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United States · Official source
4,447 records where Rep. Sensenbrenner, F. James, Jr. [R-WI-5] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 1985
Amends the Tariff Schedules of the United States to provide a duty on certain ethyl alcohol that is used as a fuel. Provides, under specified circumstances, for a refund of additional duties paid on such alcohol.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 1985
Amends the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act to exclude ethyl alcohol and any mixture containing ethyl alcohol which is suitable as a fuel or for creating specified fuel mixtures from eligibility for duty-free treatment merely by its having been subjected to distillation or denaturing within a beneficiary country. Provides for a refund of duties paid on such alcohol or mixture upon proof that such alcohol or mixture was not and can no longer be used as a fuel or to produce the specified fuel mixtures. Allows the Secretary of the Treasury to establish refund procedures. Restricts application of this Act to articles entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption after 15 days since this Act's enactment and before January 1, 1993.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 1985
International Human Dignity and Opportunity Act of 1985 - Title I: Human Dignity Generally - Reaffirms the U.S. policy of prohibiting importation into the United States of goods produced by forced, convict, or indentured labor. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to ensure that such policy is enforced. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to prohibit imports of all goods which are determined by the International Human Dignity and Opportunity Certification Board (established by this Act) to be the product of forced, convict, or indentured labor. Deletes the exception to such prohibition which allows imports of such goods if they are in short supply in the United States. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the U.S. Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to oppose any financial or technical assistance by the IMF or any of its facilities to any country which: (1) practices policies of official racial segregation; or (2) is listed by the International Human Dignity and Opportunity Certification Board as a country which supports international terrorism or as a country which has not taken adequate steps to halt illegal drug trafficking. Authorizes the President to waive U.S. opposition to IMF aid to such a country if national security or humanitarian reasons justify the waiver. Amends the Bretton Woods Agreements Act to repeal certain provisions of such Act relating to apartheid and international terrorism. Declares that if a country is listed by the International Human Dignity and Opportunity Certification Board as a country which does not respect freedom of the press: (1) products from that country shall not be eligible to receive most-favored-nation treatment; (2) that country shall not be eligible to participate in any U.S. program which extends credits, credit guarantees, or investment guarantees; and (3) the President shall not conclude any commercial agreement with that country. Authorizes the President to waive such sanctions against such countries if national security or humanitarian reasons justify the waiver. Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to authorize the President, subject to congressional approval, to waive certain sanctions against communist countries which deny freedom of emigration if the President makes specified determinations. Makes such waiver effective only if it is reported to the Congress and the Congress by a two-thirds vote in each House enacts a joint resolution approving that waiver. Provides for expedited consideration of such resolution. Requires the President to direct the U.S. representatives to international organizations and forums in which the Soviet Union participates to demand compliance by the Soviet Union with the Helsinki Accords. Directs the President to report to the Congress any failure of the Soviet Union to comply with the Helsinki Accords and to identify appropriate U.S. responses to Soviet noncompliance. Requires the President to direct the U.S. representatives to international organizations and forums to demand a full accounting of prisoners of conscience. Title II: Foreign Assistance Programs - Prohibits the United States from providing foreign assistance to any country whose votes in the most recent session of the United Nations General Assembly differed from the U.S. position by more than 85 percent. Authorizes the President to waive such prohibition for national security or humanitarian reasons. Prohibits the United States from providing bilateral or multilateral assistance to any country which is listed by the International Human Dignity and Opportunity Certification Board as a country which supports international terrorism. Authorizes the President to waive such prohibition for national security or humanitarian reasons. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to delete the prohibition in that Act against providing aid to countries that support international terrorism. Amends the Arms Export Control Act to direct the President to terminate all foreign military sales (currently all such sales, credits, and guarantees) to countries that aid international terrorists. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to suspend all U.S. bilateral and multilateral aid to or for a country if the International Human Dignity and Opportunity Certification Board lists such country as a country which has not taken adequate steps to halt illegal drug trafficking. Authorizes the President to waive such prohibition for national security or humanitarian reasons. Prohibits the United States from providing any foreign assistance to any country which is listed by the International Human Dignity and Opportunity Certification Board as a country which does not respect freedom of the press. Authorizes the President to waive such prohibition for national security or humanitarian reasons. Directs the President to give preference in allocating funds for food assistance programs to those countries which promote an agricultural sector consisting of small, individually-owned farms. Directs the President to reallocate U.S. economic assistance funds to expand programs designed to increase world food production, especially: (1) programs to increase research and development efforts by the private sector and the academic community; and (2) programs to promote the development of free-market agriculture. Directs the President to coordinate and target food aid and emergency relief programs to areas of countries in which a government engages in a deliberate policy of withholding from or preventing the free passage of food and nutrition to any segment of