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United States · Official source
6,804 records where Rep. Oberstar, James L. [D-MN-8] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 1980
Requests the U.S. Olympic Committee to propose to the International Olympic Committee that all nations join in funding a facility in Greece to serve as the permanent site of the summer Olympic games.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1980
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980 - Establishes, within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Office of Federal Information Policy (OFIP) to provide overall direction for the development and implementation of Federal information policies which include guidelines concerning: (1) the reduction of the Government paperwork burden on the public; (2) records management activities; and (3) the privacy of records pertaining to individuals. Requires the Director of OMB to appoint an Administrator of OFIP. Sets forth functions of the Director with respect to Federal information collection and management in the following categories: (1) general information policy functions; (2) information collection request clearance and other paperwork functions; (3) statistical policy and coordination functions; (4) records management functions; (5) privacy of information functions; and (6) automatic data processing and telecommunications functions. Requires the Director to ensure that agencies: (1) provide a substantial opportunity for the public to comment on the means of collecting information with regard to a proposed rule; and (2) assess alternative methods of attaining the statutory goals of such a rule. Requires the Director, within one year after enactment of this Act: (1) to establish requirements and assign responsibility for agency and Government-wide audits of all major information systems; (2) to establish the Federal Information Locator System; (3) to develop a schedule for eliminating any duplication of information collection requests by the Government; and (4) in consultation with the Administrator of General Services, to develop a five-year plan for meeting the automatic data processing and telecommunication needs of the Government. Directs the Director, within two years after this Act is enacted: (1) to establish a system for integrating the various information management practices; (2) to develop a program to enforce Federal information processing standards and to revitalize the standards development program; (3) to complete action on recommendations of the Commission on Federal Paperwork; and (4) to submit to the President and Congress legislative proposals to remove inconsistencies in laws involving privacy, confidentiality and disclosure of information. Requires each agency: (1) to carry out its information management activities in an economical manner; (2) to inventory its major information systems and review, periodically, its management activities; (3) to ensure that its systems do not overlap each other or duplicate systems of other agencies; (4) to develop procedures for assessing the paperwork burden of its collection activities; and (5) assign an official to be responsible for acquisitions of automatic data processing equipment and services. Requires an agency, before collecting any information, to: (1) eliminate reporting requirements which seek information which is available through another Government source; (2) minimize the compliance burden on respondents; (3) plan the tabulation of the information in a manner which maximizes its usefulness to other agencies; and (4) obtain the Director's approval of such collection. Requires the Director to approve or disapprove any collection request within 60 days of receiving it. Allows the Director, when considering a request, to provide an opportunity for the agency or other interested persons to submit oral or written statements. Authorizes the Director: (1) to designate a single collection agency for two or more agencies; and (2) to direct the disclosure of confidential information from one agency to another under specified conditions. Establishes, within OFIP, a Federal Information Locator System composed of a dictionary of information resources, a data element dictionary, and an information referral service. States that the System shall serve as the authoritative register of all information requests. Requires the Director: (1) to design an index for the System; (2) to require each agency head to submit for inclusion in the System a data profile of each information request of that agency; (3) to compare proposed information requests with existing requests through the System; and (4) to ensure that no actual data, excluding descriptive data which is necessary to locate information or identify duplicative data, is included in the System. Declares that no person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to provide information to an agency if such agency requested such information after December 31, 1981, in violation of procedures under this Act. Requires the Director: (1) to review the information management activities of each agency at least once every three years; (2) to report the findings to the agency and specified committees of Congress; (3) to keep Congress fully informed of major activities under this Act; and (4) to submit to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House an annual report on such activities. Specifies the contents of such report. Declares that an agency's authority under any other law to prescribe rules or forms for Federal information activities shall be subject to the Director's authority under this Act. Grants the Comptroller General access to all records of OFIP. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the provisions of this Act. Requires the Administrator of General Services: (1) to include in an annual report to Congress and the Director estimates of the lost benefits or savings resulting from the failure of agencies to implement the Administrator's recommendations; and (2) to assist the Administrator of OFIP in conducting studies and developing standards relating to records retention requirements of Federal agencies. Requires the President and the Director of OMB to delegate specified Federal information functions to the Administrator.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1980
Small Business Equal Access to Justice Act - Title I: Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy - Amends title II of the Small Business Investment Act (Study of Small Business) to direct the Office of Advocacy within the Small Business Administration to assist the Attorney General, Federal agencies, and the Chairman of the Administrative Conference to facilitate relief afforded to small businesses under such Act. Requires the Chief Counsel for Advocacy to submit biennial reports to the President and Congress on awards made to small businesses under such Act. Title II: Small Business Equal Access to Justice - Excludes from the definition of "party" for purposes of this Act: (1) an individual whose net worth exceeds $1,000,000; and (2) any partnership, corporation, association, organization, or sole owner of an unincorporated business whose net worth exceeds $5,000,000, but includes an agricultural cooperative, as defined in the Agricultural Marketing Act, regardless of its net worth. Entitles a prevailing party (other than the United States) to be awarded fees and other expenses, including attorney fees, which were incurred by such party in: (1) an administrative adjudication (excluding ratemaking and license application hearings, but