United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1988
American Heritage Trust Act of 1988 - Title I: American Heritage Trust - Establishes the American Heritage Trust, comprised of the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Historic Preservation Fund, to provide funding for the preservation of America's natural, historical, cultural, and outdoor recreational areas. Title II: Land and Water Conservation Fund - Amends the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act to require the Secretary of the Treasury to invest a portion of the Land and Water Conservation Fund in public debt securities. Requires that the interest from such investments be used to provide for the preservation of the Nation's recreational areas. Sets forth a formula for the allocation of such interest income to the Federal Government and the States. Sets forth specified requirements with respect to the apportionment of such income to local and State governments. Repeals a specified section concerning publicity and signing provisions. Title III: Historic Preservation Fund - Amends the National Historic Preservation Act to extend the Historic Preservation Fund through 2015. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to invest a portion of such Fund in public debt securities. Requires that the interest from such investments be used for the preservation of historic sites. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - Requires the owner of any site that benefits from moneys derived from the American Heritage Trust to install a sign indicating that fact.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 1988
Age Discrimination Claims Assistance Act of 1988 - Extends the statute of limitations applicable to bringing civil actions in the Federal courts on certain claims under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 that were filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission before the date of enactment of this Act. Directs the Commission to send out notices regarding the claims for which the statute of limitations has been extended. Directs the Commission to report to specified congressional committees on such claims, notices, alleged unlawful practices eliminated or attempted to be eliminated, and civil actions filed.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1988
Emergency Hunger Relief Act of 1988 - Title I: Family Self Sufficiency Improvement - Subtitle A: Food Stamp Program - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to increase the minimum food stamp program (program) allotments by one percent for the period January 1, 1989, through September 30, 1989, and by one percent during FY 1990. Amends the definition of "household" to repeal the provision providing separate household status for certain parents of minor children and for such children. Makes permanent categorical program eligibility based on eligibility for specified social security programs. Provides an additional excess shelter deduction. States that: (1) households not required to submit monthly income reports shall have their income calculated on a prospective basis; and (2) households required to submit monthly income reports shall have their income calculated on a retrospective basis, except under specified circumstances. Repeals the requirement of prior approval by the Secretary of Agriculture for less than monthly income reporting of certain household. Prohibits a state agency from requiring periodic reporting of households: (1) made up entirely of migrant or seasonal farm workers; (2) made up entirely of homeless persons; or (3) with no earned income and in which all adult members are elderly or disabled. Requires that households reporting monthly be provided with clear and understandable reporting forms. Adjusts the automobile limitation to reflect Consumer Price Index changes. Provides full program benefits for breaks in certification of 30 days or less. Permits households subject to benefit prorating to receive an aggregate benefit allotment. Extends the scope of program informational activities. Amends the HOmeless Eligibility Clarification Act to make permanent the authority for homeless persons in shelters to receive food stamps. Subtitle B: Related Programs - Amends the Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983, as amended by the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, to extend the temporary emergency food assistance program (TEFAP) through FY 1990. Increases the amount of TEFAP funds for emergency feeding organizations. Amends the Community Services Block Grant Act to authorize appropriations through FY 1993 for the community food and nutrition program. Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a study (through the National Academy of Sciences) of the kinds of medical problems commonly suffered by program participants and the resulting special diets; and (2) report to the Congress. Title II: Child Nutrition Promotion - Amends the Food Stamps Act of 1977 to exclude foster care and adoption assistance from program income determinations. Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to increase the school breakfast program reimbursement rate by three cents per meal as of July 1, 1989. Amends the National School Lunch Act to permit specified private nonprofit organizations to participate in the summer food program. Provides an additional meal or snack to children who attend day care centers which are open more than eight hours a day. Repeals the provision tying reduced price lunch eligibility to program eligibility. Title III: Effective Date - Sets forth the effective dates for provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1988
Makes a supplemental appropriation for FY 1988 to the Coast Guard (Department of Transportation) for operations at certain facilities comparable in nature and extent to the operations carried out during FY 1987. Prohibits amounts made available by this Act from being used in connection with any closing of, or reduction in force with respect to, any Coast Guard facility or installation.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1988
Expresses disapproval of the refusal of the U.S.S.R. to recognize the sovereignty of the Baltic Republics. Designates June 14, 1988, as Baltic Freedom Day. Authorizes and requests the President to submit the issue of the Baltic Republics to the United Nations.