that same country's population. Title III: International Code for Trade and Democracy - Urges each company which has financial or other business relations with a communist country to implement the following principles: (1) encouraging compliance by such country with specified labor and human rights standards; (2) not providing any goods or technical aid to any business that supports international terrorism or illegal drug trafficking or that is engaged in the illegal acquisition of strategic technology; (3) fostering free market practices; (4) encouraging nondiscriminatory hiring policies; (5) discouraging dumping in western markets of goods that cause significant injury to western producers; and (6) not importing goods which are produced by forced, convict, or indentured labor. Title IV: United States Policy Toward Southern Africa - Prohibits the Government from entering into a contract with and from providing economic assistance to any person who establishes a business in South Africa or operates or controls a business in South Africa and invests in that business after the effective date of this subtitle, unless that person implements the following employment principles: (1) desegregation in any employment facility; (2) equal employment for all employees; (3) equal pay for equal work; (4) establishment of a minimum wage and salary structure; (5) increase in the representation of nonwhites in managerial, supervisory, administrative, clerical, and technical jobs; (6) improvement of the quality of employees' lives outside the work environment; and (7) implementation of fair labor practices. Authorizes the International Human Dignity and Opportunity Certification Board to issue guidelines on the implementation of the principles and to determine whether the affected persons are complying with the employment principles. Requires each affected person to submit to the International Human Dignity and Opportunity Certification Board: (1) an annual report on compliance with such employment principles; and (2) such other information as necessary. Requires the International Human Dignity and Opportunity Certification Board to establish in South Africa a Compliance Council to: (1) advise the Board concerning the implementation of the employment principles; and (2) monitor compliance with such principles. Sets forth administrative provisions governing the Council. Imposes such contract and economic assistance restriction on persons: (1) who, according to a determination of the Board, are not in compliance with the employment principles; or (2) whose compliance cannot be established because of a failure to provide information to the Board or because of the provision of false information. Requires that Board to issue a list to all Federal agencies of all persons with respect to whom determinations or redeterminations are made. Requires the Board, at least once every two years, to review and redetermine a person's compliance with the employment principles. Provides for judicial review of such determinations or redeterminations. Requires the Board to report annually to the Congress on the compliance of affected persons with the employment principles. Authorizes the President to waive the requirements of this subtitle for national security or humanitarian reasons. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Secretary of State shall call an international conference of countries that do business with South Africa to develop a collective strategy for a constructive multilateral policy to promote the elimination of the practice of systematic racial discrimination in South Africa. Amends the International Security and Development Cooperation Act of 1980 to repeal the limitation on U.S. aid to military or paramilitary operations in Angola. Requires the President to direct the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations to oppose any settlement negotiated in the United Nations on the independence of Namibia which does not include a guarantee of the full withdrawal of foreign troops from Angola. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should recognize the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) as the legitimate governing authority in Angola. Expresses the sense of the Congress that free elections should be held in Namibia and no specific political organization should be required to participate in those decisions. Title V: International Human Dignity and Opportunity Certification Board - Establishes within the Department of State the International Human Dignity and Opportunity Certification Board consisting of five members appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. Directs the Board to submit to the President and the Congress annual reports on all foreign countries which shall include lists of those countries that support international terrorism, those that are not taking adequate steps to halt illegal drug trafficking, and those that are not respecting freedom of the press. Grants the Board the responsibility for determining whether imported goods are goods produced in a foreign country by convict, forced, or indentured labor. Requires the Board to carry out its functions under title IV of this Act. Sets forth administrative provisions governing the Board. Directs the Board to report annually to the President and to each House of Congress on its activities under this Act. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 1985
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to update from June 30, 1948, to January 1, 1976, the registry date for permanent entry admissions records.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 1985
Tax Fairness for Families Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the amount of the deduction allowed for the personal exemption from the current amount of $1,000 to $2,000.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
Agricultural Export Expansion Act of 1985 - Prohibits the cargo preference laws from applying to export activities of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) or the Department of Agriculture under which: (1) stocks of farm commodities or the products thereof acquired by the CCC are made available to U.S. exporters, users, or foreign purchasers for the maintenance or expansion of export markets for U.S. farm commodities; (2) commercial credit guarantees are blended with direct interest-free credits from the CCC to reduce the interest rate on export sales of U.S. farm commodities; or (3) the CCC or the Department of Agriculture promotes the export of U.S. farm commodities on a commercial basis.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
Veterans Organization Charitable Contributions Tax Act of 1985 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow income tax and gift tax deductions for contributions to any veterans organization (currently permissible only for contributions to a war veterans organization).
