United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1985
Provides for a demonstration program in which a limited number of States would be permitted to provide unemployment compensation to individuals for the purpose of funding self-employment. Directs the Secretary of Labor to enter into a program agreement with at least five, but not more than ten, States. Sets forth factors that the Secretary must consider in selecting States for such program. Requires program agreements to provide that: (1) each eligible individual, for the three-year benefit period beginning on the date on which such agreement is entered into, shall be entitled to receive adjustment assistance in the form of self-employment allowances; and (2) an individual receiving such assistance shall not be eligible to receive, in addition to such assistance, extended or other additional compensation with respect to such benefit year if payment is made under this Act by the State in lieu of regular compensation. Makes an individual an eligible individual with respect to any benefit year, for purposes of this Act, if such individual: (1) is eligible to receive regular compensation under the State law during such benefit year; (2) submits an application to the State agency for adjustment assistance under this Act; and (3) meets applicable State requirements. Limits the number of individuals who may be considered as eligible individuals for purposes of this Act during such year. Provides that the aggregate amount of adjustment assistance provided under this Act in the form of a self-employment allowance to any individual with respect to any benefit year shall not exceed the maximum amount of regular compensation that a State makes available plus any extended or additional compensation payable to such individual with respect to such benefit year. Provides, for such purposes, that the maximum amount of extended or other additional compensation payable to any individual with respect to any benefit year shall be determined: (1) as of the day on which the individual submits an application for adjustment assistance under this Act, by assuming that the unemployment conditions in the state during the week in which such application is submitted will remain constant; and (2) without regard to any termination of a program under which payments of extended or other additional compensation are being made for the week in which such application is submitted. Permits eligible individuals to file applications for self-employment allowances with State agencies responsible for administering agreements under this Act. Allows a State to pay a self-employment allowance in one or more payments and to make the payment directly to, or on behalf of, an eligible individual. Prohibits a State from offering such allowances unless it is implementing a program approved by the Secretary and designed to select and assist individuals for self-employment, monitor such employment, and provide for complete evaluation of the use of such allowances. Provides that State and Federal requirements relating to availability for work, active search for work, or refusal to accept suitable work shall not apply to an individual receiving a self-employment allowance under this Act as long as such individual is self-employed. Provides for payments to States of amounts equal to the Federal share of each payment (other than administrative expenses) made by the State agency on account of adjustment assistance provided to an individual under this Act. Requires that such Federal share be paid from amounts available for payment of the Federal share of extended or supplemental compensation and from any amounts appropriated to carry out this Act. Makes such Federal share equal to the percentage of the extended or other additional compensation taken into account for purposes of this Act for which the State would have been entitled to reimbursement if such additional compensation had been paid under the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970, the Federal Supplemental Compensation Act of 1982, and any other Federal law providing additional compensation. Permits States to make payments (exclusive of administrative expenses) from State unemployment funds for adjustment assistance provided under this Act. Provides, for purposes of Social Security Act provisions relating to grants for administrative expenses, that the provisions of this Act shall be treated as unemployment compensation law. Directs the Secretary to submit to the Congress: (1) within two years after enactment of this Act, an interim report on the effectiveness of such demonstration program; and (2) within four years after such enactment, a final report on such program. Sets forth provisions relating to fraud and overpayments. Excludes activities taken by a State pursuant to an agreement under this Act from being taken into consideration in determining whether there has been a net decrease in the solvency of the State unemployment compensation program. Defines "extended or additional compensation," for purposes of this Act, as: (1) extended compensation; (2) Federal supplemental compensation payable under the Federal Supplemental Compensation Act of 1982; and (3) any other compensation payable to exhaustees by reason of conditions of high unemployment. Gives certain other terms under this Act the same meanings as under the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970. Makes this Act effective on October 1 of the first fiscal year beginning after its enactment date.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1985
Requires diet drugs containing phenylpropanolamine to be dispensed only in accordance with the prescription drug requirements of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1985
Commemorates May 18, 1985, as the 20th anniversary of the Head Start Program. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the Head Start Program has been cost-effective and successful; and (2) congressional commitment to such program is reaffirmed.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1985
Labor-Management Notification and Consultation Act of 1985 - Prohibits any employer (i.e. any business with 50 or more employees) from ordering a plant closing or permanent layoff until 90 days after the employer serves written notice of a proposal to issue such an order to: (1) the representative of the affected employees or, if none, to each affected employee; and (2) the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. Provides for reduction of such notification period if the Service determines that unavoidable business circumstances prevent the employer from withholding such closing or layoff until the end of such period. Provides for extension of such notification period thus prohibiting the ordering of such closing or layoff while the employer is subject to an order to continue to consult. Prohibits an employer from ordering a plant closing or permanent layoff unless the employer has: (1) met with representatives of the affected employees with respect to a proposal to order such closing or layoff; and (2) consulted in good faith with such representative for the purpose of agreeing to a mutually satisfactory alternative to or modification of such proposal. Makes such obligation to consult commence on the date of notice and continue until the end of the 90-day notification period. Provides that such consultation period shall be extended if the Service determines that the employer has failed to comply with such consultation requirements. Authorizes the Service to renew any such extension imposed. Requires the employer to disclose to the affected employees' representative information necessary for thorough evaluation of: (1) the proposal to order the closing or layoff; and (2) any alternatives or modifications suggested to such proposal. Authorizes the Service to issue protective orders to prevent disclosure of information which could compromise the employer's competitive position. Sets forth provisions for the administration and