United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1988
Veterans' Housing Amendments Act of 1988 - Repeals the provisions relating to the setting of the interest rate on guaranteed or insured housing loans to veterans as provided by the Veterans Administration (VA), and provides that such interest rates should be negotiated between the veterans and the lender, provided that the interest rate agreed upon remains constant throughout the life of the loan. Grants the Administrator of Veterans Affairs authority to sell vendee loans (to maintain the effective functioning of the loan guarantee program) without recourse after: (1) consulting with a professional financial advisor; (2) reviewing the experience of other Federal agencies that have conducted loan asset sales without recourse; (3) exploring such marketing strategies as overcollateralized loans or private reinsurances; and (4) accepting bids only when they appropriately reflect the prevailing interest rates and characteristics of the loans. Repeals certain provisions which: (1) regulate the manner in which the VA may sell such loans; and (2) prohibit the VA from selling such loans unless they are sold at par. Repeals provisions relating to the inspection of manufactured homes purchased by veterans, and deems as meeting required standards any manufactured housing unit displaying a certificate of conformance to Federal manufactured home construction and safety standards. Repeals provisions placing certain restrictions on such VA manufactured home loans. Limits the maximum VA liability under such loan guarantees. Repeals provisions which prohibit the VA from guaranteeing loans for newly constructed residences in areas not served by public or community water and sewage systems. Permits the VA to collect debts arising out of the housing loan program by offsetting the debtor's Federal tax refund. Requires any veteran wishing a housing debt waiver to make such request within 180 days of the notification of such indebtedness (unless the Administrator determines that a longer period is reasonable) or by September 30, 1990, if notice of such debt was provided before October 1, 1988. Makes such waiver provisions applicable to active duty veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 1988
Declares it to be the policy of the United States that employers should give reasonable advance notice to employees affected by major employment reductions. Directs the Secretary of Labor (the Secretary) to encourage: (1) employers to comply with such policy, both directly and by communications with trade associations and other employer organizations; and (2) employer organizations to develop codes of ethics or other mechanisms to publicize and promote such policy among their members. Directs the Secretary to: (1) collect data on the extent to which businesses give or do not give advance notice of major employment reductions, as well as on the circumstances surrounding such reductions; and (2) compile such data and, on request, make it available to the Congress. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) investigate flagrant instances in which such reductions occur without advance notice; and (2) publicize the facts and circumstances surrounding such instances. Directs the Secretary to make recommendations to deter such occurrences. Requires each government contractor who is required to file a written affirmative action compliance program (pursuant to regulations issued under a specified Executive Order) to specify as an appendix to such program the minimum period of advance notice, and any exceptions thereto, that the contractor will give of major employment reductions. Provides that the substance of such appendix shall not be subject to review or approval by the Secretary or the contracting agency. Provides that nothing in this Act shall be considered to require any advance notice that would interfere with an employer's ability to raise financing necessary to prevent major employment reductions or otherwise impede the continuance of operations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 1988
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit an individual income tax deduction of amounts spent to make the taxpayer's principal residence more accessible to and usable by handicapped individuals and elderly individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 1988
Protests Soviet human rights violations, especially its restrictive emigration regulations. Calls upon: (1) the Soviet Union to release all prisoners of conscience; and (2) the President to stress at the upcoming summit meeting in Moscow the inherent link between respect for human rights and the achievement of lasting peace.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1988
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Department of Justice should proceed with the apprehension and prosecution of General Noriega of Panama and that pending charges should not be dismissed.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1988
Designates the period of July 25 through July 31, 1988, as National Week of Recognition and Remembrance for Those Who Served in the Korean War. Authorizes and requests the President to urge that the American flag be flown at half staff on July 27, 1988, in honor of those Americans who died as a result of their service in Korea.
