United States · United States Congress · 26 July 1973
American Folklife Preservation Act - Creates an American Folklife Center in the Library of Congress. Provides that the center shall be subject to the supervision and direction of a board of trustees. Provides that such board shall be composed of four members appointed by the President, eight members appointed by the Librarian of Congress, the Librarian of Congress ex officio and the director of the center ex officio. Authorizes the centers to establish and implement a program of contracts, grants, revitalize and scholarships to preserve, protect, revitalize and disseminate American folklife traditions and arts. Provides that no payment shall be made pursuant to this Act to carry out any research or training over a period in excess of two years. States that such research or training may be extended to a period not to exceed five years with the concurrance of at least two-thirds of the members of the board. Provides that no former employee of the Federal government shall be eligible to receive any grant or other assistance under this Act in the two year period following the termination of such employment. Requires the center to submit to the Library of Congress, for inclusion in its annual report to the Congress, an annual report of its operations under this Act. Authorizes such sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 1973
Senior Citizens Transportation Act - Prohibits common carriers in interstate commerce from charging elderly people more than half fare for their transportation during nonpeak periods of travel. Provides for grants to such carriers to cover such reductions on a showing by the carrier that it suffered an economic loss solely because of the provisions of this Act. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to provide financial assistance under the Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964 to States and local public bodies and agencies which adopt specially reduced rates during nonrush hours for elderly persons.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 1973
Expands, under the Mental Retardation Facilities and Community Mental Health Centers Construction Act, the definition of "developmental disability" to include autism. (Amends 42 U.S.C. 2691)
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 1973
National Fuels and Energy Conservation Act - Establishes in the Department of the Interior the Office of Energy Conservation which shall have a Director appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Provides that the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Office, shall: (1) work with the Council on Environmental Quality in developing new energy conservation initiatives for the Federal Government; (2) cooperate with private conservation programs in industry; and (3) provide assistance to State governments in developing State energy conservation programs. Directs the Administrator of the General Services Administration to use equipment, construction methods and management policies which make the maximum efficient use of energy in design, construction and operation of Federal buildings. Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to develop improved design, lighting, and insulation standards to promote efficient energy use in residential, commercial and industrial buildings. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish and publish standards of efficiency for electrical appliances and equipment. Directs the Federal Trade Commission to promulgate standards for labeling major electrical appliances and equipment so that shoppers may compare the efficiency of energy usage of such appliances and equipment. Prohibits manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers of electrical appliances and equipment from: (1) selling in interstate commerce any electrical appliance or equipment which is not labeled according to the FTC standard; and (2) from advertising any electrical appliance or equipment unless the advertisement contains a statement in accord with the labeling standard. Establishes a $5,000 civil penalty for each violation of such selling and advertising requirements. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to prepare proposed minimum standards for average degree of fuel use for motor vehicles, and such standards shall be designed to achieve a substantial increase in degree of fuel use by motor vehicles not in compliance with such standards within three years from the enactment of such standards by Congress, with all motor vehicles being required to meet such standards within five years. Requires manufacturers of motor vehicles to conduct tests and make such reports as the Secretary may require for the purpose of establishing such standards. Requires that all motor vehicles sold or manufactured in the United States shall bear a label stating in nontechnical language the degree of fuel use, and prohibits advertisement of such vehicles unless the advertisement states the degree of fuel use. Establishes a $1,000 civil penalty for offering an improperly labeled vehicle for sale and a $50,000 penalty for each advertisement not disclosing degree of fuel use. Directs the Federal Power Commission to promulgate regulations requiring electric and gas public utilities to submit to the Commission annual reports on energy conservation policies. Directs each agency of the Federal Government engaged in the sale of electrical energy to submit to the Congress a study of the impact of the rate structure of such agency on the consumption and conservation of energy. Requires the Federal Trade Commission to promulgate regulations for advertising and promotion of energy and fuels which: (1) shall be designed to prohibit advertising or promotional energy or fuels by any person or corporation when such person or corporation is unwilling or unable to meet customers' requirements for energy or fuel and; (2) which shall generally prohibit advertising and promotion which are calculated or likely to result in unnecessary energy consumption. Establishes a $50,000 civil penalty for each violation of such advertising and promotion regulations. Directs the Council on Environmental Quality to submit to the Congress: (1) a report evaluating the impact on fuel consumption of national and regional systems of freight transportation and; (2) a study of the relationships between motor vehicle sizes, the needs of motor vehicle users, and the public interest. Authorizes for each fiscal year such additional sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of the Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 1973
Federal Correctional Ombudsman Act - Establishes an office of the United States Correctional Ombudsman. Provides that the Chief Ombudsman shall have the authority to investigate in such manner as he sees fit, either upon complaint or upon his own initiative, any administrative act of the Bureau of Prisons or the Board of Parole, pertaining to the treatment of any Federal prisoner or parolee, or the conditions in any Federal penal or correctional institution. Provides that if, after any investigation, the chief ombudsman finds that any administrative act is: (1) contrary to law; (2) unreasonable, unfair, oppresive, or unnecessarily discriminatory; (3) based on mistaken ascertainment of fact; (4) based on improper or irrelevant grounds; (5) performed in an inefficient manner; (6) unclear or inadequately explained when reasons should have been revealed; or (7) otherwise objectionable; he shall consult with the appropriate official or employee in order to make a satisfactory disposition of the matter. States that if the Chief Ombudsman believes that an administrative act has been dictated by laws whose results are unfair or otherwise objectionable, he shall notify the appropriate committees of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. Provides that no information disclosed to any ombudsman or to any staff or employee of the Office in connection with an investigation under this Act shall be disclosed to any other person except to the extent the Chief Ombudsman determines necessary to carry out the purpose of this Act. Requires the Chief Ombudsman to report annually to the Congress on the operations of the Office.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 1973
