United States · United States Congress · 18 June 1985
Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Secretary of Agriculture to jointly conduct a study of the use of unleaded fuel in agricultural machinery and to report to the Congress on such study. Prohibits any reduction in the permitted lead level in gasoline below a specified level until after the Congress receives such report. Authorizes appropriations
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 1985
Fairness for Adopting Families Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to limit the amount of the income tax deduction for the legal adoption of a child by a taxpayer to not exceed $5,000 ($7,000 in the case of an international adoption). Reduces the amount of the deduction for taxpayers whose taxable income exceeds $60,000. Expands such deduction to include all reasonable and necessary expenses which are directly related to a legal adoption of a child (current law restricts expenses to those incurred in the adoption of a child with special needs), if such adoption has been arranged by a State or local agency, a nonprofit agency, or through a private placement which does not violate a Federal or State law. Disallows such deduction for expenses of adoption by an individual of a child who is a child of such individual's spouse. Disallows such deduction for expenses in connection with artificial insemination, embryo transplantation, in vitro fertilization, or surrogate parenthood. Disallows such deduction for expenses incurred for travel outside the United States, unless such travel is required as a condition of the child's adoption, to assess the health and status of the child, or to escort the child back to the United States. Excludes from an employee's gross income any amounts paid on his behalf by an employer pursuant to an adoption assistance program. Establishes dollar amount and income amount limitations on such exclusion.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 1985
Narcoterrorism Information Rewards Act of 1985 - Authorizes the Attorney General to reward any individual who furnishes information leading to the arrest or conviction of any individual who killed or kidnapped, or conspired to do so, any U.S. officer or employee (or family member) on account of his or her official duty involving drug enforcement. Grants a reward to any individual who furnishes information leading to the prevention or frustration of such a kidnapping or killing. Authorizes the Attorney General to determine the amount of such reward. Allows the Attorney General to protect the identity of a recipient, if necessary. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that procurement of the new U.S. weather radar system, NEXRAD, continue on schedule and according to the established minimum requirements agreed to by the National Weather Service, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Department of Defense.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 1985
Fair Insurance Coverage Act - Prohibits any insurer from discriminating in an insurance contract against any person because of blindness. Includes within the prohibition refusing to make or negotiate a contract for insurance or giving different treatment with respect to terms, conditions, rates, or benefits because of blindness. Establishes a preference for State actions prior to judicial enforcement under this Act. Authorizes any aggrieved person, in the absence of State actions or jurisdiction, to bring an action under this Act for individual relief. Authorizes the Attorney General of the United States to bring an action for injunctive relief whenever there is reasonable cause to believe a person is engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination or when an individual is aggrieved and an issue of general public importance is raised. Grants the Federal district courts jurisdiction of such actions regardless of the amount in controversy. Allows a court to order monetary, equitable, or other appropriate relief, including punitive damages.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 1985
Designates the period of October 1, 1985, through September 30, 1986, as the time to reflect on the achievements of the Peace Corps during its 25 years and on ways such programs might be used in the future. Authorizes and requests the President to proclaim this period as a time to honor Peace Corps volunteers and reaffirm the Nation's commitment to such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 1985
Medical Malpractice Reform Act of 1985 - Establishes within the Department of Justice a program to fund State medical malpractice programs. Requires States to establish medical malpractice screening panels (Panels) to receive such funding. Grants such Panels original and exclusive jurisdiction to hear all claims of medical malpractice which are not against the United States. Sets forth the powers of such Panels. Provides rules governing Panel decisions. Requires Panel decisions to be made within 30 days after a hearing. Empowers the Panel to determine the amount of damages owed to the claimant by each liable defendant and enter an order against such defendants. Directs States to provide judicial enforcement of such award if not paid promptly. Limits any court proceeding to enforce an order to pay an award to the issue of whether such payment was made according to the terms of the order. Directs each State to permit recovery for noneconomic losses. Limits recovery for such losses to $250,000. Specifies damage award payment methods. Permits any party to appeal the decision of the Panel to a State court of appropriate jurisdiction within 60 days. Entitles the appellant to a trial de novo where such court finds the Panel decision clearly erroneous. Grants such appellant the right to a trial by jury. Requires the Panel or court to transmit to the State insurance commissioner and appropriate licensing body within 30 days a report on: (1) the Panel's or court's findings; and (2) any settlement agreement. Requires the State insurance commissioner to make such reports available for public inspection and to notify each malpractice insurance provider within the State. Allows malpractice insurance providers to adjust their rates for: (1) persons found liable; and (2) persons who entered into three or more settlement agreements that required payments to claimants. Limits attorney's fees. Subjects an attorney who accepts excess payments to civil liability. Directs each State to provide that any member or employee of the Panel shall be immune from suits for defamation, libel, or slander arising from the performance of official duties. Directs the Attorney General to make specified payments to States for: (1) malpractice screening Panels; (2) malpractice studies; and (3) the development of health care facility risk management programs. Directs the Governor of a State receiving such funding to report to the Attorney General on the use of such payments. Provides that decisions of the Attorney General regarding compliance with the requirements of this Act and the allocation and repayment of funds shall be final and not subject to judicial review. Authorizes appropriations beginning in FY 1986.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 1985