including such actions as suspension or modification of a license); or (2) in any civil action, other than a tort, brought by or against the United States, unless the agency conducting such adjudication, or the court having jurisdiction of such action, finds that the position of the agency or the United States was substantially justified or that special circumstances make an award unjust. Allows the agency or the court to reduce any such award to the extent that the prevailing party unduly and unreasonably protracted the final resolution of the matter in controversy. Stipulates that such awards in administrative adjudication shall be paid by the particular agency over which the party prevails, but prohibits authorization of appropriations to such agency for the specific purpose of such payments. Authorizes a party dissatisfied with such award in an administrative adjudication to petition for leave to appeal the decision in an appropriate Federal court. Authorizes a court to award reasonable attorney fees to the prevailing party in any civil action brought by or against the United States or any agency, including the Post Office, or official of the United States acting in an official capacity, where the court may award such fees in such suits involving private parties (thus applying to Government litigation the common law and statutory exceptions to the "American rule" which requires parties to be responsible for their own attorney fees). Directs the Administrative Conference of the United States and the Administrative Office of the United States Courts to report annually on the amount of fees and expenses awarded during the preceding fiscal year in such agency adjudications and civil actions. Makes this Act applicable to any civil action pending on, or commencing after, the date of enactment, except for civil tax actions, which shall be subject to this Act six months after enactment. Directs the Office of the Chairman of the Administrative Conference of the United States and Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts to provide to the Small Business Office of Advocacy the information required to be collected in title I of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1980
Provides that the maximum age for original appointment as a regular commissioned officer in the Armed Forces shall be 45 years old.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1980
Provides that Government life insurance shall be paid in accordance with any election of the insured. Stipulates that if at the time of death no such election has been made, the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs shall notify the beneficiary who shall elect whether to receive payment in a lump sum or in installments. Directs the Administrator to notify all insured individuals have not made such election concerning the effect of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1980
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Soviet Union should release Andrei Sakharov from internal exile immediately. Urges the President to: (1) protest Sakharov's exile and the continued suppression of human rights in the Soviet Union; (2) call upon other nations to join in such protests and impose sanctions against the Soviet Union; and (3) inform Helsinki signatory governments that the U.S. delegation intends to raise these violations at the 1980 Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe review meeting.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1980
Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should request the United Nations to establish an international presence in the Khmer refugee camps on the Thailand - Kampuchean (Cambodian) border to promote security and oversee the distribution of food.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1980
Establishes a Commission on More Effective Government to study and recommend ways of promoting economy, efficiency, and improved service within the Federal Government. Directs the Commission to recommend methods to improve the relationship between Federal, State, and local governments. Provides for the appointment of members of the Commission by the President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President pro tempore of the Senate. Sets forth provisions governing the organization and compensation of the Commission and its staff. Empowers the Commission to establish advisory councils and committees as it deems appropriate without regard to the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Sets forth the powers of the Commission enabling it to gather information free from subsequent review or comment by any Federal agency. Directs the Commission to submit its final report to the Congress ten days after the Ninety-eighth Congress convenes. Terminates the Commission 90 days after such date. Authorizes the appropriation of funds necessary to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1980
Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of the Congress, a gold medal of appropriate design to Ambassador Kenneth Taylor in recognition of his efforts to secure the return of six American Embassy officials in Tehran. Authorizes and directs the Secretary of the Treasury to cause to be struck such gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1980
Vietnam Era Veterans Agent Orange Act - Establishes a presumption of service-connected disability for certain diseases arising in Vietnam-era veterans (and for birth defects in their children) exposed to agent orange.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1980
Expresses appreciation to Canada for: (1) its historic close relations and cooperation with the United States in conducting foreign policy; (2) its support for U.S. efforts to obtain the safe release of the hostages in Iran; and (3) its efforts to protect and arrange the safe departure of certain U.S. citizens from Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1980
Urges the President to: (1) notify the Soviet Union that the United States will terminate the Agreement on Maritime Matters, unless Soviet troops are withdrawn from Afghanistan; and (2) refuse the Soviets permission to enter U.S. ports, until such troops are withdrawn.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1980
Family Farm Development Act of 1980 - Title I: Family Farm Development Service - Establishes within the Department of Agriculture a Family Farm Development Service, containing a Research Board, which shall devise a national long-term plan for the development of a system providing incentives to encourage small and moderate-size family farmers to use and develop new and improved farming techniques, technology, and mechanisms of food production and distribution. Directs the Administrator of the Family Farm Development Service to submit to the Secretary of Agriculture and to the Congress: (1) a report containing such plan before the end of the three-and-one-half-year development period; and (2) an annual report on specified activities. Title II: Research Program - Directs the Administrator of the Family Farm Development Service to conduct an intensive research grant program concerning the improvement of small and moderate-sized family farms. Directs the Secretary to submit to the President and the Congress an annual report, with recommendations, on such research program. Title III: Education, Training, and Demonstration Programs - Amends the Rural Development Act of 1972 to establish extension programs providing small farmers with education and demonstration assistance, using paraprofessionals. Directs the Secretary: (1) to provide small farmers with