Establishes a national education policy. Declares it to be the policy of the United States that every citizen is entitled to an education from nursery through graduate school without financial barriers and limited only by the desire to learn and ability to absorb such education.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 1973
Official Accountability Act - States that the purpose of this Act is to assure that public officials charged with the implementation of foreign, military, and national security policy will do so according to law. Title I: National Security Crimes - Describes the persons subject to this Act. Provides that no such person shall engage in the planning or preparation for, or initiation or waging in any way of aggression or a war in violation of any international treaty, agreement, or assurance to which the United States is a party. Declares that no such person shall order or engage in the planning of, preparation for, or commission of any violation of the laws and customs of war. Provides sanctions for violations of this Act and states that no person who violates this Act pursuant to an order of his government or superior shall be relieved of criminal liability for such violation unless he did not know and could not reasonably have been expected to know that the act ordered was unlawful. Title II: Administration and Enforcement - Establishes a Legal Office of National Security Affairs which shall be independent of the executive departments and shall be directed by a National Security Solicitor and an Assistant Solicitor. Directs the Solicitor to enforce the prohibitions contained in Title I of this Act by conducting appropriate investigations and any kind of legal proceedings civil or criminal, including grand jury proceedings and proceedings before committing magistrates, which United States attorneys are authorized by law to conduct. Requires the Solicitor to conduct public hearings at least twice a year for the purpose of hearing testimony and taking evidence from individuals claiming to possess information relevant to any violation of this Act. Directs the Solicitor to render advisory opinions when requested to do so by the President or the Congress
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 1973
Provides for the confidentiality of information furnished in response to questionnaires, inquiries, and other requests of the Bureau of the Census. Provides that the Secretary of Commerce, in the year 1975, and every ten years thereafter, shall conduct a mid-decade sample survey of population in such form and content as he may determine. Provides that the information obtained in the mid-decade sample survey shall not be used for apportionment of Representatives in Congress among the several States. Provides that such mid-decade sample survey of population shall include all States, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Provides that the Secretary may conduct special censuses for the government of any State, or of any county, city, or other political subdivision within a State, and for the municipal government of the District of Columbia, on subjects covered by the censuses provided for in this title, upon payment to the Secretary of the actual or estimated cost of each such special census. Increases the criminal penalties for the wrongful disclosure of information under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 1973
Establishes an arbitration board to settle disputes between supervisory organizations and the United States Postal Service, provided that only those disputes concerning policies that affect all or a substantial portion of supervisory personnel on a long-term or permanent basis can be referred to arbitration. Provides that the arbitration board shall consist of three members, one of whom shall be selected by the Postal Service, one by the recognized organization of supervisory personnel, and the third by the two thus selected. States that the costs of the arbitration board shall be shared equally by the Postal Service and the organization of supervisory personnel.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1973
Equal Credit Opportunity Act - Prohibits discrimination by any creditor, card issuer or other person against any person on account of sex or marital status in connection with approval or denial of credit. Provides that any credit card issuer or other person who discriminates against any person on account of sex or marital status shall be civilly liable to the aggrieved person for money and punitive damages. Grants jurisdiction, concurrent with that of State courts, to Federal district courts to hear actions to enforce the liability created by this Act without regard to the amount in controversy.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1973
Resource Recycling and Conservation Act - Title I: Findings, Purpose, Definitions - States that the purpose of this Act is to stimulate and encourage interstate and foreign commerce in recyclable and recycled materials. Title II: Increasing Supplies of and Demand for Recycled Materials in Interstate Commerce - Directs the Interstate Commerce Commission and the Federal Maritime Commission to: (1) investigate and formally identify all rates charged by transportation carriers subject to their respective jurisdictions for the transportation of recyclable or recycled solid waste materials and in each case to determine whether the rates charged and the terms and conditions of transportation for such materials are fair and reasonable and whether they unjustly discriminate against the movement or shipment in interstate or foreign commerce of recyclable or recycled solid waste materials; (2) issue appropriate orders in all cases where the rates charged or terms and conditions of transportation applicable to recyclable or recycled solid waste materials are found to be unfair, unreasonable, or discriminatory; and (3) file annual and terminal reports with the President and the Congress regarding the results of their respective investigations and all actions taken to establish fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory rates for the transportation of recyclable or recycled solid waste material. Stipulates that every invitation for bids, contract, or purchase by an executive agency, the General Services Administration, the Public Printer, or the Joint Committee on Printing or by any person contracting with the Government to furnish materials, products, supplies, or services shall require that all materials, products, or supplies to be delivered to or for the Government's account shall be comprised of recyclable or recycled materials in such percentages as required by regulations or directives issued after a public hearing by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Allows, as a deduction under the Internal Revenue Code, specified percentages of the amounts paid or incurred during the taxable year by the