enforcement of requirements under this Act. Provides for: (1) assistance by the Service to employers, employee representatives, affected employees, State employment services, and other State and local officials; (2) investigations and injunctive actions by the Department of Labor; (3) civil actions against employers; and (4) civil actions against representatives of employees. Provides that the rights and remedies provided to employees by this Act are in addition to any other contractual, statutory, or other legal rights and remedies of the employees. Expresses the sense of the Congress that employers who, because affected employees do not have a representative, are not required to comply with the consultation and disclosure requirements under this Act should consult with and disclose information to such employees in order to reach a mutually satisfactory alternative or modification of the proposal to order the closing or layoff. Establishes a National Commission on Plant Closings and Worker Dislocation. Requires the Commission to report to the President and the Congress within 12 months of the appointment of members. Terminates the Commission 30 days after such report. Authorizes appropriations for the Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1985
Atomic Veterans Relief Act of 1985 - Provides disability benefits to veterans who participated in atomic tests or the occupation of Hiroshima or Nagasaki after World War II and who, within 40 years, suffer from diseases that may be attributable to ionizing radiation, including: (1) leukemia; (2) polycythemia vera; (3) carcinoma of the thyroid; (4) chromosomal damage; (5) posterior subcapsular cataracts; and (6) other radiogenic cancers. Directs the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to promulgate regulations to resolve benefit claims and provide standards for benefit determinations and the inclusion of additional diseases as the basis for benefits. Provides for survivors' benefits. Directs the Administrator to report to the Veterans' Affairs Committees of the Congress whenever legislative action related to the subject matter of the regulations is needed. Requires proposed and final regulations to be published in the Federal Register by the Administrator within specified periods. Establishes a presumption that a disability is service-connected for a veteran exposed to ionizing radiation while on active duty, notwithstanding the absence of Government records documenting any such exposure. Provides medical care for the treatment of genetic or congenital disorders in the natural children of affected veterans. Entitles such children to educational assistance. Requires the Administrator to carry out an outreach, screening, and counseling program to serve those veterans, dependents, and survivors entitled to benefits under this Act. Directs the Administrator to establish a research and training program for the diagnosis and treatment of disabilities caused by exposure to ionizing radiation, including a centralized registry of claims. Directs the Administrator to make a comprehensive report on these programs in the annual report to the Congress under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1985
Ethnic and Minority Affairs Broadcasting Clearinghouse Act of 1985 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to establish the Ethnic and Minority Affairs Clearinghouse within the Federal Communications Commission. Directs the Clearinghouse to: (1) establish a clearinghouse for complaints about the portrayal of ethnic and minority groups in radio and television broadcast programming; (2) collect and disseminate information about such portrayal; (3) conduct an annual conference to draw public attention to such portrayal; (4) submit to the Congress an annual report on its activities, including a compilation of all complaints received; and (5) provide information to the Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 1985
Amends the Equal Credit Opportunity Act to prohibit the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System from exempting from such Act any class of credit transactions that are primarily for personal, family, or household purposes. Permits the Board to exempt (for five years) a type or class of business or commercial transactions only after determining that application of such Act to such transactions would not contribute substantially to effecting the purposes of such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 1985
Public Lands Airspace Protection Act - Amends the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 to prohibit the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, except as provided in this Act, from establishing any zone in the airspace over non-military public land, for use by the Department of Defense for defense purposes, to prohibit or restrict the flight of civil aircraft. Requires the Administrator to submit to the Congress any proposal to establish such a zone. Deems the establishment of such a zone or area to be a major Federal action for purposes of the National Environmental Policy Act. Requires an environmental impact statement to accompany such a proposal. States that an airspace zone proposal shall only be effective upon enactment into law of a provision approving it. Makes this Act inapplicable in time of war or national emergency declared by the President or the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 1985
Federal Science and Technology Transfer Act of 1985 - Amends the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 to authorize Federal agencies, subject to specified conditions, to permit the directors of their Government-operated Federal laboratories to enter into cooperative research and development agreements with other Federal agencies, State or local governments, industrial organizations, universities, or other persons. Authorizes Government-operated Federal laboratories, under such agreements and subject to specified conditions, to: (1) grant patent licenses or assignments, or options, in any subject invention made by a Federal employee, or made jointly by a Federal employee and an employee of the collaborating party, and to retain such rights as the laboratory deems appropriate; and (2) waive in advance any right of ownership which the Federal Government may have to any subject invention made by a collaborating party or such party's employee under the agreement. Requires Federal agencies to establish certain plans to be followed in entering into such agreements. Prohibits such agreements with: (1) any person who is not located in the United States, does not have a place of business located in the United States, or is subject to the control of a foreign government; or (2) any other entity which is owned or controlled by any such person. Prohibits such agreements if an authority of the Federal Government which is authorized by statute or executive order to conduct foreign intelligence or counterintelligence activities determines that ownership or licensing rights granted by the agreement must be restricted or eliminated in order to protect the security of such activities. Provides for an appeals procedure with respect to such determinations. Provides that specified provisions of Federal law relating to patent rights in inventions made with Federal assistance shall apply to certain types of such agreements. Provides that small businesses will be given preference in the making of certain types of such agreements. Prohibits any person (or his or her assignee) who receives title or exclusive right or exclusive patent license to any subject invention from granting the exclusive right to use or sell, or from making exclusive use of, such invention unless the products embodying it or produced through its use will be manufactured substantially in the United States. Authorizes the Federal agency concerned to waive such prohibition on a case-by-case basis under specified conditions. Directs each agency to maintain a record of all such agreements. Establishes