pest control and soil improvement instruction; (2) to establish a program encouraging family farmers to hire and train apprentice farmers; and (3) to establish a scholarship program for farmers and potential farmers to study organic farming methods in foreign countries. Title IV: Loans for Appropriate Technology - Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to include among the purposes for which loans may be made or insured under such Act, payment of costs: (1) of appropriate technology use; and (2) incident to instituting methods of sustainable agriculture and integrated pest management among the purposes for which loans may be made or insured under such Act. Sets as a condition for eligibility for such loans being a resident of the U.S. (formerly required U.S. citizenship). Provides that loans made or insured to institute sustainable agriculture and integrated pest management methods shall be repayable in installments determined by the Secretary to reduce initial repayments. Title V: Amendments to the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 - Farm Tax Equity Act of 1980 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 to limit the deductions attributable to the trade or business of farming to a maximum amount consisting of the sum of the taxpayer's gross income plus $17,500 reduced by the amount by which the nonfarm adjusted gross income of such taxpayer exceeds $17,500. Provides for an annual inflation adjustment of such amount. States that such limitation shall not apply if the taxpayer's nonfarm adjusted gross income does not exceed $17,500 or if the taxpayer elects to compute his taxable income on the accrual method of accounting. Requires the accrual method of accounting for any person engaged in the trade or business of farming whose gross income from farming exceeds $100,000, or an amount adjusted for inflation. Provides for a capital gains tax applicable to transfer of rural land by foreign investors. Requires specified reporting procedures relating, to such tax. Title VI: Family Farm Ownership Program - Authorizes the Secretary to make grants of from $100,000 to $500,000 to units of general local government for the purchase of land suitable for farming, which land shall be sold to new or young farmers. Requires the Secretary to give priority to applicants who demonstrate that the preservation of family farming is of vital importance to the area in which the applicant is located. Establishes revolving fund accounts of grant recipients. Sets forth provisions concerning selection of purchaser and conditions of sale. Title VII: Industrial Hydrocarbons and Alcohols - Authorizes the Secretary to make, and to guarantee, loans for the construction and first year operation of facilities to produce industrial hydrocarbons and alcohols from agricultural commodities, forest products, and their byproducts for direct use or blending as motor or industrial fuel. Declares eligible for such assistance, upon application: (1) any producer who operates a family farm or group of such producers; (2) any private nonprofit organization; and (3) any State or local government. Sets forth: (1) the terms of agreement required from recipients of such aid; (2) limitations on financial assistance; (3) consequences of noncompliance with conditions for such aid; and (4) exemption of specified surplus commodities from marketing agreements or orders. Title VIII: Farm Marketing Programs - Directs the Division of Cooperative Marketing of the Department of Agriculture to give primary emphasis to services to small and moderate-sized family farmers. Amends the National School Lunch Act to direct the Secretary to make cash payments to State educational agencies, upon application, in lieu of not to exceed 25 percent of the value of the commodities such agencies would have received under the school lunch program. Requires that such cash payments be used by such agencies to purchase program commodities designated from time to time by the Secretary as being in abundance nationally, or by the Secretary or the State Governor as being in abundance in the school area. Directs the Secretary to establish and carry out pilot projects in 12 States under which county extension offices will use computer terminals to assist family farmers in attaining information clarifying various market alternatives. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants, not to exceed 75 percent of costs, to establish a direct marketing system between consumers and farmers. Title IX: Food Price Stabilization - Establishes a Food Price Review Board to monitor increases in the price of any food product, and to recommend to the President the issuance of orders limiting or adjusting the amount of any such increase so that it is equal to, and not more than, the amount of any increase in the price received by the grower or producer of any raw food product involved. Empowers the President to issue such orders. Title X: Miscellaneous Amendments; Definitions - Amends the Federal Trade Commission Act to make it an unfair or deceptive practice affecting commerce for any person engaged in the retail sale of food to sell any food product without a sign at the point of sale containing the amount received by farmers for the agricultural commodities which were used to produce the food product involved. Amends the Legal Services Corporation Act to include farmers and individuals residing in counties with populations of less than 50 persons per square mile among those whose special difficulties of access to legal services or special legal problems should be taken into account by the Legal Services Corporation in determining and implementing its priorities. Directs the Legal Services Corporation to make grants and contracts for research and for information clearinghouses on legal issues and governmental administrative practices involving farm ownership and operation. Authorizes appropriations for fiscal year 1981 for such purposes. Defines terms used in this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1980
African Development Foundation Act - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to establish the African Development Foundation to strengthen the bonds of friendship between the people of Africa and the United States and to assist in the development of Africa. Requires such Foundation to cooperate with indigenous organizations representative of Africa and other private, regional, and international organizations. Authorizes such Foundation to make grants, loans, and loan guarantees to African entities for developmental purposes. Requires the Foundation to give priority to community self-help projects with the maximum feasible participation of the poor. Sets forth the corporate powers of such Foundation. Provides for the appointment of a Board of Directors to manage such Foundation. Requires the Board to consult with a Council composed of individuals knowledgeable about development activities in Africa.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1980
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Soviet Union should release Andrei Sakharov from internal exile immediately. Urges the President, through the Secretary of State to: (1) express U.S. opposition to Sakharov's exile; (2) inform the Soviet Union that the United States will take into account, in evaluating its reactions with other countries, the extent to which those countries honor their commitments under international law.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 1980
Expresses the sense of the Congress that April 22, 1980, should be observed and celebrated as "Earth Day, 1980."
