appropriation for fiscal year 1975 and for each of the five succeeding fiscal years such sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Child Development Personnel Training Act - Declares the purpose of this Act to be to respond to the demonstrated need for child development personnel in the 1970's by stimulating the development of sufficient training and educational programs in every State and region of the United States to assure an adequate supply of personnel to meet the staffing requirements of early childhood programs. Authorizes the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to make grants to, or to enter into contracts with, institutions of higher education, State and local child development agencies, State and local educational agencies, child development programs, private companies and organizations engaged in teacher training, teacher training organizations, national child development organizations, and producers of television programming, for the purpose of establishing, developing, or updating early childhood personnel training programs. Authorizes to be appropriated to carry out this Act $40,000,000 for fiscal year 1974, $60,000,000 for fiscal year 1975, and $75,000,000 for each of the succeeding fiscal years ending prior to July 1, 1980.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Authorizes members of the armed forces to be discharged from active military service by reason of physical disability when such members are suffering from drug dependency. Authorizes the civil commitment of such members after their discharge. Provides for the review of less than honorable discharges granted prior to the passage of this Act to such members and the issuance of new discharges in cases provided for under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Food Research and Development Act - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct research and development relating to the following: (1) new methods of protein production, including the treatment of waste materials with microorganisms; (2) new methods of improving the protein content of cereals and grains, including combining different types of these products to create the amino acid balance required for "complete" protein; (3) new methods of fertilizer production, including microbiological techniques; (4) new methods of processing vegetable protein into low-cost substitutes for meat and dairy products; and (5) the effect of existing public policy, including Federal and State regulation of food products, on the utilization of new methods of protein production, fertilizer production, and processing vegetable protein. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to public or nonprofit entities and individuals for research, development, and demonstration projects, and provide for the conduct of research, development, and demonstration projects by contract with public or private entities or persons. Requires the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to develop and make available to educational and other nonprofit institutions an educational program relating to the preparation and use of the food products produced by the methods developed under this Act. Authorizes appropriations of such sums as are necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act through fiscal year 1979.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Changes the name of the United States Merchant Marine Academy to the United States Maritime Academy. Provides, under the Merchant Marine Act, that the mission of the United States Maritime Academy shall be expanded to include the instruction and preparation of selected persons to serve the United States as merchant marine officers and in the marine sciences and related maritime industries. Provides that in addition to an undergraduate program the Secretary of Commerce is authorized to establish at the Academy graduate-level programs of study and training.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 1975
Health Security Act - Title I: Health Security Benefits - Provides that every resident of the U.S. (and every non-resident citizen when in the U.S.) will be eligible for covered services. Permits reciprocal and "buy-in" agreements for groups or non-resident aliens, and in some cases benefits to U.S. residents when visiting in other countries. Entitles every eligible person to have payments made by the Health Security Board for covered services provided within the United States by a participating provider. Provides that all necessary professional services of physicians, wherever furnished are covered, including preventive care, with two restrictions: (1) specialist services are covered only when performed by a qualified specialist except in emergency situations, and generally only on referral from a primary physician; and (2) psychiatric services to an ambulatory patient are covered only for active preventive, diagnostic, therapeutic or rehabilitative service with respect to mental illness. Provides that comprehensive dental services (exclusive of most orthodontic services) are covered for children under age 15, with the covered age group increasing by two years each year until all those under age 25 are covered. Provides that: (1) inpatient and outpatient hospital services and services of a home health agency are covered without arbitrary limitation; and (2) pathology and radiology services are specifically included as parts of institutional services. Limits payment for skilled nursing home care to 120 days per spell of illness, except that this limit may be increased when the nursing home is owned or managed by a hospital and payment for care is made through the hospital budget. Limits the psychiatric hospital benefit to 45 consecutive days of active treatment during a spell of illness. Provides coverage for two categories of drug use: prescribed medicines administered to inpatients or outpatients within participating hospitals; or to enrollees of comprehensive health service organizations, and drugs necessary for the treatment of specified chronic illnesses or conditions requiring long or expensive therapy. Requires the Board and the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to establish two lists of approved drugs, taking into account the safety, efficacy and cost of each drug. Provides a broad list of approved medicines available for use in institutions and by comprehensive health service organizations and a more restricted list which is available for use outside such organized settings. Provides that the appliances benefit is similar in concept and operation to the drug benefit, subject to a limitation on aggregate cost. Asserts that the professional services of optometrists and podiatrists are covered, subject to regulations, as are diagnostic or therapeutic services furnished