United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1981
Expresses the grave concern of the House of Representatives at the repression of the Guatemalan people by the Guatemalan Government. Calls upon the President to: (1) recall the U.S. representative; (2) order continued application to Guatemala of statutes limiting access to bilateral and multilateral aid to gross violators of human rights; (3) prohibit the granting of any Export-Import Bank credits or loan guarantees or the granting of export licenses; (4) instruct U.S. Executive Directors on specified international agencies to vote against grants and loans to Guatemala and to urge other governments to implement similar policies within these institutions; (5) actively work within the Organization of American States and the United Nations to pressure the Guatemalan government to cease its violence against the Guatemalan people; and (6) demand that the regime cease its repression and restore to the police and security forces their proper peacekeeping role.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1981
Declares that the President's decision to commit U.S. military personnel to El Salvador requires the President to submit to Congress a specified report required by the War Powers Resolution in order to preserve the integrity of such Resolution and to ensure the full and cooperative judgment of both Congress and the President with respect to the introduction of U.S. military personnel into El Salvador.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1981
Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to reduce the rate of tax on the taxable income of a corporation below $500,000. Reduces the income tax rate and the alternative tax on mutual insurance companies.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1981
Alcoholic Beverage Labeling Act Amendment - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to deem an alcoholic beverage misbranded if it consists of more than 24 percent alcohol by volume and does not bear a health warning on its label, labeling, and advertising. Requires such health warning to state that use of such product may cause sickness or death, impair driving ability, create dependence or addiction, and harm the unborn during pregnancy. Requires the label to state that legal age is required for purchase.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1981
Expresses the sense of Congress that Federal bank regulators should immediately begin to diminish the differences between the capital- to-assets ratios imposed on small- and medium-sized banks.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1981
Federal Law Enforcement Officers' Security Act of 1981 - Provides civil service compensation for the disability or death of a Federal law enforcement officer resulting from an injury sustained while making an arrest for a State felony, unless such compensation is available to such officer under State law. Directs the Attorney General of the United States to reimburse a Federal officer for: (1) any litigation expenses incurred for defending himself or herself in an action brought against such officer for violating a State law while making such an arrest; and (2) any resulting fine or damages imposed, if a State officer would be immune to liability for the same conduct. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude the amount of any such reimbursement from the officer's gross income.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1981
Amends title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) of the Social Security Act to add burial plots or crypts to the items excludable from an individual's resources in determining eligibility.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1981
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the States and localities should and must continue to cooperate with the United States Fire Administration in reviewing, evaluating, and suggesting improvements and uniformity in State, local, and model fire prevention and building codes.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1981
National Driver Register Act of 1981 - Eliminates the register in the Department of Commerce that lists the names of persons who have had their motor vehicle operator's licenses revoked. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish and maintain a National Driver Register to assist chief driver licensing officials of participating States in exchanging information regarding the motor vehicle driving records of individuals. Prohibits the Secretary from maintaining information in such Register for more than a seven-year period from the date of its entry. Allows any State to participate in such Register system. Directs the chief driver licensing official of a participating State to transmit specified information on certain drivers to the Secretary. Allows access to such information to specified individuals, including the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration and the Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. Limits the use of such information to official investigations and statistical research. Sets forth criminal penalties for the unauthorized disclosure of information from the National Driver Register. Establishes a National Driver Register Advisory Committee to advise the Secretary concerning the efficiency and effectiveness of the Register system. Directs the Committee to report at least annually to the Secretary. Directs the Secretary, within nine years of the date of enactment of this Act, to report to Congress on the level of State participation in and the effectiveness of the Register system. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the provisions of this Act for fiscal years 1981 through 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1981
Requires the Federal Government and persons conducting federally assisted programs, projects, and activities to pay interest to business concerns for overdue sales and lease agreement payments not made by the thirtieth day after the bill for such payment is received. Specifies the procedure for computing such interest. Stipulates that overdue payments for meat, groceries, and perishables shall be determined in accordance with terms commonly offered meat, grocery, and perishable industries. Entitles the Government and such persons to early payment discounts only if payments are made within the prescribed periods.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1981
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell commemorative medals honoring Maggie Lena Walker in recognition of her contributions to the banking industry of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1981
Exempts nonprofit veterans' organizations and nonprofit fraternal organizations from the requirement that nondramatic literary or musical performance royalties be paid to copyright holders.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1981
Amends the Tariff Schedules of the United States to repeal the additional duties imposed until 1993, under the Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1980, on ethyl alcohol imported to be used as fuel. Requires the reimposition of such additional duties if a request for reimposition is made within a specified time after enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1981
Census Data Reform Act of 1981 - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to report to Congress at the end of each fiscal year on the census activities carried out by the Secretary during such year. Directs the Secretary, after each decennial census, to: (1) submit to Congress an evaluation of the accuracy of such census and a statistical analysis of the social and economic condition of the American people; (2) publish the geographic boundaries of the Congressional district established on the basis of such census; and (3) report to Congress on the progress in improving the accuracy of such census. Directs the Secretary to submit to the appropriate Congressional committees the criteria to determine the residency of persons for census purposes at least one year before the decennial census date. Directs the Secretary to use the same geographic boundaries to define any geographic unit established for one decennial census as were used for the preceding decennial census. Directs the Secretary to report the population of specified areas within 11 months of the census to the appropriate Congressional committees as well as to the Governor of the State involved and to persons responsible for districting such State. Directs the President to report to Congress within a specified time after completion of the census on the tabulations made in the decennial census with regard to the population in each State and the number of Representatives to which each State would be entitled according to the Hamilton-Vinton formula (rather than according to the method of equal proportions which is currently used).
