United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1981
Requests the President to call on the pertinent members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and on Japan to meet or exceed their pledges for at least a three percent real increase in defense spending in 1981.
United States · United States Congress · 19 February 1981
Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the payment of death benefits to public safety officers who die as the result of a medical condition sustained while ingesting or inhaling a poisonous substance or while subject to extreme physical stress, on a single occasion, in the performance of duty.
United States · United States Congress · 19 February 1981
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide homebuilders with an income tax credit for the construction of residences which incorporate a passive solar energy system. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, after consultation with the Secretaries of Energy and Housing and Urban Development, to prescribe regulations setting forth a solar construction credit table for purposes of determining the amount of the credit for which the incorporator of the solar energy system is eligible. Limits the dollar amount of such credit to $2,000 for calendar years prior to 1987 and phases out the amount of the credit by $500 decrements until 1990 when such credit terminates. Defines a "passive solar energy system" as a system which contains a solar collection area, an absorber, a storage mass, a heat distribution method, and heat regulation devices. Requires such system to be installed in a new residence after September 30, 1981, and before January 1, 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 18 February 1981
World War I Veterans Service Pension Act of 1981 - Requires the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs to pay (in addition to any pension already paid) a monthly pension of $150: (1) to each veteran of World War I who meets specified service requirements; (2) to the surviving spouse of each such veteran; or (3) when there is no surviving spouse, to the child or children of each such veteran.
United States · United States Congress · 18 February 1981
Civil Service Authorization Act of 1981 - Authorizes specified appropriations for fiscal years 1982 and 1983 to the Office of Personnel Management, the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), the Special Counsel of the MSPB, and the Federal Labor Relations Authority for salaries and expenses. Authorizes the appropriation to such agencies of such additional sums as necessary for increased expenses resulting from: (1) statutorily mandated pay raises; (2) payments to the General Services Administration for increased charges for space and services; and (3) increases in postal rates. Requires appropriations to such bodies to be considered authorized only to the extent expressly provided by statute. Declares that expenses incurred by MSPB in the administration of appeals of agency actions concerning civil service retirement shall be paid from the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1981
Declares that the President should not reestablish an official U.S. presence in Bolivia nor furnish any military or economic assistance to Bolivia until: (1) civil rights and the democratic process are restored; (2) a commitment has been made by the regime not to harass U.S. citizens; and (3) Bolivian drug involvement is assessed.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1981
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should provide immediate humanitarian assistance to help Somalia cope with the massive influx of refugees. Urges Executive branch officials to call upon other nations to aid the Somali refugees.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1981
Administrative Rulemaking Reform Act - Directs a Federal agency preparing to hold a rulemaking session to make a reasonable effort to inform those likely to be affected by the proposed rulemaking. Requires the notice of rulemaking to include: (1) the projected effective date of the rules; (2) the purpose of the rulemaking; (3) the text of the proposed rules; and (4) the studies on which the agency intends to rely in the rulemaking proceedings. Requires public notice and public opportunity for comment on all rulemaking proceedings unless the agency finds that proposed rules are emergency rules or are of routine or insignificant impact. Requires Federal agencies to give interested persons at least 45 days to participate in the rulemaking. Provides for agency hearings to receive oral comments, and procedures to resolve significant controversies over factual issues. Requires each agency to maintain a public file of all relevant material and required statements for each rulemaking. Prohibits adoption of a proposed rule that has been revised substantially unless interested persons are provided an opportunity to comment on such revisions. Sets forth an expedited rulemaking procedure for rules to replace emergency rules. Directs each agency to submit a copy of each promulgated rule to each House of Congress. Declares that no rule, excluding an emergency rule, shall become effective if: (1) both Houses of Congress adopt a concurrent resolution disapproving it within 90 days of continuous session of Congress; or (2) one House adopts such a resolution within 60 such days and the other House does not disapprove such resolution within 30 days thereafter. Authorizes either House to adopt a resolution directing an agency to reconsider and repromulgate a newly promulgated rule or an existing rule within a specified period. Provides that if such agency fails to act such rule shall lapse. Directs the Administrative Conference of the United States to study and report on the effects on rulemaking of the Congressional review provisions of this Act. Authorizes appropriations for such study. Directs a court reviewing an agency rule to set aside any rule found to be unwarranted by material in the rulemaking file.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1981
Stipulates that the payment of retired or retainer pay which would otherwise be made to a member of the armed forces shall be paid by the Secretary concerned to another person to the extent provided for in the terms of any court decree of divorce, annulment, or legal separation.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 1981
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to provide that disability insurance benefits for an individual having a terminal illness shall begin with the first month during which such individual has such illness.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1981
Private Pension Reform Act of 1981 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow to a married individual whose compensation is less than that of his or her spouse the same deduction for retirement savings. Includes as compensation, for purposes of calculating such deduction, alimony and separate maintenance payments. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code to require pension plans which pay benefits in the form of an annuity to provide a survivor's annuity for the spouse of a participant who dies before the annuity starting date. Specifies that such annuity shall not be less than the payment to which the surviving spouse would be entitled if the participant had died after the annuity starting date. Requires, for the election by a participant not to take a joint and survivor annuity, the written consent of the participant's spouse. Allows the assignment of pension plan benefits pursuant to a specific court order relating to child support, alimony, or marital property rights. Lowers from 25 to 21 the minimum age of participation by employees in a pension plan. Includes approved maternity or paternity leave in the determination of an employee's years of service with an employer, calculated according to a formula which grants 20 hours of service for each week of such leave.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1981