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the income tax deduction for State and local taxes should not be repealed.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
States that the Congress: (1) reaffirms the Organization of American States declaration that the solution to Nicaragua's political problems is within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Nicaraguan people; (2) urges the President to grant political recognition to the democratic Nicaraguan Resistance; and (3) urges the President and the Organization of American States to support the Resistance.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that no deductions shall be allowed for advertising or other promotion expenses with respect to arms sales.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1985
Family Farmer Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1985 - Defines a "family farmer" for purposes of Federal bankruptcy law as a person who received more than 50 percent of gross income from farming operations, including a person that is a corporation that issues stock: (1) which is not publicly traded; and (2) the majority of which is held by one family. Allows a family farmer that owes secured and unsecured debts totaling less than $1,000,000 to qualify as a debtor under bankruptcy provisions providing for the adjustment of debts of an individual with regular income. Authorizes a plan filed under such provisions to modify the rights of holders of claims secured only by a security interest in real property which is a family farmer's principal residence and which such family farmer uses for farming operations. Prohibits the court from granting a discharge of any debt for payment on a claim if the rights of the claim holder are so modified. Permits the court to approve a plan providing for payment over a period of up to ten years in the case of a debtor who is a family farmer. Provides for the confirmation of a family farmer's plan with respect to allowed secured claims on a basis similar to that provided under bankruptcy reorganization provisions. Allows a family farmer up to 270 days after such a plan is filed to commence making payments proposed by the plan.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1985
Peremptory Challenge Act of 1985 - Amends the judicial code to require reassignment of cases in the U.S. Claims Court, a Federal district court, or a bankruptcy court to another judicial officer if all parties on one side of a case make such a request. Sets guidelines for such reassignments.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1985
Congressional Pay Reform Act of 1985 - Amends the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 to specify that pay adjustments for Members of Congress shall become effective on March 1 following the beginning of the next Congress after the Congress during which such adjustment is approved. Amends the Federal Salary Act to require the President to transmit to the Congress within a specified time period, recommendations for rates of pay of Members of Congress legislative and judicial employees. (Currently such recommendations are included in the Federal budget.) Prohibits the House of Representatives and the Senate from considering any bill or joint resolution carrying an appropriation for compensation of Members of Congress for any fiscal year if such bill or joint resolution carries an appropriation, or a limitation of appropriations, for any other purpose. Requires a recorded vote on such bill or resolution.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1985
Employee Educational Assistance Act of 1985 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend indefinitely the income tax exclusion for employee educational assistance programs. (Present law terminates such exclusion as of December 31, 1985.) Limits the maximum amount of such exclusion (beginning in 1986) to $5,000 of amounts paid or expenses incurred for educational assistance furnished to an employee during a calendar year. Exempts graduate students engaged in teaching or research activities from such maximum limit. Provides for annual cost-of-living adjustments in such maximum limit beginning in 1987.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1985
Tobacco Deregulation Act of 1985 - Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to repeal tobacco price support provisions. Amends the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 to repeal tobacco acreage allotment and marketing quota provisions. Amends the Food and Agriculture Act of 1965 to repeal tobacco allotment transfer provisions. Amends the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 (P.L. 480) to exclude tobacco from specified concessional export provisions. Amends the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act to prohibit the Commodity Credit Corporation from assisting tobacco production. Amends the Agricultural Adjustment Act, as reenacted with amendments by the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, to prohibit the issuance of tobacco marketing orders. Repeals the Tobacco Control Act. Withdraws congressional consent from any interstate compact regulating tobacco production and commerce.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1985
Amends the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 to extend hospice benefits under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act for two years, until October 1, 1988.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase to $4,000 the maximum deduction for contributions to retirement savings plans and to allow married individuals to compute the amount of their income tax deduction for contributions to retirement savings plans on the basis of the earnings of their spouse.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1985
Provides that each item of any general or special appropriation bill and any bill or joint resolution making supplemental, deficiency, or continuing appropriations that is agreed to in the same form by both Houses of the Congress shall be enrolled as a separate bill or joint resolution for presentation to the President (line-item veto).
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe regulations exempting retirees or individuals age 65 or over from interest penalties with respect to any underpayment of estimated tax. Requires that such underpayment be due to reasonable cause (defined to include mistake or ignorance of the law) and not to willful neglect.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1985
Credit Accounting Reform Act of 1985 - Amends the Federal Financing Bank Act of 1973 to require any Federal agency which makes a direct loan or guarantees any obligation after October 1, 1986, to transmit to the Federal Financing Bank the loan obligation or guarantee obligation and such information concerning the borrower as the Bank needs in order to sell the obligation or to reinsure the guarantee. Authorizes the Bank to disclose such information to the extent necessary to sell the obligation or to reinsure the guarantee. Directs the Bank, within 90 days after an agency has made a direct loan, to sell the resulting obligation to the highest bidder at a public auction. Permits the Bank to sell such an obligation through pooled participation arrangements only to the extent that such arrangements permit the proper allocation of subsidy costs to the appropriate budget account. Requires the Bank to make a bid based on the Bank's estimate of the present value of the obligation being sold at each auction, and to purchase any obligation for which it submits the highest bid. Declares the such obligations shall be sold without recourse to the Government and with no Government guarantee. Directs the Bank, within 90 days after an agency guarantees any obligation, to purchase reinsurance for such guarantee from the lowest bidder at a public auction. Requires the Bank to make a bid at each such auction based on the Bank's estimate of the expected defaults on the obligation, and to reinsure a guarantee for which it submits the lowest bid. Entitles any reinsurer of such a guarantee to any premiums, fees, or their consideration that the borrower is required to pay for the guarantee. Requires the Bank, after October 1, 1986, to maintain assets with a market value equal to the value of its liabilities. Provides a permanent appropriation to the Bank of the amount by which its liabilities exceed its assets at the close of any fiscal year. Requires such amount to be included in the unified budget. Requires the Bank to transfer to the Treasury the amount by which its assets exceed its revenues at the close of any fiscal year. Requires such surplus amount to be treated as an on-budget miscellaneous receipt for Federal budgetary purposes. Directs the Bank to: (1) collect a fee for its costs of acting as agent for an