To allow the President an item veto in appropriations bills.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1989
Grants the President line item veto authority with respect to appropriations bills.
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580 records where Rep. Slaughter, D. French, Jr. [R-VA-7] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1989
Grants the President line item veto authority with respect to appropriations bills.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1989
Repeals estate tax provisions of the Internal Revenue Code with respect to inclusion in the gross estate of the value of certain types of transfers with a retained life estate. Applies the repeal retroactively in connection with property transferred after December 17, 1987.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1989
Designates the week of November 5 through November 11, 1989, as National Women Veterans Recognition Week.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1989
Constitutional Amendment - Declares that nothing in the Constitution shall be construed to prohibit individual or group prayer in public schools or other public institutions. States that no person shall be required by the United States or any State to participate in prayer. Provides that neither the United States nor any State shall compose prayers to be said in public schools.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1989
Amends rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives to prohibit consideration of bills or resolutions making appropriations under the jurisdiction of more than one subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee for periods after November 30 of a fiscal year, unless three-fifths of the House votes to waive or suspend this provision.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 1988
Bicentennial House Restoration Amendments of 1988 - Amends rule I of the Rules of the House of Representatives to direct the Speaker of the House, immediately after the reading of a veto message and without intervening motion or business, to state the question on reconsideration of the vetoed measure. Directs the Speaker to provide for the visual coverage of House proceedings on a uniform basis throughout each day's session. Allows such coverage to include periodic views of the entire Chamber, provided that it is uniform throughout the day and does not detract from the visual coverage of any one person who is speaking. Requires the Speaker to announce a legislative program at the beginning of each congressional session which includes: (1) target dates for the consideration of specified major budgetary, authorization, and appropriation bills; (2) an indication of those weeks during which the House will be in session; (3) those weeks set aside for district work periods; and (4) the target date for the adjournment of that session. Amends rule X to require each standing committee, not later than March 1 in the first session of a Congress, to adopt its oversight plans in a meeting open to the public. Declares that it will not be in order to consider any committee expense resolution for any committee that has not submitted its oversight plans. Requires the committees to submit such plans to the Committee on House Administration, which shall, not later than March 15 in the first session of a Congress, report such plans to the House with recommendations. Authorizes the Speaker of the House to appoint special ad hoc oversight committees to review specific matters within the jurisdiction of two or more committees. Amends rule XI to require each committee to include in its biennial report to the House a separate section summarizing its legislative and oversight activities during that Congress. Directs the Speaker of the House to initially refer each bill, resolution, or other matter to one committee of principal jurisdiction. Eliminates the Speaker's authority to refer any such matter initially to two or more committees for concurrent consideration. Amends rule X to require standing committees to be elected by the House within seven legislative days (currently, seven calendar days) after the commencement of a Congress. Requires standing committees to hold organizational meetings not later than three legislative days after election. Requires the membership of each committee (except the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct), select committee, and conference committee (and each subcommittee, task force, or subunit thereof) to reflect the ratio of majority to minority Members. Provides that such ratio be reflected for standing committees at the beginning of each Congress, and for select and conference committees at the time of appointment. Prohibits any standing committee from establishing more than six subcommittees, and any Member serving at any one time on more than four subcommittee's. Defines "subcommittee" as any subunit of a standing committee established for a period of more than six months. Prohibits the vote by any member of any committee or subcommittee from being cast by proxy. Amends rule XI to require open committee meetings unless disclosure of matters to be considered would endanger national security, tend to defame, degrade or incriminate any person or otherwise violate any law or rule of the House, or involve committee personnel. Provides that a majority of members of each committee or subcommittee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of any business. Requires committee rollcall votes on a motion to report any bill or resolution of a public character to include the names of Members voting for, against, and by proxy. Requires each nonrecord vote to include the names of those Members actually present at the time the bill or resolution is ordered reported. Prohibits Rules Committee reports from being considered on the subsequent calendar day of the same legislative day. Prohibits the Rules Committee from reporting any order of business resolution which prohibits a motion to recommit, including instructions in the form of an amendment. Prohibits the consideration of any resolution reported from the Committee on Rules providing for the consideration of any bill or joint resolution which limits the right of Members to offer germane amendments unless the chairman of the Committee has announced in advance that less than an open amendment process might be recommended by the Committee. Prohibits the consideration of any order of business resolution reported from the Committee on Rules which provides that, upon the adoption of such resolution, the House shall be considered to have automatically adopted a motion, amendment, or resolution, or to have passed a bill, joint resolution, or conference report, unless the consideration of such order of business resolution is agreed to by not less than two-thirds of the Members voting, and the yeas and nays shall be considered as ordered. Prohibits the consideration of any budget waiver resolution reported by the Committee on Rules unless an explanatory statement accompanies such resolution. Prohibits the House from considering any primary expense resolution until the Committee on House Administration has reported and the House has adopted a resolution establishing the committee staff personnel ceiling for the year. Requires such committee to specify in any primary or supplemental expense resolution the number of staff positions authorized therein. Authorizes the House to consider any supplemental expense resolution in excess of such ceiling by a vote of two-thirds of the Members present. Prohibits the overall staff ceiling of the 101st Congress from exceeding 90 percent of the total committee staff personnel employed at the end of the 100th Congress. Amends rule XV to require an automatic rollcall vote on any bill or joint resolution making appropriations, providing revenue, or adjusting the rate of pay of Members, or on final adoption of any concurrent resolution on the budget which provides an increase in the statutory debt limit. Amends rule XXI to establish procedures for the consideration of any bill or joint resolution making continuing appropriations for a period of 30 days or less. Establishes limitations for the consideration of reconciliation bills. Requires bills or resolutions which authorize the enactment of new budget authority to be reported on or before the May 15 preceding the fiscal year to which such authority applies. Amends rule XXIV to include the Pledge of Allegiance in the daily order of business. Amends rule XXVII to establish new procedures for the consideration of motions to suspend the rules. Prohibits such motion if the measure or matter would enact new budget or spending authority in excess of a specified amount. Requires the printing in the Congressional Record, and weekly update thereafter, of a motion to discharge a committee from consideration of a bill or resolution when 100 Members have signed such motion. Amends rule XXXVIII to grant a House conferee three calendar days in which to file supplemental, minority, or additional views. Establishes procedures for the consideration of legislation granting the President special rescission authority with respect to any budget authority for which an authorization has not been enacted. Provides for applying certain labor laws to the House. Directs the Committee on Rules to report to the House by December 31, 1989, on realigning the jurisdictions of House committees.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 1988
Title I: One-Year Delay in Implementation of Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act of 1988 - Delays the implementation of the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act of 1988 for one year. Title II: Bipartisan Commission to Review the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act - Establishes the Commission to Review the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act to study: (1) the effect implementation of such Act will have on Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) beneficiaries who currently have supplementary coverage; (2) how the Act's benefits compare with the benefits provided by supplementary coverage; (3) the access Medicare beneficiaries who do not have supplementary or Medicaid (title XIX of the Social Security Act) coverage have to necessary health services; (4) the feasibility and likely cost of implementing the Act's drug benefits; and (5) the benefits and financing mechanisms which Medicare beneficiaries prefer. Directs the Commission to report its findings and recommendations to the Congress within six months of this Act's enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 1988
Expresses the sense of the Congress that both the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates should publicly support making specified appropriated amounts available for obligation for the space station program, and should endorse its continued funding.
