United States · United States Congress · 17 August 1978
Allows initial pleadings in the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico to be filed in either the Spanish or English language. Requires further pleadings and proceedings to be in English, unless the court allows the use of Spanish. Specifies language provisions for court opinions and appeals. Prohibits the disqualification of persons on a grand or petit jury in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico solely because of a person's inability to speak, read, write and understand English if such person is able to speak, read, write, and understand Spanish.
United States · United States Congress · 17 August 1978
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Attorney General should parole into the United States the 15,000 Cambodian refugees, half to come in fiscal year 1979, and half in fiscal year 1980.
United States · United States Congress · 16 August 1978
Nuclear Incident Liability Reform Act - Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to require that licensees for nuclear facilities obtain the maximum amount of liability insurance available from private sources. Requires that such licensees participate in an industry retrospective rating plan in addition to maintaining such insurance. Directs the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to establish rules specifying the rates for deferred premiums charged to licensees under such plan in the event of any nuclear incident resulting in public liability which exceeds or appears likely to exceed the level of a licensee's primary financial protection and the amount otherwise available from such licensee for the satisfaction of such liability. Authorizes the Commission to loan to a licensee, at prescribed interest rates, the amount by which an assessment of deferred premiums exceeds the amount which the licensee is able to pay within a reasonable time following any nuclear incident without impairing its ability to provide electric utility service. Repeals the provisions of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 relating to indemnification of licensees from liability which is in excess of the level of financial protection required of the licensee. Eliminates the $500,000,000 ceiling on indemnification of contractors of the Commission against claims for liability, arising out of contractual activities, which are above the amount of financial protection required of contractors. Repeals provisions of such Act relating to: (1) the $560,000,000 maximum aggregate liability for a single nuclear incident; (2) the collection of fees for indemnification agreements, and (3) compensation to private insurance organizations for services connected with handling indemnifications. Eliminates the exemption from the requirements of financial protection of nonprofit educational, institution licensees. Repeals the Commission's authority to indemnify persons engaged in activities relating to the Nuclear Ship Savannah from liability for nuclear incidents. Terminates the Commission's authority to enter agreements with other indemnitors with respect to emergency assistance payments. Makes technical and conforming amendments to carry out the purposes of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 August 1978
Asbestos-Related Disease Screening Act - Requires the Secretary of Labor to make contracts and grants to reimburse public and private organizations for the reasonable cost of providing screening for asbestos-related diseases to individuals employed in occupations involving exposure to asbestos to a degree which carries with it a significant risk of developing an asbestos-related disease. Requires the Secretary to provide for a program under which any individual at risk is reimbursed for reasonable expenses incurred in the individual's screening. Authorizes appropriations through fiscal year 1981 to carry out the purposes of this Act. Requires the Secretary to periodically report to Congress concerning this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 August 1978
Radioactive Waste Management Act - Requires the Secretary of Energy, before investigating any site for construction of a radioactive waste storage facility, to notify each chamber of the concerned State legislature and publish notice of such investigation in the Federal Register. Requires notice to State legislatures of decisions and contracts for the construction of such facilities. Allows a 120-day period for disapproval of construction by the affected State's legislature or by statewide referendum.
United States · United States Congress · 10 August 1978
Requests the President to submit a report concerning the actions of United States Armed Forces in Zaire in May and June 1978 to the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate as required by the War Powers Resolution of 1973.
United States · United States Congress · 8 August 1978
Amends the Trade Act of 1974, with respect to the authority of the President to negotiate trade agreements, to direct the President to reserve any article for which an agreement limiting agricultural imports has been entered into, from negotiations to reduce or eliminate customs duties or import restrictions.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1978
States that the Territory of American Samoa shall be represented in the United States Congress by a nonvoting delegate to the House of Representatives. Sets forth the procedure for the election of such delegate.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 1978
Directs the Postmaster General to issue a special postage stamp in honor of Doctor Ralph J. Bunche, who worked for the cause of peace and against discrimination and intolerance.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 1978
Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to establish an urban park and recreation recovery program to provide financial assistance for rehabilitation of recreation areas and facilities in the form of challenge grants to local governments. Sets the requirements for grant eligibility. Directs the Secretary to promulgate funding priority regulations, for processing and approval of grant proposals, which include the use of objective data to measure comparative need for assistance among local governments. Requires regulations to include criteria evaluating the extent to which local governments have demonstrated results in providing equal opportunity housing.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 1978
Amends the Internal Revenue Code and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to permit assignment or alienation of rights under pension plans if: (1) such assignment or alienation is pursuant to a court decree of divorce or separate maintenance or a court order requiring the support of dependent children; (2) the court decree does not affect the payment schedule under the pension plan; and (3) a copy of the decree is submitted to the Secretary of Labor.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1978
Amends the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act to set the fee for Federal migratory-bird hunting and conservation stamps at $5, and authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to raise such fee to $7.50 if funds in the migratory bird conservation fund have been obligated. Directs the Secretary to prohibit the hunting of migratory birds in any State which fails to approve an acquisition of water fowl habitat within a reasonable time.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1978
Authorizes the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution to acquire the Museum of African Art. Establishes a Commission for the Museum of African Art to assist the Board in the operation and development of the Museum. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the purposes of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 1978
Medicare Home Health Amendments - Amends Title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to remove the 100 visit limitation presently applicable to home health care services under such Title. Eliminates prior hospitalization as a condition of eligibility for home health care services under part A (Hospital Insurance Benefits for the Aged and Disabled) of such Title. Eliminates confinement to home as a requirement for receiving home health care services under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance Benefits for the Aged and Disabled) of such Title. Includes "periodic chore services" within those home health services for which payment may be made under the supplementary medical insurance program.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 1978