by independent pathology laboratories and radiology services. States that health services furnished or paid for under a workmen's compensation law are not covered. Provides that the services of a professional practitioner are not covered if they are furnished in a hospital which is not a participating provider. Requires that participating providers meet standards established in this title or by the Board. Requires that such providers must agree to provide services without discrimination, to make no unauthorized charge to the patient for any covered service, and to furnish data necessary for utilization review by professional peers, statistical studies by the Board, and verification of information for payments. Makes professional practitioners licensed when the program begins eligible to practice in the State where they are licensed and requires that all newly licensed applicants for participation meet national standards established by the Board in addition to those required by his State. Establishes conditions of participation for general hospitals similar to those required by Medicare. States that the two requirements not found in the Medicare program are: (1) that the hospital must not discriminate in granting staff privileges on any grounds unrelated to professional qualifications, and (2) that it establish a pharmacy and drug therapeutics committee for supervision of hospital drug therapy. Provides that psychiatric hospitals will be eligible to participate only if the Board finds that the hospital (or a distinct part of the hospital) is engaged in furnishing active diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitative services to mentally ill patients. Establishes conditions of participation for skilled nursing homes similar to those established for extended care facilities under Medicare. Makes provisions for the participation of home health service agencies. Describes as eligible a health maintenance organization which undertakes to provide an enrolled population either with complete health care or, at least, with complete health security services (other than institutional services, mental health or dental services) for the maintenance of health and the care of ambulatory patients. Permits a foundation sponsored by a county or other local medical society to participate as a provider of services. Permits the participation of community health centers or the like which, though furnishing services as comprehensive as are required by this Act, do not serve an enrolled or otherwise predetermined population and may not meet other requirements of this Act. Authorizes the Board to deal separately with the primary care portion of a system of comprehensive health care where it is necessary to rely on arrangements with other providers. Permits the Board to contract directly with public or other nonprofit mental health centers and mental health day care services. Specifies the conditions under which independent pathology laboratories, independent radiological services, and providers of drugs, devices, appliances, equipment, or ambulance services may qualify as providers under Health Security. Requires that a participating skilled nursing home have in effect an agreement with at least one participating hospital for the transfer of patients and medical and other information as medically appropriate. Prohibits in malpractice judgments any damages to be awarded to the injured party for the cost of remedial services which he is entitled to receive under this Act. Excludes the institutions of the Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration, and institutions of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare serving merchant seamen or Indians or Alaskan natives, from serving as participating providers, as well as any employee of these institutions when he is acting as an employee. Provides reimbursement for any services furnished by these institutions or agencies to eligible persons who are not a part of their normal clientele. Permits a physician, dentist, optometrist, or podiatrist, licensed in one State and meeting the national standards, to furnish Health Security benefits in any other State, the scope of his permissible practice being governed by the law of the State in which he is practicing. Grants a similar authority to other health professional and nonprofessional personnel. Establishes the Health Security Trust Fund, to receive the net assets of existing (Medicare) funds taken over by the Health Security program, the yield of the Health Security taxes, and the Government's contribution from general revenues amounting to 100 percent of the yield from these taxes. Provides that three separate accounts shall be established in the Health Security Trust Fund: a Health Service Account, a Health Resources Development Account, and an Administration Account. Provides that in each of the first two years of program operation, 2 percent of the Trust Fund shall be set aside for the Health Resources Development Fund; and the allocation shall increase by 1 percent at two-year intervals to 5 percent within the next 6 years. Provides for allocation of the Health Services account among the regions of the country. Provides that the allocation to each region shall be based on the aggregate sum expended during the most recent 12-month period for covered services (with appropriate modification for estimated changes in the consumer price index, the expected number of eligible beneficiaries, and estimated changes in the number of participating providers). Provides that the Board shall divide the allocation to each region into funds available to pay: institutional services; physician services; dental services; furnishing of drugs; furnishing of devices, appliances, equipment; and miscellaneous services. Provides that payments for covered services provided to eligible persons by participating providers will be made from the Health Service Account in the Trust Fund. Describes the method to be used in applying, as between practitioners electing the various methods of payment (fee-for-service and capitation), the monies available in each health service area for payment to each category of professional providers. Authorizes the Board to experiment with other methods of reimbursement so long as the experimental method does not increase the cost of service or lead to overutilization or underutilization of services. Provides that skilled nursing homes and home health agencies will be paid in the same manner as a general hospital (on an approved annual budget basis). Provides that a health organization will be paid for covered services, on the basis of a fixed capitation rate multiplied by the number of eligible enrollees. Contains a series of provisions for developing a continuous process of health service planning and for assisting in the