United States · United States Congress · 10 August 1988
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to limit the detention of excludable aliens pending removal in a manner similar to that provided in the case of deportable aliens pending deportation. Permits extended custody under specified conditions. Excludes from such provisions aliens entitled to a hearing pursuant to the Mariel Cuban Detention Review Act of 1988.
United States · United States Congress · 10 August 1988
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should: (1) rededicate itself to attaining leadership in space activities; (2) increase budget resources for the space program; (3) pursue a strong program of both manned and unmanned space activities, including development of a permanently manned space station; and (4) seek opportunities for international cooperation in space.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1988
Federal Employee Long Term Care Protection Act - Directs the Office of Personnel Management to arrange for the conversion of a portion of a Government employee's life insurance policy to long-term care insurance.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 1988
Eliminates post-1968 service in the National Guard as a prerequisite to civil service retirement credit for former National Guard technicians. Amends the National Guard Technicians Act of 1968 to eliminate post-1968 service as a prerequisite for National Guard technicians to receiving credit in the determination of length of Federal civil service for purposes of leave, Federal employees' death and disability compensation, group life and health insurance, severance pay, tenure, and status. Sets forth rules for applying provisions of this Act to affected individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 1988
Refugee Resettlement Extension Act of 1988 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to extend the authorization of appropriations for refugee assistance through FY 1990. Authorizes FY 1989 and 1990 appropriations for alternative refugee projects. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to implement alternative projects for Hmong and Lowland Lao refugees who have been in the United States for at least 24 months. Requires any State or private nonprofit voluntary agency that submits a proposal to administer an alternative project to coordinate its efforts with other refugee assistance programs. Requires the President to file the annual fiscal year refugee admissions and resettlement report with the appropriate congressional committees by June 1. Provides for congressional initiation of related consultations. Includes specified funding and budget provisions within the context of such consultations. Establishes an emergency assistance fund for refugee placement and resettlement. Provides for Federal, State, and local consultation on refugee activities. Directs the United States Coordinator for Refugee Affairs to report to the appropriate congressional committees regarding such efforts. Directs the Secretary of State to report every six months to the appropriate congressional committees regarding the resettlement of Vietnamese Amerasians and the orderly departure program for other Vietnamese refugees. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to repeal the provision for FY 1986 and 1987 initial refugee resettlement audits. Requires a voluntary agency receiving Federal funds for initial refugee resettlement to submit annual audits to the Secretary of State. Requires certain subrecipients to submit audits to their administering Federal agency. Transfers responsibility for initial placement policy from the Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement to the administering Federal agency.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 1988
Condemns human rights suppressions and civil liberties violations by the Nicaraguan Government. Declares that the expulsion from Nicaragua of U.S. diplomatic representatives is intolerable. Calls on Nicaragua to implement true democratic reforms in keeping with the Esquipulas II and Sapoa accords and to comply with international standards concerning the treatment of political prisoners. Urges Central American leaders to convene and assess the conditions in Nicaragua. Urges both parties to the Nicaraguan conflict to abide by the ceasefire and resume peace negotiations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 1988
President's Pro-Life Act of 1988 - Prohibits the use of Federal funds for abortions, except when continuing the pregnancy would endanger the mother's life.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1988
Comprehensive Anti-Drugs Act of 1988 - Title I: Demand Reduction and User Accountability - Subtitle A: User Accountability Act of 1988 - Makes any individual who is convicted of two or more drug or narcotic offenses, or any offense consisting of the distribution of a controlled substance, ineligible for Federal benefits for a specified period. Authorizes the Attorney General to assess a civil penalty on any person who violates the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act (CSIEA), or the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act. Directs that the proceeds from any penalty be allocated equally to drug education, treatment, and State and local narcotics assistance as the Attorney General shall prescribe. Limits the amount of such penalty. Directs the Attorney General to study the feasibility of prosecuting Federal drug-related offenses in a manner alternative or supplemental to the current criminal justice system and to report the results of such study to the Congress. Provides for the withholding of Federal highway funds to States which do not have in effect and enforce a law which revokes or suspends for a period of not less than: (1) six months the driver's license of a person who is convicted after the date of the enactment of this Act of a violation of the CSA, or for any drug or narcotic offense chargeable under the law of such State or any other State; and (2) one year the driver's license of a person who, in a five-year period, is convicted of more than one of certain offenses. Provides for the apportionment of withheld funds after compliance and for the use of such funds for other projects in the event of noncompliance. Subtitle B: Drug-Free Schools and Businesses Act of 1988 - Requires, as a condition of receiving any Federal contract or assistance, that the recipient maintain a drug-free workplace or activity. Requires the Federal agency administering such contract or assistance to make the recipient aware of such requirement. Requires the agency to terminate the contract or assistance and not to enter into any further contract or assistance with the recipient until such recipient demonstrates effective compliance if the agency, after an opportunity for an agency hearing on the record, determines that a recipient has not complied with such requirement. Specifies that a good faith effort to maintain a drug-free workplace or activity is sufficient to satisfy the requirement. Subtitle C: Drug Testing in the Federal Criminal Justice System - Requires the Attorney General to provide for the mandatory drug testing and retesting of all arrestees for Federal drug-related offenses. Makes it a mandatory condition of release that the individual refrain from the illegal use of any controlled substance. Makes it a mandatory condition of parole that: (1) the parolee submit to regular drug tests administered under the authority of the person supervising the parolee; and (2) the parolee refrain from the use of any controlled substance without a prescription. Makes the latter requirement a mandatory condition of probation. Provides for the random testing of probationers by each probation officer. Subtitle D: Increased and Expanded Treatment of Drug Abuse - Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to provide for the reduction of the waiting period for drug abuse treatment. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to public and nonprofit private entities for the purpose of expanding the capacity of grantees to carry out drug abuse treatment programs. Prohibits the Secretary from making a grant to an applicant unless such applicant: (1) is experienced in the delivery of drug abuse treatment services; (2) is, on the date the application is submitted, carrying out a program for the delivery of such services; (3) as a result of the number of requests for admission into the program, is unable to admit any individual any earlier than one month after the date on which the individual makes a request for such admission; and (4) provides satisfactory assurances to the Secretary that, after funding is no longer available under this Act, the applicant will have access to financial resources sufficient to continue the program. Sets forth further conditions on the making of grants under this Act. Requires independent evaluations of federally-funded drug treatment programs and research into methods of such treatment. Requires the Secretary, in carrying out such evaluations, to: (1) assess the comparative effectiveness and costs of the various methods of treatment utilized for specific patient groups; (2) clarify research and treatment objectives and methodologies; and (3) determine whether entities carrying out such programs have organizational biases with respect to such treatment and the extent to which they are contributing to progress in the development of effective methods of treatment. Directs the Secretary to complete the required evaluation and submit a report of the findings to the Congress within one year. Requires the Director of the Office for Substance Abuse Prevention of the Public Health Service to make grants and enter into contracts to establish: (1) support groups for parents and families of individuals who abuse drugs; and (2) counseling and referral services for such parents and families. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes appropriations for prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation model projects for high risk groups. Authorizes appropriations for a preventive health services block grant. Authorizes appropriations for emergency substance abuse treatment and preventive rehabilitation. Provides for increased State grants for demonstration projects for the provision to expectant mothers of outpatient residential treatment services. Amends the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to exclude from the definition of the term "individual with handicaps" any individual who uses, or is addicted to, illegal drugs, with exceptions. Subtitle E: Drug Education Amendments - Amends the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1986 to authorize appropriations and require that local applications for grants under such Act describe: (1) the extent and nature of the current illegal drug and alcohol problem in each school of the applicant; (2) the applicant's drug and alcohol policy; and (3) how the applicant will monitor the effectiveness of its program. Requires an applicant to submit to the State educational agency a progress report on the first two fiscal years of its plan in order to receive the third year's funding. Prohibits such agency from awarding funds for the third year unless it determines that such report shows reasonable progress toward accomplishing the objectives of its plan and of this Act. Requires each State to submit an annual report containing specified information on State or local programs. Restricts the amount of funds allocated for use by a State for the administrative costs of the chief executive officer of such State. Allows a small number of individuals who are not high risk youth to participate in programs for high risk youth if their participation does not significantly diminish the amount or quality of services provided. Subtitle F: Drug-Free Public Housing Act of 1988 - Drug-Free Public Housing Act of 1988 - Directs the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to establish a clearinghouse to collect information regarding drug abuse in public housing projects in order to respond to public inquiries for assistance and provide referrals. Directs the Secretary to establish a regional program for the training of public housing officials to educate them to the widespread abuse of controlled substances in the communities in which they work. Requires that such program be conducted within 12 months after enactment of this Act by a national training unit established by the Secretary. Title II: Drug Law Enforcement - Subtitle A: Death Penalty for Drug Kingpins - Drug Kingpin Act of 1988 - Amends the CSA to subject to the death penalty any individual who intentionally engages in conduct during the course of a continuing criminal enterprise that results in the death of another individual and who is the principal organizer of the enterprise, if the violation involves a specified quantity of a controlled substance. Sets forth procedural safeguards, such as the right of the accused to reasonable notice that the Government will seek the death penalty. Requires the Government to set forth the aggravating factors which it will seek to prove as the basis for such sentence. Authorizes the court to permit the Government attorney to amend such notice upon a showing of good cause. Provides for a separate sentencing hearing to determine punishment in cases where the Government has filed such a notice and the defendant is found or pleads guilty to an offense which might subject him to the death penalty. Permits information to be presented at the sentencing hearing as to any matter relevant to the sentence or to mitigating or aggravating factors, regardless of its admissibility as evidence at criminal trials, unless its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of prejudice, confusion of the issues, or misleading the jury. Grants the Government and the defendant the opportunity to present and rebut information. Specifies the order and burden of proof. Establishes guidelines for the jury or court to follow in considering the information and returning its findings. Directs the court to sentence the defendant to death upon a finding that such a sentence is justified. Specifies mitigating and aggravating factors to be considered. Directs the judge to instruct the jury that it shall not consider the defendant's race, color, national origin, creed, or sex in reaching its decision. Authorizes the court to impose a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Sets forth procedures and standards of review for appeals of the death sentence. Subtitle B: Exclusionary Rule Reform - Amends the Federal criminal code to permit otherwise admissible evidence obtained as a result of a search or seizure to be admitted into evidence if such search or seizure was undertaken in an objective, reasonable, good faith belief that it was in conformity with the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution. Specifies that a showing that evidence was obtained pursuant to, and within the scope of, a warrant constitutes prima facie evidence of such good faith belief, unless obtained through intentional and material misrepresentation. Subtitle C: Authorization of Appropriations for Prisons and Prosecutors - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 and 1990 of such sums (and for such purposes) as are specified in the respective budgets transmitted by the President to the Congress for the Federal prison system and U.S. attorneys. Authorizes the Bureau of Prisons to lease prison facilities subject to approval in advance in appropriations Acts. Authorizes the Attorney General to issue debt instruments for purchase by the Secretary of the Treasury to finance the acquisition or construction of a facility to be used for penal or correctional purposes by the Bureau. Subtitle D: Elimination of Diversity Jurisdiction - Eliminates district court jurisdiction based on diversity of citizenship. Subtitle E: State and Local Narcotics Control Assistance - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act to expand the purposes of the grant program to include: (1) introducing innovations in penalties for possession of a controlled substance, such as revocation or suspension of drivers' licenses, ineligibility for State grants, increased criminal and civil fines, and cost recovery of governmental expenses incurred in rehabilitation programs; (2) reducing delays in time between arrest, prosecution, adjudication, and detention of persons accused of violating State or local drug laws, including the development of an alternative or supplemental judicial system for drug-related offenses; and (3) increasing participation in multi-jurisdictional task forces for enforcing drug laws. Prohibits the use of any such grant to provide counsel to assist defendants accused of violations of the CSA or of State or local laws that establish offenses similar to those established in the CSA. Restricts expenditures of drug law enforcement grants to no more than 50% (currently, 75%) of the cost of the identified uses for which such grants are received. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle F: Drug Enforcement Agency Personnel Support Act of 1988 - Authorizes the Attorney General to use Department of Justice (DOJ) appropriations to pay benefits to Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) overseas personnel. Directs the Attorney General to report to the Congress within 120 days on the implementation of this subtitle. Subtitle G: Anti-Drug Manufacturing Act of 1988 - Establishes criminal penalties for: (1) polluting U.S. lands while manufacturing, distributing, or dispensing a controlled substance; and (2) creating a substantial risk of harm to human life while possessing or manufacturing a controlled substance. Subtitle H: Chemical Diversion and Trafficking Act of 1988 - Chemical Diversion and Trafficking Act of 1988 - Amends the CSA to establish recordkeeping and reporting requirements for the distribution, receipt, sale, importation, and exportation of listed precursor and essential chemicals. Prohibits the distribution of such chemicals unless the recipient provides a certification of lawful use and proper identification. Establishes exemptions from such requirements: (1) for the distribution of such chemicals between agents or employees within a single facility; (2) for the delivery of such chemicals to or by common carriers; (3) where the Attorney General determines that such requirements are not necessary for the enforcement of this Act; and (4) where products containing such chemicals are lawfully marketed under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Establishes an import-export notice and declaration requirement for listed precursors and essential chemicals. Includes as precursor chemicals: (1) N-Acetylanthranilic acid; (2) Anthranilic acid; (3) Ergotamine tartrate; (4) Ergonovine maleate; (5) Phenylacetic acid; (6) Ephedrine; (7) Pseudoephedrine; (8) Benzyl cyanide; (9) Benzyl chloride; and (10) Piperidine. Includes as essential chemicals: (1) Potassium permanganate; (2) Acetic anhydride; (3) Acetone; and (4) Ethyl ether. Establishes a mechanism and criteria for adding or deleting chemicals