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1981
Authorizes the printing as a House document of the publication entitled "Programs and Papers Portraying the Personality, Character, and Achievements of George Washington." Requires additional printing of such document for the use of the House not to exceed a specified cost. Authorizes the Superintendent of Documents to make copies of the document available for sale to the general public.
United States · United States Congress · 19 February 1981
Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the payment of death benefits to public safety officers who die as the result of a medical condition sustained while ingesting or inhaling a poisonous substance or while subject to extreme physical stress, on a single occasion, in the performance of duty.
United States · United States Congress · 18 February 1981
Dependent Care Amendments Act of 1981 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the rate of the income tax credit for household and dependent care expenses, based upon family income. Makes such credit refundable. Increases the amount of allowable dependent care expenses eligible for the credit. Permits the dependent care credit for the care of dependents over the age of 14 or handicapped dependents outside of the home, if such dependents return to the taxpayer's household each day. Imputes a minimum level of earned income to individuals engaged in business on a substantially full-time basis (35 hours a week) for purposes of insuring eligibility for the household and dependent care credit in cases where the taxpayer has little or no income for the taxable year. Grants tax-exempt status to organizations providing dependent care services to the general public. Allows an employee to claim a dependent care credit for the value of employer-provided dependent care services if the value of such services are included in the gross income of the employee.
United States · United States Congress · 18 February 1981
World War I Veterans Service Pension Act of 1981 - Requires the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs to pay (in addition to any pension already paid) a monthly pension of $150: (1) to each veteran of World War I who meets specified service requirements; (2) to the surviving spouse of each such veteran; or (3) when there is no surviving spouse, to the child or children of each such veteran.
United States · United States Congress · 18 February 1981
Directs a motor carrier of passengers providing transportation subject to the jurisdiction of the Interstate Commerce Commission to allow its bus operators to install and operate citizens band radios and related accessories in such vehicles for: (1) the safety and benefit of passengers; (2) assisting motor vehicle operators in trouble; and (3) aiding law enforcement officials.
United States · United States Congress · 18 February 1981
Amends title VII (Equal Employment Opportunity) of the Civil Rights Act to 1964 to make it an unlawful employment practice to discriminate against any individual who is physically or mentally handicapped.
United States · United States Congress · 18 February 1981
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow individuals who are renters of their principal residences an income tax credit for 25 percent of their proportionate share of the State and local real property taxes imposed upon the property on which the residence is located. Limits the amount of the credit to the amount of rent paid by the taxpayer during the taxable year.
United States · United States Congress · 18 February 1981
Redesignates the day on which Washington's Birthday is celebrated as February 22. Redesignates the day on which Memorial Day is celebrated as May 30. Redesignates the day on which Columbus Day is celebrated as October 12.