United States · United States Congress · 18 February 1988
Oyster Disease Research Assistance Act - Directs the Chief Scientist of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration to establish an oyster disease research program, including: (1) identification of certain oyster diseases; (2) identification of priority research categories; (3) support for research in priority categories; and (4) a process for making the results of the research available to interested persons. Permits eligible institutions to apply for research grants. Sets forth the factors the Chief Scientist must consider in deciding whether to award assistance. Establishes the Oyster Research Program Advisory Committee to advise the Chief Scientist regarding matters related to carrying out this Act. Requires representation on the Committee from specified geographic areas. Directs the Chief Scientist to consult with the Department of the Interior, the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the Food and Drug Administration with respect to the identification of priority oyster diseases, the identification of priority research categories, and matters covered by the biennial review required by this Act. Directs the Chief Scientist to undertake a biennial review of the program. Sets forth reporting requirements. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 through 1998.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 1988
Amends the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 1988 to increase from $1,500,000,000 to $4,000,000,000 the maximum amount authorized to be transferred by the Secretary of Defense between working capital funds of the Department of Defense (DOD) and appropriations made available under such Act for military functions of DOD. Requires the Secretary, in determining the proper amounts to be so transferred, to ensure that an appropriate portion of such authority is used to transfer to operation and maintenance accounts of DOD for FY 1988 sufficient funds for depot maintenance activities and civilian personnel pay. Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1988 and 1989 to increase from $2,000,000,000 to $4,000,000,000 the amount authorized under such Act to effect such transfers.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 1988
Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the Boat Safety Account in the Aquatic Resources Trust Fund to: (1) authorize transfers into the account of motorboat fuel taxes received before October 1, 1999 (current law provides authorization until October 1, 1988); (2) increase from $45,000,000 to $60,000,000 the amount permissible in the Account without triggering a prohibition of Highway Trust Fund transfers into the Account for FY 1988 and thereafter; and (3) extend from April 1, 1989, to October 1, 1999, the date before which expenditures may be made from the Account for recreational boating safety programs. Grants the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating liquidating contract authority with respect to State recreational boating safety programs in an amount equal to one-half (currently two-thirds) of the amount of motorboat fuel taxes transferred to the Account in FY 1988 and thereafter. Increases from one-third to one-half the portion of such funds available for Coast Guard services in connection with recreational boating safety services. Prohibits fiscal year expenditures for Coast Guard expenses from exceeding those for State boating safety programs generally. Amends Federal law to permit a State to use contributions of funds, materials, lands, and services to carry out certain fish restoration and management projects in lieu of paying its share of the activity.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 1988
United States Coast Guard Bicentennial Medal Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to design, strike, and sell a medal in commemoration of the bicentennial of the U.S. Coast Guard in 1990. Requires the design of the medal to be selected by the Secretary of the Treasury after consultation with the Secretary of Transportation and the Commission of Fine Arts.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1988
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt from the required application of uniform inventory cost capitalization rules any animal produced in a farming business, regardless of the animal's preproductive period.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1988
Child Protection and Obscenity Enforcement Act of 1988 - Title I: Child Pornography - Amends the Federal criminal code to make it illegal to use a computer to transport information in interstate or foreign commerce concerning the visual depiction of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct (child pornography). Establishes criminal penalties for buying, selling, or transferring the custody of a minor: (1) knowing that, as a consequence of the sale or transfer, the minor will be used in child pornography; or (2) with the intent to promote child pornography. States that such sale or transfer must involve: (1) the minor or other actor traveling in interstate or foreign commerce; (2) communications in interstate or foreign commerce; or (3) conduct in a territory or possession of the United States. Requires any person who produces a book, magazine, periodical, film, videotape, or other matter which contains any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct (which is shipped or intended for shipment in interstate or foreign commerce, or contains material shipped in interstate or foreign commerce) to maintain certain records regarding the performers portrayed in such conduct. Directs the Attorney General to issue regulations regarding the maintenance and availability of such records. Includes the sexual exploitation of children as a predicate offense to the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute. Title II: Obscenity - Makes it a Federal criminal offense to receive or possess, with the intent to distribute, obscene matter which has been transported in interstate or foreign commerce. Makes it a Federal criminal offense to knowingly use a facility or means of commerce to sell or distribute obscene matter in interstate or foreign commerce. Establishes a rebuttable presumption, with respect to Federal criminal offenses involving obscene matter, that obscene matter produced in one State (or outside the United States) which is subsequently located in another State (or in the United States) was transported, shipped, or carried in interstate (or foreign) commerce. Establishes criminal and civil forfeiture procedures with respect to Federal offenses involving obscene material and child pornography. Includes communications by means of cable or subscription television within the prohibition against broadcasting obscene language. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to modify the penalty provisions of such Act with respect to obscene telephone communications. Amends the Federal criminal code to establish criminal penalties for the possession or sale of obscene matter on Federal property. Adds obscenity offenses to the list of crimes for which the Government may obtain wiretaps.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1988