taxpayer to purchase recyclable or recycled solid waste materials for manufacture by the taxpayer into useful raw materials or saleable products. Title III: Conservation of Resources in Interstate Commerce - States that beginning not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act the applicable energy consumption adjustment must be subtracted from the deduction allowed in any tax year for the purchase of each major material used to form any product manufactured by the taxpayer when that material is not a recycled material. Title IV: Reducing the Volume of Nonreclaimable Packaging and Products in Interstate Commerce - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, within one year from the date of enactment of this Act, to promulgate such standards regulating the manufacture, distribution, reuse, and recycling of products, containers, or packages in commerce as are necessary to protect against unreasonable burdens on commerce and risks to health or the environment associated with the disposal of such products. Provides that any person who knowingly or willfully violates any provision of this title or any regulation or standards issued hereunder shall, upon conviction, be fined not more than $5,000 for each such violation or be imprisoned for not more than one year or both. Stipulates that no product shall be deemed in violation of this title when intended solely for export to any foreign nation. Requires the Administrator to promulgate regulations establishing product durability standards setting the minimum life for major items classified as contributing significantly to solid waste or resource consumption problems and having substantial potential for increased useful life. Authorizes the Administrator to make loans to any State, municipality, or interstate or intermunicipal agency for the purchase of solid waste collection and separation systems that encourage the flow of recycled and recyclable materials in interstate commerce. Title V: General Provisions - Directs the Administrator to establish a Research and Development Advisory Board for the purpose of providing broad guidance for research, development, and demonstration decisions and to improve the communication of results to interested persons. Authorizes any person to commence a civil action on his own behalf against any person, including the United States and any other government instrumentality or agency to the extent permitted by the eleventh amendment to the Constitution, who is alleged to be in violation of any standard or requirement which has become effective pursuant to this Act. Grants the district courts of the United States jurisdiction, without regard to the amount in controversy or the citizenship of the parties, to enforce such standard or requirement or to order such Administrator to perform such act or duty, as the case may be.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1973
Constitutional Amendment - Provides that no person who shall have reached the age of twenty-two years shall be disqualified to be a Representative on account of age. Provides no person who shall have reached the age of twenty-seven years shall be disqualified to be a Senator on account of age.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1973
Provides for the issuance of a special immigrant visa without fee, under the Immigration and Nationality Act, to any Vietnamese who has been orphaned by abandonment by one or both parents, one of which is a United States citizen.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1973
Creates a non-legislative Select Committee on Aging, consisting of fifteen members of the House of Representatives, and directs the Committee to conduct a full investigation on all matters pertaining to problems of older people, including problems of maintaining health, of assuring adequate income, of finding employment, of engaging in productive retirement activity, of securing proper housing, and when necessary, of assuring adequate care or assistance. Authorizes such committee to hold hearings and subpena witnesses and the production of records in carrying out its duties. Directs the Committee to report to the House the results of its study, together with legislative recommendations, as soon as practicable during the 93rd Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1973
Alaskan Petroleum Transmission Act - Finds that, since energy sources are in short supply, the Congress should act to hasten recovery of underground petroleum on the North Slope of Alaska. Declares it to be the national policy that no decision be made for recovery of petroleum from the North Slope of Alaska until Congress has opportunity to review such plans. Directs the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a thorough study of the two principal alternative routes for recovering petroleum reserves from the North Slope of Alaska. Outlines such routes as: (1) a trans-Alaska pipeline from the North Slope to Valdez, Alaska, and then by ocean-going oil tanker taken to the west coast of the United States; and (2) an overland pipeland from the North Slope across northeastern Alaska and through Canada to the midwest section of the United States. Directs the comptroller to report his findings and conclusions to the Congress no later than January 1, 1974. Specifies the considerations to be used in making the study. Authorizes the Comptroller to enter into contracts with the National Academy of Sciences in conducting the study, and to secure information from any Federal department, agency or instrumentality. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior and other appropriate Federal officials to enter into negotiations with Canada to determine the feasibility of a right-of-way across Canadian territory for petroleum transmission facilities from the North Slope of Alaska. Directs the Secretary to report the results of their negotiations to the Congress and the Comptroller no later than December 1, 1973. Requires all reports to the Congress under this Act be filed with the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate. Prohibits any order or rule of the Secretary of the Interior , or any other Federal agency or officer of the United States, granting a right-of-way, easement, or special land use permit on any Federal land for the construction and operation of a pipeline for the transmission of petroleum from the North Slope in Alaska from taking effect until the 60-day period beginning on the date the Comptroller files his final report. Allows the Secretary to grant such right-of-way or easements after the 60-day period as he deems necessary for construction of a petroleum transmission system along a route determined by the Comptroller to be the better of two principal alternative routes, unless Congress has disapproved such a route by concurrent resolution. Allows such rights-of-way or easements be granted for such width as the Secretary determines necessary without regard to the National Environmental Policy Act. Provides that action of the Secretary under this section shall not be reviewable by any court of the United States or in any State court. Outlines the congressional procedure in making a concurrent resolution concerning the proposed route and in referring the matter to committee. Limits debate on the resolution to no more than 10 hours. Authorizes necessary funds to carry out the Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1973
Refers H.R. 8474, entitled "A bill for the relief of J. Clarence Ingram, Don W. Ingram, and Dick L. Ingram of Nephi, Utah," to the Chief Commissioner of the United States Court of Claims for a report thereon.
