United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1985
Amends part A (General Provisions) of title XI of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to invite each State having an approved plan under part A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) of title IV of the Social Security Act to submit an application to establish and conduct a demonstration project for the purpose of testing whether the provision of mandatory education or vocational training (or both) for the caretaker parents of dependent children under six years of age in families receiving AFDC would enable such families to leave the AFDC rolls quickly and assist such parents in securing long-term gainful employment at earnings levels sufficient to maintain their families without public assistance. Requires any State desiring to establish and conduct such a demonstration project to submit an application to the Secretary within six-months after the enactment of this Act. Directs the Secretary to approve ten of the proposed projects. Requires six of the approved projects to be located in urban areas and four to be located in predominantly rural areas. Prohibits the approval of a project unless: (1) it is of sufficient size and scope to demonstrate program and cost effectiveness and to permit the drawing of valid inferences for evaluation and permit the drawing of valid inferences for evaluation and policy recommendations; (2) it will be conducted for a period of not less than three nor more than five years; (3) it covers all caretaker parents in families which are eligible for aid under the applicable State plan and which include one or more children under six years of age; (4) it provides for participation by caretaker parents on a voluntary basis; and (5) it complies fully with all other requirements and will contribute to the purposes of this Act. Defines "caretaker parent". Directs a State, in conducting an approved demonstration project, to: (1) offer each caretaker parent in a jurisdiction involved an opportunity to participate in the project; (2) establish an individualized program for the education or vocational training of each participating caretaker parent; and (3) permit such parent to receive education or training under the program so established (from the time the youngest child in the care of such parent is six-months old, or earlier with a physician's written permission) until either the parent is employed and self-sufficient, the parent is no longer a caretaker parent, or the family has become ineligible for aid; and (4) require the project to maintain support services, including child care, transportation, and health care services for each participant. Directs the Secretary to pay each State with an approved demonstration project 90 percent of the costs incurred by the State in establishing and carrying out such project. Requires the remainder of the costs incurred to be paid from non-Federal sources. Requires the education or training for caretaker parents in such program to meet the following requirements: (1) for caretaker parents without a high school diploma the education must lead to such diploma; (2) after receipt of such diploma (or in the case of an individual already having a high school diploma or better), the caretaker parent must participate in an approved post-secondary education program, an approved vocational education program, or a program of employment and training under auspices of the Job Training Partnership Act; (3) the award of an academic scholarship to a caretaker parent shall not result in any loss of eligibility or benefits under AFDC or any other public assistance program, so long as the scholarship payments are made directly to the appropriate educational institution; (4) the education and training must include instruction in family management and life skills, employment and job search training, career counseling, and community-supported recreational activities; (5) appropriate English language and adjustment training must be provided for caretaker parents from immigrant groups who have language or cultural adjustment difficulties; (6) special training must be provided for physically handicapped participants; (7) education and training for each participant in the project must be provided for at least 20 hours per week and must be coordinated with available child care services; (8) any caretaker parent who has completed all of the education and training required by this Act shall remain a participant in the project for 20 hours a week of job search and placement assistance (with coordinated child care) until either the parent is employed and self-sufficient or the family has become ineligible for AFDC. Provides that in the case of a caretaker parent who ceases to be a participant in the project because he or she has completed all of the education and training required by this Act and has become employed: (1) the parent will be provided with child care services, as necessary, without charge for a six-month period, and thereafter for a certain period subject to the payment of a gradually increasing portion of the cost of such services; and (2) the parent shall be considered for a 15-month period to be still a project participant for purposes of receiving Medicaid (title XIX of the Social Security Act) and shall thereafter be similarly considered to still be a participant for such purposes but subject to stated conditions. Requires all of the child care and transportation which is necessary for a caretaker parent to participate in a demonstration project to be included, without charge to the caretaker parent, as a part of the project. Requires each approved project to be designed so as to provide an effective demonstration of: (1) the planning and design of quality and cost-effective approaches to child and infant care; (2) the cost-effective utilization of existing publicly-funded educational, vocational, and other training programs; (3) coordination with other community service providers, including job developers; and (4) cost-effective and creative approaches to the utilization of transportation facilities. Prohibits participation in an approved project by a caretaker parent from resulting in any loss of eligibility or benefits under AFDC or any other public assistance program. Permits a State to make participation mandatory if: (1) it is necessary to operate a project in a cost-effective manner; (2) participants would not be disadvantaged financially or otherwise; and (3) children in need of assistance would not be disadvantaged. Provides that if any caretaker parent who is required to participate in a project refuses to undergo any education or training required by this Act or otherwise fails to participate in an approved demonstration project, without a reasonable basis for such refusal or failure as determined on medical, psychological, psychiatric, or other grounds by an appropriate licensed practitioner in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary (subject to a State being granted a waiver): (1) such parent's needs shall not be taken into account in determining need under AFDC with respect to the parent's family; and (2) any AFDC payments shall be made in the form of protective payments. Requires each approved demonstration project to have a voluntary advisory group to assist in developing the program and in monitoring the project. Sets forth reporting requirements (including reports to Congress). Requires each State in which a demonstration project is located to submit to the Secretary such information as the Secretary may require concerning a project.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1985
Provides for a 15-year delimiting period for a veteran to complete a program of education. Extends through 1989 the delimiting period for veterans no longer eligible for such assistance solely because of the current ten-year delimiting period.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1985
