United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1981
Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1981 - Amends the National Security Act of 1947 to establish criminal penalties for any person who knowingly discloses information which identifies a U.S. covert intelligence agent. Establishes a maximum penalty of ten years' imprisonment and/or a $50,000 fine for any person who, having had authorized access to classified information which identifies a covert agent, learns the identity of a covert agent and intentionally discloses such information. Establishes a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment and/or a $25,000 fine for any person who, having had authorized access to classified information, learns the identity of a covert agent and intentionally discloses such information. Establishes a maximum penalty of three years' imprisonment and/or a $15,000 fine for any person who, in the course of a "pattern of activities intended to identify" covert agents and with "reason to believe" that such activities would impair U.S. foreign intelligence activities, discloses information identifying an agent. Directs the President to establish procedures requiring Federal agencies to provide assistance in concealing the identity of U.S. intelligence agents.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1981
Amends the Federal Mine Safety and Health Amendments Act of 1977 to provide that the provisions of such Act shall not apply to any surface mining of stone, clay, sand, or gravel.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1981
Amends the Export Administration Act of 1979 to require Congressional approval of any proposal to prohibit under such Act the export of agricultural commodities to a foreign country, other than in connection with a prohibition of all exports to such country. Limits the President's authority to restrict the export of goods and technology with military potential by forbidding the exercise of such authority to prohibit the export of agricultural commodities to any foreign country.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 1981
Declares that seven members of named families have resided since a certain date in the United States Embassy in Moscow and have been living there in accordance with United States laws. Authorizes the granting of a visa and admission to the United States for permanent residence to each individual. Provides that each individual shall be held and considered to have been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence as of a specified date, and to have been physically present and residing therein continuously since such date.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1981
National Tourism Policy Act - Title I: National Tourism Policy - Declares that the purpose of this Act is to establish a cooperative effort between the Federal Government, State and local governments, and other concerned public and private organizations to implement a national tourism policy. Title II: United States Travel and Tourism Administration - Establishes, as an independent agency, the United States Travel and Tourism Administration. Sets forth the terms of office, compensation, powers, and duties of the Administrator and Deputy Administrator. Authorizes the Administration to assist Congress and the Federal agencies having policy and programmatic responsibilities affecting tourism. Directs the Administrator, by April 15, 1982, to submit a detailed tourism development plan to specified Congressional committees. Requires each Federal agency, upon the request of the Administrator, to: (1) make its services, personnel, and facilities available to assist the Administration; and (2) furnish the Administration necessary information, suggestions, estimates, and statistics. Prohibits the Administration from providing or arranging for transportation or accommodations in competition with businesses engaged in providing or arranging for such transportation or accommodations. Directs the Administration to submit budget information, legislative recommendations, prepared testimony for congressional hearings, and reports to the President or to the Office of Management and Budget and, concurrently, to Congress. Directs the Administration to submit an annual report to the President for transmittal to Congress. Directs the United States Travel Service to make a specified sum available to the Administration within 30 days of the date of enactment of this Act. Establishes the Travel and Tourism Advisory Board. Sets forth the membership, compensation, and duties of such Board. Directs the United States Travel Service to complete the transfer of its assets, powers, duties, and privileges to the Administration within 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act. Abolishes the United States Travel Service upon completion of such transfer. Title III: Amendments to the International Travel Act - Amends the International Travel Act of 1961 to authorize appropriations through fiscal year 1981 to carry out the purposes of such Act. Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to provide financial assistance to a region of not less than two States or portions of two States to assist in the implementation of a regional tourism promotional and marketing program. Declares that any such program shall serve as a demonstration project for future program development for regional tourism promotion. Extends until September 30, 1981, the time limit for the reduction in the number of employees of the United States Travel Service. Prohibits the Secretary of Commerce from reducing: (1) the number of United States Travel Service employees in offices in foreign countries to a level below that authorized for fiscal year 1979; and (2) the amount of funds appropriated pursuant to this Act for financing the activities of such foreign offices to a level below that authorized for fiscal year 1980.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1981
Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to exclude from eligibility for food stamps any household with any member on strike. Excepts a household from this exclusion if it was eligible to participate in the food stamp program prior to the time such member went on strike, or if any member is subject to an employer lockout.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1981
Capital Cost Recovery Act of 1981 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise the method for determining useful lives of business assets for purposes of computing allowable depreciation deductions. Replaces the asset depreciation range (ADR) method with a schedule of capital cost recovery periods for three classes of business property. Establishes capital cost recovery periods for the following classes of business property: (1) buildings and their structural components, ten years; (2) tangible property, five years; and (3) automobiles, taxis, and light-duty trucks (up to $100,000), three years. Permits calculation of the investment tax credit for such property without regard to the useful life of the property. Requires the recapture of depreciation amounts and investment tax credit amounts applicable to assets which are sold or otherwise disposed of prior to the expiration of the capital cost recovery period. Permits a taxpayer to deduct less than the full allowance for capital cost recovery in any taxable year. Permits a carryover to succeeding taxable years of any unused depreciation amounts. Disqualifies capital cost recovery property from the allowance for first year depreciation. Treats amounts claimed as the capital cost recovery of noncorporate lessors as an item of tax preference for purposes of the minimum tax. Adopts as an accounting practice the "half year convention" under which investments eligible for capital cost recovery treatment or the investment tax credit which are made at any time during the taxable year are deemed to be made in the middle of such year.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1981
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to repeal the limitation on outside income for beneficiaries age 65 or older.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 1981
Prisoner of War Benefits Amendments Act of 1981 - Authorizes the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs to establish an advisory committee to assess new medical and other information on former prisoners of war (POW's). Directs such committee to submit a biennial report to the Administrator on its activities. Makes POW's with the disease of psychosis manifest to a degree of ten percent presumptively eligible for wartime disability benefits (presently such psychosis must have occurred within two years of separation from service). Entitles POW's of World War I, World War II, the Korean conflict, or the Vietnam era to hospital, nursing home, and domiciliary care benefits. Directs the Administrator to prescribe regulations and furnish medical services for any disability on an outpatient or ambulatory basis to such POW's. Requires the President to designate an appropriate date for the annual observance of "National P.O.W./M.I.A. Recognition Day."
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1981
Constitutional Amendment - Defines "person" to include the unborn for the purpose of the right to life guarantee. Makes such amendment inapplicable to laws permitting medical procedures required to prevent the death of the mother.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1981
Expresses the jubilation and relief of the Senate at the release of the 52 Americans held hostage by Iran. Expresses appreciation for the efforts of various Government officials to secure the release of the hostages. Recognizes the patriotism of the military personnel who tried to rescue them. Thanks Algeria for its help in securing the hostages' release.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 1981
Prohibits the issuance of any final Internal Revenue Service regulations which have the effect of increasing the rate of imputed interest with respect to: (1) loans between related organizations, trades, or businesses; or (2) deferred payments in the case of certain property sales.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 1981
Title I: Export Trading Companies - Export Trading Company Act of 1981 - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to promote export trading companies by providing information and by facilitating contacts between producers of exportable goods and export trading companies. Authorizes any banking organization to invest specified amounts in export trading companies upon notifying, but without obtaining the prior approval of, the appropriate Federal banking agency, if such investment does not cause an export trading company to become a subsidiary of such organization. Allows greater investment by Edge Act Corporations not engaged in banking. Permits any banking organization to invest beyond such limitations with prior approval of the appropriate Federal banking agency. Requires prior notification of such agencies in specified circumstances. Sets forth further limitations on export trading companies and investments by banking organizations. Specifies factors to be taken into consideration by the banking agencies. Permits such agencies to impose conditions in approving applications to invest in export trading companies. Requires such agencies to report to