agency in selling an obligation or reinsuring a guarantee; (2) formulate standard contracts to be used by agencies when making or guarantying loans; (3) manage its portfolio so as to minimize credit and interest rate risks; (4) invest funds and maintain reserves to cover its contingent liabilities; and (5) report to the Congress annually on all loans purchased and reinsurance contracts issued by the Bank. Requires that the amount of any subsidy for a direct loan (the excess of the amount loaned over the price at which the loan is sold) or a loan guarantee (the cost of reinsurance) made by an agency is to be treated as an outlay of such agency for Federal budgetary purposes. Permits an agency to make a direct loan or guarantee an obligation after October 1, 1986, only to the extent that an appropriation has been made to the agency for the subsidy. Declares that this Act does not change the responsibility for servicing direct loans or obligation guarantees made by an agency. Includes obligations sold by the Bank as securities that are exempt from the securities laws. Amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to revise the definition of "budget authority" to include the subsidy amount for any authority to guarantee the repayment of indebtedness. Amends the Government Corporation Control Act to: (1) include the Bank as a wholly owned Government corporation for purposes of such Act; and (2) require the Comptroller General to audit the Bank on a calendar year basis.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1985
High Technology Research and Scientific Education Act of 1985 - Title I: The Credit for Increasing Research Activities - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the tax credit for research and development (R&D) expenditures. Modifies the definition of qualified research for purposes of the R&D credit to narrow the category of eligible activities for which the credit is allowable. Provides that in-house and contract research expenses paid or incurred by a regular corporation (not an S corporation, a personal holding company, or a service corporation) will constitute qualified research expenses for R&D credit purposes if the corporation undertakes the research with the intention to use the result thereof in the active conduct of a present or future trade or business. Provides that in the case of research being conducted in partnership form, research expenses will constitute qualified research expenses if they are incurred by the partnership in carrying on a trade or business as applied at the partnership level, and the credit is apportioned among the partners in accordance with general partnership rules. Provides exceptions to this general rule where: (1) there is a joint venture enterprise of regular corporations; or (2) not all of the members of the joint venture are regular corporations, but each member's own trade or business would satisfy the trade or business test with respect to the partnership's research expenditures. Provides that for these two exceptions the research expenses will flow through to the partners, with the trade or business test being applied at the partner level. Title II: Promotion of University Research and Scientific Investigation - Establishes a new income tax credit equal to 20 percent of that portion of a corporation's payments to universities (and other qualified non-profit tax-exempt organizations for basic research) which exceeds a fixed, historical "minimum university basic research" floor. Defines the "minimum university basic research" floor as one percent of the annual average of the corporate taxpayer's combined qualified in-house research expenses, contract research expenses and university basic research payments for the base period composed of the period from 1981 through 1983. Provides that the amounts of research expenses which fall below the floor shall remain eligible for the present R&D credit and are included in the corporation's base period for purposes of calculating the present R&D credit. Treats the amounts which exceed the "minimum university basic research" floor as ineligible for the present R&D credit and excludes such amounts from the corporate taxpayer's base year research expenses for purposes of calculating the corporations R&D credit under present law. Provides that a corporation's payments to universities for basic research that is eligible for the new tax credit shall be reduced to the extent that the corporation's general (i.e., not designated for research purposes) charitable giving to all universities falls below historical levels (the annual average of undesignated payments for three of the immediately preceding four years as selected by the taxpayer). Makes additions to the list of organizations to which corporate payments for basic research may be made and be eligible for the tax credit. Allows a corporation an income tax deduction for contributions of scientific or technical property to an institution of higher education. Defines scientific property to mean tangible personal property (including computer software) used in a trade or business, which is donated for the direct education of students or faculty, for research and experimentation, or for research training in the United States in mathematics, the physical, biological, or chemical sciences, engineering, or advanced computer sciences. Sets forth a formula for determining the amount of the allowable deduction for contributions of scientific property. Provides for an income tax exclusion for the scholarships, fellowship grants, student loan forgiveness, or stipends of a graduate student in mathematics, engineering, computer science, or the physical or biological sciences. Provides that such tax exclusion is not forfeited merely because the student is required, as a condition of the scholarship or fellowship, to perform future service in teaching or research.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1985
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration should rescind the Distinguished Service Medal awarded to Arthur Rudolph in 1969 (with such recission to be based in part on such person's renouncing U.S. citizenship and returning to West Germany rather than facing deportation charges stemming from allegations of war crimes brought by the Department of Justice).
United States · United States Congress · 19 February 1985
Amends the Federal criminal code to establish procedures for the imposition of the death penalty for presidential assassination. Requires a separate sentencing hearing before a jury, or the court upon motion by the defendant, when the defendant is found guilty or pleads guilty to an offense punishable by death. Provides that no presentence report shall be prepared in such cases. Allows the defendant and the Government to present any information relevant to sentencing, without regard to the rules of evidence, but permits information to be excluded where its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice, confusion of the issues, or misleading of the jury. Specifies mitigating factors which the defendant must establish by a preponderance of the information and aggravating factors which the Government must prove beyond a reasonable doubt. Conditions imposition of the death penalty on a unanimous finding by the jury (or finding by the court) that: (1) some aggravating factor exists; and (2) the aggravating factor sufficiently outweighs any mitigating factor found to exist. Directs the court to impose the death penalty upon a finding that such sentence is justified. Establishes procedures for appeal from the death sentence.
United States · United States Congress · 19 February 1985
Prohibits a Federal agency from procuring by contract any services performed by Federal employees in the competitive service positions of guards, elevator operators, messengers, and custodians if such procurement would: (1) cause the involuntary separation of a preference eligible from any such position; or (2) preclude the performance of any such service by a qualified preference eligible. Provides that neither an involuntary reassignment within the same agency nor an involuntary transfer to another agency shall be considered to be an involuntary separation if such reassignment or transfer is to a vacant position which is the same type, at the same or higher pay, within the same commuting area, and for which the preference eligible is qualified. Allows the procurement of such services by contract: (1) when qualified preference eligibles are not available; and (2) for positions held by employees other than preference eligibles. Requires that any such procurement be conducted in accordance with applicable Federal procurement laws, including specified provisions requiring certain procurements of services from qualified nonprofit agencies for the blind and for other severely handicapped.