States that the President should: (1) announce to the Soviet Union and other nuclear nations that the United States will suspend testing of nuclear weapons and challenge the Soviet Union to do the same; (2) express to the diplomatic community that U.S. policy is to cease testing such weapons and that such testing will be resumed if the Soviet Union proceeds with further underground testing of such weapons; (3) ensure that upon suspension of U.S. testing the United States will make use of existing technology and equipment to verify that nuclear explosions have ceased; and (4) initiate negotiations for a permanent U.S.-Soviet test ban treaty.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1985
Title I: General Accounting Office Investigation and Report - Directs the General Accounting Office to investigate the situation of displaced nationals of El Salvador, including determinations of those Salvadorans in Central America, unlawfully in the United States, or returned from the United States to El Salvador. Requires a report to the Congress. Title II: Congressional Review - Provides that such report shall be referred to the appropriate committees for hearings and committee reports. Title III: Temporary Stay of Deportation - Provides for a temporary stay of detention and deportation for specified Salvadorans presently in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1985
Amends the Bretton Woods Agreements Act to require the President to instruct the U.S. Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund to vote against any credit drawing on the Fund by any country which practices apartheid.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1985
Directs the President to: (1) secure from the Indochina nations a full accounting of Americans captured or missing as a result of the Vietnam conflict; and (2) work for the release of captive Americans and the return of the remains of those American servicemen and civilians who died in Southeast Asia. Requires the President to submit two reports to Congress on American POW/MIAs in Southeast Asia.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 1985
Effective Schools Development in Education Act of 1985 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a grants program to promote more effective schools and excellence in education. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 through 1990 for such grants program. Allows program grants to be used to: (1) promote State educational agency (SEA) and local educational agency (LEA) awareness of effective schools information through conferences at schools and district and multidistrict offices and through onsite visits to model effective schools; (2) develop and implement systems of data collection, analysis, interpretation, and communication; (3) plan, review, and revise program activities; (4) support related effective schools efforts; (5) obtain technical assistance and consultant services from regional educational laboratories, research and development centers, institutions of higher education, and other nonprofit educational organizations; (6) design, develop, and publish educational materials on effective schools programs; (7) conduct program evaluations; and (8) otherwise identify, document, and disseminate information concerning exemplary effective schools programs. Requires that program grant applications by SEAs or LEAs demonstrate that: (1) the applicant has an effective schools improvement program in effect; (2) grant funds would be used to pay not more than one-half of the cost of any program or activity; (3) grant funds would be supplementary; and (4) independent annual evaluations will be conducted and reported. Directs the Secretary of Education, in selecting grant recipients, to: (1) consider the extent to which grant funds would be used to improve schools in districts with the greatest numbers or percentages of educationally deprived children and the extent to which the applicant's ongoing effective schools program has demonstrated the capacity to improve student achievement or behavior; (2) ensure reasonable geographic distribution of grants; and (3) designate grants as being available for a period of at least one but not more than three years. Sets forth provisions for technical assistance and program evaluation. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress by September 1, 1987.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1985
Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1985 - Amends the Education Amendments of 1972, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to provide a definition of the phrase "program or activity." Defines such term as all of the operations of: (1) a department or agency of a State or of a local government; (2) the entity of such State or local government that distributes Federal assistance and each such department or agency to which the assistance is extended; (3) a university or a system of higher education; (4) a local educational agency or other school system; (5) a corporation, partnership, or other private organization; or (6) any other entity consistent with the coverage provided above.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1985
Congressional and Judicial Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1985 - Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require that personnel actions affecting employees or applicants in the legislative and judicial branches of the Government be free from any discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, handicap, or age. Allows Members of Congress to take into consideration an individual's domicile and political affiliation. Establishes within the judicial branch an Employment Review Board. Provides that members of the board be appointed from the retired judges of the Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals. Authorizes an aggrieved individual to file a written complaint with the Board. Establishes procedures for the Board to investigate, settle, hear, and determine the claims alleged. Provides that if a violation is found an order for relief may compel the defendant to: (1) employ or reinstate such individual on such terms and conditions as may be appropriate; (2) pay compensatory damages; (3) pay punitive damages; and (4) pay fees and allowances of witnesses and reasonable attorneys' fees. Authorizes the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to review, enjoin, set aside, suspend, modify, or enforce orders of the Board. Requires members of the Board to submit written reports to the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct of the House of Representatives and the Senate Select Committee on Ethics describing complaints during the reporting period involved.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1985
Youth Incentive Employment Act - Establishes a program to provide part-time school year employment and full-time (or part-time with training) summer employment to economically disadvantaged youths who pursue further education and training. Provides that an individual may qualify to be an eligible youth for program participation purposes if such individual: (1) is 16 to 19 years of age, inclusive, at the time of assignment to a worksite; (2) is economically disadvantaged; (3) is not employed; (4) resides in the service delivery area (SDA) of the administering entity; and (5) has entered into a commitment to pursue further education and training. Requires such individuals to sign a written commitment to: (1) attend either a secondary school for a diploma, an alternative education program for a high school equivalency certificate, a remedial education program, or a skill training program; and (2) meet attendance and performance standards of such school or program and at the worksite to which the individual is referred for employment under this Act. Gives priority for selection under youth incentive plans to eligible youths who are educationally at risk. Terminates an individual's status as an eligible youth upon a finding by the administering entity, after an opportunity for a