the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer in the National Science Foundation. Requires the Director of the Foundation to appoint an individual to manage the Consortium and authorizes such individual to appoint Consortium employees. Sets forth Consortium duties relating to the commercial potential of new technologies generated by Federal laboratory research. Requires the Director of the Foundation to report biennially to the President and to the appropriate authorization and appropriation committees of the Congress on Consortium and other specified activities. Requires other Federal agencies to: (1) cooperate in providing information for such reports; and (2) transfer a specified portion of their research and development budgets to the Foundation to carry out Consortium activities. Sets forth rules and formulas for the distribution of royalties or other income received by Federal agencies from the licensing or assignment of inventions under such agreements under this Act, and from inventions licensed under provisions of Federal law relating to domestic and foreign protection of federally owned inventions, or under any other provision of law. Requires Federal agencies to report annually to the appropriate authorization and appropriation committees of the Congress detailing the amount of such royalties or other income received and expenditures made under such rules and formulas.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 1985
Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit engaging in, or furnishing money, goods, or services with the intent of assisting any group to engage in, military or paramilitary operations in a foreign country if there is a statutory prohibition against U.S. covert assistance to military or paramilitary operations in that country.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 1985
Amends the Clean Air Act to prohibit after 90 days after this Act's enactment any gasoline retailer, refiner, distributor, or reseller from selling leaded gasoline at a price below that for unleaded gasoline. Prohibits after 1985 the selling of gasoline with more than 0.1 grams per gallon of lead or lead additives.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 1985
Compassionate Pain Relief Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a program under which heroin shall be made available to individuals for the relief of pain from terminal cancer. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, to provide for the manufacture of heroin for such program. Directs the Attorney General to promulgate regulations making heroin available for use in such program. Directs the Secretary to assure the purity of such drug. Permits physicians, hospital pharmacies, and hospice pharmacies registered under the Controlled Substances Act to prescribe heroin to terminally ill cancer patients. Requires the registration, by the Attorney General, of: (1) manufacturers of heroin to be used in the program; (2) hospice and hospital pharmacies which dispense such drug; and (3) physicians who prescribe it. Provides penalties for those who knowingly violate regulations prescribed by the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees regarding: (1) activities under the program; and (2) research and training in pain management funded by the National Institutes of Health. Provides for the program's termination.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 1985
Amends the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 to allow a retired railroad worker to be employed in any non-railroad employment and still qualify for an annuity, subject to specified deductions, including reduction of certain benefits by $1 for every $2 earned from the last non-railroad employment.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 1985
First Things First Credit Act of 1985 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to disallow an income tax deduction for interest paid or incurred on any loan which is used to acquire control of a corporation which has more than $250,000,000 in gross receipts for the year preceding the year of the acquisition.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
Polygraph Protection Act of 1985 - Prohibits any employer from using any lie detector test or examination in the work place, for both pre-employment testing and testing in the course of employment. Requires the Secretary of Labor to prepare and have printed notices setting forth this prohibition. Requires employers to post these notices. Provides for remedies for violations of this Act as found in the Fair Labor Standards Act. Exempts Federal, State, and local employees from the Act's coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
Handicapped Children's Protection Act of 1985 - Amends the Education of the Handicapped Act to authorize the award of a reasonable attorney's fee as part of the costs to the parents or guardian of a handicapped child or youth who is the prevailing party in a civil suit under such Act to protect the child's right to a free appropriate public education. Requires the party seeking such an award to submit an application, including an itemized statement of such fees and expenses from the attorneys or expert witnesses. Authorizes the court to: (1) increase the amount awarded to the prevailing party if the court finds that the local or State educational agency or the intermediate educational unit has engaged in conduct which unduly and unreasonably protracted the final resolution of the matter in controversy; or (2) reduce or deny an award if it finds that the prevailing party engaged in such conduct. Prohibits such awards from being paid with funds provided to the State under such Act. Provides that such amendments shall apply to actions and proceedings brought on or after July 4, 1984, and actions and proceedings brought prior to such date which were pending on such date. Provides that nothing in the Education of the Handicapped Act shall be construed to restrict or limit the rights, procedures, and remedies under the Constitution, title V of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, or other Federal statutes prohibiting discrimination. Provides that specified provisions under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 relating to nondiscrimination toward the handicapped under Federal grants and programs shall be carried out in accordance with regulations in effect on July 4, 1984. Amends the Education of the Handicapped Act to provide for: (1) public access to hearing decisions; and (2) an informal complaint resolution procedure. Provides that any decision regarding participation in an informal complaint resolution meeting with the State or local educational agency or intermediate educational unit shall not affect the availability or provision of any rights of the parents or guardian of the handicapped child under procedural safeguard provisions of such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