Community Housing Partnership Act - Title I: Housing Education and Organizational Support Grants for Community Based Housing Projects - Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to provide housing education and organizational support grants directly to nonprofit organizations or indirectly to States and cities to assist such organizations. Authorizes permanent appropriations beginning with FY 1989. Title II: Community Housing and Partnership Grants - Authorizes the Secretary to provide community partnership grants directly to nonprofit organizations or indirectly to States and cities to assist such organizations. Divides appropriations among: (1) urban community housing partnership grants (60 percent); (2) State community housing partnership grants (30 percent); and (3) direct community housing partnership grants (ten percent). Sets forth the following eligible activities: (1) technical assistance and site control loans; (2) seed-money loans; (3) matching grants or loans; and (4) program-wide technical and management assistance for nonprofit sponsors. Sets forth rental project and home ownership eligibility provisions, including: (1) occupancy by lower income families; (2) profit limitations; (3) funding coordination; (4) tax treatment; and (5) affirmative action requirements. Authorizes permanent appropriations beginning with FY 1989. Title III: General Provisions - Defines specified terms for purposes of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1988
Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the excise tax on diesel and aviation fuels. Prohibits imposition of the tax on the sale of these fuels to any purchaser (or purchaser for resale to a second purchaser) for use on a farm for farming purposes or for any other use not as a fuel in a diesel-powered highway vehicle or train. (Although fuel sold for these purposes is tax-exempt under current law, provisions of the Revenue Act of 1987 require purchasers to pay the tax and subsequently apply for a refund based on nontaxable uses of the fuel.)
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1988
Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the excise tax on diesel and aviation fuels. Prohibits imposition of the tax on the sale of these fuels to any purchaser (or purchaser for resale to a second purchaser) for use on a farm for farming purposes or for any other use not as a fuel in a diesel-powered highway vehicle or train. (Although fuel sold for these purposes is tax-exempt under current law, provisions of the Revenue Act of 1987 require purchasers to pay the tax and subsequently apply for a refund based on nontaxable uses of the fuel.)
United States · United States Congress · 21 December 1987
Requires the Secretary of Commerce, in carrying out any decennial census, to tabulate and make public the general population of Asians and Pacific Islanders both by total and by detailed groups.
United States · United States Congress · 18 December 1987
Directs the Caribbean Basin Scholarship Commission (established by this Act) to establish and administer a scholarship program in the form of loans to enable students from eligible countries in the Caribbean Basin to study at an institution of higher education or vocational school in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Provides that repayment of such loans will be forgiven upon the student's prompt return to such student's country of origin for a period which is at least one year longer than the period spent studying in Puerto Rico. Requires Puerto Rico to provide 50 percent of the amount appropriated to the Caribbean Basin Scholarship Fund. Permits such amount to be provided by other than cash. Establishes the Caribbean Basin Scholarship Fund. Appropriates to the Fund five percent of the amounts received in the Treasury on or after enactment of this Act that are attributable to the duties imposed on all articles imported from eligible countries. Establishes the Caribbean Basin Scholarship Commission to distribute scholarships to students in eligible countries, giving consideration to: (1) underserved and underdeveloped areas; (2) students who need financial assistance to pursue an education; and (3) institutions of higher education and vocational schools offering training or education in areas that have the greatest potential for strengthening the workforce in the Caribbean Basin. Specifies conditions for eligibility and selection of scholars.
United States · United States Congress · 17 December 1987
Requires the Office of Personnel Management to report, with recommendations, to the Congress on the problem of delays in processing applications for benefits under the Civil Service Retirement System. Directs the Office to examine: (1) current methods and procedures; (2) circumstances where it might be appropriate to provide interim benefits; (3) the feasibility of processing records, forms, and other matters in anticipation of an employee's retirement; and (4) the effectiveness of retirement counselors. Requires the report to contain a plan to allow an individual to go from regular pay to retirement or disability retirement pay without interruption.
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 1987
Authorizes the appointment of an Assistant Attorney General for State and Local Law Enforcement Matters. Sets forth the duties of the Assistant Attorney General, which include: (1) serving as an ombudsman for State and local law enforcement agencies with respect to matters involving the Department of Justice; and (2) providing staff support to coordinate the activities of the Bureau of Justice Assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 1987
Authorizes the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to construct a Veterans Administration medical facility in south Texas. Authorizes appropriations. Limits the per-bed construction cost to be funded.