United States · United States Congress · 19 February 1985
Amends the Federal criminal code to provide that evidence obtained by a search or seizure shall not be excluded in a Federal proceeding if the seizure was undertaken in a reasonable, good faith belief in its conformity with the fourth amendment to the Constitution. Provides that evidence obtained in accordance with a warrant is prima facie evidence of good faith, absent intentional and material misrepresentation.
United States · United States Congress · 19 February 1985
Habeas Corpus Reform Act of 1985 - Amends the Federal criminal code to condition consideration of a habeas corpus claim by a State prisoner on a showing of actual prejudice resulting from the Federal right violated and that: (1) State action precluded assertion of the right; (2) the Federal right did not previously exist; or (3) the factual basis of the claim could not have been discovered by reasonable diligence. Establishes a one-year statute of limitations for habeas corpus actions brought by State prisoners. Vests authority to issue certificates for probable cause for appeal of habeas corpus orders exclusively in the courts of appeals. Permits denial on the merits of habeas corpus writs notwithstanding the failure to exhaust State remedies. Prohibits the granting of a habeas corpus writ with respect to any claim which has been fully and fairly adjudicated in State proceedings.
United States · United States Congress · 19 February 1985
Liberty Double-Eagle Bullion Coin Act - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue gold double-eagle coins. Sets forth specifications for and the design of such coins. Makes such coins legal tender. Permits the sale of such coins at a price equal to the cost of minting and issuing such coins plus a surcharge equal to the amount by which the fair market value of gold bullion held by the United States and used in the minting of the coins exceeds the statutory maximum value of any gold certificates outstanding against the bullion. Requires the revenue from such surcharges to be used to reduce the national debt. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 February 1985
Amends rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives to require each standing committee to review, on a continuing basis and when considering public bills or resolutions, those portions of the President's Private Sector Survey on Cost Control (Grace Commission report) pertaining to such committee's jurisdiction. Amends rule XI to require each committee report on a public bill or resolution to contain: (1) an identification of each recommendation of the Survey to be implemented and the resulting estimated program cost savings or revenue enhancement; and (2) a statement setting forth the disposition of each recommendation pertaining to such bill or resolution.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1985
Revises Federal procedures regarding the establishment of interstate cost estimates to direct the Secretary of Transportation to apportion such estimates for construction funds and substitute highway and urban transit projects on October 1 of 1985-1988 if the Congress has not approved such estimates by that time.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the targeted jobs income tax credit from 1985 to 1990. Increases the amount of wages which may be taken into account for such credit from $6,000 to $10,000 per year. Revises the definition of "members of economically disadvantaged families" to increase from 70 percent to 80 percent of the Bureau of Labor Statistics' lower living standard the amount of income a family may have in order to qualify as a member of a targeted group.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1985
Firearms Owners' Protection Act - Title I: Amendments to Title 18, United States Code - Amends the Gun Control Act of 1968 to redefine: (1) "manufacturer" to mean any person engaged in the "business of manufacturing" (instead of "manufacture" of) firearms or ammunition; and (2) "dealer" to exclude dealers in ammunition. Adds a new definition, "engaged in the business," with respect to manufacturers, dealers, and importers. Defines as a manufacturer, dealer, or importer of firearms a person who manufactures or deals in a regular course of trade or business with the principal objective of livelihood and profit. Excludes as dealers persons making occasional sales or repairs of firearms. Eliminates certain activities involving ammunition from the coverage of the current prohibitions. Allows for the sale or delivery of any firearm to a resident of a State other than a State in which the licensee's place of business is located if such sale or delivery complies with the laws of both States. Presumes a licensee to have actual knowledge of the published laws of the State. Requires such transfer to be face to face. Revises the current prohibition against certain classes of persons transporting a firearm or ammunition in interstate commerce to extend such prohibition to possession or receipt in commerce or affecting commerce of any firearm or ammunition. Includes as additional categories illegal aliens, dishonorably discharged members of the armed forces, and U.S. citizens who renounce their citizenship. Excludes ammunition dealers from the current licensing requirements. Declares that a licensed dealer's personal collection of firearms shall not be subject to recordkeeping requirements, under specific circumstances. Permits the Secretary of the Treasury to revoke a license only where the holder "willfully" violates a provision of the Act. Bars the Secretary from denying or revoking a license on the basis of violations which are alleged in criminal proceedings instituted against a licensee where such individual is not convicted of such charges. Allows the Government to voluntarily dismiss criminal charges prior to trial and still proceed with revocation. Imposes as a condition for the inspection or examination of records, documents, firearms, or ammunition that the Secretary has reasonable cause to believe that a violation has occurred and that evidence may be found on the premises. Requires a warrant to be issued for such search. Restricts the kind of firearms information obtained from licensees which the Secretary may make available to State or local governments. Establishes a limited recordkeeping requirement for firearms collectors. Establishes a "willful" scienter (knowledge) requirement with respect to general violations of the Act. Makes it a defense to a prosecution under this section that the conduct constituting the offense consisted of simple carelessness. Amends the forfeiture provision to subject to seizure any firearm or ammunition "involved in or used" in any violation of the Gun Control Act (instead of "involved in or used or intended to be used"). Directs the court to award attorney fees to the prevailing party (other than the United States) in a proceeding for the return of seized firearms or ammunition. Requires the court to award such fees in any other action upon a finding that the action was without foundation or was initiated in bad faith. Limits seizure to firearms individually identified as involved in the violation. Revises the current procedure allowing persons who have been convicted of a crime to apply to the Secretary for relief from the firearms prohibitions by allowing such a person to appeal a denial to the U.S. district court. Amends the rulemaking authority of the Secretary to provide that no regulation may require the transfer of records required under this Act to a facility owned, managed, or controlled by the United States or any State or the establishment of any system of registration of firearms, firearms owners, or firearms transactions. Requires a 90-day public comment period for proposed regulations (no period is currently specified). Prohibits the Secretary from prescribing regulations which require purchasers of black powder to complete affidavits or forms attesting to their exemption from certain provisions of the Federal criminal code. Declares any law or regulation promulgated by any State prohibiting the transfer of an unloaded and not readily accessible firearm or ammunition null and void. Title II: Amendments to Title VII of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 - Repeals title VII of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act (relating to the receipt, possession, or transportation of firearms by felons, veterans dishonorably discharged, mental incompetents, illegal aliens, and persons renouncing their United States citizenship).