United States · United States Congress · 18 February 1981
Expresses the sense of Congress that the President and the Secretary of State should: (1) recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel; and (2) relocate the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 1981
Cigarette Safety Act - Directs the Consumer Product Safety Commission to promulgate, within 24 months, final performance standards for cigarettes and little cigars ensuring a minimum capacity for igniting smoldering fabric fires. Authorizes the Commission to prohibit manufacturers from stockpiling such products to which such standards apply. Provides for judicial review of such standards in an appropriate U.S. court of appeals. Declares such cigarette safety standards to be subject to all remedial and penalty provisions of the Consumer Product Safety Act. Authorizes appropriations necessary to carry out this Act for the first three fiscal years beginning after enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 1981
Refundable Investment Tax Credit Act of 1981 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the refunding of investment tax credit amounts which exceed tax liability.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 1981
Pollution Control Facilities Tax Incentives Act of 1981 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit a taxpayer to elect a 12-month amortization period or an additional ten percent investment tax credit for pollution control facilities used in connection with a plant or other property in operation before January 1, 1971. Removes the requirement, for purposes of certification of pollution control facilities for the amortization deduction, that such facilities not increase output, extend the useful life, reduce total operating costs, or alter the production process of the plants in connection with which they are used.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1981
Export Trading Company Act of 1981 - Establishes within the Department of Commerce an office to: (1) promote the formation of export trade associations and export trading companies; (2) provide information; and (3) facilitate contacts between producers of exportable goods and firms offering export trade services. Title I: Export Trading Companies - Authorizes any banking organization to invest up to specified amounts in export trading companies upon notifying, but without obtaining the prior approval of, the appropriate Federal banking agency, if such investment does not cause an export trading company to become a subsidiary of such organization. Allows greater investment by Edge Act Corporations not engaged in banking. Permits any banking organization to invest beyond such limitations with the prior approval of the appropriate Federal banking agency. Requires prior notification of such agencies in specified circumstances. Sets forth further limitations on export trading companies and investments by banking organizations. Specifies factors to be taken into consideration by the banking agencies. Permits such agencies to impose conditions in approving applications to invest in export trading companies. Requires such agencies to report to the appropriate Congressional committees with their recommendations concerning implementation of this Act, related changes in U.S. law, and effects of ownership of U.S. banks by foreign banking organizations. Provides for judicial review of denial orders in the appropriate U.S. Court of Appeals. Sets forth the grounds for disapproval. Provides for remand for further consideration by the banking agency. Directs the Economic Development Administration and the Small Business Administration to give special weight to export-related benefits when considering applications for loans and guarantees by export trading companies. Authorizes appropriations for initial investments and operating expenses for fiscal years 1982 through 1985. Directs the Export-Import Bank of the United States to provide loan guarantees to export trading companies or exporters to be secured by accounts receivable or inventories when adequate financing is not otherwise available and such guarantees will facilitate expansion of exports. Title II: Antitrust Provisions - Amends the Webb-Pomerene Act to exempt the export trade, activities, and methods of operation of certified export trade associations and export trading companies from the antitrust laws. Sets forth the procedure to be followed by any association or trading company seeking certification under this Act and by the Secretary in issuing such certificates. Provides for appeal of the Secretary's denial of certification. Authorizes the Attorney General or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to bring an action to invalidate a certification. Requires the Secretary, in consultation with the Attorney General and the FTC, to publish guidelines for determining whether an association or export trading company will meet the certification requirements. Requires certified associations and export trading companies to submit annual reports to the Secretary. Requires, with specified exceptions, that all applications for certification be kept confidential. Authorizes the Secretary to require an association or trading company to modify its operation to be consistent with international obligations of the United States. Directs the President to appoint, with the Senate's advice and consent, a task force seven years after enactment to examine the effect of this Act and to make recommendations. Applies, with a specified exception, the antitrust laws in effect before enactment of this Act to any existing export trade association and its trading activities. Provides for automatic certification of existing associations. Title III: Taxation of Export Trading Companies - Amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 to make banking organizations which have invested in an export trading company eligible for treatment as domestic international sales corporations (DISC). Includes the gross receipts from the export of services produced in the United States and from export trade services as qualified export receipts, in the case of a DISC which is an export trading company. Directs the Secretary of Commerce, with the Secretary of the Treasury, to develop and distribute information concerning the utilization of the DISC provisions. Amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 to make export trading companies eligible for Subchapter S treatment if the shareholders of such companies are otherwise small business corporations. Exempts such companies from restrictions on the amount of foreign income they can receive and still be eligible for Subchapter S tax treatment.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1981
Amends Federal law to require all polling places (except in Hawaii and Alaska) to close at eight post meridiem eastern standard time for the 1984 Presidential elections. Makes Election Day, 1984, a legal public holiday.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1981
Declares that the President should not reestablish an official U.S. presence in Bolivia nor furnish any military or economic assistance to Bolivia until: (1) civil rights and the democratic process are restored; (2) a commitment has been made by the regime not to harass U.S. citizens; and (3) Bolivian drug involvement is assessed.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1981