from such lists. Prohibits the transfer of commercial tableting and encapsulating machines unless a certification of lawful use and proper identification are provided. Establishes reporting requirements for such transfers. Establishes criminal penalties for the unlawful: (1) possession, manufacture, distribution, sale, importation, or exportation of a precursor or essential chemical; and (2) possession, manufacture, distribution, or importation of drug manufacturing equipment, tableting or encapsulating machines, and gelatin capsules. Subjects all listed precursor and essential chemicals, drug manufacturing equipment, tableting and encapsulating machines, and gelatin capsules which have been imported, exported, manufactured, possessed, or distributed in violation of such Act (as well as all conveyances and equipment) to forfeiture to the United States. Directs the Attorney General to maintain an active program, both domestic and international, to curtail the diversion of precursor and essential chemicals. Grants the Attorney General subpoena power with respect to precursor and essential chemicals. Subtitle I: Law Enforcement Officer Protection Act of 1988 - Provides a mandatory penalty (ten years imprisonment, to run concurrently with any other term, and/or a fine) for using a firearm in committing assaults on Federal officers. Establishes penalties for the possession of firearms or dangerous weapons in a Federal courthouse. Permits the court to consider pretrial detention for certain firearms and explosives offenses. Extends the possession of explosives offense to certain airports and increases penalties for possessing explosives in such airports and in Federal buildings. Increases penalties for using an explosive in the commission of a Federal felony. Makes it unlawful for any person to transfer a firearm to any business that does not maintain a place of business in the State in which the transferor resides. Deletes the requirement that stolen firearms and ammunition be in interstate commerce to be a Federal offense. Makes trafficking in firearms without serial numbers unlawful. Authorizes the Attorney General to: (1) make payments from DOJ appropriations for expenses necessary for hosting the General Assembly of INTERPOL's annual meeting and for the periodic sponsorship of INTERPOL conferences relating to international crime; and (2) solicit, accept, and make gifts in connection with certain INTERPOL activities, with specified restrictions. Requires the Attorney General to: (1) promulgate rules for such soliciting, accepting, and giving gifts to avoid creating a conflict of interest; and (2) report annually to the Congress regarding all such gifts. Authorizes electronic communications providers to disclose specified information to a governmental entity under certain circumstances. Subtitle J: Anti-Public Corruption Act of 1988 - Anti-Public Corruption Act of 1988 - Establishes the offense of public corruption and sets penalties for individuals who endeavor by scheme or artifice to deprive the inhabitants of a a State (or political subdivision thereof): (1) of the honest services of a State official or employee; or (2) of a fair and impartial election through fraud. Specifies that, in the case of a conviction under this subtitle for which the motive was to facilitate or further a violation of the CSA or CSIEA, if the maximum imprisonment otherwise provided is less than 20 years, such maximum imprisonment shall be 20 years. Adds public corruption as a predicate offense under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and as a basis for authorizing a wiretap. Subtitle K: Increased Penalties - Amends the CSA to provide increased penalties for crack violations. Amends the CSA and CSIEA to provide civil penalties for certain violations involving heroin or cocaine. Subtitle L: Amendments to the Money Laundering Control Act - Amends the Money Laundering Control Act to: (1) include electronic fund transfers in the definition of "monetary instruments"; and (2) encompass property that has been represented to be the proceeds of unlawful activity. Subtitle M: National Forest System Drug Control - Amends the National Forest System Drug Control Act to grant certain powers to special agents and law enforcement officers within and outside the boundaries of the National Forest System if in hot pursuit. Directs the U.S. Forest Service to: (1) oversee investigations and enforcement activities and prepare national and regional strategy plans in coordination with the DEA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and (2) cooperate with the Attorney General in carrying out the seizure and forfeiture provisions of the CSA as such activity relates to the manufacture, distribution, or dispensing of marijuana or other controlled substances within the National Forest System. Subtitle N: United States Postal Service Authority Expansion - Amends the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 to grant: (1) the U.S. Postal Service authority to subject to forfeiture specified drugs and drug-related contraband articles; and (2) certain Postal Service officers and employees authority to perform enforcement functions performed by DEA officers or employees. Subtitle O: United States Marshals Service Act of 1988 - United States Marshals Service Act of 1988 - Establishes the United States Marshals Service as a bureau within the Department of Justice. Directs the President to appoint a United States marshal for each judicial district of the United States and for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Sets forth procedures for filling vacancies in the office of a U.S. marshal. Specifies the powers and duties of the Service. Allows the Attorney General to exempt the procurement of contract services under the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund from certain procurement guidelines if necessary to maintain the security and confidentiality of related criminal investigations. Prescribes a schedule of fees that the Service may collect. Authorizes the Attorney General to use funds appropriated to the Service for the support of U.S. prisoners in non-Federal institutions. Subtitle P: Assimilative Crimes Act Amendments of 1988 - Amends the Federal criminal code to provide that the criminal penalty for operating a motor vehicle under the influence of a drug or alcohol in a special maritime or territorial jurisdiction of the United States shall be the punishment provided under the law of that State, territory, possession, or district. States that whoever operates a motor vehicle in such a jurisdiction consents to certain tests if arrested for driving under the influence of a drug or alcohol. States that any person refusing to submit to such tests shall be denied the privilege of operating a motor vehicle for one year. Subtitle Q: National Guard Drug Law Enforcement Assistance Act of 1988 - Provides that the consent of a Governor may not be withheld with regard to the provision of National Guard assistance to civilian law enforcement officials. Subtitle R: Drug Law Enforcement in Public Housing Projects - Authorizes the Secretary of HUD to establish a demonstration project providing grants to public housing agencies to permit such agencies to prevent drug-related crimes in public housing projects through: (1) the establishment and operation of public housing security and protective services for such projects; or (2) the reimbursement of local law enforcement agencies for additional security and protective services for such projects. Subtitle S: Study of Improvements to Monetary Rewards - Directs the Attorney General to study and report to the Congress concerning: (1) ways to increase cooperation and assistance for drug law enforcement from informants eligible for rewards from the Asset Forfeiture Fund; and (2) the feasibility of establishing a bounty system for alternative rewards. Subtitle T: Deportation of Aliens Amendment - Allows a court, on motion of the Government, to exempt from deportation provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act an alien who has provided substantial assistance in the investigation or prosecution of a person who has committed a drug offense under the CSA. Subtitle U: Steroid Control Act - Amends the CSA to include methandrosterolone as a Schedule I substance (a drug or substance with a high potential for abuse, which has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and which lacks any accepted safety use under medical supervision). Subtitle V: Task Force on Clandestine Drug Laboratories - Joint Federal Task Force on Clandestine Drug Laboratories Establishment Act of 1988 - Establishes the Joint Federal Task Force on Clandestine Drug Laboratories. Directs the Task Force to formulate, establish, and implement a program for the cleanup and disposal of hazardous waste produced by clandestine drug laboratories. Provides for periodic reports by the Task Force to the President and to each House of the Congress. Subtitle W: Additional Penalties for Operation of a Locomotive or Common Carrier While Under the Influence of Alcohol or Drugs - Provides penalties for the operation of a locomotive common carrier while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Subtitle X: Miscellaneous Technical Amendments - Sets a mandatory minimum penalty for trafficking in a specified quantity of methamphetamine. Prohibits and establishes penalties for conducting a financial transaction involving the proceeds of specified unlawful activity with the intent to violate the Internal Revenue Code. Title III: International Drug Control - Subtitle A: Multinational Anti-Drug