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1985
Makes provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that require that ballots and other election materials be available in a language other than English inapplicable to elections taking place after enactment of this Act. Declares that nothing in this Act prohibits States from providing such materials in another language if required by local conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1985
Synthetic Fuels Corporation Fiscal Responsibility Act - Amends the United States Synthetic Fuels Corporation Act of 1980 to terminate the authority of the United States Synthetic Fuels Corporation (the Corporation) to enter into any awards or commitments for financial assistance. Directs the Corporation's Board of Directors to submit a final report to the Congress regarding the status of the Corporation within 60 days after enactment of this Act. Prohibits the Corporation from expending any funds or acting in furtherance of any commitment made after February 5, 1985, unless a joint resolution approving such transaction is enacted. Requires the Secretaries of Energy and of the Treasury and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to agree on a Memorandum of Understanding which includes a plan for: (1) the abolition of the Corporation; and (2) for the administration of synthetic fuels projects which will continue after the abolition of the Corporation.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1985
National Computer Systems Protection Act of 1985 - Amends the Federal criminal code to make it a Federal offense to knowingly access a computer owned by or operated on behalf of a financial institution without authorization; or access a computer with authorization for purposes to which such authorization does not extend and thereby obtain, modify, or destroy property of another. Provides for imprisonment for not more than ten years and a fine of not more than $250,000. Requires the Attorney General to: (1) consult with representatives of State and local governments concerning the exercise of Federal jurisdiction; (2) report annually to the Congress concerning the exercise of such jurisdiction; and (3) report to the Congress on the long-term impact of Federal jurisdiction in this area.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the President should urge Canada to discontinue imposing taxes on travel literature imported from the United States; and (2) a reciprocal tax imposed on imported Canadian literature may be appropriate if Canada continues to impose such taxes.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1985
Truth in Mileage Act of 1985 - Amends the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act to prohibit the registration or licensing of motor vehicles when the ownership is transferred in interstate commerce unless: (1) the application for a new certificate of title is accompanied by the prior owner's most recent registration card and title; and (2) the new certificate of title is printed in a specified manner and indicates the odometer mileage. Provides that each State shall require a motor vehicle to furnish the transferee with the transferor's registration card. Prohibits State issuance of a registration card for a motor vehicle used in interstate commerce unless the application contains the mileage of the motor vehicle on the application date. Authorizes States to submit alternative mileage disclosure requirements for the approval of the Secretary of Transportation. Provides that auction companies selling motor vehicles must maintain records showing: (1) the name of the most recent owner; (2) vehicle identification number; and (3) the odometer reading on the date the auction company took possession of the vehicle. Increases the civil penalty for violations of the odometer requirements from $1000 to $2000, and increases the criminal penalty for such violations from one to three years maximum imprisonment.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the limitations on the aggregate amount of private activity bonds issued during the calendar year. Applies this rule to obligations issued after December 31, 1983.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1985
Taxpayers' Bill of Rights - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to prepare, for distribution to taxpayers, brief but comprehensive statements which set forth in nontechnical terms: (1) the rights and obligations of taxpayers during an audit; (2) the procedures by which a taxpayer may appeal any adverse decision of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); (3) the procedures for prosecuting refund claims and filing of taxpayer complaints; and (4) the procedures which the IRS may use in enforcing the internal revenue laws. Requires a copy of such statement to accompany any tax forms sent to taxpayers. Extends permanently the authority to award court costs, attorney fees, and other fees to a prevailing party in civil tax cases. (Present law terminates such authority as of December 31, 1985.) Provides for a civil action against IRS employees for any deprivation of rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States. Establishes within the Department of the Treasury an Office of the Ombudsman to provide assistance to individuals in their dealings with the Department of the Treasury (including the IRS). Requires the IRS, upon a taxpayer's request, to: (1) conduct any interview regarding a deficiency assessment in the taxpayer's residence or place of business, at a reasonable time convenient to the taxpayer; and (2) allow a taxpayer to make a recording of such interview at his own expense and with his own equipment. Requires the officer or employee conducting such interview to warn the taxpayer that: (1) he or she has the right to remain silent; (2) any statement he or she makes may be used against him or her; and (3) he or she has the right to the presence of an attorney or a certified public accountant. Requires the Comptroller General of the United States to establish a program for a continuing audit and investigation of the efficiency, uniformity, and equity of the the administration of the internal revenue laws of the United States. Requires the Comptroller General to report annually to the Congress on such program. Prohibits the use of amounts collected pursuant to audits or investigations of taxpayer returns as a basis for the evaluations of the IRS personnel who participated in such audits or investigations.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow individuals to compute the amount of the deduction for retirement savings on the basis of the compensation of the spouse. Phases this deduction in over a period of six years.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 1985