hearing, that the individual has failed to comply with the commitment. Requires that funds provided under this Act be used to establish and assist programs which assist eligible youth with qualifying employment in the form of: (1) part-time employment during the regular school year, not to exceed 80 hours per month; (2) part-time employment, during the months between regular school years, which is combined with remediation, classroom instruction, or on-the-job or apprenticeship training; and (3) full-time employment for a period of at least eight weeks during the months between regular school years, not to exceed 40 hours per week. Permits funds provided under this Act to be used to pay up to the following percentages of the wages and benefits and the costs of any employer-provided instruction and training of an eligible youth: (1) 100 percent during the first six months of qualifying employment; and (2) 75 percent during any succeeding months of such qualifying employment. Prohibits the use of funds provided under this Act to pay any portion of the wages and benefits of any individual: (1) for full-time employment during the months between the regular school year with a for-profit institution or organization unless such employment is a continuation of employment with that employer during the regular school year; or (2) if the employer has failed to develop or enforce attendance and performance standards consistent with youth incentive plan provisions. Sets forth general requirements for receipt and restrictions on the use of funds under this Act. Provides that the administering entity for any SDA under this Act is the same entity selected to administer the job training plan for that SDA pursuant to the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA). Requires administering entities to: (1) develop and submit to the Secretary of Labor (the Secretary) a youth incentive employment plan; and (2) provide from other Federal or State sources, or from local public or private sources, at least 20 percent of program costs for each program year, in cash or in kind. Requires that, of the funds provided to an administering entity for any program year under this Act: (1) at least 70 percent be expended for wages and benefits for qualifying employment, and child care, transportation, or other supportive service expenses for individuals engaged in such employment; (2) not more than 15 percent be expended for provision of basic education services, and of that amount not more than 15 percent be expended for the performance of specified functions. Sets forth requirements relating to youth incentive plans. Requires such plans to contain specified provisions, including: (1) a description of the specific outreach services and programs that will be established to ensure participation in qualifying employment by eligible youths who are school dropouts, as well as by in school youths; (2) assurances that special efforts will be made to recruit youth from families receiving public assistance, including parents of dependent children who meet the age requirement of this Act; and (3) a description of any arrangements made with labor organizations to enable youths to enter into apprenticeship training as part of employment provided under this Act. Requires that such plans, before they are submitted to the Secretary, be: (1) approved by the appropriate chief elected officials and the private industry council for the SDA; and (2) submitted for review and comment to the Governor and the State job training coordinating council, with any comments of the Governor and the council and any reasons for nonconformance with the Governor's and the council's suggestions, as well as a statement that the Governor has reviewed the plan for consistency with the Governor's coordination and special services plan under JTPA. Directs the Secretary, for each of the program years beginning on July 1, 1986, 1987, and 1988, to select a representative sample of SDAs and direct such SDAs to include in their youth incentive plans a description of a performance bonus system to reward those students who show continued improvement in their academic performance. Directs the Secretary to: (1) approve any plan submitted in compliance with the requirements of this Act; and (2) only disapprove a plan after notice and opportunity for a hearing to the administering entity. Requires that specified funds under this Act be used to develop and carry out programs for improving the basic education skills of eligible youth participating in employment and training programs under this Act. Sets forth requirements relating to such basic education services. Provides that no funds shall be awarded to fund such an education program for more than two years unless there is: (1) improved performance on a State or locally approved test of basic academic skills by youth who are enrolled in employment programs under this Act; or (2) a decrease in the drop-out rate of students enrolled in such programs. Sets forth special conditions relating to activities using funds under this Act. Requires certain wage rates under this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to prescribe wage rates for youth participants for projects financed with under $5,000 to which Davis-Bacon Act provisions would otherwise apply. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 and succeeding fiscal years for allocation to administering entities for programs under this Act. Directs the Secretary to reserve a specified amount of such appropriations for allotment among Native American eligible entities, on an equitable basis, taking into account the extent to which regular employment opportunities have been lacking for long-term periods among individuals within the jurisdiction of such entities. Requires that the remainder be allocated among administering entities with an approved youth incentive plan on the basis of numbers in each SDA of: (1) economically disadvantaged youth; (2) unemployed residents; and (3) excess unemployed residents (i.e. those in excess of six and one-half percent of the civilian labor force in the SDA). Directs the Secretary to: (1) also reserve one-half of one percent of such appropriations for any fiscal year for evaluation of programs under this Act; and (2) use 60 percent of such reserved funds for general evaluation of programs and 40 percent for an in-depth study by the National Institute of Education of activities and programs designed to serve drop-out youth under this Act. Requires that such allocations to an administering entity for an SDA be paid to the JTPA grant recipient for that SDA. Provides for a program year basis for funding beginning with FY 1987. Makes FY 1986 appropriations available both to funds activities for the period between October 1, 1985, and July 1, 1986, and for the program year beginning July 1, 1986. Authorizes additional appropriations for the transition to program year funding. Makes specified administrative and enforcement provisions of JTPA applicable to programs under this Act. Requires the administering entity to make quarterly reports to the Secretary on the youth incentive projects authorized under this Act. Requires such reports to include specified topics. Directs the Secretary to compile such reports and submit a summary of the findings to the Congress in the annual report for employment and training programs required under JTPA.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should: (1) ensure that U.S. officials carry out the pledge to resolve the issue of the Americans still missing and unaccounted for in Indochina; (2) work for the immediate release of any Americans still held captive and the return of the remains of those who died in Southeast Asia; and (3) make every effort to secure the further cooperation of Laos and Vietnam in resolving this issue.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that no law should be enacted which would: (1) increase the costs to be incurred by beneficiaries under titles XVIII (Medicare) or XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act; or (2) make more restrictive the eligibility requirements under such titles.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1985
