The world's political record
Person
![Official portrait of Rep. Wortley, George C. [R-NY-27]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/w000752_200.jpg)
United States · Official source
2,275 records where Rep. Wortley, George C. [R-NY-27] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 1985
Designates the week beginning on October 20, 1985, as Benign Essential Blepharospasm Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 1985
Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to direct the Secretary of Labor, in order to prevent curtailment of employment opportunities, to provide special certificates for the employment, at less than the minimum wage, of individuals (including those employed in agriculture) whose earning or productive capacity is impaired by age, physical or mental deficiency, or injury. Requires that, under such certificates, individuals be paid wages which are: (1) lower than the applicable minimum wage; (2) commensurate with those paid to similarly located and employed nonhandicapped workers; and (3) related to the individual's productivity.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 1985
Designates the period of October 1, 1985, through September 30, 1986, as the time to reflect on the achievements of the Peace Corps during its 25 years and on ways such programs might be used in the future. Authorizes and requests the President to proclaim this period as a time to honor Peace Corps volunteers and reaffirm the Nation's commitment to such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 1985
Declares that Aleksandr Shatravka should be released from imprisonment by the Soviet Union and should be accorded his full rights under international law, including freedom of the workplace and freedom of travel. Urges the Secretary of State to raise this case at appropriate world forums, including the U.N. General Assembly and review meetings of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 1985
Expresses the Senate's commendation of the Soil Conservation Service on its 50th anniversary, and the Senate's commitment to vigorous soil and water conservation efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 1985
Medical Malpractice Reform Act of 1985 - Establishes within the Department of Justice a program to fund State medical malpractice programs. Requires States to establish medical malpractice screening panels (Panels) to receive such funding. Grants such Panels original and exclusive jurisdiction to hear all claims of medical malpractice which are not against the United States. Sets forth the powers of such Panels. Provides rules governing Panel decisions. Requires Panel decisions to be made within 30 days after a hearing. Empowers the Panel to determine the amount of damages owed to the claimant by each liable defendant and enter an order against such defendants. Directs States to provide judicial enforcement of such award if not paid promptly. Limits any court proceeding to enforce an order to pay an award to the issue of whether such payment was made according to the terms of the order. Directs each State to permit recovery for noneconomic losses. Limits recovery for such losses to $250,000. Specifies damage award payment methods. Permits any party to appeal the decision of the Panel to a State court of appropriate jurisdiction within 60 days. Entitles the appellant to a trial de novo where such court finds the Panel decision clearly erroneous. Grants such appellant the right to a trial by jury. Requires the Panel or court to transmit to the State insurance commissioner and appropriate licensing body within 30 days a report on: (1) the Panel's or court's findings; and (2) any settlement agreement. Requires the State insurance commissioner to make such reports available for public inspection and to notify each malpractice insurance provider within the State. Allows malpractice insurance providers to adjust their rates for: (1) persons found liable; and (2) persons who entered into three or more settlement agreements that required payments to claimants. Limits attorney's fees. Subjects an attorney who accepts excess payments to civil liability. Directs each State to provide that any member or employee of the Panel shall be immune from suits for defamation, libel, or slander arising from the performance of official duties. Directs the Attorney General to make specified payments to States for: (1) malpractice screening Panels; (2) malpractice studies; and (3) the development of health care facility risk management programs. Directs the Governor of a State receiving such funding to report to the Attorney General on the use of such payments. Provides that decisions of the Attorney General regarding compliance with the requirements of this Act and the allocation and repayment of funds shall be final and not subject to judicial review. Authorizes appropriations beginning in FY 1986.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 1985
Improved Standards for Laboratory Animals Act - Amends the Animal Welfare Act to revise the humane standards for animals transported in commerce. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to promulgate standards to govern the humane handling, care, treatment, and transportation of animals by dealers, research facilities, and exhibitors. Requires each research facility to establish an institutional animal study committee with sufficient expertise to assess the appropriateness of animal care and treatment in experimental research. Requires the committee at each facility to: (1) inspect at least semiannually all animal study areas and animal areas and animal facilities at the research facility; (2) file an inspection certification report of each inspection at the research facility; (3) notify the administrative representative of the research facility of any deficiencies; and (4) notify the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the funding Federal agency if such deficiencies remain uncorrected. Requires each research facility to provide for annual training in the humane treatment of animals for scientists, animal technicians, and other personnel involved with animal care and treatment in such facility. Directs the Secretary to establish an information service at the National Agricultural library to provide information on improved methods of animal experimentation, including: (1) employee training; (2) preventing unnecessary duplication of animal experimentation; (3) reducing or replacing animal use; and (4) minimizing pain and distress. Requires funding Federal agencies to revoke Federal support for a project if it is determined that conditions of animal care, treatment, or practice in a particular project have not been in compliance with standards promulgated under this Act. Requires the Secretary to inspect each research facility at least once each year. Requires such follow-up inspections as may be necessary until all deficiencies which may be found are corrected. Imposes penalties for the release of any confidential information or trade secrets by any member of an institutional animal committee. Increases penalties for violations of the Animal Welfare Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 1985
Designates August 14, 1985, as Social Security Day and the week of August 11 through August 17, 1985, as Social Security Week. Authorizes and requests the President to commemorate August 14, 1985, as the 50th anniversary of the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1985
Amends part A (General Provisions) of title XI of the Social Security Act to extend the income and eligibility verification system so as to require an applicant or benefit recipient, as a condition of eligibility for or receipt of benefits under part A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) of title IV of such Act, title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) of such Act, title XIX (Medicaid) of such Act, the food stamp program, or the unemployment insurance compensation program, to declare in writing whether or not he or she is a U.S. citizen, and, if a U.S. citizen his or her immigration status and file number. Requires the Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization to implement a verification system of immigration status to be made available to all States by October 1, 1985.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1985
Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to prohibit giving nonmarket economy countries nondiscriminatory treatment (most-favored-nation treatment), to prohibit such countries from participating in certain U.S. credit and investment guaranty programs, and to prohibit the President from concluding any commercial agreement with such countries if such countries discriminate or permit discrimination because of religious, ethnic, or cultural orientation.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1985
College Athlete Education and Protection Act of 1985 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny the deduction for a charitable contribution to an institution of higher education for use in the athletic program of such institution or to any other organization for use in supporting the athletic program of such institution unless for the 5-calendar-year period ending with the calendar year preceding the calendar year in which the contribution is made at least 75 percent of the scholarship athletes ceasing to be students at such school during such period receive a bachelor's degree after the completion of not more than five academic years.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1985
Designates the week beginning July 27, 1986, as National Nuclear Medicine Week.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1985
Recognizes Camp Fire, Incorporated for its 75 years of service to our Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1985
Designates the week beginning May 18, 1986, as National Tourism Week.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1985
Deplores and condemns the murder of Major Arthur D. Nicholson, Jr., and calls on the Soviet Union to apologize for his murder and to indemnify his family. Calls on the President to rename Checkpoint Charlie in honor of Major Nicholson.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1985
Supports the initiative of the Director of the U.S. Information Agency to: (1) arrange for a high level Soviet official to appear on American television provided the Soviet Union allows a high level American official to appear on Soviet television; and (2) plan for United States and Soviet participation in a worldwide discussion using an international satellite television network and allowing journalists to ask uncensored questions of such officials.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1985
Authorizes the President, on behalf of the Congress, to present gold medals to Jan Scruggs, Robert Doubek, and Jack Wheeler, in recognition of their tireless efforts to give the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to the Nation. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to sell bronze duplicates of the medal. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1985
Young Astronaut Program Medal Act - Commemorates the Young Astronaut Program by directing the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and deliver to the Young Astronaut Council no more than 750,000 medals with emblems, devices, and inscriptions determined by the Secretary. Authorizes the Council to dispose of the medals at a premium and to have them delivered as required in quantities of no less than 2,000. Directs that no medals be struck after December 31, 1987. Directs the Secretary to set the price of the medals at no less than the manufacturing cost plus a surcharge of ten percent of such cost. Requires the furnishing of security sufficient to fully indemnify the United States for such costs. Directs that the medals be struck in gold, silver, and bronze and in such size or sizes as determined by the Secretary. Gives the U.S. Comptroller General the right to examine the records of the Council which are related to the medals.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1985
Korean War Veterans Memorial Act of 1985 - Authorizes the American Battle Monuments Commission to erect a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia or its environs to honor members of the U.S. armed forces who served in the Korean war. Subjects the selected site, design, and plans for the construction of such memorial to the approval of the National Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission. Directs that, upon its completion, the memorial shall be turned over to the Department of the Interior which shall then be solely responsible for its maintenance. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1985
Designates June 12, 1985, as Anne Frank Day.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1985
Designates October 1985 as Phobia Awareness Month.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 1985
Product Liability Act of 1985 - Sets forth uniform national standards for products liability cases. Preempts inconsistent Federal and State laws. Permits action under this Act to be brought in State court or Federal court if the United States is a party or diversity jurisdiction exists. Prohibits recovery for other than commercial loss or damage to the product itself, except as otherwise provided in this Act. Sets forth basic standards of responsibility for manufacturers and product sellers other than manufacturers including wholesalers, distributors, retailers, lessors, packagers, and repairers. Establishes rules relating to proof in products liability cases with respect to Federal Government standards and contract specifications. Prohibits admission of postmanufacturing improvements except for the purpose of impeaching a witness for the product seller who denies the feasibility of such improvements. Allows a manufacturer to introduce certain precautionary measures. Provides that all product liability actions shall be governed by the principles of comparative responsibility. Specifies the manner in which damages are to be apportioned. Provides that comparative damages apply only to compensatory damages. Requires the reduction of any damage award by the amount of workers' compensation benefits which are paid. Makes a product seller who acted with flagrant indifference to consumer safety, where the act was an extreme departure from accepted practice, liable for punitive damages. Establishes a two-year statute of limitations and a ten-year statute of repose.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 1985
Designates August 29, 1985, as Railroad Retirement Day.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1985
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide coverage for therapeutic shoes for individuals with severe diabetic foot disease, if the shoes are prescribed by a physician and fitted and furnished by a certified orthotist. Limits such coverage to one pair of shoes annually and $375 annually.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1985
Children's Protection Act of 1985 - Amends the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Statute to extend the Act's coverage to the sexual exploitation of children. Authorizes a civil suit for treble damages for any person injured personally or in his or her business or property. Amends the Federal criminal code with regard to the sexual exploitation of children. Makes it a Federal offense to print or publish any statement or advertisement to receive, buy, produce, display, photograph, film, print or publish any statement or advertisement to receive, buy, produce, display, photograph, film, print or record any visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Prohibits offering participation in sexually explicit conduct with a minor. Lists factors that may be considered in determining whether a person engaged in such conduct has attained the age of 18. Provides that the Government need not establish the identify of the alleged minor in a prosecution under this section. Increases the penalties for offenses involving the transportation of minors for prohibited sexual conduct.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that U.S. national security policy should reflect a national strategy of peace through strength. Sets forth the principles and goals of such policy.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1985