Educational Testing Act of 1981 - Requires each postsecondary education admissions testing agency to provide to a test subject information concerning: (1) the purposes of the test; (2) the subject matters and the areas of skill or knowledge being tested; (3) interpretation of test results; (4) various effects upon, and uses of, test scores; (5) the form in which the scores will be reported; (6) any promises made by a testing agency with regard to accuracy, forwarding, and privacy of information of such scores; (7) the property interest of a test subject in such scores, and their storage, disposal, or future use; (8) the time period for mailing such scores to a test subject and designated recipients; (9) special services to accommodate handicapped test subjects; and (10) notice of the information rights and review procedure available to a test subject. Requires a testing agency to notify a test subject and designated recipients if the scores will be delayed ten days or more. Requires a testing agency to provide the Secretary of Education with information concerning any study or statistical report pertaining to a test which it prepares or for which it provides data. Declares that such information shall be considered records for public information purposes. Directs the Secretary to report to the Congress regarding such information within one year of enactment of this Act. Requires a testing agency (with regard to any tests administered to 5,000 or more subjects nationally over a testing year) to file with the Secretary: (1) a copy of all test questions used in determining such test's raw score; (2) the corresponding correct answers; and (3) all rules for transferring raw scores into the scores as reported to a test subject and designated recipients. Declares that such information shall be considered records for public information purposes. Requires a testing agency, upon request, to send to a test subject: (1) a copy of the test questions used to determine the raw score; (2) such test subject's answer sheet, along with the corresponding correct answers; and (3) a statement of the raw score, if such request is made within 90 days of the release of the test score to the subject. Authorizes a fee to be charged to cover the costs of providing a test subject with such information. Prohibits test scores from being disclosed by a testing agency to any person, institution, or governmental agency unless specifically designated as a recipient by a test subject. Authorizes previous scores to be released to any currently designated recipient. Requires a testing agency to report specified cost-related information to the Secretary to ensure that such tests are being offered at a reasonable cost. Requires additional cost-related information to be submitted if a separate fee is charged for admissions data assembly or score reporting services (as defined by this Act). Provides a civil penalty of up to $2,000 for each violation of this Act by a test agency. Defines "standardized test" to mean a test affecting, or distributed through, interstate commerce (exclusive of one used by an individual institution for its own purposes or one used for non-admission or credit-examination purposes) and used for: (1) postsecondary admissions; or (2) preliminary separation for such postsecondary admissions tests.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1981
Title I: Export Trading Companies - Export Trading Company Act of 1981 - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to promote export trading companies by providing information and by facilitating contacts between producers of exportable goods and export trading companies. Authorizes any banking organization to invest up to specified amounts in export trading companies upon notifying, but without obtaining the prior approval of, the appropriate Federal banking agency, if such investment does not cause an export trading company to become a subsidiary of such organization. Allows greater investment by Edge Act Corporations not engaged in banking. Permits any banking organization to invest beyond such limitations with prior approval of the appropriate Federal banking agency. Requires prior notification of such agencies in specified circumstances. Sets forth further limitations on export trading companies and investments by banking organizations. Specifies factors to be taken into consideration by the banking agencies. Permits such agencies to impose conditions in approving applications to invest in export trading companies. Requires such agencies to report to the appropriate Congressional committees with their recommendations concerning implementation of this Act, related changes in U.S. law, and effects of ownership of U.S. banks by foreign banking organizations. Provides for judicial review of denial orders in the appropriate U.S. Court of Appeals. Sets forth the grounds for disapproval. Provides for remand for further consideration by the banking agency. Directs the Economic Development Administration and the Small Business Administration to give special weight to export-related benefits when considering applications for loans and guarantees by export trading companies. Authorizes up to $20,000,000 to be appropriated for initial investments and operating expenses for each of the fiscal years 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, and 1985. Directs the Export-Import Bank of the United States to provide loan guarantees to export trading companies or exporters, to be secured by accounts receivable or inventories, when adequate financing is not otherwise available and such guarantees will facilitate expansion of exports. Directs the Board of Directors to try to insure that a major share of such guarantees promotes exports from small, medium-size, and minority businesses or agricultural concerns. Title II: Export Trade Associations - Export Trade Association Act of 1981 - Amends the Webb-Pomerene Act to exempt the trade activities and methods of operation of certified export trade associations and export trading companies from the antitrust laws. Delays the effectiveness of any certificate upon the notification of the Secretary of Commerce by the Attorney General or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) of disagreement with the decision to issue a certificate. Sets forth the procedure to be followed by any association or export trading company seeking certification under this Act and by the Secretary in issuing such certificates. Permits automatic certification for existing associations. Provides for appeal of the Secretary's denial of certification. Authorizes the Attorney General or the FTC to bring an action to invalidate a certification. Requires the Secretary, in consultation with the Attorney General and the FTC, to publish guidelines for determining whether an association or export trading company will meet the certification requirements. Requires certified associations and export trading companies to submit annual reports to the Secretary. Directs the Secretary to establish within the Department of Commerce an Office of Export Trade to promote export trade associations and trading companies. Requires such Office to report annually to the appropriate Congressional committees on all East-West trade transactions requiring validated licenses and on the role of U.S. export trading companies in East-West trade. Grants a temporary exemption from the Sherman Act antitrust provisions for existing associations. Requires that all applications for certification be kept confidential with specified exceptions. Authorizes the Secretary to require an association or trading company to modify its operation to be consistent with international obligations of the United States. Directs the President to appoint, with the Senate's advice and consent, a task force seven years after enactment to examine the effect of this Act and to make recommendations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1981