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 · 11 May 1988
Expresses U.S. policy that Nicaragua should undertake specified reforms, such as reinstating due process and fair trials, ending torture, conducting free elections, allowing an uncensored free press, ensuring the right to strike and to publish for unions, allowing the Catholic Church to reopen its offices, and ending the forced relocation of Indians and Creoles. Urges all countries in Central America to continue to work toward achieving the democratic principles and processes specified in the August 7, 1987, Central American peace accord.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 1988
Removes the restriction which prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from acquiring in fee by purchase or condemnation more than 600 acres of Antietam National Battlefield, Maryland. Amends the National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978 to remove additional restrictions which authorized only certain scenic easement acquisitions.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 1988
Family Educational Opportunity Act of 1988 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to remove from the computation of expected family contribution in the determination of need for assistance under the title IV (Student Assistance) Pell Grant program and other title IV student assistance programs the following assets: (1) the family's principal place of residence; (2) a family farm on which the family resides; or (3) a small business substantially owned and managed by a member or members of the family.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 1988
Sunshine Resolution of 1988 - Requires each standing committee of the House of Representatives with subject matter jurisdiction to report to the House on legislation to amend the following laws to make them applicable to the House: (1) the National Labor Relations Act; (2) the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938; (3) the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970; (4) the Equal Pay Act of 1963; (5) the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; (6) the Freedom of Information Act; (7) the Privacy Act of 1974; (8) title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, relating to equal employment opportunity; (9) the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as it relates to employment of individuals with handicaps; (10) the section of the Federal criminal code that relates to post-employment conflict of interest; and (11) the chapter of Federal Judiciary and Judicial Procedure that relates to an independent counsel. Sets forth House procedure when such legislation is reported. Amends rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives to require the ratio of the number of members of each committee (and of each subcommittee, task force, or subunit) to reflect the ratio of majority to minority party Members of the House at the beginning of each Congress. Requires the ratio of each select committee (and of each subcommittee, task force, or subunit) and of each conference committee to reflect the ratio of majority to minority party members at the time of its appointment. Amends rule XI to prohibit any committee from voting by proxy. Amends rule XV to require a roll call vote on any bill, joint resolution, or conference report making appropriations or providing revenue. Amends rule XXI to prohibit the consideration of any bill or resolution making appropriations under the jurisdiction of more than one subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations if it applies to periods after November 30 of a fiscal year. Authorizes the waiver or suspension of such provision by a 60 percent majority vote of the House. Prohibits an appropriation from being reported in any joint resolution continuing appropriations, or from being an amendment to such resolution, for any expenditure not previously authorized by law, except to continue appropriations for public works and objects which are already in progress. Prohibits any provision changing existing law from being reported in any joint resolution continuing appropriations except germane provisions which retrench expenditures by the reduction of amounts of money covered by the bill. Prohibits any amendment to a joint resolution continuing appropriations if it changes existing law. Declares that no amendment shall be in order during consideration of a joint resolution continuing appropriations proposing a limitation not specifically contained or authorized in existing law for the period of the limitation. Sets forth House floor procedure after a joint resolution continuing appropriations has been read for amendment. Makes it out of order in the House to consider any joint resolution continuing appropriations, or any amendment thereto, which covers a period of more than 90 calendar days. Prohibits any item of appropriation set forth in any joint resolution continuing appropriations from exceeding the lesser of the amount set forth for such item in the House-passed or Senate-passed general appropriation bill for the fiscal year. Declares that the provisions of this Act concerning the use of continuing resolutions may only be waived by a vote of two-thirds of the Members present and voting, a quorum being present. Amends rule XXVII to direct the Clerk of the House to have printed in the Congressional Record the name of each Member who has signed, or withdrawn a signature to, a motion to discharge a committee from the consideration of a public bill or resolution, when 100 Members have signed the motion. Amends rule XXVIII to provide for the inclusion of dissenting views in conference reports. Establishes rule LI to require the Speaker of the House to cause notice of the legislative schedule for the floor of the House for each legislative day to be printed in the Congressional Record at least two legislative days in advance. Establishes rule LII to require that the Congressional Record for the House contain an accurate and verbatim account of remarks actually delivered on the floor together with permitted tables, statistics, and other supporting data. Requires extensions and revisions of remarks to be limited to the correction of grammatical and typographical errors. Requires the insertion of remarks not actually delivered on the floor to be so designated.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 1988