Strike Force - Directs the President to develop a plan to establish a multinational strike force to combat illicit narcotics production and trafficking in the Americas and in Asia. Encourages the President to enter into negotiations with other nations to implement such strike forces. Requires the President to submit to the Congress a report describing such plan and detailing actions taken to implement such strike forces. Subtitle B: Amendments to the Foreign Assistance Act - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA) to provide for exemptions from the prohibition on using international narcotics control assistance to procure weapons or train foreign police forces if the President determines that such assistance or training is necessary to combat illicit drug production or trafficking. Subtitle C: Sense of Congress on the Convening of a Summit of Western Hemisphere Nations Concerning Drug Abuse - Urges the President to convene a meeting of the heads of government of countries in the Western Hemisphere in which illicit drug production, transit, or use is a problem to reach agreement on enhancing international cooperation and information sharing. Subtitle D: Sense of Congress on Suppression of International Narcotics Trafficking - Expresses the sense of the Congress that the suppression of international narcotics trafficking is the most important national security objective within the Western Hemisphere. Subtitle E: Authorization of Appropriations for Assisting Law Enforcement Authorities in Certain Foreign Countries - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 for: (1) education and training of law enforcement authorities in certain foreign countries to enhance drug interdiction and eradication efforts; and (2) military assistance for such efforts, especially with respect to rapid deployment capabilities. Subtitle F: Extradition and Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties - Directs the Secretary of State to place greater emphasis on updating extradition treaties and on negotiating mutual legal assistance treaties with major illicit drug producing and drug-transit countries. Subtitle G: Export-Import Bank Financing for Defense Against Narco-Terrorists - Authorizes the Export-Import Bank of the United States to guarantee, insure, and extend credit in connection with a credit sale of defense articles or services to a major illicit drug producing or drug-transit country if the President certifies to the Congress that such country needs such articles or services in combatting illicit drug production or trafficking. Subtitle H: Increased Intelligence Capabilities - Amends the National Security Act of 1947 to provide that a special activity directed at illicit international drug trafficking shall be deemed to be important to national security for purposes of requirements for presidential approval. Amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 to authorize the use of information concerning illicit drug trafficking obtained by electronic surveillance conducted for foreign intelligence purposes to combat such trafficking. Subtitle I: Mexico-United States Intergovernmental Commission - Amends the International Narcotics Control Act of 1986 to provide for the appointment of Members of Congress to and funding, reporting requirements, and the initial meeting of the Mexico-United States Intergovernmental Commission on Narcotics and Psychotropic Drug Abuse and Control. Title IV: Interdiction Improvement - Subtitle A: Use of Armed Forces for Interdiction of Narcotics at United States Borders - Requires the President to use the U.S. armed forces to locate, pursue, and seize aircraft and vessels carrying narcotics, deploy radar and pursuit aircraft, and use the National Guard and Reserves to halt the unlawful penetration of U.S. borders within 45 days after the enactment of this Act. Directs the President to: (1) report to the Congress on the impact and costs of this Act and recommendations for changes in existing law; and (2) submit to the Congress a request for the amount of funds spent and the amount needed to continue the program through FY 1988 and 1989. Provides for a separate budget request, beginning with FY 1990, for funds for the drug interdiction program. Subtitle B: Department of Transportation Study of Establishing Flight Corridors - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) study the feasibility of establishing flight corridors across the sourthern borders of the United States, including the policy of interdicting aircraft which deviate from such corridors; and (2) report the results of such study to the Congress within 180 days. Subtitle C: Maritime Drug Law Enforcement and Enhancement Act of 1988 - Maritime Drug Law Enforcement and Enhancement Act of 1988 - Chapter 1: Drug Enforcement Budget Improvement - Requires: (1) the President to submit annual reports on Federal drug enforcement expenditures; and (2) each congressional committee to issue a report, by March 15 of each year, describing estimates of the budget required by each agency for the following fiscal year to effectively implement illegal drug enforcement programs within such committee's jurisdiction. Chapter 2: Coast Guard Drug Interdiction Enhancement - Expands the Coast Guard's maritime air surveillance and interdiction authority. Authorizes the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating (currently, the Coast Guard) to make inquiries, examinations, inspections, searches, and seizures of aircraft subject to U.S. jurisdiction or law (current law applies only to vessels), order such aircraft to a landing area, and take any other lawful action. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, to make moneys from the Customs Forfeiture Fund available to the Coast Guard. Authorizes the commanding officer of a Coast Guard vessel or aircraft, or of a surface naval vessel on which a Coast Guard member is assigned, to fire upon a vessel which does not stop upon being ordered to do so or on being chased. Provides for indemnification of: (1) all persons acting under such commanding officer from any penalties or actions for damages for firing upon such vessel; and (2) Coast Guard members and employees against any claim or judgment which arises out of an act committed within the scope of their official duties in carrying out drug enforcement activities. Authorizes appropriations for the Coast Guard. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to submit to the Congress a draft of legislation relating to special restrictions and inspections for vessels arriving from drug producing countries. Amends the CSA to prohibit the forfeiture of specified vessels under such Act unless it appears that the owner was a consenting party to a violation of such Act. Chapter 3: Great Lakes Drug Interdiction - Directs the Secretary of Transportation and the Commissioner of Customs to enter into an agreement to increase the effectiveness of maritime drug interdiction activities in the Great Lakes area. Provides for increased use of long-range surveillance aircraft in such area. Directs the Secretary of State to enter into negotiations with the Government of Canada to establish an agreement for increased cooperation and information sharing with respect to illegal drug interdiction efforts along the U.S.-Canadian border. Chapter 4: Vessel Identification - Defines "United States vessel" and "documented vessel." Requires the identification of the individual designated as the agent of the owner of the vessel on the certificate of documentation for such vessel. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish and maintain a central depository of information relating to the ownership of U.S. vessels. Chapter 5: Reorganization to Coordinate Maritime Law Enforcement Programs - Federal Maritime Administration Act - Establishes the Federal Maritime Administration (FMA) with the Department of Transportation, consisting of the Coast Guard and the National Maritime Service and headed by the Under Secretary for Maritime Affairs and Readiness. Specifies the duties of the Under Secretary. Provides for an Office of Drug Interdiction Coordination within the FMA. Renames the existing Maritime Administration. Transfers certain maritime functions of the National Ocean Service and National Weather Service. Redesignates the Commissioned Officer Corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as the Commissioned Officer Corps of FMA. Provides for incidental transfers, terminations, and miscellaneous provisions. Establishes the Merchant Marine Reserve within the Coast Guard Reserve. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) issue final regulations to implement this chapter within one year; and (2) make recommendations to the Congress regarding the consolidation of budget authority. Subtitle D: Prohibition on Reissuance of Airman Certificates - Amends the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 to prohibit the issuance of an airman certificate to any person whose certificate has been revoked.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 1988
Designates the Labor Day Weekend beginning on September 3, 1988, as National Drive for Life Weekend. Calls on people to observe that weekend with a pledge to not drink and drive.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 1988
Expresses the grave concern of the Congress regarding the apparent discriminatory treatment of Federal Express by the Government of Japan. Urges Japan to honor its obligations under the 1985 Memorandum of Understanding and allow Federal Express to compete in the U.S.-Japan market with maximum flexibility.