Domestic Violence Prevention and Services Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to States and Indian tribes for projects designed to prevent domestic violence and provide immediate shelter and other assistance for victims of domestic violence and their dependents. Sets forth conditions for receiving such grants, including that the State: (1) distribute funds to local public agencies and private nonprofit organizations; (2) distribute at least 70 percent of such funds to private, nonprofit organizations and give special emphasis to community-based projects; (3) designate a State agency to administer the programs; (4) set forth procedures to assure active citizen participation within the State; (5) assure that any project funded will coordinate its activities with other State programs and be administered by trained personnel; (6) provide technical assistance; and (7) comply with reporting requirements. Limits the total amount of grants to any local program to $150,000 for not more than a three-year period. Limits the grant for any fiscal year to $50,000. Stipulates that funds may not be used for direct payment to victims or dependents and that no income eligibility standard may be imposed. Requires local public agencies and private organizations to provide the following shares of Federal funding: 25 percent in the first year, 33.33 percent the second year, and 50 percent the third year. Requires that at least 75 percent of grants be distributed to entities providing immediate shelter and related assistance to victims. Authorizes the Secretary to make supplemental grants to States for: (1) administrative costs; (2) developing and implementing programs; (3) assuring active citizen participation; and (4) developing a media campaign. Provides that each State will be allotted at least $45,000 in formula grants and $7,500 in supplemental grants. Requires each State receiving assistance to submit detailed annual reports to the Secretary on the implementation of programs. Directs the Secretary to: (1) designate a director of programs carried out under this title; (2) establish a national information clearinghouse on domestic violence, in coordination with the child abuse clearinghouse; (3) make recommendations to Congress regarding domestic violence programs; and (4) obtain information on research relating to domestic violence. Directs the Secretary to make annual reports to Congress and to evaluate and report on the effectiveness of the programs no later than two years after funds are obligated. Sets forth confidentiality requirements with respect to records of persons assisted under this title. Establishes the Federal Interagency Council on Domestic Violence to assist the Secretary in coordinating Federal programs. Authorizes appropriations for fiscal years 1982 through 1984 to carry out this title. Provides for repeal of this title at the end of either fiscal year 1985 or the third fiscal year after appropriations are first made. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report to the President and Congress within 18 months of enactment on the nature and incidence of abuse of elderly persons.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1981
Presidential Nomination Commission Resolution - Establishes the Commission of Presidential Nominations to make an investigation regarding the presidential nominating process. Directs the Commission to report to the President and Congress respecting such investigation including recommendations for the 1984 presidential elections. Terminates the commission 60 days after submission of such report. Sets forth the powers of such Commission, and related administrative provisions. Authorizes necessary appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1981
Amends the program of medical and dental care for members and certain former members of the uniformed services and for their dependents to include former spouses of members of the uniformed services. Establishes length of marriage and other requirements of eligibility.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1981
Social Security Modernization Act - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to provide that the combined earnings of a married couple, which are attributable to the period of their marriage, shall be shared equally between them for purposes of determining the eligibility for and amount of OASDI benefits to which each spouse is or may become separately entitled. Credits the survivor of the marriage with 100 percent of the combined total wages for the period of the marriage. Declares that this Act shall not apply in specified cases where it would result in a reduction of OASDI benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1981
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to enable an insured individual's spouse, who has attained the age of 50 and is not entitled to any other monthly benefits, to obtain a transition benefit for four months upon the death of the insured individual. Establishes the amount of such transition benefits at 71.5 percent of the primary insurance amount of the insured individual or, if it is higher, 71.5 percent of the primary insurance amount of the spouse.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1981
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to provide that the combined earnings of a married couple, which are attributable to the period of their marriage, shall be shared equally between them for purposes of determining the eligibility for and amount of old- age or disability insurance benefits to which each spouse is or may become separately entitled if: (1) their marriage lasted at least three years; (2) they are divorced; and (3) either of them elects to have such combined earnings so shared. Makes this Act inapplicable to a surviving divorced spouse if it would result in a reduction in OASDI benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1981
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to provide full benefits for disabled widows and widowers without regard to age.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1981
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to require that, upon the death of an individual who was married at least three years prior to the date of death or was divorced after at least five years of marriage, the surviving spouse or surviving divorced spouse shall inherit all of the wages and self-employment income credited to such individual during their marriage.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 1981
Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to prohibit the furnishing of certain military aid under such Act to El Salvador. Prohibits extending credits, guaranteeing loans, making sales, and issuing export licenses to El Salvador under the Arms Export Control Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 1981