Press Protection Act - Prohibits any person acting under color of law, without a prior adversary court proceeding, from searching any place or seizing any things in the possession, custody, or control of any person engaged in the gathering or dissemination of news for the print or broadcast media, unless with a warrant issued by a court upon probable cause that such person has committed or is committing a criminal offense. Establishes a criminal fine of not more than $10,000 for violation of this Act, and creates a civil cause of action for any person aggrieved by a violation. Allows punitive damages of up to $10,000, and reasonable attorneys fees.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 1978
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President, in carrying out his duties under the Trade Act, should seek the adoption and application of trade agreements which include environmental and safety and health standards among the international fair labor standards to be adopted.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 1978
Declares that the Congress denounces the planned American Nazi Party march in Skokie, Illinois, as an affront to American Jews and an act that deserves the fullest condemnation. Extends the sympathy and support of the Congress to the citizens of Skokie and to all American Jews.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 1978
Declares that the Federal Government should adopt an explicit national population policy and encourage and assist other countries to achieve their population goals. Directs all agencies of the Federal Government: (1) to give appropriate consideration to population dynamics in decisionmaking; and (2) to review their present statutory authority, regulations, and policies to achieve compliance with the purposes of this Act. Requires the President to annually transmit to Congress a Population Growth and Distribution Report. Requires the Secretary of State and the Director of the Agency for International Development to submit for inclusion in such report specified data concerning each nation of the world. Establishes in the Executive Office of the President an Office of Population Policy: (1) to develop and recommend policies to meet the environmental, social, economic, health, and other needs of the Nation; (2) to study population growth; (3) to report annually to the President; and (4) to coordinate with the Secretary of State and the Director of the Agency for International Development with respect to international policies affecting population growth.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 1978
Press Protection Act - Prohibits any person acting under color of law, without a prior adversary court proceeding, from searching any place or seizing any things in the possession, custody, or control of any person engaged in the gathering or dissemination of news for the print or broadcast media, unless with a warrant issued by a court upon probable cause that such person has committed or is committing a criminal offense. Establishes a criminal fine of not more than $10,000 for violation of this Act, and creates a civil cause of action for any person aggrieved by a violation. Allows punitive damages of up to $10,000, and reasonable attorneys fees.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 1978
Federal Reserve Bank Public Directors Act - Amends the Federal Reserve Act to increase the number of directors of each Federal Reserve Bank from nine to twelve by adding three additional directors to the class of directors designated from the public by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 1978
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow handicapped individuals who are incapable of operating highway vehicles an income tax deduction for their comuting expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1978
Entitles former spouses of members of the armed forces who were married to the member for at least ten years to a portion of that member's retired or retainer pay. Entitles such former spouses to a portion of the annuity of the surviving spouse of such member. Stipulates that such a member may not elect not to provide an annuity under the Survivor Benefit Plan without the consent of the member's spouse and any former spouses.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 1978
Social Security Rights Act - Requires that procedures be established for the expedited replacement of undelivered benefit checks under title II (Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act. Requires that decisions (and reconsiderations) on initial benefit claims be made within 90 days. Requires that payment of benefits on approved claims begin no later than the day regularly fixed for delivery of benefit checks in the second month following the month in which the claim was approved.
United States · United States Congress · 31 May 1978
Historic Properties Improvement Loan Insurance Act - Amends the National Housing Act to include nonresidential as well as residential structures within the definition of historic structures, for which the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development may insure rehabilitation loans. Provides for the designation of a "registered historic district" in accordance with a State or local statute, if such statute is certified as acceptable by the Secretary of the Interior. Increases the limit on the size of a loan financing a historic structure preservation which may be insured under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 31 May 1978
Susan B. Anthony Dollar Coin Act - Amends the Coinage Act of 1965 to change the size and weight of the one-dollar coin and to require that the obverse side of such coin bear the likeness of Susan B. Anthony.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1978
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit the recipient of a disability pension to elect to exclude a portion of such pension from his taxable income after he has reached age 65. Delays the starting date for annuity payments until the first taxable year in which a recipient of a disability pension decides not to make an election to exclude disability benefits from his taxable income.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1978
Pollution Control Facilities Tax Incentives Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow taxpayers to elect a 12-month amortization period or a 20 percent investment tax credit for new pollution control facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1978
Amends Title XX (Grants to States for Services) of the Social Security Act to increase the ceiling imposed upon payments for services under such Title for the fiscal years 1979, 1980, 1981 and maintains the 1981 level for succeeding years.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 1978
Social Security Rights Act - Requires that procedures be established for the expedited replacement of undelivered benefit checks under title II (Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act. Requires that decisions (and reconsiderations) on initial benefit claims be made within 90 days. Requires that payment of benefits on approved claims begin no later than the day regularly fixed for delivery of benefit checks in the second month following the month in which the claim was approved.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1978
Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act - Title I: Findings, Policy, and Definitions - Declares it to be the policy of the Congress that: (1) it is necessary to immediately designate public lands in Alaska for inclusion in the National Park, National Wildlife Refuge, Wild and Scenic Rivers, National Forest, National Trails, and National Wilderness Preservation Systems; (2) intangible values shall be considered on an equal basis with quantifiable values, sound ecological principles shall be adhered to, and full public participation shall be encouraged in the planning, management, and administration of these conservation system units; (3) the public should have access to the public lands in Alaska, including access to those public lands which constitute conservation system units, consistent with the purposes for which those units are established; (4) those persons now dependent upon subsistence use of the public lands in Alaska should be enabled to continue in that lifestyle, to the extent possible, and within conservation system units, in a manner consistent with the purposes for which the units are established or expanded; and (5) in carrying out the provisions of this Act, the Federal Government, is to give continuing consideration to the interest of the State of Alaska and its subdivisions and the Native Corporations in maintaining a viable economy and providing employment for citizens of Alaska. Excludes land selections of the State of Alaska which have been tentatively approved under the Alaska Statehood Act, as well as certain other selections, from the definition of "public lands. Title II: National Park System - Establishes as units of the National Park System: (1) Aniakchak National Monument and Aniakchak National Preserve; (2) Bering Land Bridge National Preserve; (3) Cape Krusenstern National Monument and Cape Krusenstern National Preserve; (4) Gates of the Arctic National Park and Gates of the Arctic National Preserve; (5) Kenai Fjords National Park; (6) Kobuk Valley National Park; (7) Lake Clark National Park; (8) Noatak National Preserve; (9) Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park and Wrangell-Saint Elias National Preserve; and (10) Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. Expands and redesignates: (1) Mount McKinley National Park, by addition of the Denali National Preserve and Denali National Park; (2) Glacier Bay National Monument, to be designated as Glacier Bay National Park; and Katmai National Monument, to be designated as Katmai National Park and Katmai National Preserve. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to administer the lands, waters, and interests so established, designated, or enlarged. Provides that certain valid Native selections are recognized and shall be honored and conveyed by the Secretary in accordance with the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and this Act. Title III: National Wildlife Refuge System - Defines the term "conserve," for purposes of this Title, as the use of such methods and procedures which are necessary to ensure the health, preservation, and enhancement of fish and wildlife and plants, their habitats, and the ecological system of which they form a constituent element. Defines "refuge" to mean any unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System established by this Act, prior to the enactment of this Act, or following the enactment of this Act. Declares the major purposes of each refuge to be: (1) to conserve the designated fish and wildlife, as well as to conserve the other fish and wildlife, and plants within the refuge; (2) to fulfill the international treaty obligations of the United States with respect to fish and wildlife and plants; (3) to ensure water quality and water quantity within the refuge; and (4) to protect, maintain, or enhance any special value of the refuge, as well any other archeological, cultural, ecological, geological, historical, paleontological, recreational, or scenic value of the refuge. Provides that each refuge shall be administered by the Secretary to achieve such purposes, and in accordance with the laws governing the administration of units of the National Wildlife Refuge System, the laws governing the conservation and protection of fish and wildlife and plants, and this Act. Directs the Secretary to administer each refuge in order to provide an opportunity for subsistence uses, to the extent that it is compatible with the major purposes of the refuge. Withdraws, subject to valid existing rights, all public lands in each refuge from all forms of appropriation under the mining laws and from operation of the mineral leasing laws. Authorizes the Secretary to permit oil and gas development and hardrock mining under a leasing program. Directs the Secretary to prepare a comprehensive conservation plan for each refuge. Sets forth the contents of such plans. Requires that the Secretary consult with the appropriate State agencies and Native Corporations, and hold public hearings, in preparing such plans. Provides that the Secretary shall publish notice of a proposed plan in the Federal Register, and make copies of the plan available to at each regional office of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and provide opportunity for public views and comment on the plan. Designates the first six miles off each coastal refuge, except the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, as a seaward area subject to cooperative management by the Department of the Interior, the Department of Commerce, and the State of Alaska. Establishes the Seaward Area Management Planning Committee to prepare a comprehensive management plan for each seaward area. Provides that such plan shall set forth procedures and actions to assure that the major purposes of the coastal refuge are achieved within the seaward area and that the marine ecosystem within such area is conserved. Provides that regulations shall be issued by the appropriate authorities, after the adoption by the Committee of any plan. Stipulates that no plan shall affect certain rights of the State, as well as the administration and implementation of the Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976. States that no plan may provide for any procedure or action which is contrary to, or inconsistent with, Federal laws governing the conservation or protection of fish and wildlife. Establishes as units of the National Wildlife Refuge System: (1) Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge; (2) Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge; (3) Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; (4) Becharof National Wildlife Refuge; (5) Copper River National Wildlife Refuge; (6) Innoko National Wildlife Refuge; (7) Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge; (8) Kenai National Wildlife Refuge; (9) Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge; (10) Koyukuk National Wildlife Refuge; (11) Nowitna National Wildlife Refuge; (12) Selawik National Wildlife Refuge; (13) Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge; (14) Togiak National Wildlife Refuge; (15) Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge; and (16) Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge. Designates the significant fish and wildlife of each refuge. Designates the Izembek National Wildlife Range as a Refuge. Directs the Secretary to undertake to enter into cooperative management agreements with Native Corporations, the State, or persons owning land within or adjacent to a refuge. States that each such agreement shall provide that the land subject to the agreement shall be managed by the owner in a manner compatible with the major purposes of the refuge, and in a manner which will not diminish opportunities for subsistence uses in the refuge. States that the Congress funds that barren-ground caribou are a migratory species deserving special protection and that the Western Arctic and Porcupine herds of such caribou are of national and international significance. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study of the barren-ground caribou herds north of the Yukon River, and, acting through the Secretary of State, to initiate negotiations with the Government of Canada in order to enter into a treaty to protect the Porcupine caribou herd and its habitat. Declares that all Executive orders and other administrative actions which were in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of this Act will remain in force, except to the extent that they are inconsistent with this Act or the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. Title IV: National Forest System - Provides for the expansion of (1) Tongass National Forest, and (2) Chugach National Forest. Title V: National Wild and Scenic Rivers System - Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act by adding to the Wild and Scenic Rivers System the following rivers (or segments thereof) which are outside the boundaries of other conservation system units: Birch Creek, Delta, Fortymile, Gulkana, Alagnak, Killik, Noatak, Nowitna, Unalakleet and Yukon (Ramparts section). Adds to the system the following rivers (or segments thereof) which form the boundary of, or are within, any national preserves in Alaska: Alagnak, Aniakchak, Charley, Chilikadrotna, Chitina, Mulchatna, and Noatak. Adds to the system portions of the following rivers which form the boundary of, or are within, any national wildlife refuge in Alaska: Nowitna, Porcupine, Sheenjek, Andreafsky, Ivishak, Kanektok, Kisaralik, and Wind. Requires that detailed boundaries and development plans be established for such rivers within one to four years of the date of enactment of this Act. Designates the following rivers to be studied for possible inclusion in the system: Colville, Copper (Iliamna), Copper, Etivluk-Nigu, Holitna-Hoholitna, Ikpikpuk, Koyuk, Kushkokwim, Melozitna, Mulchatna, Nelchina-Tazlina, Nuyakuk, Situk, Utukok and Squirrel. Sets forth time requirements for completion of such studies. Authorizes the Secretary to seek cooperative agreements with the owners of non- Federal lands adjoining certain rivers which are newly designated units of the Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Title VI: Designation of Wilderness and Wilderness Study Within Units or Additions to Units of the National Park, National Wildlife Refuge, and National Forest System - Designates certain lands in the following areas as wilderness and components of the National Wilderness Preservation system: (1) Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve; (2) Bering Land Bridge National Preserve; (3) Denali National Park and Preserve; (4) Gates of the Arctic National Park; (5) Glacier Bay National Park; (6) Katmai National Park; (7) Kenai Fjords National