Recognizes the substantial contribution over the past 50 years of the Historic Sites Act to the identification and protection of the Nation's cultural heritage.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 1985
Designates August 14, 1985, as Social Security Day and the week of August 11 through August 17, 1985, as Social Security Week. Authorizes and requests the President to commemorate August 14, 1985, as the 50th anniversary of the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1985
College Athlete Education and Protection Act of 1985 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny the deduction for a charitable contribution to an institution of higher education for use in the athletic program of such institution or to any other organization for use in supporting the athletic program of such institution unless for the 5-calendar-year period ending with the calendar year preceding the calendar year in which the contribution is made at least 75 percent of the scholarship athletes ceasing to be students at such school during such period receive a bachelor's degree after the completion of not more than five academic years.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1985
Authorizes the President, on behalf of the Congress, to present gold medals to Jan Scruggs, Robert Doubek, and Jack Wheeler, in recognition of their tireless efforts to give the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to the Nation. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to sell bronze duplicates of the medal. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1985
Young Astronaut Program Medal Act - Commemorates the Young Astronaut Program by directing the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and deliver to the Young Astronaut Council no more than 750,000 medals with emblems, devices, and inscriptions determined by the Secretary. Authorizes the Council to dispose of the medals at a premium and to have them delivered as required in quantities of no less than 2,000. Directs that no medals be struck after December 31, 1987. Directs the Secretary to set the price of the medals at no less than the manufacturing cost plus a surcharge of ten percent of such cost. Requires the furnishing of security sufficient to fully indemnify the United States for such costs. Directs that the medals be struck in gold, silver, and bronze and in such size or sizes as determined by the Secretary. Gives the U.S. Comptroller General the right to examine the records of the Council which are related to the medals.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 1985
Military Drug Interdiction Assistance Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Defense (upon request from the head of a Federal agency with jurisdiction to enforce the Controlled Substances Act or the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act) to assign members of the armed forces under his jurisdiction to assist drug enforcement officials in drug searches, seizures, or arrests outside the land area of the United States. Allows such assistance only if: (1) the assistance will not adversely affect the military preparedness of the United States; (2) the Attorney General verifies that the drug enforcement operation may not succeed without assistance by members of the armed forces; and (3) Federal drug enforcement officials maintain ultimate control over the activities and direction of any drug enforcement operation.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1985
Amends the Maritime Education and Training Act of 1980 to direct the Secretary of Transportation to maintain a Replacement Training Vessel Fund for the building or acquisition of modern maritime training vessels.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 1985
Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 regarding urban development action grant criteria to include the following: (1) the production of goods or services from the applicant's local economy; (2) job retention and retraining; and (3) project location. Prohibits the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from awarding such a grant unless: (1) the project will have a substantial physical development and fiscal impact; (2) the project is likely to be accomplished in a timely fashion; and (3) the city or urban area has demonstrated performance in housing and community development programs. Provides for the use of repaid grant funds. Requires an applicant to provide the Secretary with an annual statement of the projected receipt and use of repaid grant funds and an audited report of any previous fund use. Requires a report to the Congress by March 15, 1986.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1985
Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to include in the definition of "subsidy" (for countervailing duty purposes) any resource input subsidy as provided for under the provisions of this Act. States that a "resource input subsidy" is found to exist if: (1) (a) a product is provided or sold by a government-regulated or controlled entity within a country for input use within such country at a domestic price that is lower than the fair market value of the input product and is not freely available to U.S. producers; and (b) a product would, if sold at the fair market value, constitute a significant portion of the total cost of the manufacture or production of the merchandise in or for which the input product is used; or (2) under specified circumstances, the right to remove or extract such product is provided or sold by a government or a government-regulated or controlled entity within a country. Sets forth the method of calculation for the amount of a resource input subsidy. Defines "fair market value" and "input use" for purposes of this Act. Requires injury determinations by the U.S. International Trade Commission to be made in all countervailing duty investigations relating to the existence of resource input subsidies.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1985
Authorizes the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity to establish a monument on Federal land in the District of Columbia to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. Subjects the Fraternity's design and plans for the monument to the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, the Commission of Fine Arts, and the National Capital Planning Commission. Directs the Secretary to: (1) select a site for the monument with the approval of the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission; (2) prohibit its construction unless sufficient funds are available for its completion; and (3) provide for the maintenance of the monument upon its completion. Provides that U.S. funds may not be used to establish the monument. Directs that the authority to establish the monument is contingent upon its construction beginning within five years.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the executive branch should release appropriations for the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1985