Veterans' Educational Assistance Act of 1981 - Establishes a new educational assistance program for the all-volunteer force. Entitles veterans who are graduates of a secondary school and who have served in the armed forces on continuous active duty for at least three years to basic educational assistance. Entitles veterans of the Selected Reserve and the National Guard who are graduates of secondary school and who have served at least two years of continuous active duty in the armed forces and at least four years of continuous duty in the Selected Reserve to basic educational assistance. Sets forth the formula for determining the length of such assistance based on the length of time served. Entitles such veterans to a monthly assistance allowance of $250 for a full-time approved program of education. Permits enrollment, if eligible, in a program of education while an individual continues to perform his duties. Entitles veterans who have served three or more consecutive years of active duty in addition to those required for basic educational assistance to supplemental educational assistance. Entitles veterans of the Selected Reserve who have served two or more consecutive years of active duty and four or more consecutive years of duty in the reserves in addition to that required for basic educational assistance to supplemental educational assistance. Entitles such veterans to a monthly supplemental assistance allowance of $300 a month. Permits the provision of such assistance to an individual entitled to basic educational assistance who has a skill or specialty in which there is a critical shortage of personnel. Permits the Secretary of Defense to authorize such an individual to transfer to a dependent part or all of such individual's entitlement to educational assistance. Sets forth the conditions under which transferred benefits may be provided. Permits the Secretary of a military branch to enter into preservice educational assistance agreements to encourage enlistment in the active-duty and reserve components. Sets forth the terms and conditions for such assistance. Establishes a ten year delimiting period for educational assistance. Excludes time spent as a prisoner of war subsequent to discharge and time spent physically or mentally disabled. Limits educational assistance to individuals being furnished subsistence to the amount an institution would charge similarly circumstanced nonveterans. Prohibits participation in more than one program of educational assistance. Allocates the administration and costs of such programs to the Veterans' Administration and the Department of Defense. Requires predischarge counseling which includes a discussion of educational benefit entitlements. Requires the Secretary of Defense and the Administrator to submit to Congress a biennial report on the operations of such programs. Amends the Post-Vietnam Era Veterans' Educational Assistance Act of 1977 to terminate the right to enroll in the Post-Vietnam Era Veterans' Educational Assistance Program after December 31, 1981. Amends the Department of Defense Authorization Act, 1981, to extend the pilot Department of Defense educational loan repayment program.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 1981
Civil Rights Amendments Act of 1981 - Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of affectional or sexual orientation. Stipulates 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 · 27 January 1981
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate the phased reduction of the rate of the percentage depletion allowance for independent oil and gas producers and royalty owners (reduced to 15 percent by 1984) and to retain the 22 percent rate for taxable years ending after 1980.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1981
Amends the Rules of the House of Representatives to provide that the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct shall consist of two subcommittees: a Subcommittee on Investigations and a Subcommittee on Adjudications. Authorizes the Subcommittee on Investigations to determine if a Member, officer, or employee has violated the Code of Official Conduct and to initiate proceedings against any such person before the Subcommittee on Adjudications. Sets forth the rules of procedure for such subcommittees after commencement of such proceedings. Prohibits any House action against any person charged with alleged violations of such Code unless the Subcommittee on Investigations has instituted its investigation within five years of the alleged violation. Allows the admission of private counsel for Members in disciplinary cases to the floor of the House during the pendency of such cases. Requires the Speaker of the House to appoint counsel from among the Members to represent any such Member on the House floor.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 1981
Family Enterprise Estate and Gift Tax Equity Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the unified credit against the estate and gift taxes from $47,000 to $155,800 by specified annual increments through 1985. Increases from $175,000 to $500,000, by specified annual increments through 1985, the minimum gross estate requirement for filing of a return. Repeals the existing limitations on the marital deduction for gift and estate taxes. Increases from $3,000 to $6,000 the annual gift tax exclusion. Qualifies estates of decedents who were disabled or retired for the special valuation of certain farms based on use if such decedents materially participated in the operation of the farm for five out of eight years preceding the year in which they became disabled or eligible for disability benefits, under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act. Permits the spouse of a decedent to use such valuation if the spouse has managed the farm or business for ten years preceding the decedent's death or takes over active management upon the decedent's death. Qualifies the owner of a woodland for the special use valuation if the owner or a member of the owner's family actively managed the property for ten years prior to the owner's death. Reduces from 15 to ten years the length of time a qualified property must be held and put to a qualified use following the decedent's death before it can be disposed of without incurring a recapture of estate tax benefits. Permits active management rather than material participation as a test for qualification of the estate for spouses, children under 21, students, and disabled individuals who receive property from a decedent who qualified for special use valuation. Repeals the $500,000 limitation on the reduction of the value of qualified real property permitted by the special use valuation. Allows the like kind exchange of property without loss of special use valuation eligibility. Allows valuation based on net crop share rentals as an alternative method of valuing farms. Repeals the requirement that an heir elect special treatment for involuntary conversions of qualified real property, thus making such treatment automatic upon such conversion. States that gifts made within three years of a decedent's death shall be valued as of the time of transfer rather than as of the date of death. Authorizes an individual to elect to pay a gift tax rather than use the unified tax credit. Modifies the alternate extension of time for payment of the estate tax where the estate consists largely of an interest in a closely held business to: (1) allow an installment payment election if the value of the interest in the closely held business is either 35 percent of the value of the gross estate or 50 percent of the taxable estate; (2) increase to 50 percent the value of an interest disposed of which will accelerate the payment of tax; and (3) permit payment, but with a penalty, of an installment within six months after the due date. Allows a disclaimer of an interest in property for estate tax purposes in specified circumstances where such disclaimer does not result in the passing of the interest concerned under the applicable State law.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 1981