Designates the outpatient clinic of the Veterans Administration located in Brick Township, New Jersey, as the James J. Howard Veterans' Outpatient Clinic.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1988
Comdemns the Government of Ethiopia for its use of food as a weapon, its forced resettlement program, and its human rights record. Urges: (1) the Government of Ethiopia to allow the international relief campaign to resume; (2) the Tigrean People's Liberation Front and Eritrean People's Liberation Front to cease attacks upon relief vehicles and relief distribution points; and (3) the President and Secretary of State to press the Ethiopian Government for agricultural reforms, to press for a political settlement to the Ethiopian conflict, and to engage in direct discussion with the Soviet Union to achieve that objective. Urges and authorizes the President to impose such economic sanctions upon Ethiopia as he deems appropriate if Ethiopia engages in specified activities, including forced resettlement and the diversion or denial of international relief. Directs that sanctions imposed include those which substantially affect the major exports of Ethiopia. Authorizes the imposition of sanctions which involve the prohibition or curtailment of exports to Ethiopia under, and subject to the requirements of, provisions of the Export Administration Act of 1979 relating to national security requirements. Directs the President to report to the Congress every 60 days on whether the Government of Ethiopia engaged in any of the proscribed activities and on any U.S. response to such conduct.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1988
Condemns the Government of Ethiopia for its use of food as a weapon, its forced resettlement program, and its human rights record. Urges: (1) the Government of Ethiopia to allow the international relief campaign to resume; (2) the Tigrean People's Liberation Front and Eritrean People's Liberation Front to cease attacks upon relief vehicles and relief distribution points; and (3) the President and Secretary of State to press the Ethiopian Government for agricultural reforms, to press for a political settlement to the Ethiopian conflict, and to engage in direct discussion with the Soviet Union to achieve that objective. Urges and authorizes the President to impose sanctions upon Ethiopia as he deems appropriate if Ethiopia engages in specified activities, including forced resettlement and the diversion or denial of international relief. Directs that sanctions imposed include at least two of the following: (1) prohibiting the importation of Ethiopian coffee; (2) denying nondiscriminatory (most-favored-nation) treatment to Ethiopian products; (3) prohibiting new U.S. investment in Ethiopia; and (4) prohibiting new U.S. public or private loans to the Government of Ethiopia. Directs the President to report to the Congress every 60 days on whether the Government of Ethiopia engaged in any of the proscribed activities and on any U.S. response to such conduct.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1988
Child Care Tax Credit Reform Act of 1988 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase from $2,400 to $3,600 (from $4,800 to $5,400 in the case of two or more qualifying dependents) the amount of employment-related expenses subject to the dependent care income tax credit. Denies the credit to taxpayers having adjusted gross income of $50,000 or more. Removes the 20 percent minimum credit percentage, thus subjecting taxpayers having income above $30,000 to an incremental decrease in the applicable credit percentage.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1988
Protests Soviet human rights violations, especially the restrictive emigration regulations. Calls upon the President to use the upcoming summit meeting in Moscow to stress the inherent link between respect for human rights and the achievement of lasting peace.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 1988
Bounty Hunter Act of 1988 - Amends the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984 to increase the maximum reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction under Federal law of any individual for the unlawful sale, or possession for sale, of a controlled substance or a controlled substance analogue. Provides for the payment of incentive rewards to States to encourage the establishment of programs to pay similar rewards for violations of State laws. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to retire all circulating $100 U.S. notes and issue new $100 U.S. notes. Requires the Secretary to provide for a ten-day exchange period. Requires the name, address, and social security number of any individual who exchanges $100 notes having a value of $5,000 or more to be recorded and forwarded to the Department of the Treasury for use in criminal investigations or prosecutions.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 1988
Amends the Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1988 to repeal the requirement that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) adopt regulations requiring the installation of operating automatic altitude reporting equipment for all aircraft operating in terminal airspace where air traffic control radar service is provided and in all controlled airspace above a minimum altitude to be determined by the FAA. Amends the Airport and Airway Safety and Capacity Expansion Act of 1987 to repeal the requirement that the FAA Administrator promulgate a final rule requiring the installation of operating transponders with automatic altitude reporting capability for aircraft operating in designated terminal airspace where radar service is provided for separation of aircraft.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1988