United States · United States Congress · 31 May 1973
Service, Employment, and Redevelopment (SER) Assistance Act - Declares the finding of the Congress that the unmet needs of the unemployed and underemployed Spanish-speaking population of the United States makes it essential to the welfare of all Americans that action be taken by the United States Government to provide funds for bilingual manpower training, job placement, counseling, remedial education, and other related services. Authorizes appropriations to carry out such services under this Act. Directs the Secretary of Labor to make financial assistance available under this Act for the establishment and operation in any State of service, employment, and redevelopment centers which shall include education classes specifically designed to assist the disadvantaged Spanish-speaking clients who are unemployed or underemployed. Limits the Federal financial assistance to any such program to 90 percent of the cost of such program.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1973
Health Programs Extension Act - Title I: Amendments to Public Health Service Act - Extends appropriations through fiscal year 1974 for the following programs under the Public Health Service Act: (1) Health Services Research and Development; (2) National Health Surveys and Studies; (3) Public Health Training; (4) Migrant Health; (5) Comprehensive Health Planning and Services; (6) Assistance to Medical Libraries; (7) Hill-Burton Programs for Construction of Medical Library Facilities; (8) Training in the Allied Health Professions; (9) Regional Medical Programs; and (10) Population Research and Family Planning. Title II: Amendments to the Community Mental Health Centers Act - Extends appropriations through fiscal year 1974 for the following programs under the Community Mental Health Centers Act: (1) Construction Assistance for Mental Health Centers; (2) Staffing Assistance for Mental Health Centers; (3) Alcoholism programs; (4) Drug Abuse programs; (5) Alcoholism and Drug Abuse programs; and (6) Mental Health of Children. Title III: Amendments to the Developmental Disabilities Services and Facilities Construction Act - Extends appropriations through fiscal year 1974 for construction, services, and planning under the Developmental Disabilities Services and Facilities Construction Act. Title IV: Miscellaneous - Extends appropriations through fiscal year 1974 for programs under the Medical Facilities Construction and Modernization Amendment of 1970.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1973
Provides that each Government agency that maintains records, including computer records, concerning any person which may be retrieved by reference to, or are indexed under, a person's name, or some other similar identifying number or symbol, and which contains any information obtained from any source other than such person shall, with respect to such records: (1) notify such person by mail at his last known address that the agency maintains or has augmented a record concerning said person; (2) refrain from disclosing the record or any information contained therein to any other agency or to any person not employed by the agency maintaining such record; (3) refrain from disclosing the record or any information contained therein to individuals within that agency other than those individuals who need to examine such record or information for the execution of their jobs; (4) maintain an accurate record of the names and addresses of all persons to whom any information contained in such records is divulged and the purposes for which such divulgence was made; (5) permit any person to inspect his own record and have copies thereof made at his expense, which in no event shall be greater than the cost to the agency of making such copies; (6) permit any person to supplement the information contained in his record by the addition of any document or writing of reasonable length containing information such person deems pertinent to his record; and (7) remove erroneous information of any kind, and notify all agencies and persons to whom the erroneous material has been previously transferred of its removal. Provides that this Act shall not apply to records that are: (1) specifically required by Executive order to be kept secret in the interest of the national security; (2) investigatory files compiled for law enforcement purposes; and (3) interagency or intraagency memoranda or letters which would not be available by law to a party other than an agency possessing such memoranda or letters in litigation with such agency. Provides that any employee of the United States who under the color of agency authority knowingly and willfully violates a provision of this Act, or permits such a violation, shall be fined $1,000. Establishes a Federal Privacy Board to aid in the administration of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 1973
Clean Elections Act - Title I: Federal Elections Commission - Creates a six-member independent Federal Elections Commission: 2 members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, 2 members appointed by the President pro tempore of the Senate, and 2 members appointed by the President. Specifies that the Commission shall have full legal powers. Authorizes the Commission to use the personnel and facilities of the General Accounting Office. Requires the Commission to submit its budget directly to Congress along with any recommendations it may have for legislation. Transfers specified functions of the Secretary of the Senate, the GAO and the Clerk of the House to the Commission. Requires each candidate for Federal office to have a central campaign committee through which all reports must pass. Requires the central committee to file its report with the Commission. Specifies that reports contain all contributions in excess of $100 and that cash contributions of $2,500 or more be reported within 24 hours. Requires a financial report to be filed 10 days before an election. Title II: Federal Matching Payment Entitlement Fund - Establishes on the books of the Treasury of the United States the Federal Matching Payment Entitlement Fund to remain available for expenditure without fiscal year limitation. Entitles candidates for Federal office or an official national party committee or an official congressional campaign committee to payments from the fund, during any calendar year, in an amount equal to the cmount of each contribution received by such candidate or committee not in excess of $50. Requires that the candidate or committee submit matching payment entitlement vouchers including the full name of the contributor together with the date, the exact amount of the contribution, and the complete address of the contributor. States that the Secretary of the Treasury shall make a payment from the fund to the candidate or the treasurer of the committee in the amount certified by the Commission. Sets forth the limitations on certification by the Commission. Title III: Limitations on Political Contributions - Declares a limitation on contributions, made by an individual and expenditures of not more than $2,500 in the case of a candidacy for President or Vice President or not more than $1,000 in a congressional campaign. Title IV: Tax Incentives for Contributions to Candidates for Public Office - Allows a maximum credit for a taxable year for contributions to candidates for public office of $50 ($100 for a joint return). Title V: Voter's Time - Provides for a schedule of televised political broadcasts by candidates for Federal office. Requires the television networks to make prime time available to the candidates at roles not exceeding the prevailing unit charge of the station for the same amount of program time in the same time period. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to pay fully all certified bills for Voter's Time not more than 10 days following receipt from the Registry of Election Finance.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1973