the appropriate Congressional committees with their recommendations concerning implementation of this Act, related changes in U.S. law, and effects of ownership of U.S. banks by foreign banking organizations. Provides for judicial review of denial orders in the appropriate U.S. Court of Appeals. Sets forth the grounds for disapproval. Provides for remand for further consideration by the banking agency. Directs the Economic Development Administration and the Small Business Administration to give special weight to export-related benefits when considering applications for loans and guarantees by export trading companies. Authorizes up to $20,000,000 to be appropriated for initial investments and operating expenses for each of fiscal years 1981-1985. Directs the Export-Import Bank of the United States to provide loan guarantees for expansion to export trading companies or exporters to be secured by accounts receivable or inventories when adequate financing is not otherwise available. Directs the Board of Directors to try to insure that a major share of such guarantees promotes exports from small, medium-size, and minority businesses or agricultural concerns. Title II: Export Trade Associations - Export Trade Association Act of 1981- Amends the Webb-Pomerene Act to exempt the export trade, export trade activities, and methods of operation of certified export trade associations and export trading companies from the antitrust laws. Delays the effectiveness of any certificate upon the notification of the Secretary of Commerce by the Attorney General or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) of disagreement with the decision to issue a certificate. Sets forth the procedure to be followed by any association, company, or export trading company seeking certification under this Act and by the Secretary in issuing such certificates. Permits automatic certification for existing associations. Provides for appeal of the Secretary's denial of certification. Authorizes the Attorney General or the FTC to bring an action to invalidate a certification. Requires the Secretary, in consultation with the Attorney General and the FTC, to publish certification guidelines. Requires certified associations and export trading companies to submit annual reports to the Secretary. Directs the Secretary to establish within the Department of Commerce an Office of Export Trade. Requires such Office to report annually to the appropriate Congressional committees on all East-West trade transactions requiring validated licenses and on the role of U.S. export trading companies in such trade. Grants a temporary exemption from the Sherman Act antitrust provisions for existing associations. Requires, with specified exceptions, that all applications for certification be kept confidential. Authorizes the Secretary to require an association or trading company to modify its operation to be consistent with international obligations of the United States. Directs the President to appoint, with the Senate's advice and consent, a task force, seven years after enactment, to examine the effect of this Act and to make recommendations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 1981
Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to convey National Forest System land parcels of up to five acres to persons who have encroached upon such land as a result of an erroneous Federal land survey or an uncertified Federal survey monument. Requires all such monuments to be certified by the Secretary of the Interior within 180 days of monumentation.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 1981
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit an income tax deduction from gross income for fees, court costs, attorney's fees, and other necessary expenses incurred in the adoption of a child. Limits the amount of such deduction to $500 for a taxable years and $3,500 for all taxable years.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 1981
Amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to repeal the prohibitions against voting qualifications, prerequisites, tests, or devices which abridge the right of a citizen to vote who is a member of a language minority. Repeals bilingual election requirements that States and other political subdivisions make available registration, voting materials, and voting assistance in languages other than English in areas where more than five percent of the citizens belong to a single language minority.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
State and Local Government Fiscal Note Act of 1981 - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require the Director of the Congressional Budget Office to estimate the costs which would be incurred by State or local governments in complying with any bill or resolution (likely to result in annual costs greater than $200,000,000 or have exceptional fiscal consequences) and compare such estimates with any made by congressional committees or Federal agencies. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow married couples, who do not file a single joint tax return with their spouses, to elect the same tax rates currently applicable to unmarried individuals (other than surviving spouses and heads of households), without regard to any community property laws. Entitles any married individual making such an election to claim the income tax credit for dependent care services, even though such individual did not contribute over half of the support of the dependent concerned.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 1981
Requests the President to designate the week beginning with the Sunday preceding the fourth Thursday in November of each year as "National Family Week."