Amends the Tariff Schedules of the United States to add Afghanistan to the list of communist countries the imports from which are subject to the column two rate of duty. Prohibits granting nondiscriminatory (most-favored-nation) treatment to the products of Afghanistan. Prohibits entering into a commercial agreement with Afghanistan pursuant to the Trade Act of 1974. Prohibits Afghanistan from participating in any program under which the United States extends credit, credit guarantees, or investment guarantees.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a refundable income tax credit for: (1) employment related dependent care expenses, plus (2) expenses for the respite care of a dependent. Sets the amount of such credit at 50 percent of the sum of such expenses. Reduces such percentage (but not below 20 percent) by one percent for each full $1,000 amount by which the taxpayer's adjusted gross income exceeds $11,000. Provides for cost-of-living adjustments to such adjusted gross income amount. Limits the amount of employment-related expenses and respite care expenses which may be taken into account for purposes of such credit. Allows such credit for expenses incurred for the care of: (1) a dependent of the taxpayer who is under the age of 15; (2) a dependent of the taxpayer who is physically or mentally incapable of caring for himself; or (3) a spouse who is incapable of caring for himself. Repeals present provisions relating to the income tax credit for dependent care expenses necessary for gainful employment.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1985
Designates the month of November 1985 as National Hospice Month.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1985
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide Medicare coverage for anesthesia services and related care provided by a registered nurse anesthetist.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1985
Designates October 1985 as Learning Disabilities Awareness Month.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 1985
Economic Equity Act of 1985 - Title I: Retirement - Pension Vesting, Integration, and Portability Act of 1985 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to revise provisions relating to maximum age conditions under pension plans to provide for continued coverage for certain workers over the normal retirement age. Provides that pension plans may only exclude from participation, on the basis of age, an employee who has attained the normal retirement age under the plan if: (1) the plan is a defined benefit plan or a target benefit plan (as under current law); and (2) the employee's accrued benefit under the plan is greater than the normal retirement benefit to which the employee would be entitled at the normal retirement age if the employee commenced participation at the earliest possible entry age under the plan and served continuously until attaining the normal retirement age under the plan. Revises provisions relating to minimum vesting standards to reduce, from ten years to five years, the number of years of service which a pension plan participant must complete in order to earn a nonforfeitable right to 100 percent of the participant's accrued benefit derived from employer contributions. Permits multiemployer pension plans to retain the ten-year minimum vesting standard if such plans meet certain conditions, including complete reciprocity for workers who move from one regional pension plan to another within the same industry. Repeals a certain "class year plan" rule. Permits participants with three (currently five) years of service to elect, within a specified period to have their nonforfeitable percentage computed under the plan without regard to any plan amendment changing the vesting schedule. Revises minimum participation standards, minimum vesting standards, and benefit accrual requirements to provide for pension plan coverage of part-time workers. Revises the definition of "year of service," for purposes of minimum participation and vesting standards, to treat 500 to 1,000 hours of service per year by a part-time employee as one-half of a year of service. Provides that the date on which such employee completes such one-half of one year of service shall be the latest date until which the plan participation of such employee may be delayed. Includes service of at least 500 (currently 1,000) hours in determinations of years of plan participation for purposes of benefit accrual requirements. Establishes minimum benefit rules for integrated pension plans. Requires such plans to offer a minimum benefit without taking into account contributions or benefits under specified provisions of the Social Security Act, the Internal Revenue Code, or any other Federal or State law. Sets forth formulas, based on specified percentages of employee compensation, for determining such minimum benefit in the case of: (1) an integrated defined benefit plan; and (2) an integrated defined contribution plan or an integrated simplified employee pension. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe necessary or appropriate regulations to carry out the purposes of such minimum benefit rules for integrated plans in any case in which the employer has two or more plans. Provides for distributions of accrued benefits of less than $7,000 to portable pension accounts (individual retirement accounts or individual retirement annuities). Requires a pension plan to distribute a participant's nonforfeitable benefit to a portable pension account if: (1) the plan is a defined benefit plan, or an individual account plan subject to specified funding standards; (2) the present value, as of the date of separation from service, of such benefit is less than $7,000; and (3) the participant elects in writing, after receiving a required notice, to have such benefit distributed to such portable pension account in a distribution which is excluded from gross income under specified Internal Revenue Code provisions. Directs the Secretary of Labor to prescribe by regulation the manner and form in which such election is to be made. Requires the plan administrator, upon being informed by a participant that the participant wishes to make an election pursuant to these provisions, to provide notice to the participant of: (1) the present value, as of the date of separation, of the participant's nonforfeitable benefit (with such present value to be deemed equal to the actuarial equivalent, as of such date, of the normal form of benefit under the plan); (2) the amount of the participant's benefit on the date of the participant's retirement payable under the pension plan at normal retirement age expressed in the form of a single life annuity under a defined benefit plan or in the normal form of payment under an individual account plan; and (3) the additional tax (under specified Internal Revenue Code provisions as revised by this Act) on distributions from, or disqualification, of the portable pension account before the date on which the participant attains age 59 1/2. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise provisions relating to pension plans. Makes such revisions similar to those made to ERISA by title I of this Act with respect to: (1) continued coverage for certain workers over the normal retirement age; (2) a minimum vesting standard of five years of service (reduced from ten years), with the exception of multiemployer plans meeting certain conditions (including reciprocity); (3) repeal of the class year plan rule; (4) protection from changes in the vesting schedule for participants with three years of service; (5) coverage for part-time workers under minimum participation standards, minimum vesting standards, and benefit accrual requirements; (6) establishment of minimum benefit rules for integrated plans; and (7) distributions of accrued benefits to portable pension accounts. Revises provisions relating to additional tax on certain amounts included in gross income before age 59 1/2. Requires, in cases of early distributions or disqualification involving portable pension accounts to which accrued benefits from a pension plan have been distributed as provided under this Act, that the additional tax (for the taxable year in which the early distribution is received or the disqualification occurs) shall be equal to the amount of the early distribution, or of the disqualification, which is includible in gross income for such taxable year. Directs the Secretary of Labor to: (1) conduct a study of the feasibility and ramifications of requiring private employee pension benefit plans to provide cost-of-living adjustments to benefits payable under such plans; (2) compile data and analyze the effect inflation is having and may be expected to have on retirement benefits provided under such plans; and (3) submit study results, with recommendations, within two years after enactment of this Act. Social Security Modernization Act - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to provide that the combined earnings of a married couple which are attributable to the period of their marriage shall be shared equally between them for purposes of determining the eligibility for and amount of OASDI benefits to which each spouse is or may become separately entitled. Credits the survivor of the marriage with 100 percent of the combined total wages for the period of the marriage. Provides that this Act shall not apply in specified cases where it would result in a reduction of OASDI benefits. Provides full benefits for disabled widows and widowers without regard to age. Enables an insured individual's spouse who has attained the age of 50 and is not entitled to any other monthly benefits to obtain a transition benefit for four months upon the death of the insured individual. Establishes the amount of such transition benefit at 71.5 percent of the primary insurance amount of the insured individual or, if it is higher, 71.5 percent of the primary insurance amount of the spouse. Repeals the separate definition of disability applicable to widows and widowers. Permits the months of a widow's or widower's entitlement to Supplemental Security Income benefits (title XVI of the Social Security Act) on the basis of a disability to be counted towards the 24 months needed to become entitled to hospital insurance benefits under Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) on that basis. Uniformed Services Former Spouses' Equity Act - Provides that a former spouse of a member of the uniformed services shall be entitled, unless expressly provided by a spousal agreement or court order, to an annuity: (1) equal to 50 percent of the retired or retainer pay of the member if married to the member throughout the creditable service of the member; or (2) equal to a pro rata share of 50 percent of such pay if not married to the member throughout the entire creditable service of the member. Requires that an election by a member not to participate, or to participate at a reduced level, in the Survivor Benefit Plan or to provide an annuity for a dependent child only must be made jointly with the member's spouse. Provides that such an election must be in writing. Allows a member who has a former spouse to jointly elect a spousal agreement with such former spouse or as provided under a court order to provide a survivor to the former spouse or to waive such an annuity. Treats a former spouse as a spouse for purposes of eligibility as a beneficiary, computation of annuities, and reductions in retired or retainer pay under the Survivor Benefit Plan if the member elects such treatment. (Present law treats a former spouse as a person with an "insurable interest" subject to certain restrictions and requiring larger reductions in retired or retainer pay.) Establishes a 24 month period during which members who were already divorced before the effective date of this Act may elect to have a former spouse covered under the Survivor Benefit Plan. Provides that a former spouse's share of retired or retainer pay shall be based on the gross amount of such pay. (Present law bases such share on the net amount of such pay after specified deductions.) Social Services and Child Care Assistance Act of 1985 - Title II: Dependent Care - Amends title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services) of the Social Security Act to set allotment amounts for FY 1984, 1985, and 1986 and each succeeding fiscal year. Allocates, from the allotment set for FY 1986 and available for any fiscal year, specified amounts for: (1) funding for a National Resource Center on Family Day Care; (2) grants to States which fulfill certain conditions with respect to the licensing, regulation, and monitoring of child care services; and (3) the provision of services in accordance with title XX. Provides that, of the amounts allotted for the provision of services, specified amounts shall be used: (1) for the training and retraining of human services personnel; (2) for the training and retraining in the prevention of child abuse of licensed child care operators; and (3) for the provision of child day care services to children who are abused or neglected, who are members of families receiving aid under title IV (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) of such Act, or children who are members of specified low-income groups. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to add a new title XII, School-Based Child Care Programs. (Redesignates the current title XII as title XIII.) Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 through 1990 for grants to institutions of higher education for: (1) construction, reconstruction, and renovation of facilities, located at such institutions, to be used to provide child care services (free for students from families with incomes less than 150 percent of the poverty level, and with a sliding-scale of fees based on income for other students participating); (2) child care services through vouchers for disadvantaged college students (with two-thirds of the participants to be low-income students who are first generation college students, and the remainder to be either low-income or first generation college students); and (3) child care personnel work-experience programs (which provide experience for students by arranging part-time employment for them in licensed child care programs). Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to provide grants to public housing authorities to assist them in providing child care services for lower income families. Requires a program report to the Congress within three years. Authorizes FY 1986 through 1988 appropriations. Title III: Insurance - Nondiscrimination in Insurance Act - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in the consideration of applications for, or the granting of, insurance policies and the terms of such policies. Permits insurers who regularly provide insurance solely to persons of a single religious affiliation to continue to do so. Prohibits any insurer from establishing auto insurance rates for women or any particular group of women which are higher or lower in relation to the rates offered men or any similarly situated group of men, except for non-gender related risk-based reasons. Grants to States having insurance discrimination laws the primary opportunity to enforce the prohibitions of this Act. Permits an aggrieved person to file a civil action in State or Federal court against an insurer if the State has terminated all proceedings under State law. Authorizes the Attorney General to bring a civil action in district court when there is reasonable cause to believe that a person or group is engaged in a pattern or practice of resistance to the rights granted by this Act and that such denial raises an issue of general public importance. Authorizes the Court to: (1) order the defendant to amend any relevant contract to comply with the provisions of this Act; (2) require the defendant to pay punitive damages in addition to actual damages; and (3) award the aggrieved person reasonable attorneys' fees. Continued Access to Group Health Insurance Act of 1985 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to require continuation coverage under group health plans for certain spouses, former spouses, and dependent children of employees insured under such plans. Makes such continuation coverage a requirement for the allowance of a tax deduction for employer contributions to group health plans. Provides that the spouse and dependent children of an insured employee may be entitled to five years of continuation coverage under a group health plan if the insured employee: (1) dies; (2) becomes separated or divorced from his or her spouse; or (3) becomes entitled to Medicare. Makes such coverage available only if it is elected within a specified period by or on behalf of the spouse or child to be covered. Sets forth notification requirements. Sets forth a special rule relating to collective bargaining agreements. Title IV: Employment - Requires the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to: (1) conduct research for identifying and measuring wage discrimination; (2) assist any public or private entity in eliminating discriminatory pay practices; and (3) implement policies and procedures to prohibit employment discrimination. Requires the Commission to determine the number and nature of all charges filed under the Civil Rights Act of 1954 and to report to the Congress with a summary prepared pursuant to this Act. Requires the Commission to conduct a study in consultation with organizations representing Federal employees and analyze: (1) the procedures established by the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to establish classifications of positions in the competitive service; and (2) the actual practices of the Director and the heads of Federal agencies in complying with the principle of equal pay for work of equal value when establishing job classifications for employees. Requires the Commission to report to the President and the Congress on its findings and provide a copy to the Director of OPM. Directs the Director to submit his comments on the report to the President and the Congress. Directs the Secretary of Labor, acting through the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, to report to the President and the Congress on actions taken to enforce the prohibitions contained in Executive Order Numbered 11246 against discrimination by Federal contractors. Requires the Attorney General, acting through the Office of Civil Rights, to report to the President and the Congress on actions taken to enforce the prohibitions against sex discrimination in compensation contained in title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order Numbered 11246, and other Federal laws. Requires Federal agencies responsible for submitting equal employment opportunity plans to include in such plans: (1) a review and identification of any discriminatory pay practices and any violation of the principle of equal pay for jobs of equal value; and (2) a plan for eliminating any such practices and remedying any such violation. Directs the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to provide, by contract with a consultant, for a report on discriminatory wage-setting practices and discriminatory wage differentials within the Federal position classification system and the prevailing rate (job grading) system. Defines "discriminatory wage-setting practices" as a practice resulting from lower rates of pay for female employees doing work comparable to that of higher-paid males. Requires OPM, within one month of receiving such report, to transmit a copy to the President and specified congressional committees, with written comments. Requires the consultant to submit such report to OPM and the Pay Equity Study Council (established by this Act) within six months after entering into its contract. Requires OPM, within ten days after the effective date of this Act, to establish a Pay Equity Study Council to assist in the selection of a consultant and comment on the final report. Requires that Council membership consist predominantly of representatives of labor organizations representing Federal female employees. Terminates the Council after it submits comments on the final report. Establishes a Commission on Employment Discrimination in the Legislative Branch. Directs the Commission to: (1) employ a nongovernmental consultant to study the compensation paid to Library of Congress personnel and analyze personnel policies of the Library; (2) evaluate the compensation system of the Library for compliance with title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and make any recommendations needed to achieve compliance; (3) develop a plan for the application of title VII through the legislative branch; and (4) make recommendations to the Congress for improvement of personnel policies and practices in the legislative branch. Directs the Commission to submit a final report to the Congress 18 months after enactment of this Act. Terminates the Commission 30 days after submission of the final report. Amends part A (General Provisions) of title XI of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to invite each State having an approved plan under part A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) of title IV of the Social Security Act to submit an application to establish and conduct a demonstration project for the purpose of testing whether the provision of mandatory education or vocational training (or both) for the caretaker parents of dependent children under six years of age in families receiving AFDC would enable such families to leave the AFDC rolls quickly and assist such parents in securing long-term gainful employment at earnings levels sufficient to maintain their families without public assistance. Requires any State desiring to establish and conduct such a demonstration project to submit an application to the Secretary within six months after the enactment of this Act. Directs the Secretary to approve ten of the proposed projects. Requires six of the approved projects to be located in urban areas and four to be located in predominantly rural areas. Prohibits the approval of a project unless: (1) it is of sufficient size and scope to demonstrate program and cost effectiveness and to permit the drawing of valid inferences for evaluation and policy recommendations; (2) it will be conducted for a period of not less than three nor more than five years; (3) it covers all caretaker parents in families which are eligible for aid under the applicable State plan and which include one or more children under six years of age; (4) it provides for participation by caretaker parents on a voluntary basis; and (5) it complies fully with all other requirements and will contribute to the purposes of this Act. Defines "caretaker parent". Directs a State, in conducting an approved demonstration project, to: (1) offer each caretaker parent in a jurisdiction involved an opportunity to participate in the project; (2) establish an individualized program for the education or vocational training of each participating caretaker