Adult Education Amendments - Provides that not more than l5 percent of funds appropriated under this Act shall be reserved for special projects. Provides that State plans desiring an allotment of Federal funds under this Act shall provide for cooperation with manpower development and training programss and occupational education program and shall provide that the State agency will make available not to exceed 25 percent of the State's allotment for programs of high school equivalency certificates. Permits any State which receives assistance under this Act to establish and maintain a State advisory council which shall be appointed by the Governor. Sets forth the functions of such Council. Authorizes to be appropriated $225,000,000 for each of the next six fiscal years to carry out the purpose of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1973
Title I: Objectives - Gives recognition to the problems caused to the States of Arizona, California, and Nevada, due to the increasing salinity of the Colorado River. Declares it to be Congress' intent to institute a salinity control program based upon the policy adopted in the Conclusions and Recommendations published in the proceedings of the reconvened seventh session of the conference in the matter of the pollution of the interstate waters of the Colorado River and its tributaries in the States of California, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Wyoming held in Denver, Colorado, on April 26-27, 1972, and approved on June 9, 1972 by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Directs the Secretary of Interior to implement the program generally as described in Chapter VI of the Secretary's report entitled, "Colorado River Water Quality Improvement Program", October 1972. Title II: Initial Stage -Authorizes the Secretary to construct as initial units of the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program the La Verkin Springs unit, Paradox Valley unit, and Grand Valley unit. Title III: Continuing Program - Authorizes and directs the Secretary to expedite completion of the planning report on specified units. Directs the Secretary to cooperate with the Secretary of Agriculture in his actions toward salinity control. Title IV: Advisory Council - Creates a Colorado River Salinity Control Advisory Council composed of no more than three members appointed by the Governor from each of the seven Colorado River Basin states. States that the Council is to be advisory to the Secretary of the Interior in his work of carrying out the salinity control program. Title V: Allocation of Costs, Repayments - Provides for allocation and repayment of costs. Provides that 75 percent of the total costs of construction, operation, and maintenance and replacement of each unit of the salinity control projects is declared to be non-reimbursable and the remaining 25 percent is to be allocated to the Upper Colorado River Basin Fund and the Lower Colorado River Basin Development Fund. Provides for repayment of the costs of the salinity control projects allocated to the Lower Colorado River Basin Development Fund and the Upper Colorado River Basin Fund. Authorizes the Secretary to raise the rates for electrical energy under all contracts administered under the Colorado River Storage Project Act to the extent necessary to repay the costs allocated to the Upper Colorado River Basin Fund with respect to salinity control projects. Title VI: General Provisions - Provides for biennial reporting by the Secretary on the progress of the salinity control program, and the anticipated work to be accomplished in the future. Authorizes the necessary funds to carry out the provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 1973
Title I: Limiting Freedom of Information Act Exemptions - Authorizes a U.S. District Court, upon a complaint under the Freedom of Information Act, to examine and determine the availability of a Government agency's records which such agency refuses to furnish or disclose because of specified exemptions to the Act. Requires an agency, where records contain both available and exempt portions, to furnish the non-exempt portions unless: (1) there would be a serious distortion of meaning if the portions were read separately; or (2) the available portions are so inextricably intertwined with the exempt portions that disclosure would jeopardize the integrity of the exempt portions. (Amends 5 U.S.C. 552(a)(5), (a)(3),(b)) Title II: Freedom of Information Commission - Establishes the Freedom of Information Commission composed of 7 members and empowered to hold hearings and subpena witnesses. States that upon request by the Commission, each Federal agency is directed to furnish to the Commission all information, documents (including those classified under law or Executive order), data, and statistics necessary for the Commission's performance of its duties. Authorizes the Commission to initiate an investigation requested by a U.S. court, the Congress, the Comptroller General, a Federal agency, or (upon the vote of three members) by a private citizen concerning an allegation that information in the possession of a Federal agency is being improperly withheld under the Freedom of Information Act. Provides that a determination of improperly withheld records shall be prima facie evidence against the agency in any court of Congressional proceeding under the Act. Authorizes to be appropriated such sums as necessary for purposes of this title. Title III: Improving the Administration of Freedom of Information Act - Requires each agency, upon a request for records, to either comply with or deny the request within 10 days unless such records are unavailable for specified reasons and an additional 20 day extension is sought. Provides for a petition for action from denials of records, and final action on such appeals within 20 days. Requires each agency to submit an annual report to the House and Senate on the number of requests for records, the reasons for denials, and the results of complaints and appeals under the Act. (Adds 5 U.S.C. 552(a)(6))
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1973
Schoolbus Safety Act - Authorizes, under the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966, safety design standards for schoolbuses. Requires the Secretary of Transportation to establish safety standards for schoolbuses. Requires the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate schoolbus accidents.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1973
Establishes, under the Legislative Reorganization Act, the Office of Congressional Ombudsman. Directs the Ombudsman Board to investigate at the request of Members of Congress, actions and operations of agencies of the United States Government. Provides for the utilization by the Ombudsman of the Congressional Research Service and the General Accounting Office in carrying out his duties under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1973
Requires congressional authorization for the reinvolvement of American forces in further hostilities in Indochina. Provides that the provisions of this Act shall take effect sixty days after the agreement is signed in Paris on January 27, 1973, or upon the release of all United States prisioners of war held by the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and its allies and an accounting of United States personnel missing in action, or upon the enactment of the Act, whichever is later.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1973
Extends beyond age 22 under title II of the Social Security Act (Old-Age, Survivors', and Disability Insurance), the period during which an individual may be entitled to child's insurance benefits on the basis of full-time student status where such individual was prevented by reason of health, religious service, or service in the Armed Forces (after attaining age 18) from attending school during one or more months prior to attaining age 22.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 1973