Biennial Budgeting Act of 1985 - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to establish a two-year cycle for the presidential and congressional budget process. Requires each standing committee of Congress to review the laws and programs under its jurisdiction every other year and to consider the desirability of new legislation in such areas. Eliminates provisions requiring a second concurrent resolution on the budget. Permits revisions only in new spending authority, revenues, and the public debt limit through the reconciliation process.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1985
Amends the Federal criminal code to establish criteria for the imposition of the death penalty for treason and espionage. Requires the Government, for an offense punishable by death, to serve notice upon the defendant a reasonable time before trial or acceptance of a plea that it intends to seek the death penalty, as well as notice of the aggravating factors upon which it will rely. Requires a separate sentencing hearing before a jury or the court upon motion by the defendant when the defendant is found guilty or pleads guilty to an offense punishable by death. Provides that no presentence report shall be prepared in such cases. Allows the defendant and the Government to present any information relevant to sentencing, without regard to the rules of evidence, but permits information to be excluded where its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice, confusion of the issues, or misleading of the jury. Specifies mitigating factors which the defendant must establish by a preponderance of the information and aggravating factors which the Government must prove beyond a reasonable doubt. Sets forth special aggravating factors with respect to the crimes of treason and espionage. Includes among the mitigating factors that the defendant was less than 18 years old at the time of the crime. Conditions imposition of the death penalty on a unanimous finding by the jury that: (1) some aggravating factor exists in addition to a threshold factor; and (2) the aggravating factor sufficiently outweighs any mitigating factor found to exist. Directs the court to impose the death penalty upon a finding that such sentence is justified. Requires the court to instruct the jury not to consider the race, color, national origin, creed, or sex of the defendant in its consideration of the death sentence. Limits the circumstances under which the offense of delivering defense information to aid foreign governments is punishable by death. Establishes procedures for appeal from a death sentence. Requires the court of appeals, upon considering the record and the information and procedures of the sentencing hearing, and any special finding, to affirm the decision if: (1) the sentence was not imposed under influence of passion, prejudice, or arbitrariness; and (2) the information supports the finding of aggravating factors or the absence of mitigating factors. Requires the court to provide a written explanation of its determination.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1985
Directs the Secretary of Transportation (upon request of a State Governor) to permit maximum State speed limits of 65 miles per hour on rural segments of the Interstate System if the Secretary determines that such an increase is not likely to have a significant adverse effect on highway safety. Requires the Secretary to give interested parties notice and opportunity for comment before making such determination. Prescribes certain factors which must be considered by a State Governor and the Secretary before such a determination is made. Requires the Governor of a State in which a higher speed limit has been permitted to report to the Secretary every five years regarding such factors. Directs the Secretary to withdraw the higher speed limit permission if it is determined that the standards upon which such permission was based are no longer being met. Provides that such withdrawal may only be made: (1) after the Secretary has afforded interested parties notice and opportunity for comment; and (2) after a State has had reasonable time to comply with the standards for increased speed limits.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1985
Congressional and Judicial Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1985 - Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require that personnel actions affecting employees or applicants in the legislative and judicial branches of the Government be free from any discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, handicap, or age. Allows Members of Congress to take into consideration an individual's domicile and political affiliation. Establishes within the judicial branch an Employment Review Board. Provides that members of the board be appointed from the retired judges of the Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals. Authorizes an aggrieved individual to file a written complaint with the Board. Establishes procedures for the Board to investigate, settle, hear, and determine the claims alleged. Provides that if a violation is found an order for relief may compel the defendant to: (1) employ or reinstate such individual on such terms and conditions as may be appropriate; (2) pay compensatory damages; (3) pay punitive damages; and (4) pay fees and allowances of witnesses and reasonable attorneys' fees. Authorizes the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to review, enjoin, set aside, suspend, modify, or enforce orders of the Board. Requires members of the Board to submit written reports to the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct of the House of Representatives and the Senate Select Committee on Ethics describing complaints during the reporting period involved.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the taxation of social security benefits and tier I railroad retirement benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income a corporate stock distribution to a stockholder based upon the reinvestment of stock dividends in the corporation by such stockholder pursuant to his election to participate in a qualified dividend reinvestment plan. (Present law limits such exclusion to dividend reinvestment in stock of public utilities.) Limits the amount of such exclusion to $1,500 per taxable year ($3,000 in the case of a joint return.)