Defense Economic Adjustment Act - Title I: Defense Economic Adjustment Council - Establishes in the Office of the President the Defense Economic Adjustment Council. Establishes an Office of Economic Adjustment to provide necessary staff support for the Council. Sets forth the duties of the Council which include: (1) disseminating information to Federal, State, and local agencies and authorities concerning changes in defense spending affecting employment in defense industries; (2) oversight of programs providing assistance to areas adversely affected by such changes; (3) reviewing local alternative use plans; and (4) preparing and distributing a Conversion Guidelines Handbook. Title II: Alternative Use Committees - Requires the establishment, at every defense facility employing at least 100 persons, of Alternative Use Committees representing management and labor to undertake economic conversion planning and preparation for the employment of the personnel and utilization of the facilities in the event of a reduction or elimination of any defense facility or the curtailment, conclusion, or disapproval of any defense contract. Provides that defense contractors that fail to submit an alternative use plan to the Council or refuse or fail to carry out the provisions of a plan approved by the Council shall lose eligibility for future contracts for a period of three years as well as losing contract termination payments and eligibility for tax credits. Requires Alternative Use Committees to periodically review plans for the conversion of the facility to civilian-oriented production and to send periodic reports to the Council regarding the progress of such plans. Directs the committees to provide occupational retraining and reemployment counseling services for employees who are displaced by the implementation of a conversion plan or the closing of a defense facility. Specifies provisions which are to be included in each alternative use plan. Title III: Economic Adjustment Fund - Establishes within the Treasury a Workers Economic Adjustment Reserve Trust Fund. Requires defense contracts to contain a provision under which the defense contractor is to pay into such Fund an amount equal to one and one quarter percent per year of the value of the contractor's gross revenues on sales under such contract. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to deposit ten percent of the projected savings from defense cutbacks into the Fund. Authorizes appropriations in such amounts as may be necessary to such Fund to enable the Secretary to make payments and disbursements authorized by this Act. Title IV: Economic Adjustment Assistance for Workers - Entitles certified workers who are displaced because of defense cutbacks to specified benefits for a two-year period, including: (1) compensation sufficient to maintain the employee's income at a level equal to 90 percent of the first $20,000 per year and 50 percent of the next $5,000 in excess of $20,000 of that worker's regular annual wage; (2) vested pension credit under any applicable pension plan; (3) maintenance of any medical, disability, or life insurance coverage which such an individual had by reason of employment by the defense contractor; and (4) retraining, job search, and relocation expenses. Provides for agreements with States to make the payments and provide the benefits authorized by this title. Requires that in order to be eligible for benefits under this Act a displaced worker must agree to maintain an active registration with the Secretary of Labor or an appropriate State employment agency and to accept any employment determined by the Secretary or the agency to be of the same skill or work of a similar nature at the same pay as such worker was receiving before being displaced. Provides that adjustment benefits under this Act shall not be taken into account in determining an individual's eligibility for unemployment compensation. Provides that adjustment benefits shall terminate when a displaced worker obtains employment providing 90 percent of the first $20,000 per year and 50 percent of the next $5,000 in excess of $20,000 of the worker's previous wage or two years after displacement, whichever occurs sooner. Title V: Community Economic Adjustment Planning - Entitles communities which are substantially and seriously affected by the reduction or elimination of military facilities or curtailment or conclusion of defense contracts to Federal assistance for economic adjustment to avoid substantial dislocations and for economic adjustment assistance should such dislocation occur. Directs the Council to develop guidelines by which the criteria for eligibility for planning assistance are to be applied. Authorizes the sale of excess defense capital property or facilities where such a facility is reduced or closed to the affected community at a public benefit discount. Title VI: Industrial Economic Adjustment - Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to make or guarantee low-interest, long-term loans to assist contractors in carrying out an approved alternative use plan to convert a plant or facility to civilian purposes. Prohibits making any such loan or loan guarantee if financing for such plan is available from any other source. Title VII: Use of Certain Research Fund - Authorizes the use of Department of Defense research and development funds for work which has a potential relationship to an urgent national requirement in a designated non-defense sector of the economy. Directs the Defense Economic Adjustment Council to define urgent national requirements for non-defense sectors of the economy. Title VIII: Authorization of Appropriations - Authorizes appropriations in such amounts as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 1981
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to allow preference visas to be given to an alien who: (1) requests such treatment; (2) was born after 1950 in Korea, Vietnam, Laos, or Thailand; (3) was fathered by an American serviceman; and (4) provides a guarantee of financial support. Stipulates that such guarantee must: (1) be signed by a citizen or lawful permanent resident who is at least 21 years old; and (2) provide that such signing sponsor will provide necessary financial support for five years. Allows the Attorney General to enforce such guarantee against the sponsor in a civil suit unless such sponsor dies or is adjudicated bankrupt.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 1981
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that the standard mileage rate used in computing the charitable deduction for expenses incurred in the operation of a motor vehicle shall be the same as the standard mileage rate for the business related deduction.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 1981
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 standard 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. Stipulates that VA subpoenas may be served either by personal delivery or by registered or certified mail. Increases the size of the Board of Veterans' Appeals from 50 to 65 members. Requires the chairman of such Board 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; (2) provide the claimant with an opportunity for a hearing; and (3) 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 disagreements with respect to a material issue in a veterans' 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 claimants' 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 procedural rights and procedures. Directs the Administrator to conduct a study of two alternate claims resolution methods, one a new intermediate-level adjudication process, the other an enhanced schedule of formal Appeals Board hearings. 