Park; (8) Kobuk Valley National Park; (9) Lake Clark National Park and Preserves; (10) Noatak National Preserve; (11) Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park and Preserve; and (12) Yukon-Charley National Preserve. Directs the Secretary to review the nondesignated wilderness within the boundaries of such units and report to the President and the Congress his recommendations concerning all such units within four years after the date of enactment of this Act. Designates certain lands within the following areas as wilderness and components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: (1) Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, to be known as Alaska Maritime Wilderness, Aleutian Islands Wilderness, Unimak Wilderness, and Semidi Wilderness; (2) Arctic National Wildlife Range, to be known as Arctic Wilderness; (3) Becharof National Wildlife Range, to be known as Becharof Wilderness; (4) Innoko National Wildlife Range, to be known as Innoko Wilderness; (5) Izembek National Wildlife Range, to be known as Izembek Wilderness; (6) Kanuti National Wildlife Range, to be known as Kanuti Wilderness (7) Kenai National Wildlife Range, to be known as Kenai Wilderness; and (8) Selawik National Wildlife Range, to be known as Selawik Wilderness. Directs the Secretary to review, as to suitability or nonsuitability for preservation as wilderness, certain other areas within the conservation system units. Designates as wilderness and as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: (1) certain lands in the Chugach National Forest, to be known as the Nellie Juan Wilderness and College Fjord Wilderness, and (2) certain lands in the Tongass National Forest, to be known as the Stikine-Le Conte Wilderness, the West Chichagof-Yakobi Wilderness, the Yakutat Wilderness, and Admiralty Island Wilderness. Sets forth provisions relating to the management of Admiralty Island Wilderness. Sets forth special provisions regarding the management of such wilderness areas. Stipulates that such provisions are enacted in recognition of the unique conditions in Alaska, and are not to be applied to lands outside of Alaska. Designates as wilderness areas certain fish hatcheries in Nellie Juan, Stikine-LeConte, and West Chichagof-Yokobi Wilderness. Title VII: Subsistence - Declares it the policy of Congress that: (1) management policies on the public lands in Alaska are to cause the least possible adverse impact on subsistence-dependent rural people, and as far as possible, such people are to have the option of continuing a subsistence lifestyle to the extent they choose to do so; (2) nonwasteful subsistence use of wildlife and other renewable resources shall have priority over other consumptive use of such resources on the public lands in Alaska; and (3) Federal land-managing agencies are to cooperate with adjacent landowners and land managers in managing subsistence activities on the public lands and in protecting wild renewable resources in Alaska. Defines "subsistence uses" as the noncommercial, customary and traditional uses in Alaska of wild, renewable resources for direct personal or family use as food, shelter, fuel, clothing, tools, or transportation, for the making and selling of handicraft articles (including clothing) but only out of nonedible by-products of fish and wildlife resources taken for personal or family use or for the customary trade, barter, or sharing among subsistence users for personal or family use. Authorizes the State of Alaska to regulate the taking of fish and wildlife on public lands for subsistence purposes in a manner consistent with the policies set forth in this Act. Sets forth the required elements of the subsistence management program of the State. Provides for the establishment of not less than five management regions. Requires that there be sufficient number and boundaries of the management regions to assure that regional differences in subsistence uses are adequately accommodated. Provides for the establishment of a system of local and regional fish and wildlife councils within each management region. Sets forth the functions of such councils, including the preparation of recommended subsistence management plans for each region. Directs the Secretary to monitor the State subsistence management program and the implementation of such program. Authorizes the Secretary to close the public lands in an area to all consumptive uses except subsistence uses by local residents, if it is determined that: (1) the State has failed to implement a subsistence management program or, (2) the State has failed to make necessary changes in the program as indicated by the Secretary, and (3) such failure threatens the natural stability and continued productivity of the fish and wildlife populations on public lands in the area concerned, or the ability of subsistence-dependent residents in such area to satisfy their subsistence needs. Authorizes the Secretary to temporarily close any public lands (including those within any conservation system unit) to subsistence uses if necessary for reasons of public safety, administration, or to assure the natural stability and continued productivity of one or more fish or wildlife populations. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements or to otherwise cooperate with other Federal agencies, the State of Alaska, Native Corporations, and other appropriate persons and organization, (including, through coordination with the Secretary of State, other nations) in order to protect subsistence resources and uses. Directs the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, to prepare and submit to the Congress periodic uses of those resources on the public lands. Provides that summaries of such reports shall be published in the Federal Register and made available to the public. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to prescribe such regulations as are necessary for them to carry out their responsibilities under this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to reimburse the State wildlife agency 50 percent of the costs of developing and implementing the State's program, providing that such reimbursements do not exceed $5,000,000 in any one fiscal year. Title VIII: Implementation of Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and Alaska Statehood Act - Conveys: (1) to the Village Corporations, the surface estate in the "core townships": (towns on townships in which the Native villages are located); (2) to the Village Corporations, lands on the Native reserves which were set aside for the use or benefit of the stockholders or members of such Corporations before the date of enactment of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act; and (3) to the appropriate Regional Corporations, the subsurface estate in the "core townships. Permits Native Corporations to utilize an expedited conveyance procedure, and sets forth such procedure. Requires Native Corporations choosing to utilize such procedure to file with the Secretary a list of its conveyance priorities. Sets forth administrative provisions concerning: (1) easements on core township lands, other lands, and acquisition of future easements; (2) status of certain lease offers; (3) extention of the moratorium on State taxation of undeveloped and unimproved lands; and (4) State selection and conveyances. Establishes the Alaska Native Land Bank Program, which will permit a Native Corporation to place its undeveloped and unimproved land holdings into an agreement with the State, or the Secretary if the State declines participation. States that such agreements shall be for ten years, with five year renewal periods. Provides that lands in such programs shall not be sold, transferred, improved or developed, shall be exempt from Federal and State taxation, shall not be subject to adverse possession, and shall not be subject to any action at law or equity to recover sums owed or penalties incurred by any Native Corporation, or any officer, director, or stockholder of any such Corporation. Provides that for three years after the date of enactment of this Act, any appropriate Federal court shall have jurisdiction to hear, consider, and decide any action brought by the State or by a Native Corporation to enforce the provisions of this Title. Title IX: Minerals Assessments, Exploration, Development, and Extraction on Conservation System Units - Directs the Secretary to continue programs to assess the mineral potential of all public lands in Alaska and authorities such techniques as side-locking radar, radar imagery and core drilling of geologic information. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) study and conduct assessments of the oil, gas, and other mineral potential of all public lands in Alaska; (2) establish priorities for accelerated assessments with respect to mineral for which there is a high potential on public lands; and (3) enter into contracts with public or private entities to carry out such programs. Allows individuals holding valid existing mineral claims or leases on public lands within conservation units to carry out activities related to the exercise of rights under such claims in a manner compatible with the purposes of such units. Provides that existing regulations concerning such activities shall continue to be in effect until new regulations take effect. Permits any holder of a patented or unpatented mining claim which is written a conservation system unit who believes he has suffered a loss by operation of this section, to bring an action in the United States District Court for Alaska recover just compensation. Requires that the court award compensation if it finds that there was a taking of property. States that the following areas in Alaska are subject to the minerals access process: (1) national preserves and natural wildlife refuges and ranges, except for portions designated as wilderness; (2) the Misty Fjords area within the Tongass National Forest; and (3) the Special Study Area within the Arctic National Wildlife Range and wilderness, on April 1, 1984. Provides that, with the exception of mineral development and extraction under claims or leases in effect on the date of enactment of this Act, the mineral access process shall be the exclusive procedure for permitting such development. Sets forth procedures for initiation of the minerals access process by application or Secretarial motion. Requires the Secretary, within 14 months after the designated 90-day application periods, to either transmit a recommendation to Congress or publish notice in the Federal Register that he will not transmit a recommendation. Requires the Secretary to make and transmit a recommendation in response to an application concerning the exploration for, and development and extraction of, a particular mineral or mineral and permit him to make and transit such a recommendation on his own motion if he has made certain findings relating to the national need for such mineral or minerals. Prohibits any court of the United States from issuing any injunction, stay, or other relief which would prevent or delay the transmission of a recommendation by the Secretary to the Congress. Provides that the enactment of a joint resolution approving the findings of the Secretary shall be conclusive as to the legal and factual sufficiency of the Secretary's findings. Provides guidelines for the transmission of environmental impact statements with the Secretary's recommendations to the Congress. Sets forth procedures for Congressional approval of the Secretary's recommendations. States that a recommendation of the Secretary shall take effect only upon the enactment of a joint resolution of approval, within 120 days after receipt of such recommendation. Establishes a procedure for expedited Congressional consideration of such joint resolutions. Provides for the issuance of five-year exploration permits to the applicant whose application was the subject of such a Secretarial recommendation and was approved by a joint resolution of the Congress. Authorizes the Secretary to extend such permits for an additional five-year period grants holders of such permits a right to a lease upon such holders' discovery of a valuable deposit of one or more minerals which make a significant contribution to meet the national need. Requires that the holder of such permit be offered a 15-year deferred preference right to a lease if he discovers a deposit which would make a significant contribution to meeting the national need, but which is not at the time of application for lease a valuable deposit. Provides for the granting of a right-of-first-refusal for a lease to develop mineral which are not covered by the approved recommendation. Directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations for minerals exploration, development and extraction on a permit and lease basis within 60 days following the date of enactment of a joint resolution approving a recommendation. Requires the preparation of specific environmental impact statements, in certain circumstances. Permits the sale or transfer of exploration permits and development and extraction leases. Title X: Transportation and Utility Systems on Conservation System Units - Provides that laws which are generally applicable to units of the National Park, Wilderness Preservation, Wild and Scenic Rivers, and Wildlife Refuge Systems regarding rights-of-way for transportation or utility systems, shall apply to units of conservation systems in Alaska. Reaffirms the authority of the Secretary to provide access to wilderness areas for the administration of such areas (including emergency measures involving the health and safety of persons within the areas) consistent with the Wilderness Act. Sets forth procedures for the consideration and processing of applications for rights-of-way on public lands within conservation units in Alaska for transportation or utility systems over which the Secretary has no authority. Authorizes the Secretary to grant rights-of-way for certain oil or gas pipelines if he has determined that there is no economically feasible alternative route. Authorizes the Secretary to grant a right-of-way for a transportation or utility system across public lands within a conservation system unit (other than a wilderness area), if an environmental impact statement for that section of the right-of-way crossing such unit would not have been required under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and the Secretary has determined that such right-of-way: (1) would not result in a significant adverse effect on the conservation system unit, and (2) would be compatible with the purposes for which the unit was established and the purposes of this Act. Requires the Secretary to transmit a recommendation to the Congress regarding whether or not the application for a certain right-of-way which the Secretary does not have the authority to grant or deny, should be granted. States that prior to making such recommendation the Secretary must determine: (1) whether the approval of such application is in the public interest; (2) whether there is an economically feasible and prudent alternative to granting the right-of-way; and (3) whether the transporation or utility system can be constructed, operated, and maintained in a manner compatible with the purposes of the affected conservation system unit and this Act. Sets forth other items to be transmitted to the Congress by the Secretary, with such recommendations. Establishes a procedure for Congressional approval of the Secretary's recommendations. Requires the Secretary to issue a use permit for a right-of- way immediately following the enactment of a joint resolution of congressional approval. Requires payment by the permitee, to the United States, of the fair market value of the right-of-way, unless Congress otherwise directs. Sets forth certain requirements for pipelines which cross wild and scenic rivers. Title XI: Coordination - Establishes the Alaska Advisory Coordinating Council, composed of the Alaska field directors of the Federal land managing and planning agencies; the Commissioners of the Alaska Departments of Natural Resources, Fish and Game, and Environmental Conservation; and representatives from a Village Corporation and a Regional Corporation, selected by the Governor. Requires that all Council meetings be open to the public, with at least 15 days prior notice in the Federal Register and in newspapers of general circulation in Alaska. Directs the Council to conduct studies and advise the Secretary, other Federal agencies, the State, and Native Corporations regarding land and resource uses in Alaska, including transportation planning, land use designation, fish and wildlife management, tourism, agricultural development, coastal zone management, and preservation of cultural and historical resources. Authorizes the Council, with the concurrence of the concerned members, to recommend cooperative planning and management zones where the management of lands or resources of one member materially affects another. Authorizes Federal members of the Council to enter into cooperative agreements with Federal agencies, with State and local agencies, and with Native Corporations for mutual consultation, review, and coordination of resource management plans within such zones. Authorizes the Secretary to provide technical and other assistance to landowners whose lands or resources are subject to a cooperative agreement, for fire control, trespass control, law enforcement, resource use, and planning. States that such assistance may be provided without reimbursement if the Secretary determines that doing so would further the purposes of the cooperative agreement and would be in the public interest. Provides that the Council will terminate in ten years, unless it is extended by Congress. Title XII: Administrative Provisions - Authorizes the Secretary to acquire by purchase, donation, or