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 1988
Designates the United States Post Office Building at 700 Main Street, Danville, Virginia, as the Dan Daniel Post Office Building.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 1988
Designates February 1989 as America Loves Its Kids Month.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 1988
Manassas National Battlefield Park Amendments of 1988 - Provides for the acquisition of additional lands for the Manassas National Battlefield Park in Virginia. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to cooperate with the Commonwealth of Virginia to promote the scenic preservation of views from within the park. Authorizes appropriations for the construction of a highway in the vicinity of the park. Limits to 50 percent the Federal share of the cost of construction of such highway.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 1988
Designates the week of November 21 through November 27, 1988, as National Adoption Week.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 1988
Designates June 12 through June 18, 1988, as Lyme Disease Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1988
Declares that the Congress recognizes the heroic acts of civilian construction workers who participated in the defense of Wake Island during its invasion by Japan between December 8 and December 23, 1941.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 1988
Designates specified land as the Manassas National Battlefield Addition. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to acquire land within the boundaries of the Addition and to administer such lands as part of the Manassas National Battlefield Park, Virginia. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 1988
Drug-Free America Act of 1988 - Amends the Controlled Substances Act to establish criteria for the imposition of the death penalty when, during the course of a continuing criminal enterprise drug offense, an individual knowingly causes the death of another. Requires the Government, for such offense, to serve notice upon the defendant a reasonable time before trial or acceptance of a plea, disclosing that it intends to seek the death penalty and 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 such offense. 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 if its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice, confusion of the issues, or misleading of the jury. Directs the court, or the jury by unanimous vote, to impose the death penalty upon finding that such sentence is justified based on consideration of both aggravating and mitigating factors. Sets forth some mitigating factors to be considered by the jury or the court when imposing its sentence. Includes as aggravating factors: (1) the intentional nature of the act which resulted in the victim's death; (2) previous convictions for offenses for which life imprisonment or death is authorized; and (3) the especially heinous, cruel, or depraved nature of the offense. 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 sentence. Allows the court to impose a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for such offenses when the death penalty is not imposed. Establishes procedures for appeal from a death sentence. Requires the Court of Appeals, upon consideration of the record and the information and procedures of the sentencing hearing, to affirm the decision if: (1) the sentence was not imposed under the 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. Provides increased criminal penalties for the possession of a mixture or substance which contains cocaine base (crack). Establishes recordkeeping and reporting requirements for the manufacture, distribution, importation, and exportation of listed precursor and essential chemicals. Prohibits the distribution of such chemicals unless the recipient provides a certification of lawful use and proper identification. Establishes exemptions from such requirements: (1) for the distribution of such chemicals between agents or employees within a single facility; (2) for the delivery of such chemicals to or by common carriers; (3) if the Attorney General determines that such requirements are not necessary for the enforcement of this Act; and (4) if products containing such chemicals are lawfully marketed under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Establishes an import-export permit requirement for listed precursors and a declaration requirement for listed essential chemicals. Includes as precursor chemicals: (1) N-Acetylanthranilic acid; (2) Anthranilic acid; (3) Ergotamine tartrate; (4) Ergonovine maleate; (5) Phenylacetic acid; (6) Ephedrine; (7) Pseudoephedrine; (8) Benzyl cyanide; (9) Benzyl chloride; and (10) Piperidine. Includes as essential chemicals: (1) Potassium permanganate; (2) Acetic anhydride; (3) Acetone; and (4) Ethyl ether. Establishes a mechanism and criteria for adding or deleting chemicals from such lists. Prohibits the transfer of commercial tableting and encapsulating machines unless a certification of lawful use and proper identification are provided. Establishes reporting requirements for such transfers. Establishes criminal penalties for the unlawful: (1) possession, manufacture, distribution, sale, importation, or exportation of a precursor or essential chemical; and (2) possession, manufacture, distribution, or importation of drug manufacturing equipment, tableting or encapsulating machines, and gelatin capsules. Subjects all listed precursor and essential chemicals, drug manufacturing equipment, tableting and encapsulating machines, and gelatin capsules which have been imported, exported, manufactured, possessed, or distributed in violation of such Act (as well as all conveyances and equipment) to forfeiture to the United States. Directs the Attorney General to maintain an active program, both domestic and international, to curtail the diversion of precursor and essential chemicals. Grants the Attorney General subpoena power with respect to precursor and essential chemicals. Provides additional civil penalties for certain Controlled Substances Act violations involving heroin or cocaine. States that individuals who have been convicted of violations involving a controlled substance, or of criminal violations regarding certain reporting or recordkeeping requirements, shall be ineligible for any license or permit issued under the authority of the United States for a specified period of time. Provides that any permit or license held at the time of the conviction shall be revoked. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require States receiving Alcohol and Drug Abuse and Mental Health Services Block Grants to make grants for demonstration projects which provide treatment services to expectant mothers. Establishes in the Executive Office of the President the Office of the Director of National Drug Control Policy to be headed by a Director, who shall be responsible for: (1) developing, reviewing, implementing, and enforcing U.S. policy with respect to drug control and abuse; (2) directing and coordinating U.S. efforts to halt the importation, manufacture, distribution, and use of illicit drugs; and (3) preparing a National and International Drug Control Strategy. Terminates the National Drug Enforcement Policy Board 90 days after the appointment of the Director. Makes conforming amendments to the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984 and the Drug Abuse Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation Act. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 through 1996. Makes supplemental appropriations for Coast Guard drug enforcement activities. Authorizes Coast Guard vessels and aircraft to fire at or into vessels which are liable to seizure or examination that do not bring-to after being ordered to do so by an authorized vessel or aircraft. Grants the commanding officer of the authorized vessel or aircraft immunity for such actions. Allows the Commandant of the Coast Guard to indemnify members or employees of the Coast Guard against any claim arising out of an act committed within the scope of their official drug enforcement duties. Amends the Controlled Substances Act to extend jurisdiction over possession offenses to U.S. vessels and aircraft (and vessels and aircraft subject to the operation of the law of the United States). Subjects any U.S. citizen or resident on board any vessel to Federal criminal penalties for manufacturing, possessing, or distributing a controlled substance. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the suppression of international narcotics trafficking is a major security objective of the United States and the most important national security objective within the Western Hemisphere. Allows the Secretary of Defense to provide equipment to, or assign members of the armed forces to assist, foreign governments in the enforcement of drug laws. Provides for the assignment of members of the armed forces to assist Federal agencies in drug interdiction activities. Requires the Secretary to prepare a plan to implement such provision. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to evaluate alternatives to the use of deadly force as a means of forcing suspected drug-smuggling aircraft entering the United States to land. Requires the Secretary to submit such recommendations to the Congress in the form of proposed legislation. Directs the Secretary to submit proposed legislation to the Congress relating to special restrictions and inspections for vessels and aircraft arriving from drug-producing countries. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to modify the factors to be considered by the President when determining whether to certify a country as having cooperated with United States drug interdiction programs. Directs the President to consider whether such countries have taken the steps necessary to eliminate the laundering of drug-related profits. Amends Federal law to include electronic fund transfers within the definition of "money instruments." Amends the National Forest System Drug Control Act of 1986 to provide additional law enforcement authority for the Forest Service in dealing with Controlled Substances Act violations by: (1) removing the limitation on the number of Service personnel who may exercise specified law enforcement powers; and (2) permitting the exercise of such powers by Service personnel outside of the boundaries of the National Forest System. Grants the Service authority, with respect to the specified law enforcement powers, to: (1) coordinate investigations and enforcement activities and prepare national and regional strategy plans in coordination with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and (2) cooperate with the Attorney General in carrying out the seizure and forfeiture provisions of the Controlled Substances Act as such activities relate to the manufacture, distribution, or dispensing of controlled substances within the System. Establishes criminal penalties for polluting Federal lands while manufacturing, distributing, or dispensing a controlled substance. Amends the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 to grant the Postal Service certain seizure and law enforcement authority with respect to Controlled Substances Act violations. States that all moneys and proceeds from such seizures shall be deposited in the Postal Service Fund (and later withdrawn and paid into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund). States that any person convicted of a drug-related offense shall be ineligible for any form of student assistance provided under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. Requires any person applying for such assistance to file a statement with the institution certifying that the person has not been convicted of a drug-related offense. Requires the Secretary of Education to prescribe methods for verifying such statements. Amends the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1986 to require State educational agencies to distribute funds for State and local programs for drug abuse education and prevention programs on the basis of relative enrollments in public and private, nonprofit schools (currently, on the basis of the relative number of children in the school-age population) within an area. Requires local applications for funds for a three-year period to include a description of: (1) the extent and nature of the current drug and alcohol problem in the schools of the applicant; (2) the applicant's drug and alcohol policy; and (3) how the applicant will monitor program effectiveness. Requires applicants to submit a progress report to State educational agencies for the preceding two years in order to receive funds for the third year. Requires the report to show reasonable progress toward accomplishing program objectives or a modified plan to meet such objectives. Requires States to report annually to the Secretary with specified information on programs funded under this Act. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 through 1991 to carry out the provisions of such Act. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 to the building and facilities account, Federal Prison System, for the construction, acquisition, remodeling, and equipping of prisons. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the National Institute of Justice should conduct a research project to obtain, on a voluntary basis, and analyze urine samples from individuals who are arrested to determine whether they use controlled substances. Amends the Federal criminal code to make regular drug testing and refrainment from any use of controlled substances mandatory conditions of parole and probation. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to require Drug Law Enforcement Program grant recipients to provide additional matching funds. Amends the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to exclude any individual who uses or is addicted to illegal drugs from the definition of an individual with handicaps, for purposes of specified provisions. Amends specified Federal law which prohibits discrimination against Federal employees or applicants for Federal employment to provide that such prohibition shall not be construed to permit or require the employment of an individual who uses illegal drugs.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 1988
Commercial Space Launch Act Amendments of 1988 - Amends the Commercial Space Launch Act to direct the Secretary of Transportation, in facilitating and encouraging private sector acquisition of U.S. surplus launch property, to take into account the availability of comparable property under reasonable terms from domestic non-Government sources. Revises insurance requirements for persons licensed to provide launch services. Allows such persons, as an alternative to obtaining liability insurance, to demonstrate financial responsibility sufficient to compensate third-party claims arising from death, bodily injury, or loss of or damage to property resulting from licensed activities. Limits this requirement to the lesser of $500,000,000 or the maximum liability insurance available on the world market at a reasonable cost. Sets out corresponding requirements, but at a maximum of $100,000,000, with respect to claims by the United States for loss of or damage to U.S. property. Requires licensees to enter into reciprocal waivers with contractors, subcontractors, and customers involved in launch services, under which each party agrees to be responsible for its own damage and employee injuries. Requires the Secretary to enter into comparable waiver agreements with the same parties, as well as with licensees. Applies these waivers only to the extent claims exceed required insurance coverage. Directs the Secretary to review insurance liability coverage requirements within three years of this Act's enactment and to submit to the Congress a proposed adjustment to conform with altered liability expectations and the worldwide availability of insurance. Mandates the same procedure on an annual basis thereafter. Requires the Secretary to provide for the payment of successful third-party claims against parties subject to this Act to the extent such claims are not compensated by insurance, including self-insurance. Exempts licensees associated with certain satellites under construction on August 15, 1986, from requirements related to liability insurance coverage for claims by the United States. Directs the Secretary to ensure that launches of satellites having a launch date commitment are not preempted from access to launch sites except in cases of imperative national need, to be determined by the Secretary of the Air Force or the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Prohibits delegation of this determination and directs the determining party to submit to the Congress, within seven days of the determination, a full explanation, as well as a schedule for ensuring prompt launching of the preempted satellite. Directs the Secretary to study the process for scheduling launches and to report results to the Congress. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should explore ways and means of developing a dialogue with appropriate foreign governments to produce guidelines for access to launch services by satellite builders and users to assure reasonable and fair international competition in commercial space activities. Directs the Administrator of NASA to report to the Congress on a program to support research into launch systems component technologies to develop higher performance and lower costs for commercial and Government launches.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 1988
Federal Law Enforcement Officers Death Penalty Act of 1988 - Amends the Federal criminal code to subject any person who is found guilty of the first degree murder of a Federal law enforcement officer, or certain other Federal officials or employees, to the penalty of death. Establishes procedures for the imposition of the death penalty in such cases. Provides that no person who was less than 18 years of age may be sentenced to death. Sets forth mitigating and aggravating factors to be considered by the jury in determining whether the death sentence will be imposed. Requires the Government 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. Provides that no presentence report shall be prepared in such cases. Requires a separate sentencing hearing before a jury or the court (upon motion by the defendant) when the defendant is convicted and the Government has filed notice that it intends to seek the death penalty. Allows the Government and the defendant to present any information relevant to a mitigating or aggravating factor without regard to the rules of evidence, but permits information to be excluded where its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of creating unfair prejudice, confusing the issues, or misleading the jury. Conditions imposition of the death penalty on a unanimous finding by the jury or, if there is no jury, the court, that: (1) the aggravating factors found to exist sufficiently outweigh any mitigating factor found to exist; or (2) in the absence of a mitigating factor, the aggravating factors alone are sufficient to justify a sentence of death. 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. Directs the court to impose the death sentence upon a finding that such sentence is justified. Establishes procedures for appeal from a death sentence. Requires the court of appeals, upon consideration of 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 special finding of the existence of an aggravating factor. Requires the court to provide a written explanation of its determination. Establishes procedures for the implementation of the death sentence.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 1988
Expresses the concern of the House of Representatives regarding the future security of the Panama Canal. Calls on the President to renegotiate the Panama Canal Treaties to permit: (1) the permanent stationing of U.S. forces in Panama; and (2) the United States to act independently to maintain the security of the Canal and to guarantee its regular operation.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 1988
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to remove the restriction that a certain parcel of land in Roanoke, Virginia, be used exclusively for public park or public recreation purposes, on the condition that such land be transferred to the State of Virginia for use as a veterans nursing home.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 1988
Requires the President to report to the Congress each month on the extent to which the Government of Nicaragua is undertaking the reforms which are necessary to promote democracy in compliance with the Guatemala Peace Accord of August 7, 1987. Specifies reforms to be discussed in such report including the extent to which that Government has: (1) undertaken efforts to ensure freedom of expression, association, movement, and religion; (2) reinstated due process and fair trials; (3) ended torture; (4) ended jailing of opposition party activists; and (5) ensured press, labor, campesino, and Indian and Creole rights.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 1988
Berne Convention Implementation Act of 1988 - Amends the copyright law to implement the Berne Convention, the Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, signed at Berne on September 9, 1886. Extends copyright protection to architectural works in conformance with such Convention. Extends comparable copyright protection to protectable works of nationals of Berne Union members. Revises provisions concerning the licensing of coin-operated phonorecord players (jukeboxes). Permits copyright owners and operators of jukeboxes to directly negotiate the terms and royalty rates for performing copyrighted works if the Copyright Royalty Tribunal certifies that, over a one-year period after this Act's enactment, such process has resulted in authorizing the use of a not substantially smaller quantity of work. Suspends the ratemaking activities of the Tribunal while such conditions are being met. Permits the use of a notice of copyright on publicly distributed copies of protected works, including phonorecords of sound recordings (current law requires such notice). States that such a notice is a bar to a defense of innocent infringement if the defendant had access to copies with such notice. Requires the continued use of a copyright notice identifying works of the U.S. Government. Eliminates notice provisions for contributions to collective works. Retains deposit requirements. Continues permissive registration. Makes this Act effective the day after the Berne Convention enters into force with respect to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1988
Directs the President to designate the month of May 1988 as Older Americans Month.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1988
Requests the President to issue a proclamation commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act, which occurs on June 25, 1988. (The Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act, formerly known as the Wagner-O'Day Act, provides employment and ancillary support services to blind and handicapped individuals.)