Anti-Apartheid Act of 1985 - Prohibits any U.S. person from making any loan to South Africa or to any organization owned or controlled by South Africa. Excludes from such prohibition a loan for any educational, housing, or health facility which: (1) is available to everyone on a nondiscriminatory basis; and (2) is located in an area accessible to all population groups. Declares that such prohibition shall not apply to loans for which an agreement is entered into before enactment of this Act. Directs the President to issue regulations prohibiting U.S. persons from making any investment (including bank loans) in South Africa. Excludes from such prohibition: (1) an investment which consists of earnings derived from a business enterprise in South Africa established before enactment of this Act and which is made in that business enterprise; or (2) the purchase of certain securities in such business enterprises. Prohibits any person, including U.S. banks, from importing into the United States any gold coin minted in or offered for sale by South Africa. Authorizes the President to waive the prohibitions against investments in South African businesses and against importing South African gold coins if: (1) the Government of South Africa meets at least one of seven conditions; (2) the President submits to the Congress a determination that such conditions are met; and (3) a joint resolution is enacted approving such determination. Authorizes the President to extend the waivers. Provides for expedited consideration of such joint resolution. Amends the Export Administration Act of 1979 to prohibit exporting computers, computer software, or goods or technology intended to service computers to or for use by South Africa or any organization owned or controlled by South Africa. Excludes from such prohibition donations of computers to primary and secondary schools. Declares that certain termination provisions of the Export Administration Act of 1979 shall not apply to such prohibition. Provides for enforcement of this Act. Sets forth penalties for violations of this Act. Directs the President to attempt to persuade through negotiations other countries to adopt restrictions on new investment in South Africa, on bank loans and computer sales to South Africa, and on the importation of krugerrands. Directs the President to submit annual reports to the Congress on the status of negotiations. Terminates the provisions of this Act and all the regulations issued to carry out this Act upon enactment of a joint resolution approving a determination submitted by the President to the Congress that apartheid in South Africa has been abolished.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
Amends the Clayton Act to specify factors to be considered by a court in determining whether an acquisition of the stocks, share capital, or assets of one person engaged in commerce by another such person substantially lessens competition.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the excise tax on cigarettes from: (1) $8 to $16 for small cigarettes; and (2) $16.80 to $33.60 for large cigarettes. Imposes a floor stock excise tax on small and large cigarettes. Appropriates one-fourth of the revenues raised by such excise taxes to the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund (Medicare). Establishes in the Treasury the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Trust Fund. Appropriates to such Trust Fund one-fourth of the revenue raised by such excise taxes.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
District Heating and Cooling Tax Incentives Act of 1985 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an investment tax credit for district heating or cooling property. Defines "district heating or cooling property" as any equipment or other property used as an integral part of a district heating or cooling system. Exempts district heating or cooling property which is transferred to a governmental unit or tax-exempt organization from the recapture rules relating to prohibited dispositions of investment tax credit property. Treats district heating or cooling property as depreciable personal property for purposes of tax rules relating to the recapture of excess depreciation. Exempts district heating or cooling property from classification as ten- or 15-year public utility property for purposes of accelerated depreciation under the accelerated cost recovery system. Excludes obligations for local district heating or cooling facilities from the volume cap on private activity bonds.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
Requires each State to provide for voter registration by mail for Federal elections. Requires such registration to be carried out by a post card application form approved by the Attorney General. Prohibits any State from denying any person the right to vote on the grounds such person is not registered to vote if such person has complied with the requirements of post card registration. Requires the Postmaster General, the Commissioner of Social Security, and the Administrator of Veterans Affairs, in cooperation with the Attorney General and the Chief election officer of each State, to facilitate distribution of post card registration forms in Federal facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend to January 1, 1992, the termination date for the deduction for expenses incurred in connection with the elimination of architectural and transportation barriers to the handicapped and the elderly.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1985
Handicapped Independence Assistance Act of 1985 - Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to treat sensory and communication aids, including training in the use of such aids, as medical and other health services. Requires such items and services to be designed to substantially reduce handicaps to employment and education caused by blindness, deafness, a severe hearing or visual impairment, or the inability to communicate vocally. Limits expenses that may be incurred under this Act for such items and services.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that no deductions shall be allowed for advertising or other promotion expenses with respect to arms sales.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1985
Indian Health Care Amendments of 1985 - Title I: Indian Health Manpower - Amends the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to authorize appropriations for specified Indian health programs for FY 1986 through 1989, including scholarship programs and continuing education allowances. Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) from denying scholarship assistance solely on the basis of an applicant's scholastic achievement if such applicant has been admitted to, or maintained good standing at, an accredited health professions institution. Directs the Secretary to grant Indian Health Scholarships to Indians enrolled full-time in certain schools for health professionals. States that the active duty service requirements of the Public Health Service can be met by specified services, including: (1) service under a contract pursuant to the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act; and (2) the private practice of a health professional if such practice is in a health professional shortage area and addresses the health care needs of a substantial number of Indians. Title II: Health Services - Enumerates the health services for which the Secretary is authorized to expend Indian Health Care Improvement Fund appropriations. Prohibits the use of such funds to offset or limit appropriations made under other Acts. Conditions the allocation of such funds upon the health resource deficiency level of the affected Indian tribes. Allocates such funds on a service unit basis. Requires the Secretary to submit to the Congress a current health services priority system report, including the methodology for determining tribal health resources deficiencies, and the funds needed to raise all service units to a zero level deficiency. Directs the Secretary to establish a review mechanism for tribal petitions regarding the health resource deficiency level of a tribe. Requires the Secretary to provide a current update of tribal specific health plans. Requires at least one percent of the Indian Health Care Improvement Fund appropriation to be expended for research. Makes programs administered by tribal organizations under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act eligible for specified funds on an equal basis with programs administered directly by the Indian Health Service. Directs the President to include with the submission of the budget a separate statement which specifies the amounts obligated to implement enumerated health services. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 through 1989 for specified health services. Designates such appropriations the Indian Health Care Improvement Fund. Establishes an Indian Catastrophic Health Emergency Fund to meet extraordinary medical costs for victims of disasters or catastrophic illness. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to waive the competitive procurement requirements for health services upon certification by the responsible Chief Medical Officer that such requirements would compromise the quality of health services. Title III: Health Facilities - Requires the Secretary to submit to the Congress a health facilities priority system report regarding the construction or renovation needs of the ten top priority inpatient and ambulatory care facilities. Requires the Secretary to consult with any Indian tribe that might be affected by an expenditure for health facilities before the Secretary makes a commitment for such an expenditure. Conditions the closure of any health care facility upon the Secretary's submission to the Congress of an impact assessment one year prior to the contemplated closing. Enumerates the data to be included in such assessment. Directs the Secretary to implement a ten-year plan to provide safe water and sanitary sewage and solid waste disposal facilities to Indian homes and communities. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress regarding the Indian Health Service's current Indian sanitation facility priority system and the funds needed to raise all communities or tribes to a zero level of deficiency. Authorizes specified appropriations to provide sanitation facilities. Authorizes the Secretary to provide financial and technical assistance for the operation and maintenance of sanitation facilities, utility organizations, and emergency repairs of sanitation facilities. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 through 1989. Authorizes tribes to expend certain non-Indian Health Service funds for the renovation of Indian health facilities, subject to specified conditions. Authorizes the Secretary to exchange certain real property with the Bethel Native Corporation (Alaska). Specifies conditions under which the Secretary is required to negotiate an agreement to sell to such corporation a specified Service hospital and appurtenant facilities. Conditions such sale upon a lease-purchase agreement whereby the Corporation shall purchase the hospital and its facilities and the Service shall lease and operate such hospital and its facilities. Title IV: Access to Health Services - Extends the authorization for specified appropriations for grants and contracts with tribal organizations from FY 1986 through 1989. Title V: Urban Indian Health Services - Directs the Secretary to contract with urban Indian organizations to administer health services programs in urban areas. Sets forth specified requirements to be included in such contracts. Details eligibility criteria for the selection of such organizations. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into contracts with urban Indian organizations to determine the health status and unmet health care needs of urban Indians in affected urban areas. Delineates the requirements of such contracts. Requires the Secretary to: (1) develop evaluation procedures for the performance of such contracts; and (2) conduct annual onsite evaluations of each contracting urban Indian organization. Prescribes guidelines for the renewal of health care or referral services contracts. Prohibits renewal of contracts for determination of unmet health needs if their performance has been non-compliant or otherwise unsatisfactory and problems cannot be resolved. Requires certain reports to the Congress. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 through 1989 for purposes of carrying out such contracts. Title VI: Organizational Improvements - Establishes in the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services the Office of Indian Health Service to administer all Indian health programs and authorities assigned to the Secretary or the Surgeon General, including such programs and authorities under this Act and other specified Acts. Places the Office of Indian Health Service under the direction of an Assistant Secretary for Indian Health who shall be responsible for the conduct and operation of Indian health matters. Transfers the Indian Health Service to the Office of Indian Health Service (thus terminating the Indian Health Service as part of the Health Resources and Services Administration). Provides that the assignment of commissioned corps personnel to service within the Office of Indian Health Service shall not be affected except as specifically provided in this Act. Requires the Secretary to establish an automated management information system for the Indian Health Service. Title VII: Miscellaneous - Authorizes the Secretary to enter into legal agreements with Indian tribes or tribal organizations in order to provide compensation for facility space costs associated with the administration and delivery of health services by the Indian Health Service or tribally operated programs. Directs the Secretary to coordinate efforts with the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Education to develop programs to combat alcohol and drug abuse among Indian juveniles, including preventive education programs in schools operated by or under the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Directs the Secretary to establish an Office of Alcohol and Drug Abuse within the Indian Health Service. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 through 1989. Directs the Secretary to arrange with the National Academy of Sciences, in consultation with the Office of Technology Assessment, to conduct a study of health hazards faced by Indians and Indian miners exposed to nuclear resource developments on or near Indian communities. Directs the Secretary and the Indian Health Service to develop a health care plan which addresses the results of such study. Directs the Secretary to submit to the Congress both the health hazard study and the ensuing health care plan, within certain times. Authorizes appropriations for such study. Extends from FY 1984 to 1989 the time during which Arizona is designated as a contract health service delivery area. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 through 1989. Extends eligibility for health services of specified Indians in the State of California from FY 1984 through 1988. Establishes eligibility guidelines for certain California Indian and for certain persons who are otherwise ineligible for medical benefits provided by either the Indian Health Service or by tribes contracting with the Service. Designates the State of California as a contract health service delivery area. Lists programs eligible for Indian Health Service funds. Restricts circumstances under which the Secretary may remove a member of the National Health Service Corps who is performing obligated service in a health facility operated by or under the Indian Health Service. Sets a deadline by which the Secretary must develop and implement a plan to reduce Indian infant and maternal mortality rates to that of the general population. Directs the Secretary to provide contract health services to the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians who reside in the Trenton Service Area of specified counties in the States of North Dakota and Montana.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1985