Victims of Crime Act - Declares that the purpose of this Act is to promote the public welfare by establishing a means of meeting the financial needs of the innocent victims of violent crimes or their surviving dependents and intervenors acting to prevent the commission of crime or to assist in the apprehension of suspected criminals. Establishes a three member Violent Crimes Compensation Board within the Department of Justice. Gives to the Board specified administrative powers. States that the Board shall order the payment of compensation: (1) in the case of the personal injury of an intervenor or victim, to or on behalf of that person; or (2) in the case of the death of the intervenor of victim, to or on behalf of the surviving dependent or dependents or either of them. Provides that the Board shall determine the amount of compensation under this Act: (1) in the case of a claim by an intervenor or his surviving dependent or dependents, by computing the net losses of the claimant; and (2) in the case of a claim by a victim or his surviving dependent or dependents, by computing the pecuniary losses of the claimant. Places various limitations and requirements on orders for compensation, including the provision that no order for compensation shall be in excess of $50,000, including lump-sum and periodic payment. Provides that the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia shall have jurisdiction to review all final orders of the Board. Lists the crimes to which this Act is applicable. Creates the Criminal Victim Indemnity Fund which shall be the repository of: criminal fines paid in the various courts of the United States, (2) additional amounts that may be appropriated to the Fund as provided by law, and (3) such other sums as may contributed to the Fund by public or private agencies, organizations, or persons. Provides that the Fund shall be utilized only for the purposes of this Act. Establishes the Advisory Council on the Victims of Crime to review the administration of this Act and the various programs of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. Requires the Board to transmit an annual report to Congress. Provides that any court of the United States may impose a maximum fine of $10,000, to be deposited in to the Criminal Victim Indemnity Fund, on any person convicted of an offense resulting in personal injury, property loss, or death, in addition to any other penalty that might be imposed. Authorizes Federal grants to pay the cost of State programs which compensate victims of violent crimes which are substantially comparable in coverage and limitation to the provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1973
Expresses the sense of Congress that a special prosecutor should be appointed with a purpose of conducting prosecutions arising out of the grand jury investigation of matters relating to the Watergate case.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 1973
Mining and Minerals Resources Research Act - Authorizes to be appropriated to the Secretary of the Interior sums adequate to provide each participating State $200,000 for fiscal year 1974 $300,000 for fiscal year 1975, and $400,000 for each fiscal year thereafter, for the purpose of assisting each State in carrying on the work of a competent and qualified mining and mineral resources research institute, or equivalent agency at certain colleges or universities in such State. Requires that Federal funds used to support such institutes must be matched by non-Federal funds. Makes it the duty of such institutes to arrange for related studies or experiments by various components of the universities or colleges with which they are associated. Authorizes a $5,000,000 annual appropriation for fiscal year 1973 and the four succeeding fiscal years to meet necessary expenses of specific mineral research and demonstration projects of industrywide application undertaken by institutes. Makes the money appropriated under this Act available for paying the expenses involved in publishing reports and for coordinating programs with other institutes and other agencies. Authorizes $10,000,000 for fiscal year 1974, increasing $2,000,000 annually for 5 years, and continuing at $20,000,000 annually thereafter, for the making of grants, contracts and other arrangements with educational, private, and governmental institutions to research mining and mineral resources problems related to the mission of the Department of the Interior. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to appoint an Advisory Committee on Mining and Minerals Resources Research.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 1973
Public Safety Officers Benefits Act - Requires Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, where it determines that an eligible public safety officer has died as the direct result of a personal injury sustained in the performance of duty, leaving a spouse or one or more eligible dependents, to pay a gratuity of $50,000 to such dependents. Establishes procedures for the distribution of such payment. Defines the term "eligible public safety officer" as any individual employed by a public agency as a law enforcement officer or fireman (including officially recognized volunteer firemen). Requires that, at the time of his injury, a law enforcement officer must have been engaged in: (1) the apprehension or attempted apprehension of any person for the commission of a crime, or who at the time was sought as a material witness in a criminal proceeding; or (2) protecting or guarding a person held for the commission of a crime or held as a material witness in connection with a crime; or (3) the lawful prevention of, or lawful attempt to prevent, the commission of a crime or was otherwise engaged in the performance of his duty and such injury was the result of a criminal act or apparent criminal act. Requires that a fireman at the time of his injury must have been engaged in the protection of life or property from fire. Authorizes to be appropriated in each fiscal year such sums as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act. Excludes public safety officers of the District of Columbia from the coverage extended under this Act. (Amends 42 U.S.C. 3768, 3781)
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 1973
School Tax Equalization Act - Authorizes the appropriation of such sums as may be necessary for the fiscal year 1975 and each succeeding fiscal year ending prior to June 1, 1980, to enable the Commissioner of Education to make basic grants to the States in the amounts provided for in this Act. Authorizes the appropriation of such sums as may be necessary to enable the Commissioner to make incentive grants to the States for the fiscal year 1977 and each succeeding fiscal year ending prior to July 1, 1980, in the amounts provided for in this Act. Provides for a formula to be used in determining such amounts multiplied by the school-age population of the State. Requires States receiving grants under this Act to submit a State plan to the Commissioner.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 1973