parent; (3) permit such parent to receive education or training under the program so established (from the time the youngest child in the care of such parent is six months old, or earlier with a physician's written permission) until either the parent is employed and self-sufficient, the parent is no longer a caretaker parent, or the family has become ineligible for aid; and (4) require the project to maintain support services, including child care, transportation, and health care services for each participant. Directs the Secretary to pay each State with an approved demonstration project 90 percent of the costs incurred by the State in establishing and carrying out such project. Requires the remainder of the costs incurred to be paid from non-Federal sources. Requires the education or training for caretaker parents in such program to meet the following requirements: (1) for caretaker parents without a high school diploma the education must lead to such diploma; (2) after receipt of such diploma (or in the case of an individual already having a high school diploma or better), the caretaker parent must participate in an approved post-secondary education program, an approved vocational education program, or a program of employment and training under auspices of the Job Training Partnership Act; (3) the award of an academic scholarship to a caretaker parent shall not result in any loss of eligibility or benefits under AFDC or any other public assistance program, so long as the scholarship payments are made directly to the appropriate educational institution; (4) the education and training must include instruction in family management and life skills, employment and job search training, career counseling, and community-supported recreational activities; (5) appropriate English language and adjustment training must be provided for caretaker parents from immigrant groups who have language or cultural adjustment difficulties; (6) special training must be provided for physically handicapped participants; (7) education and training for each participant in the project must be provided for at least 20 hours per week and must be coordinated with available child care services; and (8) any caretaker parent who has completed all of the education and training required by this Act shall remain a participant in the project for 20 hours a week of job search and placement assistance (with coordinated child care) until either the parent is employed and self-sufficient or the family has become ineligible for AFDC. Provides that in the case of a caretaker parent who ceases to be a participant in the project because he or she has completed all of the education and training required by this Act and has become employed: (1) the parent will be provided with child care services, as necessary, without charge for a six-month period, and thereafter for a certain period subject to the payment of a gradually increasing portion of the cost of such services; and (2) the parent shall be considered for a 15-month period to be still a project participant for purposes of receiving Medicaid (title XIX of the Social Security Act) and shall thereafter be similarly considered to still be a participant for such purposes but subject to stated conditions. Requires all of the child care and transportation which is necessary for a caretaker parent to participate in a demonstration project to be included, without charge to the caretaker parent, as a part of the project. Requires each approved project to be designed so as to provide an effective demonstration of: (1) the planning and design of quality and cost-effective approaches to child and infant care; (2) the cost-effective utilization of existing publicly-funded educational, vocational, and other training programs; (3) coordination with other community service providers, including job developers; and (4) cost-effective and creative approaches to the utilization of transportation facilities. Prohibits participation in an approved project by a caretaker parent from resulting in any loss of eligibility or benefits under AFDC or any other public assistance program. Permits a State to make participation mandatory if: (1) it is necessary to operate a project in a cost-effective manner; (2) participants would not be disadvantaged financially or otherwise; and (3) children in need of assistance would not be disadvantaged. Provides that if any caretaker parent who is required to participate in a project refuses to undergo any education or training required by this Act or otherwise fails to participate in an approved demonstration project, without a reasonable basis for such refusal or failure as determined on medical, psychological, psychiatric, or other grounds by an appropriate licensed practitioner in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary (subject to a State being granted a waiver): (1) such parent's needs shall not be taken into account in determining need under AFDC with respect to the parent's family; and (2) any AFDC payments shall be made in the form of protective payments. Requires each approved demonstration project to have a voluntary advisory group to assist in developing the program and in monitoring the project. Sets forth reporting requirements (including reports to the Congress). Requires each State in which a demonstration project is located to submit to the Secretary such information as the Secretary may require concerning a project. Women's Business Ownership Act of 1985 - Establishes the National Commission on Women's Business Ownership to review: (1) the status of women-owned small businesses nationwide; (2) the role of the Federal Government in aid to and the promotion of women-owned small businesses; (3) data collection procedures and the availability of data relating to women-owned businesses, women-owned small businesses, and small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged women; (4) other Federal initiatives relating to women-owned small businesses, including those relating to Federal procurements; and (5) special impediments suffered by small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged women. Directs the Commission to recommend: (1) new private sector initiatives which would provide management and technical assistance to women-owned small businesses; (2) ways to promote greater access to financing and procurement opportunities for such businesses; and (3) other measures relating to small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged women. Terminates the Commission on the date that it transmits its final report to the President and to each House of the Congress. Authorizes appropriations. Title V: Tax Reform - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that the zero amount for heads of households shall be the same as the zero bracket amount for joint returns and surviving spouses. Increases the amount of the earned income tax credit from 11 percent to 16 percent of the first $5,000 of earned income. Provides for a phaseout of such credit for taxpayers with adjusted gross incomes between $11,000 and $16,000. Provides that governmental payments shall be disregarded for purposes of determining support and maintenance of a household. Provides that any refund of Federal income taxes or advance payment made to an individual by reason of the earned income credit shall not be taken into account as income for purposes of determining eligibility for benefits or assistance under any Federal program or any State or local program financed in whole or part with Federal funds. Provides for cost-of-living adjustments for the amount of the earned income credit and the phase-out thresholds of such credit beginning in 1987. Allows a refundable income tax credit for: (1) employment related dependent care expenses; plus (2) expenses for the respite care of a dependent. Sets the amount of such credit at 50 percent of the sum of such expenses. Reduces such percentage (but