Income and Jobs Action Act of 1985 - Declares that every adult American able and willing to earn a living has the right to a choice among opportunities for paid employment (part- or full-time) at decent wages or for self-employment. Directs all Federal agencies to plan and carry out their policies and programs so all adult Americans may exercise this right. Prohibits the Federal Reserve System or any other Federal agency from promoting recession, stagnation, or involuntary unemployment as a means of reducing wages and salaries or inflation. Declares that every adult American unable to work for pay has the right to an adequate standard of living that rises with increases in the wealth and productivity of the society. Provides that no adult American shall be judged unable to work merely because of the unavailability of suitable paid employment opportunities at a given time or place or because of the lack of previous employment. Requires, in the absence of such opportunities and until such opportunities can be provided, that an adult American able and willing to work for pay shall be provided with whatever income is required to maintain a moderate level of living, as defined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Directs the President, in the first annual message at the beginning of the first session of the Congress after the enactment of this Act, to include specific proposals for a Conversion Planning Fund, to be administered by agencies determined by the President. Provides that such Fund shall promote short- and long-term plans for coping with declines in civilian or military activities by developing specific policies, programs, and projects (including feasibility studies, education, on-the-job training, and inducements for necessary and desirable labor mobility) for the expansion of economic activities in sectors where additional or improved goods or services are needed. Requires, in addition to such other funds as may be authorized, that such Fund include no less than one percent of the amount appropriated for military purposes during each subsequent year. Directs the President, within six months after the enactment of this Act and thereafter in each annual economic report and budget message, to transmit to Congress a staged program to create conditions under which the rights set forth in this Act may be enjoyed and to describe how the Conversion Planning Fund may be most productively used. Sets forth requirements for the design of such program, including provisions for locally based over-all planning. Directs the President, as part of such annual program, to transmit to Congress a short- and long-range schedule for implementing the purposes of the Act. Requires that such schedule include reductions in: (1) the military budget; (2) wasteful tax expenditures and loopholes; and (3) interest rates and Federal deficits. Requires that such schedule include: (1) recommendations for the appropriate use and direction of public and private pension funds; (2) the creation or promotion of private and public development banks, particularly in neighborhoods and other areas of high unemployment and poverty; (3) the promotion of educational activities within each State in accordance with locally-based overall planning, with special attention to educational processes that promote and use the creative abilities of businesses, labor unions, nonprofit voluntary and cooperative organizations, and the unemployed; and (4) timetables for developing the conditions for progress in attaining the policy goals of this Act. Requires that any outlays proposed under such plan and program be presented in terms not only of gross outlays, but also of net outlays, computed with a full estimation of specified factors.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1985
Pesticide Import and Export Act of 1985 - Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to specify the types of information a pesticide producer must submit to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on pesticides manufactured in and exported from the United States. Requires the Administrator of EPA to cooperate and collaborate with the Secretary of State, Secretary of Agriculture, and the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration in identifying overseas pesticide use patterns on food crops exported to the United States. Requires the Administrator to prepare an annual report summarizing such information. Requires that information on pesticide exports be kept confidential except as it must be disclosed to comply with reporting requirements. Prohibits considering a pesticide in violation of this Act even though the Administrator has cancelled, suspended, denied, or restricted the use of the pesticide or the use of the pesticide has been voluntarily cancelled or suspended if the Administrator, after consultation with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Agriculture, and before export determines that the foreign country has: (1) requested the pesticide; (2) disclosed to the Administrator the specific intended use of such pesticide in such country; (3) informed the Administrator of educational procedures for users of the pesticide; and (4) if the pesticide will be used on food crops exported to the United States, informed the Administrator of regulatory requirements imposed on the use of such pesticide that might affect the nature and level of pesticide residues on such crops. Requires the Administrator, upon receipt of such information, to provide such country with information regarding: (1) restrictions on the use of such pesticide in the United States; (2) the nature and estimated severity of any unreasonable adverse effects identified by the Administrator; (3) the availability of regulatory and scientific documents concerning such pesticide; and (4) in the case of an acutely toxic pesticide, the acute hazards associated with exposure to such pesticide. Prohibits the use of a temporary tolerance established as part of an experimental use permit from covering pesticide residues on imported foodstuffs. Requires the Administrator to revoke the tolerances for residues: (1) associated with cancelled, suspended, or denied uses of a pesticide; or (2) if the tolerance is no longer needed or supported by the available scientific data. Provides for automatically revoking a tolerance within 180 days of cancellation or suspension of use of a pesticide or if a pesticide registration or registration application is voluntarily withdrawn. Directs the Administrator to establish a residue action level at the time a tolerance is revoked if the Administrator determines that: (1) residues of the pesticide will unavoidably persist in the environment; and (2) such action levels will not pose an unreasonable adverse effect on man or the environment. Directs the Administrator to: (1) cooperate with international efforts to develop improved and uniform pesticide research and regulatory programs; and (2) provide countries which import pesticides from the United States with technical assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1985
Sulfite Safety Act of 1985 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to prohibit the use of sulfiting agents in raw fruits and vegetables. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to reevaluate and report to the Congress on the use of such agents in other foods, including wine, dried fruit, and seafood.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1985
Amends the Federal Tort Claims Act to permit actions to be brought against the United States for money damages for injury, loss of property, or death due to exposure to radiation by a Government contractor carrying out an atomic weapons testing program. Provides for substitution of the United States as defendant if such action is brought against the contractor.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1985
Designates the Veterans Administration Outpatient Clinic to be located in Crown Point, Indiana, as the Adam Benjamin, Junior, Veterans Administration Outpatient Clinic.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1985