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) 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; (2) that in cases not directly involving a claim for benefits a civil action otherwise authorized by law shall not be precluded; (3) the definition of final decision; (4) that the judicial review procedures established under this Act shall not apply to insurance and home loans; (5) that the VA shall file the various materials constituting the record in a case together with its answer to the claimant's complaint; and (6) that the court render a decision on the pleadings. States, with regard to the reviewing court's scope of review, that such court: (1) 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, such court 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. Stipulates 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. Establishes procedures for the review of the VA's or a court's approval of attorneys' fees. States that in the case of a benefits claim resolved before the VA, either the claimant or the attorney may challenge the award in the Federal district court in which the claimant resides or has his principal place of business within 30 days after notice of the attorneys' award. Provides that all parties be given notice. Stipulates 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 - States that this Act shall become effective 180 days after enactment. Permits review of Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions rendered on or after January 1, 1977, and prior to the effective date of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Limitation on Government Recordkeeping Requirements and Actions Act of 1981 - Prohibits any Federal agency from: (1) requiring any person to maintain, prepare, or produce records (other than records relating to a dangerous material) of an event more than four years after the event has occurred; and (2) commencing an action against a person for a violation of a regulation more than four years after such violation has occurred, except as otherwise provided by the Internal Revenue Code.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Sunset Review Act of 1981 - Requires the House Committee on Rules and the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration to jointly develop and maintain an inventory of all Federal programs and tax expenditures. Requires such inventory to classify all such programs and expenditures according to the jurisdiction of the various legislative committees of the two Houses. Requires the General Accounting Office (GAO), before the beginning of the 98th Congress, after consultation with the appropriate legislative committees and the Congressional Budget Office, to submit a draft inventory to the House Committee on Rules and the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. Requires such Committees to notify each legislative committee of the programs and tax expenditures which are classified within its jurisdiction. Allows any legislative committee to propose revisions of such inventory within 30 days after notification. Requires that such inventory be published in a single document. Requires that an update be made of such inventory at the beginning of every Congress. Specifies information to be contained in such an inventory. Directs the GAO to publish a supplement to such inventory which includes certain budget information. Requires each legislative committee of the House of Representatives and the Senate, by a specified date, to report a resolution setting forth an agenda for the sunset review of selected Federal programs within its jurisdiction, or, in the case of the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Committee on Finance, of selected tax expenditures. Directs the committees of each House to develop their sunset review agenda in consultation with any other committee which has concurrent jurisdiction over any programs or tax expenditures involved. Requires, where practicable, that related programs and expenditures be reviewed during the same Congress. Requires the report accompanying any agenda reported in the 104th Congress and every fifth Congress thereafter to summarize the programs and expenditures reviewed and not reviewed during the five previous Congresses. Prohibits either the House or the Senate from considering a primary expense resolution for any legislative committee in any Congress until that committee has developed and submitted its sunset review agenda. Requires the House Committee on Rules and the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration to incorporate such agendas into a consolidated sunset review agenda and to report such consolidated agenda to its House in the form of a concurrent resolution, within seven legislative days after all committee sunset review agendas have been submitted. Requires the consolidated sunset review agenda to be adopted in the House and in the Senate no later than March 30 in the first session of each Congress. Sets forth the procedures for the consideration and adoption of such agenda. Requires each committee of the House or the Senate, not later than May 15 in the second session of each Congress, to report a bill or bills modifying, continuing, or terminating each program or tax expenditure which it has been directed to review under the consolidated sunset review agenda adopted during the first session. Requires such bill to be accompanied by a report. Requires each department, agency, and instrumentality in the executive branch of the Government which is responsible for the administration of a Federal program or tax expenditure selected for sunset review to provide the appropriate Congressional committees with its views, information, and assistance. Directs the Comptroller General to supply specified information on audits. Exempts foreign intelligence or counterintelligence programs designated by the President as requiring protection from unauthorized disclosure. Directs the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate to review such programs pursuant to the spirit of this Act. Amends rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives to include the consolidated sunset review agendas and the Congressional inventory of Federal programs as part of the House Committee on Rules' functions.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Anti-Inflation Tax Act of 1981 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require annual cost of living adjustments, based on the Consumer Price Index, to individual income tax rates, the personal tax exemption, withholding requirements, and minimum income tax return amounts.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Nondiscrimination in Insurance Act - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in the consideration of applications for, or the granting of, insurance policies and the terms of such policies. Permits insurers who regularly provide insurance solely to persons of a single religious affiliation to continue to do so. Grants to State or local governments having insurance discrimination laws the primary opportunity to enforce this Act. Permits an aggrieved person to file a civil action in State or Federal court against an insurer, if a State or local authority which has received notice of a complaint fails to act within 60 days or with respect to those authorities not having insurance discrimination laws. Authorizes the Attorney General to bring a civil action in district court when there is reasonable cause to believe that a person or group is engaged in a pattern or practice of resistance to the rights granted by this Act and that such denial raises an issue of general public importance.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Amends the Omnibus Crime Control Act of 1970 to revise and increase the mandatory penalties for using or carrying a firearm during commission of a Federal felony. Defines such offense as using a firearm to commit a felony over which the district courts have exclusive jurisdiction or carrying a firearm during such a felony involving violence. Deletes the requirement that the firearm be carried "illegally." Increases the additional penalty imposed for such offense from one to ten years' imprisonment to five to ten years' imprisonment for a first offender and from two to 25 years to ten years to life imprisonment for a second or subsequent offender. Extends to first offenders the directions, currently applicable only to second offenders, that the court not suspend any sentence or grant probation and that the additional sentence not run concurrently with any term of imprisonment imposed for the offense itself. Makes a first offender ineligible for parole for five years and a second or subsequent offender ineligible for ten years. Expresses the sense of Congress that the executive prosecute vigorously such offenses.