not below 20 percent) by one percent for each full $2,000 amount by which the taxpayer's adjusted gross income exceeds $11,000. Provides for cost-of-living adjustments to such adjusted gross income amount. Limits the amount of employment-related expenses and respite care expenses which may be taken into account for purposes of such credit. Allows such credit for expenses incurred for the care of: (1) a dependent of the taxpayer who is under the age of 15; (2) a dependent of the taxpayer who is physically or mentally incapable of caring for himself; or (3) a spouse who is incapable of caring for himself. Repeals present provisions relating to the income tax credit for dependent care expenses necessary for gainful employment. Increases the amount individuals may contribute on behalf of their spouses for purposes of the deduction for retirement savings. Provides that no deduction from gross income shall be allowed to a taxpayer for entertainment expenses for food, beverages, lodging, or entertainment incurred in connection with a facility which discriminates on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Exempts facilities operated by a religious organization where access is limited to members of a particular religion. Treats dues and fees paid to discriminatory facilities as nondeductible expenses. Requires the submission of a statement to the Secretary of the Treasury that a facility not open to the public does not discriminate in order for amounts paid to such facility to qualify for the entertainment expense deduction. Requires the posting of a public notice in the facility stating the nondiscriminatory policy. Permits the Secretary to revoke the acceptance of the statement of nondiscrimination. Requires the taxpayer to report on his or her income tax return any amounts paid or incurred for food, beverages, lodging, or entertainment in any facility which is not open to the public or does not serve the public in order to deduct such amounts from gross income.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1985
Designates the week of May 11 through May 17, 1985, as Handicapped Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the executive branch should release appropriations for the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1985
Amends the Comprehensive Forfeiture Act of 1984 to make funds available to the Secretary of Health and Human Services from the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund and the Customs Forfeiture Fund for the ACTION Drug Prevention Program through FY 1987.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1985
Authorizes the Society of the Third Infantry Division to erect a memorial on public grounds in the District of Columbia or its environs in honor of the men of the "Rock of the Marne" of the Third Infantry Division who served in both World Wars, Korea, and maintaining peace. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to select a site for the memorial subject to the approval of the National Commission of Fine Arts, the National Capital Planning Commission, and, under certain circumstances, the Mayor of the District of Columbia. Subjects the design and plans for the memorial to the approval of the Secretary, the National Commission of Fine Arts, and the National Capital Planning Commission. Directs that the maintenance and care of the memorial shall be the Secretary's responsibility unless the memorial is on public grounds under the jurisdiction of the District of Columbia in which case such duties fall on the District of Columbia. Provides that funds of the United States or the District of Columbia may not be used to erect the memorial. Directs that the authority to establish the memorial is contingent upon its erection beginning within five years with funds sufficient to ensure its completion.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1985
Amends the Federal criminal code to impose the death penalty or life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for first degree murders committed by prisoners serving life sentences in Federal correctional institutions. Requires the Government, for any offense punishable by death, to serve notice upon the defendant a reasonable time before trial or acceptance of a guilty plea 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 with the approval of the Government, when the defendant is found guilty or pleads guilty to an offense punishable by death. Eliminates the requirement for a presentence report. Allows the defendant and the Government to present any information relevant to sentencing, without regard to the rules of evidence, but permits information to be excluded where its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice, confusion of the issues, or misleading of the jury. Specifies mitigating factors which the defendant must establish by a preponderance of the evidence and aggravating factors which the Government must prove beyond a reasonable doubt. Directs the jury or the court to consider all the information and return a special finding identifying any mitigating or aggravating factors. Conditions imposition of the death penalty on a unanimous finding by the jury (or finding by the court) that: (1) some threshold aggravating factor exists; and (2) the aggravating factors sufficiently outweigh any mitigating factor found to exist. Directs the court upon a finding that a sentence of death is justified to impose the death penalty. Requires the court, in any hearing before a grand jury under this Act, to instruct the jury in considering the death sentence to disregard the race, color, national origin, creed, or sex of the defendant. Establishes procedures for appeal from a death sentence. Requires the Court of Appeals, upon considering the record and the information and procedures of the sentencing hearing, to affirm the decision if: (1) the sentence was not imposed under influence of passion, prejudice, or arbitrariness; and (2) the information supports the finding of aggravating factors or the absence of mitigating factors. Requires the court to provide a written explanation of its determination.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 1985
Uniformed Services Former Spouses' Equity Act - Provides that a former spouse of a member of the uniformed services shall be entitled, unless expressly provided by a spousal agreement or court order, to an annuity: (1) equal to 50 percent of the retired or retainer pay of the member if married to the member throughout the creditable service of the member; or (2) equal to a pro rata share of 50 percent of such pay if not married to the member throughout the entire creditable service of the member. Requires that an election by a member not to participate, or to participate at a reduced level, in the Survivor Benefit Plan or to provide an annuity for a dependent child only must be made jointly with the member's spouse. Provides that such an election must be in writing. Allows a member who has a former spouse to jointly elect by a spousal agreement with such former spouse or as provided under a court order to provide a survivor to the former spouse or to waive such an annuity. Treats a former spouse as a spouse for purposes of eligibility as a beneficiary, computation of annuities, and reductions in retired or retainer pay under the Survivor Benefit Plan if the member elects such treatment. (Present law treats a former spouse as a person with an "insurable interest" subject to certain restrictions and requiring larger reductions in retired or retainer pay.) Establishes a 24-month period during which members who were already divorced before the effective date of this Act may elect to have a former spouse covered under the Survivor Benefit Plan. Provides that a former spouse's share of retired or retainer pay shall be based on the gross amount of such pay. (Present law bases such share on the net amount of such pay after specified deductions.)