Declares that the United States: (1) shall initiate a dialogue with the participants in the Contadora process to develop a common strategy for regional stability; (2) should assist efforts to implement specified objectives by offering such advisory services as may be requested and by exerting vigorous diplomatic efforts to persuade other governments involved in Central America to observe these conditions; and (3) should announce its willingness to pursue multilateral negotiations with the Central American countries. Requires the United States to communicate to Nicaragua its desire to resume negotiations to: (1) further the aims of the Contadora Act for Peace and Cooperation in Central America; and (2) promote the normalization of relations between the United States and Nicaragua. Declares that for the 90 days following enactment of this Act: (1) the United States shall suspend certain military assistance and arms sales to Central American countries except for medical facilities or supplies; (2) the United States shall suspend construction of military facilities in Central American countries; (3) the United States shall not participate in training exercises in or off shores of Central American countries; (4) the number of members of U.S. armed forces in any Central American country may not exceed the number in that country on the date of enactment of this Act unless needed to protect U.S. citizens; (5) the United States shall suspend all air reconnaissance flights for armed forces of any Central American country; and (6) there shall be no obligation or expenditure of Central Intelligence Agency funds, Defense Department funds, or any other U.S. funds to support military or paramilitary operations in Nicaragua by any nation, group, organization, movement, or individual. Requires the President to report to the Congress within 90 days of enactment of this Act on the results of U.S. policy in Central America.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1985
Agricultural Productivity Act of 1985 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to: (1) make an inventory of existing research and extension materials and recommend further areas of research regarding crop rotation, intercropping, biological pest control, and other related farming and soil conservation systems; and (2) make such information available to the public. Directs the Secretary to conduct research on 24 pilot farms (having specified mixes of livestock and crops) to examine the effects of the transition from practices relying on chemical fertilizers and pesticides and traditional soil tillage to systems relying on organic and biological pest control, crop rotation, and conservation tillage. Requires such farms to be chosen within 120 days. Directs the Secretary to make a parallel study of 12 farms which have been using such farm systems for at least five years. Sets the term of such projects at five years each. Sets forth on-farm study data, including soil profile changes, crop yields, energy and water use, and farm income. Directs the Secretary to make payments to the owner of a pilot farm if the Secretary determines such payments are justified. Stipulates that these payments may be made only during a project's last four years. Directs the Secretary to coordinate such pilot farms project with specified Federal and State agricultural services, colleges, and farmers. Directs the Secretary to report to the appropriate congressional committees: (1) within 15 months regarding the information inventory; and (2) by April 1 of each year regarding the pilot farms, with a final project summary and recommendations by April 1 of the year following completion. Provides for a five-year program of intercropping assistance under the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1985
Prohibits any person employed by or acting on behalf of the U.S. Government from conspiring or engaging in an assassination. Prohibits any Federal agency from participating in or requesting any person to engage in an assassination.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1985
Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to provide that ERISA does not preempt State laws: (1) which protect the freedom of choice of an individual under an employee benefit plan to select any licensed health practitioner to perform health services covered by such plan; or (2) which require surety bonds, cash or security deposits, or other financial guarantees or assurances to protect employee benefit plans from insolvency.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1985
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Secretary of Health and Human Services is required by the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to terminate the provisional listing in effect under the Color Additive Amendments of 1960 for certain food color dyes (thus disapproving them for commercial uses).
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that, in order to honor the Camp David Accords, Egypt should: (1) return its Ambassador to Israel; (2) take steps to increase trade and tourism with Israel; and (3) take steps to curb anti-Semitic statements.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1985
High Risk Occupational Disease Notification and Prevention Act of 1985 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct research into improving the means of: (1) surveillance of employees exposed to occupational health hazards; and (2) medical monitoring and treatment of employees exposed to occupational hazards. Provides that such research shall be conducted primarily through the occupational and environmental health centers established under this Act. Lists areas such research is to include (among which are: studying the etiology and development of such diseases; developing means of medical surveillance of exposed employees; and developing educational programs). Directs the Secretary to undertake or sponsor additional epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory research to identify and define additional employee populations at risk of occupational disease. Provides that: (1) this expanded research shall be conducted or sponsored by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH); and (2) in conducting such research, NIOSH shall have access to prior and current employment, occupational, and health-related data and information maintained by Federal agencies. Authorizes the Secretary, in carrying out such research, to employ experts and consultants. Establishes a Risk Assessment Board, within NIOSH, to: (1) review current medical and other scientific studies and reports concerning the incidence of disease associated with employment; (2) report to the Secretary on the state of current research on such diseases; and (3) designate, from such review, employee populations at risk of disease associated with hazardous occupational exposures. Sets forth factors which the Board must consider in identifying such populations at risk. Directs the Board, within ten days of making a finding that a class or category of workers is a population at increased risk (30 percent greater incidence of disease than a comparable worker population not exposed to the hazardous occupational exposure) or a population at high risk (100 percent greater incidence than the comparable worker population not exposed), to recommend to the Secretary that individuals within such populations be notified and, in cases of high risk, be eligible for services and information under this Act. Gives priority for Board review to those employee populations exposed to hazardous occupational exposures for which there already exists a permanent standard under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Requires the Board to transmit to the Secretary its findings and recommendations on these employee populations within one year after the effective date of this Act. Directs the Secretary, upon determination that a given class or category of employee is a population at risk of occupational disease, to notify each individual within such population at risk. Sets forth the required contents of such notification, including counseling information. Directs the Secretary to establish a telephone "hot line" for the personal physicians of employees who have received such notification, to provide additional medical and scientific information concerning the nature of the risk and its associated disease. Directs the Secretary to prepare and distribute other medical and health promotion material and information on any risk subject to such notification requirements and its associated disease as the Secretary deems appropriate. Provides that, in carrying out such notification responsibilities, the Secretary shall have access to information and data contained in any Federal agency records, solely for the purpose of obtaining names, addresses, and work histories of employees subject to such notification. Directs the Secretary to establish and certify occupational and environmental health centers. Provides that such centers shall be selected from: (1) educational resource centers of NIOSH and similar centers of the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences; and (2) at a later date, existing health care facilities, in an appropriate number to obtain even regional distribution of such centers throughout the United States. Sets forth criteria for selection of such centers. Requires such centers to be capable of providing research resources, diagnosis, treatment, medical monitoring, and family services for employees notified under this Act who are at high risk of occupational disease. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop criteria governing the most appropriate type of medical monitoring; and (2) develop a program for training of existing personnel and procuring specialized equipment required under criteria for certification of such centers. Prohibits discrimination by any employer, insurance carrier, or any other person against any employee on the basis that the employee has been notified by the Secretary of being at risk of any occupational disease. Requires that the employee retain the same rates of pay, benefits and seniority as in the former job if, based upon sound medical advice or monitoring initiated under this Act, it is determined that the employee should be transferred to a less hazardous or non-exposed job. Prohibits any health care financing system from discriminating against an employee who has been notified by the Secretary under this Act in the payment of the costs associated with a medical monitoring program, or any subsequent treatment, including treatment required by a medical monitoring examination or the onset of disease. Sets forth procedures for review of discrimination complaints. Provides for reinstatement and specified compensation for employees who are discriminated against in violation of this Act. Sets forth civil penalties for persons or institutions that violate such discrimination prohibitions. Provides for injunctive relief against violations of this Act or any rule or regulation promulgated under this Act. Requires each health care financing system (including public and private health insurance programs, and the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and disability benefits under the Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance program) to provide appropriate testing, evaluation, and medical monitoring services to employees as required under this Act. Requires that the cost of testing, evaluation, and medical monitoring required by an employee as a result of hazardous occupational exposure and notification under this Act be included as a covered item in any health care financing system available to such employees through their employment or as individual purchasers of health insurance. Provides that any treatment provided by a health care financing system to an employee for a subsequent disease that was subject to a notification under this Act may constitute an insurance subrogation claim against a workers' compensation program or insurance carrier. Provides that notification of risk to an employee under this Act and subsequent medical evaluation and monitoring shall not constitute a workers' compensation claim, nor shall such notice toll any statute of limitations with respect to such a claim, except as specifically provided by law under a workers' compensation statute. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 and subsequent fiscal years.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1985
Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) (Superfund) to require each Federal agency and department to notify the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) within six months of this Act's enactment of any hazardous substance treated, stored, or disposed of at Federal facilities under their control. Requires such agencies and departments to make annual reports to the Administrator on all facilities not on the initial notice. Requires such initial notice to describe the location, nature, toxicity, contamination, response actions, and cleanup techniques for the hazardous substances. Directs the Administrator to establish a public Federal Agency Hazardous Waste Compliance Docket (Compliance Docket) to record each listed facility and subsequent actions taken. Requires preliminary assessment of each facility for possible evaluation under the National Contingency Plan (NCP) and inclusion on the National Priorities List (NPL). Requires Federal agencies or departments responsible for facilities placed on the NPL to commence a remedial investigation and feasibility study for such facility and enter into an interagency agreement with the Administrator to conduct remedial action. Requires continuous, substantial onsite response within six months of the agreement. Requires that such agreements: (1) review alternative remedial actions and construction design selection by the Administrator; (2) schedule completion of remedial actions; and (3) arrange for long-term operation and maintenance of the facility. Requires completion of remedial actions within two years of the agreement to the extent practicable. Requires explanations of noncompletion which would be included on the Compliance Docket and in the agency's or department's annual report to the Congress on its progress on reaching and implementing interagency agreements. Requires such annual report to also include cost information and public comments. Makes Federal facility cleanup actions ineligible for Superfund monies. Provides that the Administrator shall retain the authority to enforce this Act. Includes Federal facilities within CERCLA guidelines for preliminary assessments, NCP evaluations, and inclusion on the NPL. Requires public participation before adoption of any remedial action and public notice of the final remedial plan adopted or any significant deviations therefrom. Authorizes the Administrator to make grants available to groups affected by releases or threatened releases from any NPL facility to obtain expert advice and technical assistance. Permits the Administrator to bring action under CERCLA against any Federal agency or department and prohibits the Attorney General from representing such agencies or departments in such actions.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1985
Select Commission on National Service Opportunities Act of 1985 - Establishes the Select Commission on National Service Opportunities to examine: (1) the effectiveness of existing service opportunities in the public and private sectors; (2) alternative types of national service programs; (3) the impact of potential changes in incentives for service; (4) the feasibility of incorporating existing and alternative service programs into a comprehensive national service program; (5) the need for and the desirability, feasibility, and cost of establishing and carrying out a program of mandatory national service; and (6) alternative ways to furnish educational assistance to participants in national service programs, and the costs of such alternatives. Directs the Commission to transmit a final report, with any recommendations for legislative or administrative actions, to the President and to the Congress not later than 15 months after its first meeting. Directs each affected executive department and agency to submit recommendations to the President for implementing such report. Directs the President to report to the Congress on the implementation of the Commission's recommendations. Terminates the Commission 180 days after its final report is transmitted. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986.
![Official portrait of Rep. Vento, Bruce F. [D-MN-4]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/v000087_200.jpg)