Veterans' Administration Adjudication Procedure and Judicial Review Act - Title I: Adjudication Procedures - Codifies for Veterans Administration (VA) adjudication purposes the burden of proof and reasonable doubt standards currently provided for by VA regulation. States that a claimant has the burden of submitting sufficient evidence to justify his or her claim, and that if an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence exists regarding the merits of a claim, the VA is to resolve such doubt in favor of the claimant. States that VA subpoenas may be served either by personal delivery or by registered or certified mail. Requires the chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals to submit an annual report to the appropriate congressional committees concerning the Board's current handling of cases and projections for the subsequent fiscal year. Requires the Board to: (1) provide notice to a claimant and an opportunity for a hearing before a decision may be based on "additional official information" received after a Board decision has previously been made; and (2) make its decision exclusively on evidence and material of record in the proceeding. Removes the requirement that new material sufficient to allow the Board to reopen a previously disallowed claim be in the form of official reports. Provides that the Board's discretionary authority to reopen a claim will not be diminished by a judicial decision following an appeal as provided for by this Act. Requires the Board to mail to the claimant notice of its decision and the reasons for such decision. Provides that, upon the request of a claimant, the Board shall provide an independent advisory medical opinion when there exists substantial medical disagreement with respect to a material issue in a veteran's appeal. Sets forth new procedural rules for adjudication hearings regarding: (1) oaths, affirmations, and witness examination; (2) admissibility of evidence; (3) procedural rights of claimants; (4) disqualification of a hearing officer; (5) the record of the proceedings and the claimant's right to examine and obtain a copy of such record; and (6) the exclusiveness of veterans' adjudication procedures and rights prescribed by the Administrator. Requires the Administrator to provide at each stage of the appeal proceedings written notice to a claimant of the claimant's procedural rights. Directs the Administrator to conduct a study of two alternative claims resolution methods: one a new intermediate-level adjudication process; the other an enhanced schedule of formal Appeals Board hearings. Directs the Administrator to report to the Congress on such studies. Title II: Veterans Administration Rule Making - Includes the VA's rulemaking procedures under the relevant provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act. Title III: Judicial Review - Provides for judicial review of VA decisions in the Federal court system. States with regard to jurisdiction: (1) the definition of final decision; (2) that judicial review of a final decision in a claim for benefits may be obtained in a civil action brought within 180 days of the Board's mailing of notice of its decision, and that such action shall be brought in Federal district court; (3) that the VA shall file the various materials constituting the record in a case together with its answer to the claimant's complaint; (4) that the court may render a decision on the pleadings; and (5) that the judicial review procedures established under this Act shall not apply to insurance and home loans. States, with regard to the reviewing court's scope of review, that such court: (1) shall decide questions of law and interpret constitutional, statutory, and regulatory provisions, but that questions of fact (unless unsupported by substantial evidence) will not be subject to a trial de novo; and (2) in reviewing a final decision of the VA which is adverse to a party solely because such party failed to comply with VA procedures, may only review questions concerning such procedures. Sets out provisions regarding remand, survival of actions, and appellate review. Title IV: Attorneys' Fees - Authorizes the Administrator to allow attorneys' fees above the present $10 maximum if the appealing party's claim is allowed by the VA after an initial denial. States that such fee shall be the lesser of: (1) the fee agreed upon by the party and attorney; (2) $500, unless the Administrator approves a greater amount; or (3) if the party and attorney have entered into a contingent-fee agreement, not more than 25 percent of the total of any past-due benefits awarded on the basis of such party's claim. Provides for the approval of attorneys' fees in successful veterans' claims brought before a court as provided for under this Act. States that such fees shall be determined by such court, and in contingent-fee agreements such fees shall not exceed 25 percent of the total of any past-due benefits awarded on the basis of such claim. Authorizes attorneys' fees of up to $750 in certain unsuccessful veterans' claims. Prohibits the VA from authorizing payment to a claimant's attorney based on past-due benefits unless such benefits are owed as of the date of the VA's or a court's award. States that such provisions regarding attorneys' fees shall only apply to claims for benefits under the laws administered by the VA and shall not apply in cases in which the VA is the plaintiff or in which other attorneys' fees statutes are otherwise controlling. Title V: Effective Dates - Sets forth the effective dates for this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1985
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to provide grants and technical assistance to Fort Collins, Colorado, to study a segment of the Cache la Poudre River corridor to evaluate its recreation opportunities and flood plain management options. Directs the Secretary to report to the Congress on the study within three years. Authorizes appropriations. Limits to 75 percent the Federal share of study costs.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1985
Fair Voting Hours Act of 1985 - Provides for uniform voting hours (between 8 o'clock a.m., eastern standard time and 11 o'clock p.m., eastern standard time) for presidential general elections beginning in 1988.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1985
Antibiotic Protection Act of 1985 - Prohibits: (1) any antibiotic drug certified for human use from being added in sub-therapeutic doses to animal feed or to feed ingredients; and (2) antibiotic drugs or agents not certified for human use from being so used in animal feed unless such drugs have been demonstrated not to increase antibiotic-resistant bacteria in humans or animals.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1985
Extends until September 30, 1988, the authority of the President or an Inspector General or other designated official of a Federal agency to pay cash awards to employees whose disclosures of fraud, waste, or mismanagement result in cost savings to the Government. Requires the Comptroller General to report to Congress before March 16, 1988, on the effectiveness of such awards program, and on the continuation and, if appropriate, modification of the program. Repeals provisions for the periodic review of agency cash awards by the Comptroller General. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense, or the Secretary of Transportation with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy, to make cash awards to members of the armed forces for disclosures contributing to the efficiency, economy, or other improvement of operations or programs of the armed forces.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1985