Public Service Employment Act - Declares it to be the purpose of this Act to provide unemployed and underemployed persons with employment in jobs providing needed public services and appropriate training and related services. Authorizes to be appropriated to carry out this Act such sums as Congress determines necessary for each fiscal year ending prior to fiscal year 1977. Provides that the Secretary of Labor shall enter into arrangements with applicants for the purpose of providing financial assistance to public and private nonprofit agencies and institutions for the creation of jobs providing employment for unemployed or underemployed persons in carrying out needed public services. Provides that such eligible applicants shall be: (1) States, counties, cities, and other units or combinations of units of general local government which have established public service employment councils; and (2) other public and private agencies and institutions when government units of services are inadequate or nonexistent. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements with eligible applicants, using 25 percent of the funds authorized under this Act, for the purpose of providing employment, for unemployed and underemployed persons residing in areas of substantial unemployment, in jobs providing needed public services, which shall be carried out to the maximum practicable extent within such areas. Provides for the establishment of a public service employment council. Provides that the Secretary shall not provide financial assistance for any program or activity under this Act unless he determines that: (1) the program will result in an increase in employment opportunities over those which would otherwise be available, will not result in the displacement of currently employed workers, will not impair existing contracts for services or result in the substitution of Federal for other funds in connection with work that would otherwise be performed, and will not substitute public service jobs for other federally assisted jobs; (2) persons employed in public service jobs assisted under this Act shall be paid wages which shall not be lower than whichever is the highest of the minimum wage which would be applicable to the employee under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, the State or local minimum wage for the most nearly comparable covered employment, or the prevailing rates of pay for persons employed in similar public occupations by the same employer; (3) funds under this Act will not be used to pay persons employed in public service jobs under this Act at a rate in excess of $12,000 per year; (4) all persons employed in public service jobs assisted under this Act will be assured of workmen's compensation, health insurance, unemployment insurance, and other benefits at the same levels and to the same extent as other employees of the employer and to the same working conditions and promotional opportunities as such other employees enjoy; (5) provisions of law relating to health and safety conditions shall apply to such program or activity; (6) the program will, to the maximum extent feasible, contribute to the occupational development or upward mobility of individual participants; (7) not to exceed 10 percent of the funds available for any program under this Act will be used for the acquisition or the rental or leasing of supplies, equipment, materials, or real property; and (8) every participant shall be advised, prior to entering upon employment, of his rights and benefits in connection with such employment. Provides that the Secretary shall transmit at least annually a detailed report setting forth the activities conducted under this Act. Provides that the Secretary shall carry out a program of research and pilot projects into alternative ways and means to research full employment.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 1973
Provides for the establishment of the Cuyahoga Valley National Historical Park and Recreation Area between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to acquire necessary land, and to administer the park. Establishes the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and Recreation Commission to assist the Secretary in his responsibilities under this Act. Authorizes the appropriation of such sums as necessary to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 1973
Small Business Pollution Abatement Loan Assistance and Worker's Readjustment Assistance Act - Title I: Assistance to Small Business - Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to make: (1) planning grants of up to $100,000 or 100 percent of the cost of meeting pollution requirements, whichever is less, to small business firms; and (2) loans of up to $500,000 or 100 percent of the costs for meeting the costs of compliance with State or Federal laws, rules or regulations relating to pollution abatement, whichever is less. Authorizes the Secretary to make loans to small businesses for purposes of tying into municipal waste treatment facilities. Provides that no such loan shall exceed $500,000 in amount. Authorizes the appropriation of up to $4,000,000,000 to carry out this title. Title II: Assistance to Workers - Authorizes the Secretary to pay a readjustment allowance to adversely affected workers meeting the qualifying requirements set out in this title who have been totally or partially separated from their jobs after the date or enactment of this Act on account of the enforcement of State or Federal pollution abatement measures. Provides that the readjustment allowance authorized under this title for a week of unemployment may be an amount equal to his average weekly wage over the last 6 months of his employment. Provides for reductions in such allowance based upon the amount of unemployment insurance the worker is receiving. Sets forth time limitations on such allowance payments. Provides for training of workers covered by this Act in accordance with such workers capabilities and prospective employment opportunities. Provides for relocation allowances for such workers. Authorizes the appropriation of such sums as may be necessary to carry out the functions authorized in this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1973
Controlled Substances Security Act - Sets forth the findings of Congress. Directs the Attorney General to establish security standards for manufacturers to observe in the storage, shipment, and delivery of drugs listed in schedule II of the Controlled Substances Act. Authorizes the Attorney General or his designate to enter any place of manufacture of a drug with respect to which standards are established to assure that the standards are being observed. Requires the registration suspension of a manufacturer of a drug with respect to which any substantial quantity has been lost during any storage, shipment, or delivery of the drug by the manufacturer. Terminates the registration, after a hearing, for six months where the Attorney General finds that a manufacturer failed to observe the standards of this Act, such periods of termination to be cumulative rather than concurrent.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1973
Makes it the sense of Congress that it shall be the policy of the United States to require repayment of the longstanding debts which are delinquent in nature. Makes it the sense of Congress that the Department of the Treasury submit to the Congress within ninety days of passage of this resolution a list and report on the extent of such indebtedness on the part of foreign nations. Declares that it is the sense of Congress that the Department of the Treasury, through the appropriate departments and agencies, should, immediately after the filing of this report, begin consultations with foreign governments involved for the purpose of making arrangements for the prompt repayment of those longstanding debts which are delinquent.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 1973
Child Development and Abuse Prevention Act - Provides for the establishment of a National Center on Child Development and Abuse Prevention within the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare to list accidents involving children under 18, to maintain an information clearing house, and to provide training materials on all programs for prevention, identification, and treatment of child abuse. Provides for grants to public and nonprofit private organizations for demonstration programs designed to prevent, identify, and treat child abuse and neglect. Establishes a National Commission on Child Abuse and Neglect to make a study of the effectiveness of existing child abuse and neglect reporting laws and ordinances and to define the proper role of the Federal Government in assisting State and local public and private efforts in the area of child abuse and neglect.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 1973