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 1987
Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to direct the American Battle Monuments Commission to establish a memorial and museum on Federal land in the District of Columbia or its immediate area to honor World War II veterans and to commemorate U.S. participation in that conflict. Directs the Commission to plan, design, construct, and oversee the operation of the memorial and museum. Establishes the World War II Memorial and Museum Advisory Board to: (1) promote the establishment of the memorial and museum and encourage the donation of private funds for construction and maintenance; and (2) recommend the site and select the design for the memorial and museum, subject to the approval of the Commission. Authorizes the Commission to solicit private contributions for such memorial and museum. Authorizes Federal funding, in addition to such private funds, for preparation, planning, establishment, construction, and maintenance of the memorial and museum. Authorizes assistance from specified Federal departments and agencies. Authorizes Federal property to be transferred to the Commission, or authorizes the Commission to purchase suitable property within the District of Columbia for the establishment of such memorial and museum.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 1987
Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the targeted jobs income tax credit. Extends the credit to employees who begin work in 1989 through 1991. (Current law terminates the credit for employees who begin work after December 31, 1988.) Includes as a targeted group individuals aged 65 or older who are members of economically disadvantaged families. Revises the minimum employment period requirement for purposes of this credit.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 1987
Expresses the sense of the Congress that, in celebration of the millennium of the Christianization of Kievan-Rus', the Soviet Union should: (1) comply with its international obligations and allow Christians to practice their faith without harassment; (2) grant a general amnesty for all Christians who have been imprisoned because of their religious beliefs; (3) allow religious believers to practice their faith freely; (4) permit unlimited publication, distribution, and importation of religious materials; and (5) allow closed churches to reopen, new churches to be built, and theological seminaries to open or expand.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 1987
Act for Better Child Care Services of 1987 - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 and such sums as necessary for FY 1989 through 1992 to carry out the purposes of this Act. Specifies the manner of making allotments for child care services. Requires the designation of a lead agency in each State which participates in the programs under this Act. Requires States to submit, in order to qualify for assistance under this Act, an application and plan to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Requires each plan to cover a five-year period and to meet specified requirements for providers of child care services. Authorizes the use of State allotments: (1) by contracts with or grants to eligible child care providers, or public or private nonprofit agencies, to enable such providers or agencies to operate programs directly or by subcontract; or (2) by distributing child care certificates that parents may use as payment for child care services. Requires that a percentage of funds be reserved to enable part-day programs to extend existing hours of operation and provide full-day child care services. Authorizes the Secretary to make planning grants to States which desire to participate under this Act but cannot fully satisfy the requirements of a State plan without financial assistance. Provides for a review of the operation of a State plan during the five-year period to determine its continued eligibility for funds. Requires the Governor of each participating State to establish: (1) a State interagency advisory committee on child care to assist the lead agency in carrying out its responsibilities; and (2) a State committee on licensing to review the licensing requirements, the law, and the policies regulating child care services and programs within the State. Requires each participating State to recognized private nonprofit community-based organizations, or public organizations, as resources and referral agencies for particular geographic areas. Requires each participating State to require that all employed or self-employed persons providing licensed or regulated child care complete at least 15 hours per year of inservice, continuing education, or other training as described in this Act. Directs the Secretary to establish within the Department of Health and Human Services an Administrator of Child Care to carry out the provisions of this Act. Establishes enforcement provisions for review of State plans and monitoring of State compliance. Declares the Federal share of child care programs to be 80 percent and requires the State to demonstrate that the remaining 20 percent will be provided from other sources. Requires the Secretary to establish a National Advisory Committee on Child Care Standards to: (1) review Federal policies on child care services and such other data as appropriate; (2) submit to the Secretary proposed minimum standards for child care programs; and (3) develop and make available to lead agencies model regulations for resources and referral agencies. Terminates the committee 90 days after the date of publication of final minimum child care standards. Prohibits the use of funds under this Act for: (1) sectarian purposes or activities; (2) capital improvements to sectarian institutions; and (3) tuition.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 1987
Designates the week beginning September 11, 1988, as Total Education Awareness Week, recognizing that the educational experience should address the total needs of children, including their intellectual, psychological, social, and physical needs.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 1987
Designates the week of May 2 through May 8, 1988, as National Drinking Water Week to enhance awareness of drinking water issues and recognition of the difference that drinking water makes to health, safety, and quality of life.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 1987
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the ten percent energy investment tax credit for geothermal property from December 31, 1988, until July 31, 1991.
![Official portrait of Rep. Ortiz, Solomon P. [D-TX-27]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/o000107_200.jpg)