National Indigent Women's Abortion Trust Fund Checkoff Act of 1985 - Title I: Amendments to Internal Revenue Code of 1954 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit every individual with a tax liability of one dollar or more to designate one dollar of the taxpayer's income tax payment to be paid over to the National Indigent Women's Abortion Trust Fund. Permits each spouse on a joint return to designate that one dollar be paid over to such Fund. Establishes in the Treasury the National Indigent Women's Abortion Trust Fund. Transfers to the Fund amounts designated each year for payment to such Fund. Provides that amounts in the trust fund shall be available to pay the Federal share of the cost of medical assistance for abortions under the Social Security Act. Title II: Medicaid Amendments - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to provide that State plans for medical assistance are required to provide for abortions in the same manner as other pregnancy-related services. Makes this requirement applicable to calendar quarters beginning on or after October 1, 1985. Provides that where a State plan requires State legislative action to meet this requirement, the plan will not be deemed to have failed to meet the requirement until the first day of the first calendar quarter beginning after the close of the first regular session of the State legislature that begins after the enactment of this Act. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make payments to the States from the National Indigent Women's Abortion Trust Fund. Provides that payments from such Fund shall be governed by regulations promulgated by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1985
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 such individual has such illness.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 1985
Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Treatment Act of 1985 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to designate 20 centers for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. Requires such centers to: (1) provide a central facility for diagnosis, evaluation, and counseling; (2) develop standards of treatment and methods of delivering cost-effective services; (3) train professionals and nonprofessionals in diagnosing and treating such disorders; and (4) develop a comprehensive acute and long-term treatment program. Authorizes FY 1986 through 1990 appropriations. Directs the Secretary to make $1,000,000 available to each center for each of at least five years for teaching, training, research, and staffing. Permits eligible persons to elect to receive benefits as provided for by this Act rather than under titles XVIII (Medicare), XIX (Medicaid), or XX (Grants to States for Service) of the Social Security Act, or under the Older Americans Act of 1965.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Civil Liberties Act of 1985 - Title I: Recognition of Injustice and an Apology on Behalf of the Nation - States that the Congress recognizes that a grave injustice was done to both citizens and resident aliens of Japanese ancestry by the evacuation, relocation, and internment of civilians during World War II. Title II: United States Citizens of Japanese Ancestry and Resident Japanese Aliens - Requests the President to offer pardons of those convicted of violating laws during the internment period whose violation was based on a refusal to accept racially discriminatory treatment. Provides that Federal departments and agencies that review applications for restitution of positions, status, or entitlement lost during the internment period shall review such applications giving full consideration to the findings of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians. Establishes within the Treasury a Civil Liberties Public Education Fund. Authorizes appropriations for the Fund. Requires the Attorney General to pay $20,000 from the Fund to each surviving internee. Establishes a Board of Directors which shall be responsible for making disbursement from the Fund. Provides that disbursement from the Fund shall be used to: (1) sponsor research and public educational activities dealing with the internment; (2) fund studies of similar civil liberties abuses; (3) prepare and distribute hearings and findings of the Commission; and (4) promote the general welfare of the ethnic Japanese community in the United States. Title III: Aleutian and Pribilof Islands Restitution - Aleutian and Pribilof Islands Restitution Act - Establishes within the Treasury the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands Restitution Fund. Directs the Administrator of the Fund (the Aleutian/Pribilof Islands Association) to make restitution for certain Aleut losses sustained in World War II. Requires the Administrator to establish a trust of $5,000,000 and to distribute the interest of such trust for: (1) the benefit of the elderly, disabled, or seriously ill; (2) students in need of scholarship assistance; (3) preservation of Aleut cultural heritage and historical records; (4) the improvement of community centers of affected Aleut villages; and (5) other purposes to improve Aleut life. Authorizes the Administrator to rebuild and restore churches and church property damaged or destroyed in Aleut villages during World War II. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to make payments of $12,000 from the fund to each eligible Aleut for any uncompensated personal property loss. Authorizes the Secretary of the Army to implement a program for the removal and disposal of live ammunition, obsolete buildings, abandoned machinery, and other hazardous debris remaining in populated areas of the lower Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to convey to the Aleut Corporation all right, title, and interest of the United States in Attu Island, Alaska. Authorizes appropriations. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - Provides that all documents, personal testimony, and other material collected by the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians shall be deposited in the National Archives of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Amends the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to require that any attorney who collects debts on behalf of a client be subject to the provisions of such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Construction Industry Labor Law Amendments of 1985 - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to provide that in the construction industry two or more business entities engaged in the same or similar work with common ownership or control shall be deemed a single employer. Applies the terms of a collective bargaining agreement regarding employees of such business entities to all other business entities comprising the same single employer within the geographical area covered by the agreement. States that collective bargaining agreements may only be repudiated after the National Labor Relations Board certifies election results in which a majority of the employees select a bargaining representative other than the representative with whom such agreement was made.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal rules relating to the determination of the issue price of certain debt instruments issued for property. Amends the Tax Reform Act of 1984 to repeal the revisions made to rules for the imputation of interest on certain deferred payments. Provides that the Internal Revenue Code shall be applied and administered as if such revisions had not been enacted.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Civil Rights Amendments Act of 1985 - Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of affectional or sexual orientation. Provides that this Act shall not be construed to permit a finding of discrimination based on statistical differences or the fashioning of any remedy requiring a quota.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Amends the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 to make permanent the increase in the excise tax on cigarettes. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for cost-of-living adjustments in the rate of such tax. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to appropriate to the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund the funds raised by such excise tax.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Permits members of the clergy and members of the uniformed services to deduct expenses related to tax-exempt housing allowances and subsistence allowances without regard to the operation of Revenue Ruling 83-3.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Law Enforcement Officers Protection Act of 1985 - Amends the Federal criminal code to define "armor piercing ammunition." Excludes from the definition: (1) shotgun shot composed in order to comply with Federal or State law; (2) frangible projectiles for target shooting; (3) ammunition containing frangible projectiles; and (4) any ammunition or projectiles which the Secretary of the Treasury determines are primarily intended for sporting purposes. Makes it unlawful for any person to manufacture or import armor piercing ammunition. Allows: (1) the manufacture or importation of armor piercing ammunition for the use of the United States or any State or local government; (2) manufacture for the sole purpose of exportation; or (3) manufacture or importation for the purposes of testing and experimentation authorized by the Secretary. Establishes a licensing fee of $1,000 per year for manufacturers and importers of armor piercing ammunition. Authorizes the Secretary to revoke a license from a dealer for violating this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Overseas Teachers Act of 1985 - Amends the Defense Department Overseas Teachers Pay and Personnel Practices Act to entitle an individual who is recruited outside the United States as a teacher in a Department of Defense overseas dependents school to the same benefits as an individual recruited in the United States. Denies such entitlement to any individual who is the spouse of a member of a uniformed service, unless: (1) the individual is legally separated from the member; (2) the member dies or has retired from Government service; (3) the individual no longer resides with the member because the member has been reassigned to another geographic area for more than 90 days; or (4) the member's benefits comparable to a teacher's quarters allowance and cost of living benefits have been terminated for any other reason. Provides that such a teaching position shall include a position for which teaching duties and responsibilities are performed: (1) in a substitute capacity; (2) as a summer teacher; (3) as an instructor for the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps; (4) as a paraprofessional or teacher's aide; (5) for a definite term not to exceed one school year in the excepted service; or (6) for an indefinite term in the excepted service. Entitles an overseas teacher to 12 (currently ten) days of cumulative leave with pay if the school year exceeds eight months. Eliminates the limitation on the amount of leave a teacher may accumulate. Permits the use of leave for paternity purposes. Entitles a teacher to an additional three days of leave to use for any purpose during the school year. Entitles teachers who have taught for at least ten years to an additional five days of leave in each school year. Declares that any teacher may use available leave if appropriate advance notice is given. Entitles a teacher who is separated from such leave system to elect to: (1) receive a lump sum payment for such leave if the separation exceeds 31 days; or (2) receive credit for such leave as unused sick leave for purposes of determining the amount of a civil service retirement annuity. Entitles a Federal or District of Columbia employee who is transferred, promoted, or reappointed to a teaching position to: (1) receive a lump sum payment for the annual leave credited to such employee before he or she became a teacher; or (2) be recredited with such leave upon returning to a Federal or District of Columbia position without a break in service. Provides for liquidating leave in the case of a teacher who dies. Requires the Director of Dependents' Education, upon appropriate application, to grant any full-time teacher who has completed at least seven years of service a sabbatical with full pay for up to one year to enable the teacher to engage in study or uncompensated work experience which will contribute to the development of the teacher's skills, provided: (1) the teacher has not been granted a sabbatical during the preceding seven years; and (2) the teacher agrees to serve in a teaching position for three consecutive years. Requires the Secretary of Defense to prescribe a five-level pay system for overseas teachers. Requires determinations concerning appropriate pay levels to be based on the length of service of an individual as a teacher, counselor, psychologist, or social worker within the defense education system. Requires rates of basic pay within level I to be equal to the average of the range of rates of basic pay for comparable positions in school jurisdictions in the United States having an average daily attendance of 100,000 or more students. Declares the rate of pay for substitute teachers to be the lowest level of level I. Directs the Secretary to modify regulations concerning teacher compensation to require a teacher to be compensated for the appropriate fraction of his or her pay for each day of service during a school year exceeding the number of days comprising a school year in such a jurisdiction. Requires determinations concerning housing, transportation, services, or use of Government facilities for teachers at certain pay levels to correspond to such determinations for commissioned officers in the armed forces in equivalent grade levels, except that pay level I determinations shall correspond to grade level two determinations. Directs the Secretary to prescribe regulations to carry out specified overseas teacher requirements concerning: (1) the effect of administrative delays on starting dates; (2) a per diem allowance for travel to and from a duty station; (3) Government reimbursement for emergency transportation costs; (4) school assignments based on staffing requirements; (5) medical and dental benefits; (6) Government payments for the transportation of household goods; (7) service creditable for purposes of determining civil service annuities; (8) eligibility for military-controlled housing; (9) hours of duty; (10) leaves of absence; (11) qualifications and eligibility for vacancies within the system; (12) administrative leave during periods of inclement weather; and (13) class size limitations. Provides that any teacher who has served for at least three school years shall be eligible for appointment as a Federal employee in the competitive service on a non-competitive basis.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