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 1980
Expresses the sense of Congress to condemn Soviet actions taken against Andrei Sakharov which further show the lack of the Soviet Union's fitness to host the Olympics.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1980
Grants a Federal charter to the United States Submarine Veterans of World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1980
Authorizes and requests the President to designate April 21 through April 28, 1980, as "Jewish Heritage Week."
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1980
Authorizes and directs the President to designate April 7 through April 13, 1980, as "National Submarine Week."
United States · United States Congress · 20 December 1979
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce the tax effect known as the marriage penalty by permitting the deduction, without regard to whether deductions are itemized, of ten percent of the earned income of the spouse whose earned income is lower than that of the other spouse. Limits such tax deduction to $1,000.
United States · United States Congress · 20 December 1979
Designates February 19, 1980, as "Iwo Jima Commemoration Day."
United States · United States Congress · 20 December 1979
Authorizes and requests the President to designate June 27, 1980, as "Helen Keller Day."
United States · United States Congress · 20 December 1979
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the people of the United States should observe December 23, 1979, as a national day of prayer and meditation for the hostages in Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 1979
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: (1) to 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 exclusivity 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 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. States that in the case of such a claim resolved in court, either the claimant or the attorney may challenge the award in such court within 30 days after such 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 rendered on or after January 1, 1977, and prior to the effective date of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 1979
Medicaid Community Care Act of 1980 - Authorizes a State with a plan approved under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to apply to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (formerly, the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare) to have Federal payments for home health care services, nursing services, home health aid services, medical equipment for use in the home, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology services, endiology services, adult day health services, respite care, short-term full-term nursing care, homemaker services, and nutrition counseling made at a higher rate the the rate for other care and services provided under the State plan. Specifies that the Federal medical assistance percentage for such services and the comprehensive assessments provided for in this Act shall be the lesser of: (1) the Federal medical assistance percentage determined under title XIX plus 25 percent; or (2) 90 percent of the cost of such services and assessments. Requires an application to be accompanied by a community care plan which: (1) provides for a comprehensive assessment of each individual eligible or applying for Medicaid who is likely to need long-term skilled nursing facility or intermediate care facility services; (2) makes available, under title XIX, the care and services for which the higher Federal payment may be made to individuals determined pursuant to a comprehensive assessment to be in need of long-term facility services and for whom such assistance is a feasible alternative to long-term facility services; and (3) coordinates the services provided under this Act with similar services provided under the Older Americans Act of 1965, and under titles XVIII (Medicare) and XX (Grants to States for Services) of the Social Security Act. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress with respect to the program established under this Act. Permits a State, for the purposes of title XIX, to treat a noninstitutionalized individual the same as an individual who is in a long-term care facility if the noninstitutionalized individual meets the income and resources standards for long-term facility residents and has been determined, pursuant to an assessment under this Act, to need long-term facility services.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 1979
Condemns the use of lethal chemical agents against the Hmong tribespeople in Laos and any such use in Kampuchea (Cambodia). Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should: (1) take action to bring about the cessation of such poison gas use; (2) direct the U.S. delegation to the United Nations Committee on Disarmament to express strong concern over such use and reach agreement with the Soviet Union on a general prohibition of chemical warfare; and (3) report to the Congress concerning actions taken.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 1979
Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to provide that area agencies on aging shall have authority to award funds to the providers of home delivered meals for older persons without requiring that such providers also furnish meals to older persons in a congregate setting.
United States · United States Congress · 13 December 1979
Condemns the use of lethal chemical agents against the Hmong tribes people in Laos and any such use in Kampuchae (Cambodia). Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should: (1) take action to bring about the cessation of such poison gas use; (2) direct the U.S. delegation to the United Nations Committee on Disarmament to place such warfare on the U.S. agenda and reach agreement with the Soviet Union on a general prohibition of chemical warfare; and (3) report to the Congress concerning actions taken.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 1979
Designates the week of October 5 through October 11, 1980, as "National Diabetes Week."
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 1979
Expresses the sense of Congress that social security benefits should remain exempt from all taxation.