Expresses the concern of the Congress over the escalating violence in El Salvador. Affirms support for a negotiated settlement to the conflict, for democratic government, and for respect of human rights. Calls for the suspension of military aid to El Salvador pending a report on: (1) the extent to which further military aid will strengthen the moderate forces within that country; (2) the results of the investigation into the murder of six Americans; and (3) the implementation of a land reform program.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1981
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should provide immediate humanitarian assistance to help Somalia cope with the massive influx of refugees. Urges Executive branch officials to call upon other nations to aid the Somali refugees.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1981
Stipulates that the payment of retired or retainer pay which would otherwise be made to a member of the armed forces shall be paid by the Secretary concerned to another person to the extent provided for in the terms of any court decree of divorce, annulment, or legal separation.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1981
Establishes the Interagency Task Force on Ocean Dumping of Radioactive Wastes (the task force). Directs the task force to: (1) prepare an inventory of ocean sites at which radioactive wastes were dumped between 1945 and 1970; (2) make a preliminary assessment of the adverse effects of such wastes on the environment and public health; and (3) develop a comprehensive plan for continuous monitoring of such wastes in order to assess short-and long-term adverse impacts on the environment and public health. Empowers the task force to issue subpoenas for any evidence relating to any incident of ocean dumping of radioactive waste. Requires any Federal agencies which engaged in or authorized such dumping to furnish information upon written request of the task force. Requires the task force to report to Congress by October 1, 1982, on the activities required by this Act. Directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set up a preliminary monitoring program on those ocean sites at which radioactive wastes which cause significant adverse impacts on the environment and public health were dumped before 1970. Authorizes appropriations to carry out such program.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1981
Authorizes the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs to furnish a memorial headstone or marker to commemorate any veteran whose remains are unavailable because of a donation to science, a burial at sea, or other causes. Directs the Administrator to set aside suitable areas in national cemeteries to honor such veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1981
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to provide that disability insurance benefits for an individual having a terminal illness shall begin with the first month during which such individual has such illness.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1981
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism, and Digestive Diseases, to: (1) conduct a clinical investigation of the safety and efficacy of dimethyl sulfoxide as a drug to be used by persons with arthritis; and (2) report to Congress within one year of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1981
Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to require separate metering of the electricity or natural gas used in each new building unit constructed after enactment of this Act. Authorizes the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to bring actions against electric and gas utilities to require compliance with such requirements. Sets forth penalties for violations of such requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1981
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit married individuals filing separate income tax returns an election to be taxed at rates applicable to unmarried individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1981
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow individuals a nonrefundable income tax credit for 50 percent of the expenses paid or incurred to make alterations to their residences for the purpose of making such residences more accessible to, and usable by, a handicapped individual who is either the taxpayer, his spouse, or a dependent of the taxpayer. Limits the amount of such credit, for each such handicapped individual, to the lesser of $1,000 or an amount which, when added to previous year's credits, does not exceed $5,000. Reduces the amount of such credit by one-half of the amount by which the adjusted gross income of the taxpayer exceeds $20,000 ($35,000 in the case of married individuals filing jointly). Defines "handicapped individual" as any individual who has a medically identifiable mental or physical impairment which can be expected to result in death or which can be expected to last for a continuous period of at least 12 months, and which severely limits one or more of the major life activities of such individual. Requires the handicapped individual to live in the principal residence for which the alterations are made for not less than a nine month period during the taxable year.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1981
Requests the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Secretary of Commerce each to report to Congress on the impact on the U.S. economy of the acquisition of U.S. companies by foreign nationals.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1981
Requests the President to designate the week of May 10 to May 16, 1981, as "CARE Week" in observance of the thirty-fifth anniversary of CARE (the Cooperative for American Relief Everywhere, Inc.).
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1981
Establishes within the National Institutes of Health the Office of Drugs of Limited Commercial Value under the direction of the Director of the National Institutes of Health. Establishes within the Office an advisory council to advise the Director and make recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services respecting the time required for drug approval under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Authorizes the Director to provide financial assistance to entities for the development of drugs of limited commercial value, defined as a drug for a condition or disease of low incidence, to undertake the development of such drugs, undertake studies to determine the potential and need for specific drugs, and coordinate the efforts of public and private entities engaged in the development of such drugs. Requires the submission and approval of an application containing the scientific basis for the development and the proposed therapeutic use of the drug and other specified information before financial assistance is provided. Requires each entity receiving funds to keep specified records. Requires the Director to report to Congress within two years on the effectiveness of this Act.
![Official portrait of Rep. Ottinger, Richard L. [D-NY-20]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/o000134_200.jpg)