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 1980
Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to make grants to the State of South Dakota to develop plans for the mitigation of economic losses incurred within such State as a result of the taking of land by the United States for the Missouri River Basin project. Requires such grants to cover the cost to the State of the development of economic development plans for the State or any sector thereof. Specifies that such a grant be approved by the Secretary only after the Secretary determines that the plan is economically feasible under the terms of such Act. Limits such grants to not more than 95 percent of the cost to carry out an economic development plan and not more than 90 percent of the cost of any plan for which the State requires repayment under this Act, except that the Secretary may make available to the State and local sponsoring agencies 100 percent of the cost to carry out a plan for which the State or local sponsoring agencies agree to repay ten percent of the cost. Requires the Western Area Power Administration to make available according to the direction of the State not less than a specified number of kilowatts of electric power and to sell not less than a specified number of kilowatt-hours of electric energy at a price not to exceed the cost of production and transmission of such energy. Allows the State to establish a higher price, and any revenues collected in excess of the cost to the Western Area Power Administration shall accrue to the State. Specifies that in order to qualify for the receipt of such electric power or revenue, the State must submit to the Secretary a plan for the sharing of any such power or revenues with Indian tribes within the State and, after consulting with such Indian tribes, the Secretary shall determine that such plan provides for the equitable sharing of such power or revenues. Deauthorizes the construction, operation, and maintenance of the initial stage Oahe unit irrigation project, James division, Missouri River Basin project, South Dakota. States that those Oahe Unit works, facilities, and related properties that have been acquired or constructed shall be disposed of by the Secretary according to a plan developed by the State and approved by the Secretary. Authorizes appropriations for the planning and project grants provided for by this Act. Permits the Secretary to make grants to any Indian tribe within the State for the same purposes and on the same terms as grants may be made to the State under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 1980
Farm Labor Contractor Registration Act Amendments of 1980 - Amends the Farm Labor Contractor Registration Act of 1963 to revise the definition of "farm labor contractor" to: (1) broaden specified exclusions from such definition (thus broadening certain exemptions from coverage under such Act); and (2) exclude from such definition (and such coverage) any nonprofit or cooperative association of farmers, growers, or ranchers, duly incorporated under appropriate State laws, and operated solely for the mutual benefit of the members thereof, and any full-time or regular employee of such association or cooperative who engages in such activity solely for such employer. Adds other definitions relating to such revisions. Revises the definition of "agricultural employment" to specify that listed activities take place on a farm or ranch. Limits the definition of "migrant worker" to mean (among individuals engaged in agricultural employment on a farm or ranch on a seasonal or temporary basis) only those who cannot regularly return to their domicile each day after working hours, or who are transported from and to their domicile each workday by the person who recruits, solicits, hires, or furnishes such worker for agricultural employment on a farm or ranch owned or operated by another person.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 1980
Directs the President to furnish the House of Representatives with information concerning White House and Justice Department actions with regard to Billy Carter's involvement with Libya.
United States · United States Congress · 2 July 1980
Expresses the sense of the Congress that U.S. foreign policy should reflect a national strategy of peace through strength with specified principles and goals.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 1980
Tax Reduction - Job Creation Act - Title I: Individual Tax Rates - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce income tax rates for each category of individual taxpayers. Title II: Incentives for New Plant and Equipment - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise the method for determining useful lives of business assets for purposes of computing allowable depreciation deductions. Replaces the asset depreciation range (ADR) method with a schedule of capital cost recovery periods for three classes of business property. Establishes capital cost recovery periods for the following classes of business property: (1) buildings and their structural components, ten years; (2) tangible property, five years; and (3) automobiles, taxis, and light-duty trucks (up to $100,000), three years. Allows a ten percent investment tax credit for buildings and tangible property, and a six percent credit for automobiles, taxis, and light duty trucks. Requires the recapture of depreciation amounts and investment tax credit amounts applicable to assets which are sold or otherwise disposed of prior to the expiration of the capital cost recovery period. Permits taxpayers to deduct less than the full allowance for capital cost recovery in any taxable year. Permits a carryover to succeeding taxable years of any unused depreciation amounts. Disqualifies capital cost recovery property from the allowance for first year depreciation. Treats amounts claimed as the capital cost recovery of noncorporate lessors as an item of tax preference for purposes of the minimum tax. Adopts as an accounting practice the "half year convention" under which investments eligible for capital cost recovery treatment or the investment tax credit which are made at any time during the taxable year are deemed to be made in the middle of such year.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 1980