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 1979
Federal Employees Dental Benefits Act of 1979 - Directs the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to contract for the following dental benefits plans for Federal employees (including United States Postal Service employees): (1) a service benefit plan; (2) an indemnity benefit plan; (3) employee organization plans; and (4) health maintenance organization plans. Requires that the benefits under such plans include: (1) diagnostic services; (2) preventive care; (3) emergency dental care services; (4) fillings; and (5) extractions. Permits a plan, subject to approval of the OPM, to: (1) offer additional benefits; (2) require copayments not exceeding 50 percent of the value of such additional benefits; (3) limit the amount a beneficiary may be paid during a calendar year under such a plan; and (4) impose a calendar year deductible for each beneficiary. Allows the OPM to enter into contracts for such plans without regard to specified provisions of Federal law requiring competitive bidding. Sets forth requirements concerning: (1) the length and rates of such a contract; and (2) obligations of any carrier of such a plan. States that such contracts are not subject to the Federal Procurement Regulations. Directs the OPM to establish audit requirements which do not conflict with such regulations to carry out the purposes of this Act. Allows an employee to enroll in a dental benefits plan as an individual or for self and family. Permits certain annuitants to continue enrollment in such a plan under conditions of eligibility prescribed by regulations of the OPM. Prohibits an individual from enrolling both as an employee or annuitant and as a member of the family. Specifies conditions under which an employee may change enrollment. Specifies the biweekly contributions of the Government and the enrolled individual toward the subscription charge of a dental benefits plan. Directs the OPM to provide individuals who are eligible for such a plan with sufficient information to enable the individual to make an informed choice among the types of plans. Requires that each enrolled individual receive a document summarizing: (1) the benefits of the plans; (2) the procedure for obtaining benefits; and (3) all provisions of the plan affecting the individual. Creates the Employees Dental Benefits Fund into which the contributions of the Government and enrolled individuals shall be paid. Directs the OPM to: (1) administer this Act; (2) make a continuing study of the operation of this Act and of the plans under this Act; and (3) transmit an annual report of its findings to Congress. Authorizes expenditures from the Employees Life Insurance Fund to pay administrative expenses of the OPM in carrying out provisions of this Act. Requires the reimbursement of such expenditures plus interest from the Federal Employees Dental Benefits Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 1979
Title I: Fish Restoration Program - Amends the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act to: (1) define the term "coastal State" for the purposes of such Act; and (2) authorize appropriations in the amount equal to the revenue accruing from taxes relating to sport fishing equipment and certain recreational boats and boating equipment for fiscal year 1980 and each fiscal year thereafter. Title II: Fish Restoration Program - Increases the percentage of the annual appropriation deducted for administrative expenses. Sets forth the apportionment ratio for the Secretary of the Interior to use in distributing funds among the States under the fish restoration program. Authorizes the Secretary to expend unobligated funds to carry out the purposes of this Act. Eliminates the notification by a State of intent to accept such apportionment funds requirement. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to finance up to 75 percent of the costs of the acquisition of lands or interests therein and the construction of structures or facilities. Permits each State to utilize up to ten percent of its apportionment for an aquatic resource education program. Title III: Tax on Sale of Sport Fishing Equipment and certain Recreational Boats and Boating Equipment - Amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 to impose a tax on the sale by the manufacturer, producer, or importer of any article of sport fishing equipment, recreational boats, and boating equipment.
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 1979
National Forest Multiple-Use Management Act of 1980 - Specifies that lands within the National Forest System considered for wilderness designation under the Roadless Area Review and Evaluation (RARE) conducted by the Department of Agriculture, but not recommended for designation as wilderness or identified for further planning during the 96th Congress shall continue to be managed for uses other than wilderness in accordance with the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974. Directs that lands within the National Forest System which have been recommended for designation as wilderness during the 96th Congress, but have not been included in the National Wilderness Preservation System prior to January 1, 1984, shall be managed beginning on such date for uses other than wilderness in accordance with the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974. Directs that lands within the National Forest System which have been identified for further planning during the 96th Congress, but which have not been included in the National Wilderness Preservation System prior to January 1, 1985, shall be managed beginning on such date for uses other than wilderness. Stipulates that if: (1) an executive communication has been received by Congress recommending the designation of any such lands as wilderness prior to January 1, 1985, and such lands have not been included in the National Wilderness Preservation System prior to January 1, 1987, they shall be managed beginning January 1, 1987, for uses other than wilderness; and (2) at any time a determination is made by the Secretary of Agriculture under the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 that any such lands shall not be recommended for designation as wilderness, they shall be managed beginning on the date of such determination for uses other than wilderness in accordance with the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974. Directs that lands within the National Forest System recommended for designation as primitive area during the 96th Congress, for termination and management for use other than wilderness, shall be managed after the date of enactment of this Act for uses other than wilderness in accordance with the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974. Directs that lands within the National Forest System that have been recommended for designation as primitive area during the 96th, for termination and designation as wilderness, but which have not been included in the National Wilderness Preservation System prior to January 1, 1984, shall be managed beginning on such date for uses other than wilderness in accordance with the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 1979