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 1988
Postal Reorganization Act of 1988 - Declares that the receipts and disbursements of the Postal Service Fund: (1) shall not be included in the totals of the Federal budget or the congressional budget; (2) shall be exempt from Federal budget limitations on expenditures and net lending; and (3) shall not be counted for purposes of calculating the Federal deficit. Repeals certain limitations on postal borrowing authority. Increases the limitations on postal borrowing authority.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1988
Declares that the President should: (1) posthumously award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Charles E. Thornton, Lee Shapiro, and Jim Lindelof in honor of their efforts to document the Afghan struggle for freedom; and (2) present the award to those individuals' families on March 21, 1988, the start of the new year in Afghanistan.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1988
Designates the week beginning April 3, 1988, as National Auctioneers Week.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1988
Repeals a provision of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 which includes employee tips within the wages on which employer social security taxes are based.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1988
Designates the week beginning June 12, 1988, as National Scleroderma Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1988
Expresses disapproval of the refusal of the U.S.S.R. to recognize the sovereignty of the Baltic Republics. Designates June 14, 1988, as Baltic Freedom Day. Authorizes and requests the President to submit the issue of the Baltic Republics to the United Nations.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 1988
Designates the week beginning May 15, 1988, as National Rural Health Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 1988
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an individual taxpayer a refundable income tax credit, in an amount based on adjusted gross income (minimum credit of $150), for each dependent below the age of compulsory school attendance in the State where the taxpayer resides. Sets the maximum credit amount as the total employee tax withheld from the taxpayer's wages during the year under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act. Disallows application of the nonrefundable dependent care income tax credit with respect to a taxpayer's dependents under age 15, unless the child is physically or mentally incapable of self-care.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 1988
Designates September 16, 1988, as National POW/MIA Recognition Day.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1988
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt from the required application of uniform inventory cost capitalization rules any animal produced in a farming business, regardless of the animal's preproductive period.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1988
Child Protection and Obscenity Enforcement Act of 1988 - Title I: Child Pornography - Amends the Federal criminal code to make it illegal to use a computer to transport information in interstate or foreign commerce concerning the visual depiction of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct (child pornography). Establishes criminal penalties for buying, selling, or transferring the custody of a minor: (1) knowing that, as a consequence of the sale or transfer, the minor will be used in child pornography; or (2) with the intent to promote child pornography. States that such sale or transfer must involve: (1) the minor or other actor traveling in interstate or foreign commerce; (2) communications in interstate or foreign commerce; or (3) conduct in a territory or possession of the United States. Requires any person who produces a book, magazine, periodical, film, videotape, or other matter which contains any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct (which is shipped or intended for shipment in interstate or foreign commerce, or contains material shipped in interstate or foreign commerce) to maintain certain records regarding the performers portrayed in such conduct. Directs the Attorney General to issue regulations regarding the maintenance and availability of such records. Includes the sexual exploitation of children as a predicate offense to the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute. Title II: Obscenity - Makes it a Federal criminal offense to receive or possess, with the intent to distribute, obscene matter which has been transported in interstate or foreign commerce. Makes it a Federal criminal offense to knowingly use a facility or means of commerce to sell or distribute obscene matter in interstate or foreign commerce. Establishes a rebuttable presumption, with respect to Federal criminal offenses involving obscene matter, that obscene matter produced in one State (or outside the United States) which is subsequently located in another State (or in the United States) was transported, shipped, or carried in interstate (or foreign) commerce. Establishes criminal and civil forfeiture procedures with respect to Federal offenses involving obscene material and child pornography. Includes communications by means of cable or subscription television within the prohibition against broadcasting obscene language. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to modify the penalty provisions of such Act with respect to obscene telephone communications. Amends the Federal criminal code to establish criminal penalties for the possession or sale of obscene matter on Federal property. Adds obscenity offenses to the list of crimes for which the Government may obtain wiretaps.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 1988
Air Travel Rights for Blind Individuals Act - Amends the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 to preclude an air carrier from establishing aircraft seating restrictions based upon a passenger's visual acuity or use of a white cane or dog guide or other such means of assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1988
Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the excise tax on diesel and aviation fuels. Prohibits imposition of the tax on the sale of these fuels to any purchaser (or purchaser for resale to a second purchaser) for use on a farm for farming purposes or for any other use not as a fuel in a diesel-powered highway vehicle or train. (Although fuel sold for these purposes is tax-exempt under current law, provisions of the Revenue Act of 1987 require purchasers to pay the tax and subsequently apply for a refund based on nontaxable uses of the fuel.)
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1988
Designates August 9, 1988, as National Neighborhood Crime Watch Day.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1988
Farmer Fuel Tax Relief Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit imposition of the excise tax on the sale of diesel or aviation fuel to any purchaser (or purchaser for resale to a second purchaser) for use on a farm for farming purposes. (Although fuel sold for these purposes is tax-exempt under current law, provisions of the Revenue Act of 1987 require purchasers to pay the tax and subsequently apply for a refund based on nontaxable uses of the fuel.) Permits wholesale distributors of gasoline who have registered with the Secretary of the Treasury and posted the required bond to pay the gasoline tax (in lieu of the person otherwise liable for the tax.) Prohibits imposition of the gasoline tax on the sale or removal of gasoline by any person (or for resale to a second person) for use on a farm for farming purposes. Requires that the reduced gasoline tax rate (3.4 cents instead of 9.1 cents) be applied with respect to gasoline used to produce gasohol after the time of the relevant removal or sale.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1988
Removes the earmark of a specified amount of funds appropriated to the Department of State by the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1988 for the construction of educational facilities for North African Jewish refugees in France.