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1985
Amends the Clean Air Act to prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from requiring less lead in gasoline than is required as of January 1, 1985.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow construction workers to take an income tax deduction for travel expenses incurred while away from home in pursuit of a trade or business if: (1) the job site is at least 30 miles from the residence of the construction worker; and (2) the job site is a temporary job site or a remote job site.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1985
Consumer Lease and Lease-Purchase Agreement Act - Amends the Consumer Credit Protection Act to revise disclosure requirements, including advertisement disclosure requirements, for consumer leases and to establish separate disclosure requirements for lease-purchase agreements. Requires information disclosed pursuant to such requirements to be segregated from all other terms and information provided. Includes among revised disclosures for consumer leases: (1) the total lease cost; (2) the amount of any required security deposit; (3) statements explaining certain information about the consumer's liability based on the residual value of the property; and (4) a statement referring the consumer to the appropriate lease document for information concerning other possible costs. Requires the following information to be disclosed for lease-purchase agreements: (1) the number, individual amount, timing, and total amount of payments; (2) a statement that the consumer will not own the property until all payments are made; (3) a statement referring the consumer to the contract for an explanation of other possible costs; (4) a statement that the consumer is responsible for the fair market value of lost, stolen, damaged, or destroyed property; and (5) a statement indicating whether the property is new or used. Requires that advertisements specify whether the advertised transaction is a lease or a lease-purchase agreement. Provides that a renegotiation is a new lease or agreement requiring new disclosures. Requires no disclosures for a lease or agreement extension. Requires lessors to pay consumers' attorney fees only in unsuccessful suits to collect more than the prescribed maximum amount at the end of a lease. Prescribes civil and criminal penalties for violations and outlines defenses. Authorizes civil actions against lessor assignees only if a violation is apparent on the face of the disclosure statement.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) a specified U.S.-Canada trade declaration should be supported as a first step toward settling trade differences with Canada; (2) the President and his trade representative should augment their efforts to negotiate with Canada in order to achieve a reciprocal trade relationship between the United States and Canada; and (3) the United States and Canada should resolve the specific impediments to trade within one year of the trade declaration. Declares that the President should report to the Congress by March 18, 1986, on the steps taken to achieve a reciprocal fair trade relationship between the United States and Canada.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 1985
Grants posthumous honorary U.S. citizenship to Christopher Columbus.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1985
Truth in Savings Act - Requires each advertisement, announcement, or solicitation made by any depository institution regarding the rate of interest payable on any account to: (1) state the annual percentage yield and the method of compounding interest; (2) state the annual rate of simple interest and the period such interest is in effect; (3) state the frequency of interest payments; (4) give equal prominence to all annual percentage yields and annual rates of simple interest; and (5) include specified statements explaining how fees and penalties could affect the annual yield and how the yield on accounts which mature in less than one year is determined on the basis of compounding for an entire year. Requires the annual percentage yield to be stated before the annual rate of simple interest. Requires an institution to give a person a written summary of such information concerning an offered account upon request. Requires each depository institution to maintain a written schedule of all fees, charges, and terms and conditions applicable to each type of account and service routinely offered. Requires that such schedule be disclosed to potential customers and requesting individuals and mailed to account holders. Directs the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to prescribe: (1) uniform terminology to be used by depository institutions to describe interest rates and other terms affecting account earnings; and (2) uniform methods of calculating annual rates of simple interest and annual percentage yields. Provides for the enforcement of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1985
Home Equity Conversion Mortgage Insurance Act - Amends the National Housing Act to authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to insure a home equity conversion mortgage and to make commitments for the insurance of such mortgages prior to the date of their execution or disbursement if such mortgages: (1) may improve the financial situation or otherwise meet the needs of elderly homeowners; (2) can be developed to include safeguards for mortgagors to offset the special risks of such mortgages; and (3) have a potential for acceptance in the private market. Includes among eligibility requirements for such insurance requirements that the mortgage shall: (1) have been made and held by a mortgage approved by the Secretary; (2) have been executed by an elderly homeowner; and (3) be secured by a one-family residential dwelling occupied by the mortgagor. Provides that each mortgagee of a mortgage insured under this Act shall be required to give the homeowner, at the time of a loan application, a written explanation of the features of the home equity conversion mortgage. Prohibits the Secretary from insuring a mortgage pursuant to this Act after September 30, 1988. Sets the total number of mortgages which may be insured under this Act at 1,000. Permits the Secretary to take any action necessary to provide a mortgagor with funds due pursuant to an insured mortgage or ancillary contract which have not been paid by the party responsible and to obtain reimbursement of such payments from any source. Requires the Secretary to evaluate and report to the Congress by March 1, 1988, on the program authorized under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1985
Designates October 20, 1985, as Leyte Landing Day.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1985
Authorizes the Inspector General of the Department of Defense to suspend payments under a contract with the Department of Defense, or revise the schedule for payments under such a contract if the Inspector General determines that: (1) based on audits there have been excessive charges; and (2) other remedies available by law and under the contract are insufficient to eliminate promptly waste, fraud, and abuse with respect to the contract. Allows the Secretary of Defense, in the interest of national security, to overrule such an action by the Inspector General. Requires the Secretary to report to specified committees of the Congress on the reasons for overruling such action.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1985
Designates the week beginning on April 13, 1986, as National Garden Week. Urges the wearing of garden flowers during that week as a symbol of appreciation for the contributions of the Nation's gardeners.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1985
Designates June 14, 1985, as Baltic Freedom Day.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1985
Recognizes the 20th anniversary of the enactment of the Older Americans Act of 1965, and reaffirms congressional support for such Act.