Vietnam Veterans Act - Title I: Employment - Provides for a program of career development, training, and related services for Vietnam-era veterans. Establishes the Office of Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans' Employment in place of the existing office of Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans' Employment. Title II: Health and Psychological Care - Establishes a presumption of service-connected disability for certain diseases arising in Vietnam-era veterans (and for birth defects in their children) exposed to agent orange. Authorizes specified mental health care for eligible Vietnam-era veterans at community health centers. Directs the Comptroller General to assign ombudsmen (from the General Accounting Office) at each Veterans' Administration hospital to investigate patient complaints. Title III: GI Bill Assistance - Extends the educational assistance delimiting period for certain Vietnam-era veterans. Eliminates the requirement of matching State funds for accelerated educational loan payments. Increases such maximum payment amounts. Title IV: Administrative Costs for State Home Loan Programs - Authorizes the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs to pay the initial administrative expenses for a qualifying State veterans' home loan program. Title V: Commission to Study Veterans' Benefits - Establishes the Commission on Veterans' Benefits to perform a comprehensive study of the structure and administration of the laws relating to veterans' benefits. States that such Commission shall report its findings within 18 months to the President and the Congress, and cease to exist 30 days after such submission.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 1979
Telephone Privacy Act - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit unsolicited commercial telephone calls to a telephone subscriber who has notified the telephone company that he does not wish to receive such calls. Directs the Federal Communications Commission to prescribe regulations specifying the manner in which a telephone subscriber shall notify the telephone company that he does not wish to receive unsolicited calls. Prescribes criminal penalties for violations of this Act. Excludes from the definition of "unsolicited commercial telephone calls" calls made in response to an express request of the individual called or made in connection with an overdue debt or contractual obligation.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 1979
Requests the Secretary of Agriculture, in cooperation with the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, to develop a plan for local nutrition monitoring including: (1) the identification of priority target areas; (2) the development of a structure for monitoring specified regions; and (3) the choice of methodology and a timetable.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 1979
Urges both Houses of Congress to act promptly in their consideration of pending legislation to impose a strong windfall profits tax.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 1979
Designates December 7, 1979, as "National Unity Day."
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 1979
Condemns the use of lethal chemical agents against the Hmong tribespeople in Laos. Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should: (1) take action to bring about the cessation of such poison gas use; (2) direct the U.S. delegation to the United Nations Committee on Disarmament to place such warfare on the U.S. agenda and reach agreement with the Soviet Union on a general prohibition of chemical warfare; and (3) report to the Congress concerning actions taken.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 1979
Requests the President to work with the Secretary General of the United Nations and with other nations to convene an international conference on Cambodia: (1) to bring an end to the conflict in Southeast Asia; and (2) to consider the needs of the Khmer people.
United States · United States Congress · 4 December 1979
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 · 3 December 1979
Small Business Export Expansion Act of 1979 - Title I: Small Business Export Expansion Assistance - Amends the Small Business Act to authorize the Small Business Administration (SBA) to make grants to qualified applicants to encourage the development and implementation of a small business international marketing program. Stipulates that not more than one-third of such grants be used for the purpose of hiring personnel. Sets forth eligibility requirements for applicants. Requires each small business international marketing program to: (1) have a full-time staff director to manage program activities; (2) have access to export specialists to counsel and assist small business clients; and (3) establish an advisory board of nine members appointed by the Governor of the State in which the applicant is located. Sets forth operational procedures for such advisory board. Directs the SBA to maintain a central clearinghouse for the collection, dissemination, and exchange of information between small business international marketing programs. Authorizes appropriations through fiscal year 1982 for such programs. Title II: Export Promotion Centers - Directs the Administrator of SBA, after consultation with specified agencies, to establish an Export Promotion Center in each regional office of the Department of Commerce. Requires the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the Internal Revenue Service, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and the SBA to each designate at least one full-time employee to serve as the agency representative in each Center. Directs the Administrator to report to the Senate Select Committee on Small Business and the House Small Business Committee on the progress made in imprementing this title, not later than six months after enactment of this Act. Directs the Administration to establish a plan for the evaluation of the international marketing program to be submitted annually to the appropriate congressional committees. Title III: Small Business Export Financing Assistance - Authorizes the Administration to make loans to small businesses for export purposes of 90 percent of the balance of such loans outstanding at the time of disbursement. Title IV: Small Business Investment Companies - Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to authorize the Administration to make commitments, by contract, to guarantee qualifying investments by small business investment companies licensed pursuant to this Act. Limits such contracts to specified aggregate amounts of guarantee eligibility. Provides that such guarantees be granted with respect to initial and subsequent (to the effective date of this Act) investments made in eligible small business concerns, and shall not exceed 50 percent of each net investment loss. Directs that such guarantees be granted to such concerns which are or will be engaged in continuous export business operations, giving preference to new-to-export small businesses. Sets forth requirements for qualifying investments and terms and conditions under which the Administration may void or suspend any such contractual commitments.
United States · United States Congress · 29 November 1979
Designates the third week of April of each year as "National Coin Week."
United States · United States Congress · 28 November 1979
Amends the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act to direct the Commodity Credit Corporation to make unsecured and secured conservation loans, in specified amounts and for specified periods, to agricultural producers for conservation and environmental enhancement measures recommended by county and State ASC committees and approved by the Secretary of Agriculture as necessary to maintain or improve the productivity of farmland.