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Age Discrimination in Employment Amendments of 1981 - Amends the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 to remove the existing 70-year upper age limit to which the discrimination prohibitions apply, thus extending coverage to all individuals who are at least 40 years of age. States that no exceptions to the prohibitions are permitted based on the nature of employment of an individual or entitlement to retirement benefits. Repeals mandatory retirement provisions for Federal civil service employees, District of Columbia employees, and Foreign Service employees.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Obstetric Care Information Act - Amends title V (Maternal and Child Health) of the Social Security Act to require a State plan under such title to insure that a pregnant woman: (1) has the opportunity, upon her request, to inspect, copy, and have explained any medical records relating to her condition or treatment; (2) is informed, beforehand, of the side effects, risks, contraindications, and effectiveness of the procedures, drugs or devices, and of alternative methods of treatment; and (3) consents to treatment. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish guidelines with respect to the explanation of the side effects, risks, contraindications, and effectiveness of drugs and devices intended for use by pregnant women. Deems misbranded any drug or device offered for sale to a woman for use during pregnancy or parturition which does not meet such guidelines. Directs the Secretary to arrange for a study to determine the long-term side effects, risks, contraindications, and effectiveness of the use of obstetrical drugs, devices, and procedures with respect to maternal health and child development and to report to Congress concerning such study. Authorizes appropriations for such study.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Requires that the United States Postal Service expend at least ten percent of its total contractual expenditures for contracts with minority business enterprises. Provides for an exemption from such a requirement.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Establishes a Commission on More Effective Government to study and recommend ways of promoting economy, efficiency, and improved service within the Executive branch of Government. Directs the Commission to recommend methods to improve the relationship between Federal, State, and local governments. Directs the Commission to submit a final report to the Congress ten days after the Ninety-eighth Congress convenes. Terminates the Commission 90 days after such date. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 1980
Designates the New York Bulk and Foreign Mail Center at Jersey City, New Jersey, as the "Michael McDermott Bulk and Foreign Mail Center" in memory of the postal employee who lost his life in an industrial accident at the Center.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 1980
Government Cost Reduction Act - Title I: Productivity Improvement by the Office of Personnel Management - Requires each performance appraisal system developed by a Federal agency under Office of Personnel Management (OPM) regulations to include performance standards relating to the degree of attainment of cost reduction goals and management objective established under title III of this Act. Directs an agency to consider such standards when evaluating the performance of senior executives. Prohibits the President from awarding the rank of Meritorious Executive or Distinguished Executive to a senior executive who fails to attain such standards. Specifies criteria for the classification of Federal managerial positions which excludes any consideration of the subordinate position structure or the extent to which functions are performed by an agency rather than by contract. Directs OPM to prescribe regulations to assure that managers who reduce their staffing levels or budget utilization are rewarded and do not, as a result, have their positions reduced in grade. Title II: Program Goals and Performance Indicators - Requires the head of each executive agency to establish goals for each agency program and performance indicators which measure the effectiveness of each program. Directs the President to issue an Executive order terminating the current system by which agencies report productivity data to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Title III: Cost Reduction Goals and Performance Objectives - Directs the President to establish goals for each fiscal year for reducing unit costs and the costs of maintaining required levels of Government effectiveness, and to include such goals in the annual Budget transmitted to Congress. Requires that such goals indicate the reductions which will occur in direct and indirect labor costs and overhead costs. Requires each agency head: (1) to achieve explicit, measurable cost reduction goals; (2) to establish performance indicators to measure the effectiveness of the production of goods and delivery of services by an agency; (3) to establish objectives for each program of the agency; and (4) to report to the President annually on the progress of the agency in achieving its goals. Title IV: Productivity Program Reporting - Prescribes a framework for reporting and assessing the results of productivity enhancing programs, including guidelines governing budget savings and surplus personnel resulting from productivity improvements. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to report savings returned to the Treasury by the agencies to the President and Congress. Requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB): (1) to report at least annually to the President and Congress on each agency's productivity reserve transactions; and (2) to maintain an inventory of all reports on executive branch productivity, unit costs and work measurement, resource requirement factors, and data bases containing similar information. Title V: Productivity Enhancing Capital Investments - Directs OMB to: (1) promote capital investments which enhance productivity; (2) develop guidelines for agencies to identify capital investments which result in fast payback within four years or increased program effectiveness; (3) issue guidelines for establishing agency revolving funds to finance productivity enhancing capital investments; and (4) monitor and report annually to the President and Congress on the savings and improved program effectiveness derived from fast payback investments. Title VI: Labor Management Relations - Establishes standards for productivity and quality of working life as negotiable items between an agency and any labor organization. Directs OMB to issue guidelines enabling agencies and employees to demonstrate that work could be performed by agency employees as efficiently as it could be performed by outside contractors. Requires OPM to prescribe regulations which: (1) prohibit a reduction in force if unit cost reductions are maintained when productivity improvements result in a reduced workload; and (2) provide for a necessary reduction by augmenting the workload, attrition, reallocation, retraining, or job redesignation. Directs OMB to prescribe regulations: (1) to permit half of the savings resulting from effective management to be reapplied to authorized functions or used to reward productive employees; and (2) to abolish personnel ceilings and budgeted workload requirements designed to limit the agency workforce. Authorizes