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to halt immediately implementation of those regulations relating to clinical laboratory personnel published October 12, 1979, and published as corrected October 23, 1979.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 1980
Public Buildings Act Amendments of 1980 - Amends the Public Buildings Act of 1959 to authorize the Administrator of General Services to carry out preliminary engineering and design for the alteration of a public building before a project for such alteration is authorized. Requires approval by the appropriate congressional committees before: (1) acquiring a public building by exchange of property worth more than $500,000; (2) leasing space in a building at a rate in excess of $500,000; (3) altering leased premises if the cost of alteration exceeds $250,000; and (4) reducing the amount of space in an approved project by more than ten percent. Prohibits the Administrator from leasing any space to accommodate the following, except as may be necessary to meet immediate and urgent requirements that cannot be met in public buildings: (1) major computer operations; (2) secure or sensitive activities related to the national defense or security; (3) offices which would require major alterations; or (4) a permanent court room, judicial chamber, or administrative office for any United States court. Prohibits the Administrator from entering into any lease providing for a rental which exceeds the average of commercial rentals for space and services of nearest comparable quality by more than five percent. Directs the Administrator to submit to Congress, not later than the 15th day after Congress convenes each year, a program for that calendar year of projects and actions which the Administrator deems necessary to carry out any duties under the Act. Amends the Act to prohibit the Administrator from using the name of any individual, living or dead, in the name or other designation of any building under the custody and control of the General Services Administration. Repeals the authority of the Administrator to provide space by entering into purchase contracts under the Public Buildings Amendments of 1972. Directs the Administrator to provide, for employees and visitors, sheltered and secure locations and equipment for parking bicycles at public buildings and at buildings leased by the Administrator.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 1980
Farm Credit Act Amendments of 1980 - Title I: Federal Land Banks and Associations - Amends the Farm Credit Act of 1971 to authorize any Federal land bank, under the supervision of the Farm Credit Administration, to: (1) participate in loans with other Farm Credit System institutions (i.e., Federal land banks, Federal land bank associations, Federal intermediate credit banks, production credit associations, and banks for cooperatives); (2) participate in loans which the land banks are authorized to make with lenders which are not Farm Credit System institutions; (3) sell interests in loans to such lenders; (4) buy from and sell to Farm Credit System institutions interests in loans and in other financial assistance extended and nonvoting stock; (5) make other investments; (6) accept contributions to their capital from Federal land bank associations; (7) enter into agreements with other Farm Credit System institutions to share loan and other losses; (8) issue nonvoting stock to borrowers as a patronage refund; and (9) make or participate with other lenders in long-term real estate mortgage loans not exceeding 85 percent of the appraised value of the real estate security. Makes producers and harvesters of aquatic products eligible for Federal land bank services. Authorizes Federal land bank associations to make capital contributions to a Federal land bank. States that a member of a Federal land bank association need not make the required purchases of land stock with respect to that part of a loan derived from a lender which is not a Farm Credit System institution. Authorizes the Federal land bank associations to pay dividends on a differential basis between different classes and issues of stock and participation certificates corresponding to the value of such classes and issues to the capital or earnings of the Federal land bank in its district. Permits the Federal land bank associations to agree to share loan and other losses with other Farm Credit System institutions. Title II: Federal Intermediate Credit Banks and Production Credit Associations - Authorizes the Federal Intermediate Credit Banks, subject to the supervision of the Farm Credit Administration, to: (1) buy from and sell to Farm Credit System institutions interests in loans and in other financial assistance extended and nonvoting stock; (2) make other investments; (3) agree to share loan and other losses with other Farm Credit System institutions; (4) participate with other Farm Credit System institutions in making loans; and (5) issue nonvoting stock to such institutions. Authorizes the Federal intermediate credit banks to discount, or purchase from other financial institutions, loans made to producers and harvesters of aquatic products. Authorizes each production credit association, subject to the supervision of the intermediate credit bank in its district and the Farm Credit Administration, to: (1) buy from and sell to any bank in the Farm Credit System interests in loans, other financial assistance extended, and nonvoting stock; (2) participate in loans with other Farm Credit System institutions; (3) agree to share loan and other losses with other Farm Credit System Institutions; (4) issue participation certificates to