exchange any lands within the boundaries of any conservation system unit. Stipulates that land owned by the State, a political subdivision or a Native Corporation may only by acquired with their consent. Sets forth administrative provisions relating to such acquisitions. Directs the Secretary to take actions, including acquiring or providing easements or other interests in lands, which may be necessary to assure: (1) access to subsistence lands; (2) agency access to administer conservation system units; (3) public access to the units; and (4) continued public access to State lands within the units. Sets forth administrative provisions relating to access to such lands. Authorizes the Secretary to acquire up to 7,500 acres or archeological or paleontological sites outside of the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Kubuk Valley National Park, and the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. Requires the Secretary, prior to acquiring any such property in excess of 100 acres to submit notice of the proposed acquisition to the appropriate committees of the Congress, and publish notice of such proposed acquisition in the Federal Register. Authorizes the Secretary to establish an information and education center for visitors to Alaska, on no more than 1,000 acres of land adjacent to the Alaska Highway. Authorizes the Secretary to establish such centers in Anchorage and Fairbanks, and authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to establish such a center in Juneau, Ketchikan, or Sitka. Sets forth provisions relating to program planning, construction, operation and administration of such centers. Authorizes the Secretary to establish administrative sites and visitor facilities within the conservation units, if compatible, or outside the units. Directs the Secretary to locate such sites and facilities on Native lands where practicable and desirable. Sets forth the authorities of the Secretary in regard to establishing such sites and facilities. Directs the Secretary, under reasonable terms, to permit a person who on or before January 1, 1978, was adequately providing any type of visitor service to a conservation system unit, to continue providing the services if they are consistent with the purposes of the unit. Requires that the Secretary, in selecting persons to provide visitor services, give preference to Native Corporations most directly affected by the conservation system unit, and local residents. Directs the Secretary to establish a local-hire program, under which the Secretary will consider for selection qualified local residents to positions in any of the units, without regard to civil service regulations which require minimum periods of formal training or experience, other preference provisions, or numerical limitations on personnel. Requires the Secretary to submit annual reports and recommendations to Congress on such program. Requires the Secretary to prepare detailed management plans for national park and wildlife refuge units and submit them to Congress within five years of the date of enactment of this Act. Sets forth requirements for such plans, factors which must be considered, public hearings requirements, and requirements for reports to the appropriate committees of Congress. Closes all areas of the National Park System in Alaska to the taking of fish and wildlife, except for authorized subsistence use, fishing, and sport hunting as the Secretary may permit within national preserves. Stipulates that other conservation units will be subject to applicable Federal and State law. Provides for options to certain existing licensed hunting guides, who would suffer economic hardship if specified parks were closed to sport hunting. Directs the Secretary to allow nonsubsistence licensed trappers to continue trapping within certain areas if he finds that they would suffer economic hardship when those parks are closed to nonsubsistence trapping. Requires that a map and legal description of each conservation system unit be filed with the appropriate committees of the Congress, and be available in the Alaska and Washington, D.C. offices of the Federal land managing offices. Sets forth requirements for the submission to Congress of environmental impact statements and reports on major Federal actions in the units. Requires Congressional review of all regulations issued by the Secretary pursuant to this Act, identical to those contained in section 551 of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975. Title XIII: Miscellaneous - Establishes the Iditarod National Historic Trail, by amending the National Trails System Act. Permits the State of Alaska to donate mineral interests, as well as surface estate lands, to the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. Provides for the continued use, operation, and maintenance of (1) existing air and water navigation aids and existing facilities for weather, climate, and fisheries research, where they are located within the conservation system units, and (2) existing facilities for national defense purposes, and related air and water navigation aids, within or adjacent to conservation system units. Permits the establishment, operation, and maintenance within any conservation system unit of new air and water navigation aids and related facilities, facilities for national defense purposes and related air and water navigation aids, and facilities for weather, climate, and fisheries research and monitoring. Directs the Secretary to manage the Natural Petroleum Reserve in Alaska in a manner which permits the continuation of subsistence uses and preserves surface values. Withdraws all public lands within the conservation system units in Alaska, subject to valid existing rights from the mining and mineral leasing laws of the United States. Rescinds all powersite withdrawals which apply to lands within conservation units. Permits the Secretary to grant certain applications for allotment regardless of prior state withdrawals. Directs the Secretary to study the desirability of establishing a Denali Scenic Highway. Authorizes the appropriation of such sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act for fiscal years beginning after fiscal year 1978.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1978
Indian Child Welfare Act - Declares it to be the policy of the United States to establish standards for the placement of Indian children in foster or adoptive homes which will reflect the unique values of Indian culture, assist Indian tribes in the operation of tribal family development programs, and generally promote the stability and security of Indian families. Title I: Child Placement - Declares that an Indian tribe shall have jurisdiction exclusive as to any State over any placement of an Indian child who resides on or is domiciled within the reservation of such tribe. Stipulates that in any State court proceeding for the placement of an Indian child not domiciled or residing within the reservation of such child's tribe, the court shall transfer such proceeding to the jurisdiction of the tribe upon the petition of the parent or Indian custodian. Requires that in any involuntary placement procedure in a State court, the party seeking the placement of an Indian child shall notify the parent or Indian custodian and the child's tribe of the pending proceeding and of their right of intervention. Grants to the parent or Indian custodian the right to court-appointed counsel in a placement proceeding in any case where the court determines indigency. Requires any party seeking to effect a permanent placement of an Indian child under State law to show that active efforts have been made to provide remedial services and rehabilitative programs designed to prevent the breakup of the Indian family, and that these services have proved unsuccessful. Sets forth procedures for the voluntary placement of an Indian child by parents or custodian. Grants preference to a member of the child's family, tribe, and other Indian families in any adoptive placement of an Indian child. Gives preference in a nonadoptive placement to: (1) a member of the child's extended family; (2) a foster home approved by the child's tribe; (3) a licensed Indian foster home; or (4) an institution for children approved by an Indian tribe. Stipulates that whenever a final decree of adoption has been vacated or set aside or the adoptive parents voluntarily consent to the permanent placement of an Indian child, a biological parent or a prior Indian custodian may petition for return of custody. Stipulates that, upon application by an Indian individual who has reached age 18 and who was the subject of an adoptive placement, the court which entered the final placement decree shall inform such individual of the tribal affiliation, if any, of his or her biological parents and provide such other information as may be necessary to protect any rights flowing from his or her tribal relationship. Authorizes States and Indian tribes to enter into agreements with each other respecting care, custody, and jurisdiction over any matter within the scope of this Act. Stipulates that any home placement made by a program operated by a public or private agency which removes Indian children from a reservation with the consent of the parent or Indian custodian and places the child in a family home of a nonrelative as an incident to the child's attendance in a school located in a community in an off-reservation area shall not be deemed a child placement for purposes of this Act. Title II: Indian Child and Family Programs - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to make grants to Indian tribes and organizations for the establishment and operation of Indian child and family service programs on or near reservations and for the preparation and implementation of child welfare codes. States that the objective of every Indian child and family service program shall be to prevent the breakup of Indian families. Authorizes every Indian tribe to construct, operate, and maintain facilities for: (1) the counseling or treatment of Indian families or individuals; and (2) the temporary custody of Indian children. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to Indian organizations to establish and operate off-reservation Indian child and family service programs. Title III: Recordkeeping, Information, Availability, and Timetables - Directs the Secretary to collect and maintain records in a single, central location of all Indian child placements which are affected after the date of this Act. Title IV: Placement Prevention Study - Directs the Secretary to prepare a plan for the provision to Indian children of schools located near the student's home.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1978
National Parks and Recreation Act - Title I: Development Ceiling Increases - Makes specific increases in the limitations on funds for development within 35 units of the National Park System and affiliated areas. Title II: Acquisition Ceiling Increases - Raises the limitations on appropriations for the acquisition of lands within five units of the National Park System. Title III: Boundary Changes - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to enlarge the boundaries of 18 units of the National Park System and authorizes appropriations of specified amounts for acquisition of lands by reason of such revisions. Redesignates the City of Refuge National Historical Park as the Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park. Deeds a lot on Black Hammock Island, Florida, to the National Park Foundation, to be sold at fair market value. Adds lands to the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site and the Johnstown Flood National Memorial, Pennsylvania. Revises the boundaries of: (1) Fort Laramie National Historic Site, Wyoming; (2) Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site, North Dakota and Montana; (3) Boston National Historical Park; (4) Gateway National Recreation Area, New York, to add Sailors Snug Harbor; (5) Petersburg National Battlefield, Virginia, to add Eppes Manor; (6) Sequoia National Park, California, to add Mineral King Valley; (7) Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area, Ohio; (8) Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area; (9) Golden Gate National Recreation Area; (10) Point Reyes National Seashore; (11) Antietam National Battlefield, Maryland; (12) Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park; (13) Virgin Islands National Park, to include Hassel Island; and (14) Alibates Flint Quarries and Texas Panhandle Pueblo Culture National Monument. Title IV: Wilderness - Designates 14 areas as wilderness areas. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to develop and submit to Congress a wilderness management plan for each wilderness unit in the National Park System. Title V: Establishment of New Areas and Additions to National Trails System - Provides for the establishment of Guam National Seashore War in the Pacific National Historical Park on Guam; Pine Barrens Area, New Jersey; Edgar Allen Poe National Historic Site, Pennsylvania; San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, Texas; Saint Paul's Church, Eastchester, New York; Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, Hawaii; American Memorial Park, Saipan; Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site, Texas; Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, California. Provides for the establishment of the San Antonio Missions Advisory Commission, the Kaloko-Honokohau, an advisory commission, and the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Advisory Commission. Establishes the Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail, Utah; the Overmountain Men Victory Trail, Tennessee to South Carolina; the Continental Divide Trail, Montana to New Mexico; and the North Country National Scenic Trail, New York to North Dakota. Title VI: Miscellaneous Provisions - Authorizes the Secretary to acquire and upgrade Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Directs the Secretary to provide for the preservation of the former Presidential yacht Sequoia. Provides for a study of the desirability of establishing segments of the Ridgelands east of San Francisco Bay as a unit of the National Park System. Amends the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation Act of 1972 to direct the Corporation to request the Council of the District of Columbia to close any street in the development area, and if title to the street is not in the Corporation, to convey it to the Corporation. Permits the Corporation to transfer title to real property to the United States or the District of Columbia . Authorizes appropriations through fiscal year 1983 for the preservation of historical and archaeological data. Empowers the Secretary to establish a historic site to commemorate each former President and Speaker of the House of Representatives serving during the twentieth century. Authorizes appropriations for studies and management planning of areas suitable for inclusion in the National Park System. Provides for a study of the Oak Creek Canyon, Yauapi, and Soldier Wash-Mormon Canyon areas in Arizona for inclusion in the park system. States it is the policy of Congress that wilderness, wildlife conservation, and park and recreation values of United States property be conserved, enhanced, and developed. Provides that the Secretary, the Administrator of General Services, and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall establish a system to permit full and early opportunity for studies of the suitability of Federal real property for implementation of the congressional policy. Authorizes the Secretary to provide 50 percent matching grants to local governments in urban and insular areas for rehabilitation and development of recreation areas and facilities. Sets grant requirements. Changes the date of the map referencing the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. Title VII: Wild and Scenic Rivers Act Amendments - Adds eight segments of rivers to those designated as wild and scenic rivers. Adds 17 rivers to those designated for study for potential inclusion in the wild and scenic rivers system. Increases authorizations of appropriations for five specified rivers. Makes technical amendments to the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1978
Investment Tax Credit Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an additional investment tax credit for machinery and equipment placed in service in existing manufacturing plants or in nearby areas.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1978
Pollution Control Facilities Tax Incentives Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow taxpayers to elect a 12-month amortization period or an additional ten percent investment tax credit for new pollution control facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1978
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a credit against income tax for specified percentages of social security taxes paid by an employee. Makes the earned income credit permanent.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1978
Independent Local Newspaper Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to promote the survival of independent newspapers by providing for the establishment of tax exempt trusts for paying estate taxes on such papers, and by postponing the payment of estate taxes on such papers.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1978
Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to provide grants to local governments and urban and insular areas for the rehabilitation and development of recreation areas and facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1978