agencies to establish Joint Employee-Management Work Committees to improve work performance. Establishes, within each agency, merit teams to develop performance appraisal standards on a consensus basis. Directs each agency to include employees in training sessions respecting the development of such standards. Directs OPM to transmit periodic reports to the President and Congress on the costs and benefits of quality of work life initiatives. Title VII: Quality of Working Life - Requires each agency to prescribe regulations which provide that management systems, operating procedures, and jobs are structured to improve the productivity, environment, morale, job security, and utilization of employees. Title VIII: Consultant Reform - Establishes general statutory authority for the head of a Federal agency to appoint and fix the compensation of experts or consultants for temporary or intermittent services. Eliminates provisions of Federal law permitting an agency to procure such services by contract only when specifically authorized by appropriations or statute. Establishes the pay rate payable for GS-18 as the maximum pay rate for experts and consultants for all agencies. Directs OPM to prescribe regulations governing the employment of experts and consultants by Federal agencies. Requires each agency: (1) to submit to OPM a quarterly report on the number of days each consultant or expert is employed and the amount each individual is paid; and (2) to count such individuals as fractions of persons (depending on the number of hours they are employed) in administering any personnel ceiling. Prohibits an agency from initiating any action to obtain consultant or expert services by contract unless it has been certified that all reasonable steps have been taken to obtain such services by appointment. Requires each Federal agency to transmit to the Secretary of Commerce a written notice describing: (1) any proposed contract in an amount exceeding $10,000 with specified exemptions; and (2) any contract modification that increases the contract award by $50,000 or more. Directs the Secretary to publish such notices in a specified publication of the Department of Commerce. Directs each agency to notify the Committees on Appropriations of each House of Congress concerning any such modification. Directs every Federal agency to maintain and make available to the public each month a list of contracts which were entered into during the preceding 24 months and for which contractors have not completed performance. Requires that such list disclose certain information concerning the contract, contractor, and Government employees responsible for awarding and administering the contract. Declares that all contracts, excluding contracts determined to be classified information for national security reasons, shall be considered public information. Specifies information concerning the qualifications and selection of a contractor which shall be available to the public upon request. Requires each agency report which is prepared by a contractor or which is derived from a contractor's report, to disclose certain information concerning the contract including: (1) the identity of the contractor; (2) the amount of the contract; and (3) the type of procurement process used to award the contract. Defines the term "organizational conflict of interest" as any situation in which a contractor has interests relating to work to be performed under a contract which may bias the contractor's judgment or result in an unfair competitive advantage to the contractor. Requires each contractor and each consultant or subcontractor used by such contractor to disclose any information relevant to any potential or existing organizational conflict of interest with regard to any contract for which such contractor is submitting a proposal or any proposed modification to an existing contract. Directs an agency, upon determined that such a conflict exists, to: (1) disqualify such contractor or the consultant or subcontractor from eligibility for award of the proposed contract; (2) modify the proposed contract to eliminate such conflict; (3) include in the agency records and transmit to Congress a statement concerning such conflict if the contract services can be obtained from no other person; (4) terminate the existing contract to be modified; or (5) modify the existing contract to mitigate the conflict and report thereon to Congress if termination is not in the best interest of the Government. Requires each agency to include with its requests for regular appropriations for each fiscal year, an itemized statement of amounts requested for the procurement of goods and the procurement of services. Requires the Budget transmitted by the President to Congress each year to specify requests for new budget authority for and estimates of outlays by each agency for such procurement. Directs each agency head, by a specified date, to transmit to the Committees on Appropriations of each House an analysis of such requests and estimates. Requires each agency to include in its records regarding any completed contract totaling more than $50,000 and for which a report was prepared, an evaluation describing such report, the actions taken by the agency in response to such report, and a summary of the performance of the contractor. Directs an agency to consider an employee's compliance with agency rules and procedures applicable to contracting functions when: (1) evaluating the performance of a member of the Senior Executive Service; and (2) determining any pay increase for a supervisor or manager under the merit pay system. Requires the Director of OMB to apportion appropriations to Federal agenciess in a manner which insures that no more than 20 percent of the total appropriations available to an agency in a fiscal year may be obligated during the last two months of that year. Authorizes the Director to waive such spending limitation with regard to certain funds upon determining that such action is necessary to avoid a serious disruption of an agency program or operation, if the Director reports on such waiver to Congress. Requires the Director to report to Congress on the implementation, agency violations, impact, and continuation of such spending limitation. Exempts reserves established to comply with such a spending limitation from reporting requirements of the Improvement Control Act of 1974. Requires the Director to promulgate a regulation establishing a data system for the collection and dissemination of information regarding Government procurement activities. Specifies information concerning each Government contract for the procurement of goods or services which must be included in the system. Directs the Director: (1) to make information within the system available to Congress, Federal agencies, and the public upon request; and (2) to submit to Congress quarterly and annual reports on Government procurement activities. Amends the Freedom of Information Act to require agencies to make information produced pursuant to a contract available to the public to the same extent as it produced by Government officials. Amends the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act to require agencies to pay interest on any payment which is overdue by more than four weeks on a contract with a small business concern.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 1980
Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States Postal Service should not increase the number of digits of the zip code until: (1) the Service and the Congress have fully examined the costs, social consequences, and technical issues associated with such action; and (2) the Service has fully examined other means of improving productivity in the sorting of mail.
![Official portrait of Rep. Schroeder, Patricia [D-CO-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s000142_200.jpg)