United States · United States Congress · 27 November 1979
Title I: - Amends the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act to extend the current reporting requirement to include persons "attempting" to transport monetary instruments into or from the United States. Title II: Authorizes any customs officer who has reasonable cause to suspect that monetary instruments are being transported for which a report is required to search, without a search warrant, any vehicle, vessel, aircraft, envelope or other container, or person entering or departing from the United States. Title III: - Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to pay a reward to any individual providing original information which leads to a recovery of at least $50,000 by way of a criminal fine, civil penalty, or forfeiture for a violation of such Act. Makes ineligible for such payment any Federal, State, or local employee who furnishes information in the performance of official duties.
United States · United States Congress · 27 November 1979
Designates December 7, 1979, as "National Unity Day."
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 1979
Federal Privacy of Medical Information Act - States the purposes of this Act to be: (1) to establish procedures allowing patients to inspect and amend medical information about them; (2) to define the circumstances under which individually identifiable medical information may be disclosed with or without patient consent; and (3) to make it a crime to request or obtain medical information from medical care facilities under false pretenses. Title I: Privacy of Medical Information - Part A - Definitions, Effect on Other Law, and Rights of Minors and Incompetents - Defines "accounting", with regard to medical information disclosure, as the recording of the date, nature, and purpose of such disclosure; and the name and business address of the person to whom the disclosure was made. Defines "aggravated property destruction" as property damage (in excess of $500) causing a significant impairment of use. Defines "audit" as an evaluation relating to: (1) the applicability of legal, medical, fiscal, or scientific standards; (2) the licensing or certification of medical facilities or personnel; or (3) medical peer review. Defines "employee" to include students or faculty members of a school affiliated with a medical care facility. Defines "government authority" as any Federal, State, or local entity, officer, employee, or agent. Defines "health research project" as a biomedical, epidemiologic, or health services research or statistics project. Defines "institutional review board" as: (1) a board established in accordance with regulations of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (formerly, the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare); (2) a similar board established under regulations of another Federal Government authority; or (3) a similar board which meets such requirements as the Secretary may specify. Defines "appropriate institutional review board" (with respect to a health research project intending to use medical information maintained by a researcher or facility) as: (1) the institutional review board for the organization sponsoring the project; (2) the institutional review board for the facility or researcher; (3) the institutional review board for another medical facility or institution which maintains medical information also intended to be used in the project; or (4) an institutional review board established or designated by the Secretary. Defines "medical information" as material that: (1) contains information relating to the health, examination, care, or treatment of a patient, or is to be added to such material under the provisions of this title; and (2) is in a form enabling the patient to be identified. Defines "law enforcement inquiry" as a lawful investigation or official inquiry into a violation or failure to comply with any criminal or civil statute, or related regulation, rule, or order. Defines "medical care facility" as: (1) a hospital or skilled nursing facility; (2) an intermediate care facility certified by a State agency for participation in a program under title XIX of the Social Security Act; (3) an intermediate care facility, outpatient clinic, or ambulatory care facility operated by a Federal Government authority; or (4) an outpatient clinic or ambulatory care facility receiving funds from a Federal Government authority under a grant or contract under the Public Health Service Act, title V of the Social Security Act, the Community Mental Health Centers Act, the Comprehensive Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation Act of 1970, or the Drug Abuse Office and Treatment Act of 1972, if the clinic or facility is subject to the provisions of this Act. Stipulates that such term does not include any prison facility or any facility located outside the United States. Prohibits any State or local law from authorizing or compelling the disclosure of medical information protected under this Act. Sets forth the rights of incompetents and minors. Part B - Rights of Inspection, Correction, and Notice, and Authorized Disclosure - Requires medical care facilities to permit individuals to inspect and get copies of their medical records. States that the medical care facility may: (1) require a written request for the inspection and copying of such information; (2) not charge an inspection fee; and (3) charge a reasonable copying fee. Requires a medical facility to reply to such an information or copy request within 30 days. States that such a request may not be compiled with if: (1) inspection or copying of the information would, in the medical judgment of the facility, harm the patient; (2) the information concerns mental health treatment and the facility does not permit disclosure of such information without the patient's authorization, or only under compulsion of law; (3) the information concerns mental health treatment of an individual other than a patient; (4) the information is used for administrative purposes; or (5) the information is compiled in connection with a civil suit. Requires a written statement explaining the reasons for any such request denial to be provided by the facility to the patient (or designated representative). Sets forth procedures for a patient to correct or supplement such medical information. Requires a medical care facility to prepare a written notice of information practices describing: (1) disclosures that may be made without a patient's written authorization; and (2) related rights and procedures. Requires a facility to provide such information upon request, and to make reasonable efforts to inform patients of the existence and availability of such information. Prohibits a medical care facility from disclosing medical information: (1) to anyone other than a patient or designated representative, unless so authorized by the patient or otherwise permitted under this Act; and (2) to anyone not properly identified. Sets forth patient disclosure requirements, including: (1) particularity of information, recipient, and facility; and (2) written, dated, and signed (by the patient) authorization. Permits such authorization to be revoked or amended by the patient. Part C - Disclosure of Medical Information Without Specific Information - Authorizes a