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow active participants in a retirement plan an income tax deduction for contributions to an individual retirement account in taxable years prior to the vesting of the individual's rights under the retirement plan.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 1978
Establishes the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area National Recreation Area, in Minnesota. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to administer the areas. Directs the Secretary to restrict motorboat usage on specified lakes and rivers within the wilderness. Permits certain owners of commercially operated resorts to require the Secretary to purchase their interests. Permits such owners to retain a limited area for personal use. Directs affected owners to offer the Secretary the right of first refusal to purchase specified lands. Directs the Secretary to terminate, within a year, the timber sale contracts in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Provides for compensation for the termination of such contracts. Establishes procedures for the management of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area National Recreation Area. Prohibits mining in the wilderness and recreation areas and provides for the acquisition of any mining or mineral rights therein. Directs the Secretary to cooperate with the State of Minnesota in the administration of the areas covered by this Act. Provides that nothing in this Act shall effect rights established by the treaties of the United States. Directs the Secretary to submit to Congress a comprehensive management plan concerning the areas. Establishes the Boundary Waters Canoe Area National Recreational Area Advisory Commission to assist and advise the Secretary concerning the management of the areas.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 1978
Solar Photovoltaic Energy Research, Development, and Demonstration Act - Requires the Secretary of Energy to develop research, development, and demonstration programs concerning the use of solar photovoltaic energy systems. Authorizes the Secretary to provide up to 75 percent of the purchase and installation costs of selected systems used for research purposes. Requires the Secretary to formulate definitive performance criteria concerning solar photovoltaic systems and to develop a system certification for conforming systems. Directs the Secretary to consult with relevant Federal agencies concerning the use of solar photovoltaic systems in Federal facilities. Requires the Secretary to set up a development and demonstration program of prototype photovoltaic systems at the Solar Energy Research Institute in Golden, Colorado. Directs the Secretary to establish a solar energy data bank at the Golden facility. Requires relevant Federal officials to ensure that small business concerns are granted realistic and adequate opportunities to participate, to the maximum extent possible, in the programs under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1978
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow individuals an income tax credit for expenses incurred for government-required tree removal designed to prevent the spread of pest disease.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1978
Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make urban rehabilitation grants to severely distressed cities and urban counties for the following purposes: (1) to finance the acquisition of real property by private, nonprofit entities for residential rehabilitation; (2) to finance residential rehabilitation through grants, revolving loan funds, mortgage insurance, high-risk mortgage pools, and low interest loans; (3) to make grants to neighborhood groups to carry out residential rehabilitation; and (4) to finance the rehabilitation of publicly owned building when the recipient of the grant participates in such rehabilitation. Directs the Secretary to issue regulations for the purpose of assuring that rehabilitation activities conducted with grants made under this program are primarily moderate rehabilitation activities and that such activities do not displace low- and moderate-income people. Lists information to be included in applications for such grants.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1978
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide identical income tax rates for single persons and married couples filing joint returns. Limits the earned income that must be reported by a married individual filing a separate return to the amount actually earned by that individual.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1978
Voluntary Job Preservation and Community Stabilization Act - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to conduct a continuing investigation to identify those industrial, business, agricultural, and service organizations (1) which are in danger of ceasing operation or of outmigration and (2) whose closing or relocation would result in substantial unemployment and economic dislocation in the community. Provides, through the Secretary, loans for technical assistance and status and operating costs to an employee or employee/community corporation which meets certain requirements in order that it may assume ownership and operation of an organization so identified. Conditions loans, among other factors, upon certification that the corporation will allow new employees to participate and will adopt a method for acquisition of stock of persons no longer associated with the organization for the purpose of making it available to all employees on a nondiscriminatory basis. Authorizes loans of up to $15,000 to an employee who wishes to purchase stock in a purchasing corporation and who is unable to secure financing elsewhere.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1978
Economic Redevelopment Area Tax Incentive Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an additional five percent investment tax credit for new, depreciable business property placed in high unemployment urban areas. Increases the maximum investment credit allowable to 90 percent of income tax liability exceeding $25,000. Allows employers a limited income tax credit for a portion of the wages paid to certain new employees for services in high unemployment urban areas.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 1978
Amends the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act to make the Commodity Credit Corporation the seller or marketing agent for all export sales of the following commodities in raw form: wheat, corn, grain sorghum, barley, oats, rye, and soybeans.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 1978
Clayton Act Amendments - Amends the Clayton Act to permit suits by any indirect purchaser or seller in the chain of manufacture, production, or distribution of goods or services who proves financial injury which was not passed on to another purchaser or seller in the chain. States that the fact of injury and the amount of damages sustained or passed-on may be proven on a class-wide basis in class actions and actions brought by State attorneys general. Prohibits any foreign government or its agents or departments from bringing a suit for treble damages under the Clayton Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 1978
Comprehensive Family Planning Services, Research in Human Reproduction, and Prevention of Unwanted Teenage Pregnancy Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to make grants to, and enter into contracts with, public or nonprofit entities to assist: (1) in the establishment, maintenance and expansion of voluntary family planning projects which offer a broad range of family planning methods (including natural family planning methods) to all persons who need and desire them; (2) in the provision through such projects of comprehensive services appropriate to the needs of teenagers who are at risk of unwanted pregnancy; and (3) in the establishment and operation of demonstration projects aimed toward the alleviation of problems of infertility through counseling, referral, and medical services to persons who need and desire them. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to public or nonprofit private entities and enter into contracts with public or nonprofit private entities and individuals: (1) to establish and maintain a network of community-based informational and educational services designed to help adolescents more fully understand the risks and consequences of teenage pregnancy and childbearing; and (2) to assist in developing appropriate information and educational materials for dissemination to such community-based services. Requires the Secretary to annually report a plan for achieving the purposes set forth in this Act with particular emphasis on assistance to adolescents. Authorizes the appropriation of specified amounts for fiscal years 1979 through 1981 to carry out the programs specified in this Act.
![Official portrait of Rep. Seiberling, John F. [D-OH-14]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s000230_200.jpg)