recruitment, education, and training of health personnel. Authorizes special improvement grants: (1) to any public or other nonprofit health agency or institution to establish improved coordination and linkages with other providers of services, and (2) to organizations providing comprehensive ambulatory care, to improve their utilization review, budget, statistical, or records and information retrieval systems, to acquire equipment needed for those purposes, or to acquire equipment useful for mass screening or for other diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. Sets forth the responsibilities and duties of the Secretary of HEW and the Board with regard to this title. Creates an administrative structure within the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare with exclusive responsibility for the administration of the Health Security program. Establishes a five-member, full-time Health Security Board serving under the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. Provides that the members shall be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, for five-year overlapping terms. Creates the position of an Executive Director, appointed by the Board with the approval of the Secretary. Provides that the Executive Director will serve as secretary to the Board and shall perform such duties in the administration of the program as the Board may assign. Provides that the program will be administered through the regional offices of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Requires the establishment of sub-regional (service area) offices. Establishes a National Health Security Advisory Council, with the Chairman of the Board serving as the Council's Chairman and 20 additional members not in the employ of the Federal Government. Authorizes the Advisory Council to appoint professional or technical committees to assist in its functions. Provides that the Advisory Council will advise the Board on matters of general policy in the administration of the program, the formulation of regulations and the allocation of funds for services. Charges the Board with responsibility for informing the public and providers about the administration and operation of the Health Security program. Requires the Board to make a continuing study and evaluation of the program, including adequacy, quality and costs of services. Authorizes the Board directly or by contract to make detailed statistical and other studies on a national, regional, or local basis of any aspect of the title; to develop and test incentive systems for improving quality of care, methods of peer review of drug utilization and of other service performances; to develop and test systems of information retrieval, budget programs, instrumentation for multiphasic screening or patient services, and reimbursement systems for drugs; and to make such other other studies which it considers would improve the quality of services of the administration of the program. Grants authority to the Board, in accordance with regulations, to make determinations of who are participating providers of services, determinations of eligibility, of whether services are covered, and the amount to be paid to providers. Allows a provider of services who is dissatisfied with a final Board determination to obtain a hearing before a Board panel, and judicial review of a final decision. Authorizes the Board, with the advice and assistance of the Commission on the Quality of Health Care, to issue and review regulations assuring the quality of care furnished under this Act. Requires continuing professional education by physicians, dentists, optometrists, and podiatrists. Provides for the appointment of a Deputy Secretary of HEW and an Under Secretary for Health and Science. States that no provision of this Act shall alter any contractual obligation of an employer to provide health services to his employees and their dependents. Title II: Health Security Taxes - Converts the existing Medicare hospital insurance payroll taxes into Health Security taxes, and raises the rates to 1 percent on employees and 3.5 percent on employers. Raises the wage base for the employee tax from the present $7,800 to $15,000; or, if higher, 125 percent of the contribution and benefit base. Broadens the definitions of covered employment to include foreign agricultural workers, employees of the U.S. and its instrumentalities (other than members of the armed forces and the President, Vice-President, and Members of Congress), employees of charitable and similar organizations, railroad employees, and (for the employee tax only) employees of States and their political subdivisions and instrumentalities. Excludes from the gross income of employees, for income tax purposes, payment by their employers of part or all of the Health Security taxes on the employees. Spells out the precise effective dates of the new payroll tax provisions. Converts the existing Medicare self-employment tax into a Health Security self-employment tax, raising the rate to 2.5 percent, and raises the maximum taxable self-employment income from $7,800 to $15,000. Adds a new 1 percent Health Security tax on unearned income (unless such income is less than $400 a year), subject to the same maximum on taxable income as is applicable to the employee and self-employment taxes. Title III: Commission on the Quality of Health Care - Establishes in the Department of HEW a Commission on the Quality of Health Care, with the primary responsibility of: (1) initiating and continuing development of methods of assessing the quality of health care furnished under the Health Security Act, and (2) submitting to the Secretary and the Health Security Board its findings and recommendations. Stipulates that in carrying out its duties the Commissioner shall emphasize, and give first consideration to, care furnished for those illnesses and conditions which have relatively high incidence in the population and which are relatively amenable to medical or other care. Title IV: Repeal or Amendment of Other Acts - Requires that after the effective date of benefits, no State shall be required to furnish any service covered under Health Security as a part of its State plan for participation under Medicaid. Title V: Studies Related to Health Security - Authorizes the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Treasury to study the coverage of health services for U.S. residents in other countries. Directs the Secretary of HEW to study the feasibility and desirability of coordinating the Federal health benefit programs for merchant seamen and Indians and Alaskan natives and also veterans and members of the Armed Forces, with the Health Security Benefit Program.
![Official portrait of Rep. Murphy, John M. [D-NY-17]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m001098_200.jpg)