American Conservation Corps Act of 1985 - Establishes an American Conservation Corps within the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture. Directs the Secretaries of both departments to establish and administer a conservation and rehabilitation program on Federal public and Indian lands. Directs the Secretary of the Interior alone to establish and administer such a program on non-Federal public lands. Directs the Secretaries to assist program agencies (any Federal, State, or Indian agency responsible for the management of public lands) in establishing and operating residential and nonresidential American Conservation Corps Centers. Describes the types of projects which will receive program preference. Limits program projects to those on public lands or Indian lands, except where projects on nonpublic lands provide documented public benefits. Sets forth requirements for establishing conservation centers and eligibility criteria for enrollees in the program. Requires that preference be given to economically, socially, physically, and educationally disadvantaged youth and youth residing in areas having substantial unemployment. Requires program agencies to provide services, facilities, supplies, and equipment for conservation centers as the Secretary deems necessary. States under what conditions and for what purposes an enrollee/volunteer shall be deemed a Federal or State employee. Permits the Tennessee Valley Authority to utilize such volunteers. Sets forth compensation and reimbursement provisions for volunteers and their upkeep. Directs the Secretaries to assist program agencies in securing certification or credit for skills acquired by volunteers during their participation and to conduct cost-benefit analysis and evaluations of the program. Permits the Secretaries to conduct pilot programs for alternative approaches. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to report to the Congress within the year on a study of Civilian Conservation Corps sites suitable for a commemoration of such Corps. Sets forth study opportunities and limitations for program volunteers, including a requirement that program agencies provide job guidance and placement assistance. Directs the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to report at least annually to the President and the Congress. Directs the Secretary of Labor to make available appropriate labor market information. Sets forth employee appeal rights for workers displaced by American Conservation Corps volunteers. Sets forth funding limitations. Requires participating program agencies to certify that their programs will not displace workers. Sets forth procedures whereby State shares go to local governments when no State program agency exists. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1985 and 1986.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Continued Access to Group Health Insurance Act of 1985 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to require continuation coverage under group health plans for certain spouses, former spouses, and dependent children of employees insured under such plans. Makes such continuation coverage a requirement for the allowance of a tax deduction for employer contributions to group health plans. Provides that the spouse and dependent children of an insured employee may be entitled to five years of continuation coverage under a group health plan if the insured employee: (1) dies; (2) becomes separated or divorced from his or her spouse; or (3) becomes entitled to Medicare. Makes such coverage available only if it is elected within a specified period by or on behalf of the spouse or child to be covered. Sets forth notification requirements. Sets forth a special rule relating to collective bargaining agreements.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
African Famine Relief and Recovery Act of 1985 - Title I: Authorizations of Appropriations - Authorizes supplemental appropriations for FY 1985 for famine relief in Africa for: (1) agricultural development programs; (2) international disaster assistance programs; (3) development program operating expenses; and (4) the Migration and Refugee Assistance account of the State Department. Title II: Appropriations - Makes supplemental appropriations for FY 1985 to: (1) the Department of Agriculture for Public Law 480; (2) the Agency for International Development for specified agriculture, rural development, and nutrition programs, for international disaster assistance, and for operating expenses; and (3) the Department of State for migration and refugee assistance. Declares that funds appropriated for Public Law 480, for agriculture, rural development, and nutrition programs (other than funds for rehabilitation and recovery projects), and for international disaster assistance shall be available only for those African countries which suffer from exceptional food supply problems in 1985 due to drought and other calamities. Permits the use of Public Law 480 funds to reimburse certain ongoing famine relief programs. Declares that funds for rehabilitation and recovery projects and for migration and refugee assistance shall be available only to those African countries which have suffered in the last two years from exceptional food supply problems due to drought and other calamities.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Amends the Uniformed Survivors Benefits Amendments of 1980 to entitle certain individuals who were widowed on or before September 21, 1972, and who are not covered by the Military Survivor Benefit Plan to an annuity.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Requires the President to transmit to Congress for FY 1986 and each fiscal year thereafter a balanced budget. Permits the transmittal of alternate budget proposals which, if implemented, would result in a deficit or surplus if the President determines that a balanced budget is inappropriate for any fiscal year. Requires that any such alternate budget proposals for a fiscal year include a comprehensive plan to balance the Federal budget. Requires the Committee on the Budget of each House to report by April 15 of every year a balanced budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Requires the Committee on the Budget of either House also to report a comprehensive plan to balance the Federal budget, if it determines that a balanced budget is inappropriate for any fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
States that the President should, at the earliest possible date: (1) request Senate advice and consent to ratification of the Threshold Test Ban and Peaceful Nuclear Explosions Treaties; and (2) propose to the Soviet Union the resumption of negotiations toward conclusion of a verifiable comprehensive test ban treaty.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Constitutional Amendment - Provides for the appointment of electors to represent the insular areas constituting the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Establishes in the House of Representatives the Select Committee on Hunger to conduct a continuing comprehensive study of the problems of hunger and malnutrition. Requires an annual report from such committee, including a summary of its activities.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Establishes in the House of Representatives the Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families to conduct a comprehensive study and review of the problems of children, youth, and families.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 1984
Victims of Crime Act of 1984 - Establishes within the Treasury the Crime Victims Fund. Requires that the Fund consist of: (1) most fines collected in Federal criminal cases; (2) penalty assessments on convicted persons; and (3) proceeds of all forfeitures (appearance bonds, bail bonds and collateral) in Federal criminal cases. Directs the Attorney General to make grants to qualified State programs for the compensation of victims of crime. Specifies criteria for a State plan to qualify for grants, including requirements that the program: (1) offer compensation for medical expenses, loss of wages, and funeral expenses; (2) condition compensation on cooperation with law enforcement officials; (3) shall not use Federal funds to supplant State funds; and (4) shall not discriminate against nonresident victims. Allows the Attorney General to make grants to the chief executive of each State for the financial support of crime assistance programs. States that such programs must have as a priority assistance to victims of sexual assault, spousal abuse or child abuse. Requires the Federal courts to impose a penalty assessment on all persons convicted of Federal offenses. Establishes a procedure for the special forfeiture of collateral profits of certain crimes (such as the sale of media rights). Authorizes the Attorney General to pay restitution to any victim (or compensation to the survivors of a victim) of a crime causing injury or death which is committed by a federally protected witness. Sets a maximum of $50,000 in death compensation. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1985 and years following.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 1984