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt from the tax on unrelated business income any income received by a tax-exempt organization from the sale, exchange, or rental of names from donor lists or membership lists.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1985
Amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to require the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in the Department of Justice (Administrator) to make grants to States for the purpose of establishing, operating, or expanding Missing Children Information Clearinghouses. Limits the grants to 50 percent of the costs of establishing and operating the Clearinghouse. Requires any State Clearinghouse to: (1) work in conjunction with the National Crime Information Center; (2) educate parents, children, and community agencies; (3) provide public information to assist in locating missing children; (4) publish a directory of organizations that provide assistance in locating missing children; (5) establish an in-State toll-free line for reporting missing children; (6) work with other public and private organizations; and (7) work with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Allows the Administrator to prescribe rules necessary to carry out this Act. Grants the Comptroller General of the United States access to any books, documents, or records of any State receiving assistance for the purpose of audit. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1985
Veterans' Administration Adjudication Procedure and Judicial Review Act - Title I: Adjudication Procedures - Codifies for Veterans Administration (VA) adjudication purposes the burden of proof and reasonable doubt standards currently provided for by VA regulation. States that a claimant has the burden of submitting sufficient evidence to justify his or her claim, and that if an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence exists regarding the merits of a claim, the VA is to resolve such doubt in favor of the claimant. States that VA subpoenas may be served either by personal delivery or by registered or certified mail. Requires the chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals to submit an annual report to the appropriate congressional committees concerning the Board's current handling of cases and projections for the subsequent fiscal year. Requires the Board to: (1) provide notice to a claimant and an opportunity for a hearing before a decision may be based on "additional official information" received after a Board decision has previously been made; and (2) make its decision exclusively on evidence and material of record in the proceeding. Removes the requirement that new material sufficient to allow the Board to reopen a previously disallowed claim be in the form of official reports. Provides that the Board's discretionary authority to reopen a claim will not be diminished by a judicial decision following an appeal as provided for by this Act. Requires the Board to mail to the claimant notice of its decision and the reasons for such decision. Provides that, upon the request of a claimant, the Board shall provide an independent advisory medical opinion when there exists substantial medical disagreement with respect to a material issue in a veteran's appeal. Sets forth new procedural rules for adjudication hearings regarding: (1) oaths, affirmations, and witness examination; (2) admissibility of evidence; (3) procedural rights of claimants; (4) disqualification of a hearing officer; (5) the record of the proceedings and the claimant's right to examine and obtain a copy of such record; and (6) the exclusiveness of veterans' adjudication procedures and rights prescribed by the Administrator. Requires the Administrator to provide at each stage of the appeal proceedings written notice to a claimant of the claimant's procedural rights. Directs the Administrator to conduct a study of two alternative claims resolution methods: one a new intermediate-level adjudication process; the other an enhanced schedule of formal Appeals Board hearings. Directs the Administrator to report to the Congress on such studies. Title II: Veterans Administration Rule Making - Includes the VA's rulemaking procedures under the relevant provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act. Title III: Judicial Review - Provides for judicial review of VA decisions in the Federal court system. States with regard to jurisdiction: (1) the definition of final decision; (2) that judicial review of a final decision in a claim for benefits may be obtained in a civil action brought within 180 days of the Board's mailing of notice of its decision, and that such action shall be brought in Federal district court; (3) that the VA shall file the various materials constituting the record in a case together with its answer to the claimant's complaint; (4) that the court may render a decision on the pleadings; and (5) that the judicial review procedures established under this Act shall not apply to insurance and home loans. States, with regard to the reviewing court's scope of review, that such court: (1) shall decide questions of law and interpret constitutional, statutory, and regulatory provisions, but that questions of fact (unless unsupported by substantial evidence) will not be subject to a trial de novo; and (2) in reviewing a final decision of the VA which is adverse to a party solely because such party failed to comply with VA procedures, may only review questions concerning such procedures. Sets out provisions regarding remand, survival of actions, and appellate review. Title IV: Attorneys' Fees - Authorizes the Administrator to allow attorneys' fees above the present $10 maximum if the appealing party's claim is allowed by the VA after an initial denial. States that such fee shall be the lesser of: (1) the fee agreed upon by the party and attorney; (2) $500, unless the Administrator approves a greater amount; or (3) if the party and attorney have entered into a contingent-fee agreement, not more than 25 percent of the total of any past-due benefits awarded on the basis of such party's claim. Provides for the approval of attorneys' fees in successful veterans' claims brought before a court as provided for under this Act. States that such fees shall be determined by such court, and in contingent-fee agreements such fees shall not exceed 25 percent of the total of any past-due benefits awarded on the basis of such claim. Authorizes attorneys' fees of up to $750 in certain unsuccessful veterans' claims. Prohibits the VA from authorizing payment to a claimant's attorney based on past-due benefits unless such benefits are owed as of the date of the VA's or a court's award. States that such provisions regarding attorneys' fees shall only apply to claims for benefits under the laws administered by the VA and shall not apply in cases in which the VA is the plaintiff or in which other attorneys' fees statutes are otherwise controlling. Title V: Effective Dates - Sets forth the effective dates for this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1985
Repeals the requirement added by the Tax Reform Act of 1984 relating to the maintenance of contemporaneous records with respect to: (1) business travel expenses, including automobile expenses; (2) business entertainment expenses; and (3) expenses for gifts.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1985
Repeals the requirement added by the Tax Reform Act of 1984 relating to the maintenance of contemporaneous records with respect to: (1) business travel expenses, including automobile expenses; (2) business entertainment expenses; and (3) expenses for gifts.