Congressional Oversight Act - Establishes within the General Accounting Office an Office of Budget and Expenditure Oversight which shall exercise oversight over the Executive with respect to the preparation and administration of the Federal budget, the raising of revenues, the expenditures of moneys, the preparation and presentation of legislative proposals, and the implementation of legislative programs enacted by Congress. Makes the General Accounting Office an agency of the Congress. Eliminates the position of Assistant Comptroller General and replaces it with a Deputy Comptroller General. Requires the Comptroller General and the Deputy Comptroller General to be nominated by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate respectively and for each to be appointed by a concurrent resolution of both Houses of Congress. Reduces the term of office of the Comptroller General and his Deputy from fifteen years to five years. Sets forth the functions of the Office of Budget and Expenditure Oversight. Sets forth requirements for any officer or employee of the United States, including the President, regarding the impoundment of any appropriation. Requires the head of each department and establishment in the executive to submit to the Office of Budget and Expenditure Oversight a duplicate copy of all legislative and budgetary requests submitted by him to the Office of Management and Budget. Authorizes to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out the purpose of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 1973
Constitutional Amendment - Provides that the people of the District constituting the seat of government of the United States shall elect two Senators and the number of Representatives in Congress to which the District would be entitled if it were a State. Requires Each Senator or Representative to be an inhabitant of the District and to possess the same qualifications as to age and citizenship and have the same rights, privileges, and obligations as a Senator or Representative from a State.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 1973
Authorizes each Member of the House of Representatives (including Delegates and Resident Commissioners) to hire for two months during the period from June 1 to August 31 inclusive, each year during the Ninety-third Congress, one additional employee to be known as a Lyndon Baines Johnson teacher congressional intern.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 1973
Mobile Teachers' Retirement Assistance Act - Expresses the findings of Congress that the transfer of teachers between State schools is impeded by the possibility of forfeiture of retirements, and that the resulting immobility hinders the growth of new communities. Sets forth the terms and definitions of this Act. Specifies the requirements which a State retirement system must meet to receive Federal financial benefits under this Act. Provides that the Federal contribution to each qualified State system for each retiring teacher's out-of-State service shall be 50 percent of the total cost, as determined by the retirement system at such teacher's age on date of retirement. Contributes to the State retirement system an additional 2 percent of the Federal amount under this Act for the costs of administration. Authorizes appropriations for the fiscal year 1974 and succeeding years for the amounts necessary to effectuate this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 1973
Provides, under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, that the Secretary of Labor may visit the workplace of any small employer which has twenty-five or fewer employees for the purpose of affording consultation and advice for such employer on matters, specified in a request by the employer, affecting conditions, structures, machines, apparatus, devices, equipment, or materials in the workplace. Authorizes to be appropriated the sum of $1,000,000 for fiscal year 1973, $1,500,000 for fiscal year 1974 and $1,500,000 for 1975, for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this Act. (Amends 15 U.S.C. 636)
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 1973
Child Development and Abuse Prevention Act - Directs the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to establish the National Center on Child Development and Abuse Prevention in order to gather information with respect to the prevention, identification, and treatment of child abuse. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to, and enter into contracts with, public agencies or nonprofit private organizations for demonstration programs designed to prevent, identify, and treat child abuse and neglect. Establishes a National Commission on Child Abuse and Neglect to investigate the effectiveness of existing child abuse and neglect reporting laws and the proper role of the Federal Government in assisting State and local public and private efforts to prevent child abuse. Directs the Commission to transmit to the President and to the Congress not later than one year after the first meeting of the Commission a final report containing a detailed statement of the findings and conclusions of the Commission, together with recommendations for legislation.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 1973
Provides that whoever: (1) uses a firearm to commit a felony with respect to which courts of the United States have original and exclusive jurisdiction; or (2) uses a firearm transported in interstate or foreign commerce during the commission of any crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year and is convicted of such crime by a State court; shall, in addition to the punishment for such crime, be imprisoned for not less than five years, nor more than ten years. States that upon a second or subsequent conviction under this Act such person shall be imprisoned for not less than ten years, or to life imprisonment. Provides that such term of imprisonment shall not run concurrently with any term of imprisonment imposed for the commission of such felony or crime. (Amends 18 U.S.C. 924(c))
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 1973
Bureaucratic Accountability Act - Provides that each government agency shall pay to any interested person who participates in a proceeding before the agency, and who is determined by objective standards to be unable to pay: (1) reasonable attorney fees for representation of such person in the proceeding, and (2) other reasonable costs, including fees for witnesses, if such person made a discernible contribution to promoting agency implementation of a purpose of the Act of Congress pursuant to which such proceeding is conducted. States that an action in a court of the United States seeking relief other than money damages and stating a claim that an agency or an officer or employee thereof acted or failed to act in an official capacity or under color of legal authority shall not be dismissed nor relief therein be denied on the ground that it is against the United States or that the United States is an indispensable party. Establishes procedures for the enforcement of grants-in-aid to be followed by each agency which is authorized to make or administer such grants.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1973
Provides, under the Internal Revenue Code, that the designation of payments to the Presidential Election Campaign Fund shall be made on the front page of the taxpayer's income tax return form. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to give extensive publicity to the Presidential Election Campaign Fund from January 1 to April 15 of each year.
![Official portrait of Rep. Owens, Wayne [D-UT-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/o000156_200.jpg)