Authorizes the Society of the Third Infantry Division to erect a memorial on public grounds in the District of Columbia or its environs in honor of the men of the "Rock of the Marne" of the Third Infantry Division who served in both World Wars, Korea, and maintaining peace. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to select a site for the memorial subject to the approval of the National Commission of Fine Arts, the National Capital Planning Commission, and, under certain circumstances, the Mayor of the District of Columbia. Subjects the design and plans for the memorial to the approval of the Secretary, the National Commission of Fine Arts, and the National Capital Planning Commission. Directs that the maintenance and care of the memorial shall be the Secretary's responsibility unless the memorial is on public grounds under the jurisdiction of the District of Columbia in which case such duties fall on the District of Columbia. Provides that funds of the United States or the District of Columbia may not be used to erect the memorial. Directs that the authority to establish the memorial is contingent upon its erection beginning within five years with funds sufficient to ensure its completion.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1985
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the administration should comply with the automatic appropriation and earmarking provisions of the Wallop/Breaux Sport Fish Restoration Trust Fund. States that funds owed to the States from such Fund should not be withheld or delayed.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1985
Authorizes the President, on behalf of the Congress, to present a gold medal to the parents of Father Jerzy Popieluszko in recognition of their son's accomplishments. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to provide for the sale of bronze duplicates of the medal.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1985
Designates the week beginning on April 13, 1986, as National Garden Week. Urges the wearing of garden flowers during that week as a symbol of appreciation for the contributions of the Nation's gardeners.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1985
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should make the overvalued dollar, the U.S. trade deficit, and cooperative measures to redress such imbalances a priority at the Bonn Summit, West Germany, on May 2, 1985. Sets forth specified assurances and commitments the President should seek from participating governments to correct such imbalances. Requests the President to report to the Congress on the results of his efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1985
Housing Counseling for the Mentally Ill Act of 1985 - Authorizes States and local governments to use specified community development and alcohol, drug abuse, and mental health services block grant funds to provide housing counseling and periodic evaluations for individuals released from residential facilities for the mentally ill. Requires periodic reports on the use of such funds.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should establish a task force of expert farmers to address the long-range concerns of the U.S. agricultural industry.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1985
Establishes in the legislative branch of the Government the Perot Commission on Americans Missing in Southeast Asia to conduct an investigation and report to the Congress its findings with respect to the existence and the release of prisoners of war in Southeast Asia. Sets forth specified administrative procedures and powers of the Commission. Requires the Commission to terminate 30 days after the filing of its report to the Congress or on January 3, 1987, whichever occurs first.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1985
Coastal Zone Management Reauthorization Act of 1985 - Amends the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to direct the Secretary of Commerce to reduce financial assistance extended to a coastal State in certain circumstances. Establishes the National Estuarine Sanctuary Reserve System (the System). Authorizes the Secretary to designate an estuarine area as a national estuarine research reserve upon certain findings. Requires the Secretary to develop guidelines for research within the System. Requires the Secretary to promote and coordinate the utilization of such reserves. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to coastal States for acquisition or operation of such reserves or to a coastal State or other entity to support research and monitoring within a reserve. Sets per-reserve grant limits. Directs the Secretary to periodically evaluate the operation and management of each reserve and its research. Authorizes the Secretary to suspend a reserve from eligibility for financial assistance or withdraw its designation as a national reserve upon certain findings. Requires an annual report, beginning with FY 1986, by the Secretary to the Congress concerning such reserves. Repeals Federal provisions which establish: (1) research and technical assistance grants for coastal zone management; and (2) the Coastal Zone Management Advisory Committee and certain other positions. Adjusts the authorization of appropriations for administrative grants to States for coastal resources management programs and for the establishment of national estuarine sanctuaries.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1985
Directs the Postmaster General to issue a stamp commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Blue Angels. Specifies the design and denomination of the stamp. Establishes the dates within which the stamp shall be issued and directs that it be sold for a period set by the Postmaster General.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income as an employee fringe benefit any use of a transferable pass for air passenger transportation by a nonemployee receiving such pass from an airline employee.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 1985
Requires the initial report of the National Drug Enforcement Policy Board to include: (1) a comprehensive assessment of the current and potential contribution of synthetic narcotic analogs (designer drugs) to the illegal narcotics problem in the United States; (2) proposals for illegal drug law enforcement strategies to prevent the manufacture and distribution of synthetic narcotic analogs; and (3) recommendations to the Congress for necessary legislation to eliminate the manufacture and distribution of illegal synthetic narcotic analogs.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 1985
Federal Drug Law Enforcement Agent Protection Act of 1985 - Amends the Controlled Substances Act to authorize awards of up to $100,000 to any individual who provides original information which leads to the arrest and conviction of a person who kidnaps or kills a Federal drug law enforcement agent. Provides that the money for such rewards be taken from the forfeiture proceeds within the Department of Justice.
![Official portrait of Rep. Ortiz, Solomon P. [D-TX-27]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/o000107_200.jpg)