medical care facility to disclose patient information without authorization: (1) to aid a facility employee in the performance of his/her duties; (2) to a medical professional in connection with the care of a specific patient; (3) for admission and health status purposes; (4) for use in specified health research projects; (5) for purposes of specified audits; (6) to assist in the identification of a dead person; (7) to alleviate emergency circumstances affecting a person's health or safety, or involving imminent danger of aggravated property destruction; (8) pursuant to legal requirements concerning public health, child abuse, law enforcement, court-ordered examinations, or Federal medical facilities; (9) for specified Secret Service and foreign intelligence purposes (with a written certification specifying the information requested); (10) to the next of kin; (11) for specified law enforcement purposes (with a written certification specifying the information requested); (12) pursuant to a subpena, summons, warrant or search warrant; and (13) with regard to certain veterans' or uniformed services' benefits, or other specified Federal medical care facilities or services. States that medical information disclosed without patient authorization to a Federal grand jury shall: (1) be returnable on a date when the grand jury is in session; (2) be used only to decide to issue an indictment or report, or for prosecuting a crime for which such indictment has been issued, or for specified purposes the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure; and (3) not be maintained by any government authority, other than in the sealed records of the grand jury, unless such information has been used in the prosecution of a crime for which the grand jury issued an indictment or for a specified purpose authorized by the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. Part D - Access Procedures, Challenge Rights, and Reporting - Prohibits a governmental authority from obtaining medical information about a person for use in a law enforcement inquiry pursuant to an administrative summons, subpena, or warrant, or a judicial summons or subpena unless: (1) reasonable grounds exist for believing such information to be relevant to the inquiry; (2) a copy of such summons or subpena has been served upon the person (or to his/her last known address), together with notice of such person's right to challenge such summons or notice; and (3) ten days have passed from the date of service, or 14 days from the date of mailing, and no such challenge has been initiated, or disclosure is ordered by a court. Requires a governmental authority that secures medical information about a person from a medical facility pursuant to a search warrant to serve a copy of the warrant upon such person within 45 days. Permits a governmental authority to delay notifying an individual regarding a summons or subpena if a court finds that: (1) the governmental inquiry is lawful; (2) reasonable grounds exist to believe that the medical information is relevant to such inquiry; (3) the government's need outweighs the individual's privacy interest; and (4) reasonable grounds exist to believe that notifying the individual will result in endangering someone's life or safety, flight from prosecution, destruction of evidence, or intimidation of witnesses. Authorizes an individual to challenge a governmental summons or subpena requesting medical information about such individual. Requires a court in weighing a governmental request against a patient's challenge to consider: (1) the purpose for which the medical information was gathered; (2) the degree to which disclosure injures or invades the patient's privacy; (3) the effect of disclosure upon the patient's future treatment; (4) the importance of the governmental inquiry, and the importance of the information to that inquiry; and (5) any other relevant factors. Places the burden on the individual to show that his/her privacy interest outweighs the governmental interest. Authorizes the court to assess attorney and related fees against the Federal authority if the challenging patient prevails. Sets forth access and challenge procedures for obtaining medical information pursuant to an administrative summons subpena, or warrant or a judicial summons, subpena, or search warrant. Requires the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States courts to include in his annual report to Congress information regarding the number of patient challenges and delays of notice sought by the government. Part E - Enforcement - Establishes criminal penalties of: (1) not more than $10,000 and/or six months imprisonment for falsely obtaining or requesting medical information; (2) not more than $30,000 and/or five years imprisonment for falsely obtaining or requesting, and intentionally selling, such information; and (3) not more than $30,000 and/or five years imprisonment for unlawfully taking such information and selling it. Authorizes an individual whose rights have been violated under this Act to maintain a civil suit against a governmental officer or employee, the governmental authority, or the medical care facility or personnel. Provides that United States district courts shall have jurisdiction in such actions. Authorizes in specified circumstances, the awarding of punitive damages and attorney and related fees. Directs the Secretary to publish a model notice of information practices describing the disclosures and rights of patients required to be included in the notices of information practices required by this Act. Title II: Amendment to Title 5, United States Code - Exempts medical information maintained by a medical care facility subject to title I of this Act from certain agency disclosure provisions. Title III: Transition and Effective Dates - States that the provisions of this Act shall: (1) continue to apply to medical information obtained by a medical care facility no longer in operation; and (2) become effective with regard to Federal medical care facilities on the first day of the first calendar quarter beginning more than one year after the date of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 1979
Directs the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission to determine the validity and amounts of claims against Iran by U.S. citizens held as hostages in the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, and their families, for personal injuries and punitive damages. Requires the Commission to certify: (1) the amount of damages to the individual claimants and to the Secretary of State; and (2) the amount of each award to the Secretary of the Treasury. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a special fund for the payment of such awards into which shall be paid: (1) payments by Iran to satisfy such claims; and (2) amounts realized from Iranian assets subject to control under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Requires the Secretary to make payments from such funds for awards not otherwise satisfied by Iran. Directs the President to continue to prohibit transactions in at least $100,000,000 of Iranian assets subjected to controls, until all claims are fully satisfied.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 1979
Designates the third week of September of each year as "National Cystic Fibrosis Week."