Requires that every obligation of the United States be issued in registered form. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit the issuance in bearer form of securities which are interests in U.S. Government-backed securities. Imposes a three percent excise tax on the issuer of registration-required U.S. Government-backed securities which are not issued in registered form. Provides that the issue price of any U.S. Government-backed security shall be treated as the principal amount of the obligation. Imposes a 30 percent withholding tax on interest received by foreigners from U.S. Government-backed securities.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 1984
Requires the President to transmit to Congress for FY 1986 and each fiscal year thereafter a balanced budget. Permits the transmittal of alternate budget proposals which, if implemented, would result in a deficit or surplus if the President determines that a balanced budget is inappropriate for any fiscal year. Requires that any such alternate budget proposals for a fiscal year include a comprehensive plan to balance the Federal budget. Requires the Committee on the Budget of each House to report by April 15 of every year a balanced budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Requires the Committee on the Budget of either House also to report a comprehensive plan to balance the Federal budget, if it determines that a balanced budget is inappropriate for any fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 1984
Patent Law Amendments Act of 1984 - Title I: Patent Improvement Provisions - Amends the patent laws to make it an infringement of patent to import or sell in the United States without authority a product made in another country by a process patented in the United States. Makes it an infringement of patent to supply without authority in or from the United States the material components of a patented invention in such a manner as to actively induce their combination outside the United States if their combination in this country would constitute an infringement. Makes it an infringement to supply without authority in or from the United States any component of a patented invention especially adapted for use in that invention and not a staple of commerce suitable for noninfringing uses, knowing that such component will be combined outside the United States in a manner which would constitute infringement were it to occur inside the United States. Authorizes the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks to publish a statutory invention registration containing the specifications and drawings of a regularly filed application for a patent without examination if the applicant waives the right to receive a patent on the invention within a prescribed period and pays established fees. Makes such registration effective upon publication. Endows such registration with all the attributes of a patent except the right to compensation for Government-ordered secrecy and for infringement. Modifies the procedure for filing a patent application in a foreign country to eliminate the need for a license for modifications of explanatory information transmitted to or filed in a foreign country for patents on which no secrecy order has been issued. Eliminates criminal penalties for the failure to obtain a license for a patent application that is not subject to a secrecy order. Excludes from prior art (knowledge held by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the subject matter of the patent applies) unpublished information developed by a person other than the applicant when the subject matter and invention claimed were owned by the same person or entity at the time the invention was made. (Subject matter deemed prior art is non-patentable.) States that when joint inventors jointly apply for a patent they need not have made a contribution to each claim contained in the application. Permits arbitration of issues arising when a patent application is made which would interfere with any pending or unexpired patent (patent interference). Title II: Patent and Trademark Office Procedures - Merges the Board of Appeals and the Board of Patent Interferences into the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences. Title III: National Commission on Innovation and Productivity - Establishes a National Commission on Innovation and Productivity to review and study the level of innovation and productivity of employed inventors. Requires that the study include an analysis of methods available from domestic and foreign sources to stimulate individual and corporate innovation and productivity. Sets forth terms and conditions of Commission membership and operation. Authorizes the Commission and the Federal agencies to cooperate in the gathering of information. Directs the Commission to report to the President and Congress on an interim basis, with a final report due within two years after enactment of this Act. Terminates the Commission within a specified period after the final report is filed. Authorizes appropriations. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - Permits the basic fee portion of an international fee to be paid within one month of filing rather than upon filing. States that the designation of the United States as the country in which patent is sought in an international patent filed under the patent cooperation treaty shall continue to have effect until the international application is withdrawn, if a claim for the benefit of a prior filing date is made before such application is ultimately withdrawn. Renders permissible (rather than mandatory as under current law) the receipt from the International Bureau of all international applications and search reports for international applications designating the United States. Permits the Commissioner to fix a later time for the completion of certain requirements than the commencement of the national stage of an international application. States that failure to submit a copy of the application by commencement and lack of compliance with other specified requirements shall be regarded as abandonment of the application. Permits the Commissioner to receive a verification of the translation of an international application. (Under current law such receipt is mandatory.) Permits a surcharge to be levied as a condition for accepting the national fee or the oath or declaration if these requirements are not met by the commencement of the national stage. Eliminates the special fee and restoration of patent provisions for claims not searched in the international stage and later found not to comply with the requirement for unity of invention under the treaty. Prohibits the collection of fees for maintaining a plant patent in force. Sets the rate of compensation for members of the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the Patent and Trademark Office.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 1984
Sexual Assault Act of 1984 - Amends the Federal criminal code to provide for a series of graded sexual offenses consisting of: aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse, and abusive sexual contact. Provides for an offense involving the sexual abuse of a minor or ward. Makes such offenses neutral as to gender. Repeals the chapter on rape. Makes conforming changes to the Public Health Service Act, the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, the Mental Health Systems Act, the Federal Aviation Act and the Federal Rules of Evidence.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 1984
Amends provisions concerning the payment of military pensions in compliance with court orders pursuant to divorce or separation to eliminate certain reductions from those pensions when the amounts available for such compliance are determined.
![Official portrait of Rep. Schroeder, Patricia [D-CO-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s000142_200.jpg)