Recycling Act of 1988 - Establishes the Center for Plastics Recycling Research of Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey, in Piscataway, New Jersey, as the national center (Center) for plastics recycling. Requires that such Center: (1) establish and operate a clearinghouse of information relating to plastics; and (2) make grants to four other colleges and universities covering 50 percent of the funds required by each such college or university to assist the Center in conducting specified plastic recycling research activities, with the remaining funds being provided by the State in which such college or university is located. Authorizes appropriations for such activities for each of the first three fiscal years beginning after this Act's enactment. Directs the Secretary of Education to conduct a three-year public outreach program providing information to secondary school students, State and local governments, and the general public regarding: (1) the harmful environmental effects of the improper disposal of plastic and non-plastic wastes; (2) the importance of proper municipal waste disposal; (3) the benefits of recycling; and (4) methods to encourage voluntary recycling activities. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish and operate the National Clearinghouse on Recycling to gather, catalog, and disseminate information on recycling-related issues and activities, including: (1) current and prospective recycling technologies; (2) the development and marketing of recycled waste products; and (3) intergovernmental arrangements for the public and private management of recycling activities. Requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to study and report to the Congress within one year of this Act's enactment on the adverse effects of the improper disposal of paper, glass, aluminum, and other nonplastic articles on the environment and on waste disposal, and the various methods to reduce or eliminate such effects. Requires that the results of such study be integrated with the results of a plastic pollution reduction study required under the Marine Plastic Pollution Research and Control Act of 1987. Directs the EPA to make grants to State and local governments covering 50 percent of the costs of conducting demonstration projects related to recycling. Requires that at least one such grant each year be awarded to a State whose laws mandate the collection, for purposes of recycling, of two or more types of household or commercial wastes. Authorizes appropriations for such grants for three years.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1988
Cooperative Child Care Act for Responsible Efforts - Title I: Grants for Small Businesses - Directs the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to make grants of up to $250,000 each to eligible applicants to provide employee child care. Sets out eligibility requirements. Limits the number of grants to eight each fiscal year, half of which must be made to businesses in metropolitan areas having populations of at least 500,000. Directs the Administrator to present an evaluation of the grant projects to specified congressional committees no later than March 31, 1992. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Tax Incentives for Small Businesses - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit small businesses a ten percent investment tax credit in connection with certain depreciable property used as part of an on-site child care facility owned and operated by the employer for the care of enrollees, at least 50 percent of whom must be dependents of the employer's employees. Provides for recapture of the credit amount if the facility ceases to be a qualified child care center. Limits eligibility for the credit to small businesses having average annual gross receipts of $5,000,000 or less for the preceding three-year period. Permits the same small businesses a ten percent tax credit for expenses paid or incurred to operate such a facility. Title III: National Advisory Commission on Public and Private Cooperative Child Care Efforts - Establishes the National Advisory Commission on Public and Private Cooperative Child Care Efforts to study and report to specified congressional committees and to persons appointing Commission members concerning ways to promote coordination between Federal programs and American businesses in providing quality child care to working parents. Terminates the Commission 30 days following the submission of its required report. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1988
Protests Soviet human rights violations, especially the restrictive emigration regulations, and calls upon the President to use the upcoming summit meeting in Moscow to stress the inherent link between respect for human rights and the achievement of lasting peace.
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 · 20 April 1988
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the National Economic Commission should adopt the position that the only effective means to balance the Federal budget is to restrain the real rate of Federal spending to a level below the real rate of economic growth without increasing taxes above the current share of the gross national product, unless such revenue increases can be achieved with a reduction in tax rates.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 1988
Declares that the Congress acknowledges and appreciates the commitment, devotion, and sacrifices of present and former military families. Designates November 21, 1988, as National Military Families Recognition Day.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 1988
Urges: (1) the United States to continue to work through private and voluntary and international organizations to provide famine relief assistance to the people of Ethiopia; (2) the Government of Ethiopia to rescind its directive limiting access of such organizations to famine stricken regions; and (3) the international donor community to continue efforts to eliminate specified structural causes of famine and starvation in Ethiopia. Commends the Agency for International Development, the United Nations, and private and voluntary and international organizations for their efforts to save famine victims in Ethiopia.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 1988
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) a negotiated settlement to the conflict in the Persian Gulf is in the best interests of all nations; (2) the President should be commended for his efforts to achieve a negotiated settlement and for his judicious decisions to deploy and utilize U.S. armed forces to secure U.S. interests in the region; (3) the U.S. armed forces personnel involved in that area should be congratulated and medals or other decorations should be awarded; and (4) all Americans should join in saluting these individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1988
Civil Service Annuity Prompt Payment Act - Requires civil service retirement annuity payments and survivor annuity payments to begin 90 days after the later of: (1) the annuity's commencement date; or (2) the date on which the Office of Personnel Management receives a completed application. Requires the payment of interest on the initial underpayment of annuity if no monthly payment is made within the 90-day period, or if one or more monthly annuity payments are made within such period but the amount of payment is deficient.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 1988
Municipal Solid Waste Incinerator Act of 1988 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to publish guidelines, within 18 months of this Act's enactment, identifying materials which should be removed from solid waste before its incineration in a municipal solid waste incinerator. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations, within two years of this Act's enactment, applicable to the operation and management of municipal solid waste incinerators, and to the disposal, or recycling and reuse of municipal solid waste incinerator ash. Requires that landfills into which such ashes are disposed provide for groundwater monitoring and: (1) place such ashes in a monofill having a leachate collection system and a single liner designed and operated to prevent the migration of any constituent into such liner; or (2) have two or more liners and a leachate collection system above and between such liners. Authorizes the regulations to waive such ash disposal requirements on the basis of site specific factors or in the case of existing facilities which have been demonstrated to provide human and environmental protection equivalent to that provided by such single or double liner landfills. Directs the Administrator to prescribe criteria and testing procedures for identifying the hazardous properties of municipal incinerator ash so that ash which does not exhibit such properties may be placed in sanitary landfills meeting current criteria. Requires that ash which is hazardous to human health or the environment be treated prior to recycling or reuse. Requires States to adopt and implement a permit program, within 18 months after the Administrator issues incinerator and ash management regulations, to ensure that municipal solid waste incinerators and persons who deal with such ash comply with the Administrator's regulations and this Act's requirements. Sets forth transitional provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 1988
Declares that all human beings, from the moment of conception and without regard to age, health, or condition of dependency, are persons entitled to the guarantees contained in the fifth, 13th, and 14th amendments to the Constitution. Prohibits abortion.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 1988
Amends the National School Lunch Act to require that eligibility for free lunches under the school lunch program be based on the nonfarm income poverty guidelines prescribed by the Office of Management and Budget.
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
Requires the President to: (1) deploy armed forces equipment and personnel to halt aircraft and vessels carrying narcotics across U.S. borders; (2) deploy radar aircraft for continuous aerial radar coverage of the southern U.S. border during darkness; (3) deploy both rotor and fixed wing aircraft for pursuit and seizure purposes; and (4) use National Guard and Reserve members and U.S. Customs Service and Coast Guard personnel and equipment for purposes of these activities. Prohibits such military personnel from making arrests aboard any aircraft or vessel, unless they are in hot pursuit. Requires the President to withhold Federal funding from any National Guard unit whose State does not cooperate in this drug interdiction program. Requires all program expenses to be borne by the Department of Defense. Requires the President to substantially halt border crossings by narcotic-carrying aircraft and vessels within 45 days after enactment of this Act. Requires the President to: (1) report to the Congress within a specified time; (2) request funds from the Congress for FY 1988 and 1989 for purposes of the program; and (3) submit a request in the budget for the Department of Defense for such funds every year beginning in 1990.
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 · 30 March 1988
Supports the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should: (1) continue to provide a credible U.S. nuclear deterrent force based in Europe for the security of the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies; (2) provide leadership within NATO with respect to strengthening NATO conventional forces and modernizing its nuclear deterrent forces in Europe; (3) seek verifiable conventional arms agreements leading to Warsaw Pact arms reductions in Europe; (4) continue to discuss with our NATO allies a comprehensive strategy for arms control and nuclear and conventional defense modernization in the post-INF period; (5) continue to work for verifiable strategic nuclear reductions which contribute to stability; (6) take appropriate action, including withdrawing from the INF Treaty, if he determines that the Soviets have materially violated that Treaty; and (7) propose specific procedures to resolve existing and future Soviet arms control violations.
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 · 29 March 1988
Amends the Military Selective Service Act to provide that any person required to register for selective service under such Act who applies for any form of right, privilege, or benefit under Federal law for which registration with selective service is required shall be considered, by reason of such application, to have so registered.
![Official portrait of Rep. Solomon, Gerald B. H. [R-NY-22]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s000675_200.jpg)