eligible borrowers in lieu of nonvoting stock; and (5) issue participation certificates or nonvoting stock to any financial institution outside the Farm Credit System with which the association participates in a loan in satisfaction of the requirement that a borrower own such stock or participation certificates. Requires a borrower to own only that amount of stock or participation certificates which is proportionate to that portion of a loan retained by a production credit association when it participates with another lender in making a loan. Authorizes the production credit association to extend loan assistance to bona fide farmers, ranchers, and producers and harvesters of aquatic products for basic processing and marketing directly related to the borrower's operations. Requires the borrower's operation to provide a specified percentage of the total processing or marketing for which financing is extended. Title III: Banks For Cooperatives - Empowers each bank for cooperatives, subject to the supervision of the Farm Credit Administration, to: (1) participate with other Farm Credit System institutions in making loans; (2) deposit its securities and current funds with any domestic or foreign financial organization (presently, such deposits must be made at a member bank in the Federal Reserve System); (3) buy and sell bankers acceptances which are obligations of member banks in the Federal Reserve System; (4) buy and sell other obligations including those which arise in the course of transactions which the bank has assisted through loans; (5) buy from and sell to Farm Credit System institutions interests in loans and in other financial assistance extended and nonvoting stock; (6) make other investments; (7) invest in foreign and domestic business entities to facilitate the obtaining of credit information and the performance of services related to international transactions; (8) maintain credit balances to assist in the transfer of funds between parties to authorized transactions; (9) agree to share loan and other losses with other Farm Credit System institutions; and (10) issue participation certificates to parties who may not be issued voting stock. Requires all participation certificates, voting and nonvoting stock issued by the banks for cooperatives to be retired at par value. Authorizes the banks for cooperatives to: (1) offer a currency exchange for eligible cooperative associations; and (2) extend loans, loan participation commitments, and other technical and financial assistance to any domestic or foreign party in which a member cooperative has an ownership interest or which engages with the cooperative in dealings in agricultural or aquatic products, farm supplies or the lease of property, provided such assistance substantially benefits the member cooperative. Sets forth guidelines for regulations governing the extension of such assistance. Enables cooperatives solely engaged in furnishing aquatic business services to borrow from the banks for cooperatives. Reduces the degree of ownership in a cooperative which must be held by farmers, producers or harvesters of aquatic products, or other cooperative associations in order to make such a cooperative eligible to borrow from a bank for cooperatives. Requires a bank for cooperatives to retire any equity held by a borrower in default or dissolution at fair market value not to exceed the par value of the equity interest of the borrower. Prohibits the retirement or cancellation of such an equity interest if the bank's capital structure would be adversely affected. Permits each bank for cooperatives to transfer more than 25 percent of its net annual savings to a surplus account. Authorizes the banks for cooperatives to pay patronage refunds to borrowers in the form of participation certificates. Title IV: Provisions Applicable to Two or More Classes of Institutions of the System - Declares that interest rates established by the Farm Credit Administration for loans made by Farm Credit System institutions and by specified agricultural credit corporations shall preempt any interest rate limitation imposed by State law. States that when two or more Farm Credit System institutions participate in a loan as authorized by this Act, the terms of such loan shall be those agreed upon by the institutions. Requires that such factors as borrower eligibility, membership, term, amount, loan security and purchase of stock or participation certificates by the borrower are to be governed by the provisions of law applicable to the institution originating the loan. Exempts credit transactions of Farm Credit System institutions and specified agricultural credit corporations from the provisions of any State statute or any other law or regulation which impose, with regard to a credit transaction, any duty or requirement which is similar to those which have been imposed by the Truth in Lending Act. Requires each Federal land bank association and production credit association to prepare a program for furnishing sound and constructive credit and related services to young, beginning, and small farmers and ranchers. Directs the Federal land bank and the Federal intermediate credit bank for each district to annually obtain reports of activities under such programs. Authorizes the institutions of the Farm Credit System to organize corporations to perform non-lending functions and services which such institutions are authorized to perform. Empowers the Governor of the Farm Credit Administration to review and revise the charters of such corporations. States that such corporations shall be subject to supervision and examination by the Administration. Applies State and other laws relevant to organizing banks to such corporations, except for specified tax exemptions. Authorizes the sale to Farm Credit System members of insurance to protect the loan commitment and the member's farm or aquatic unit, with specified limitations. Permits banks and associations already offering insurance not authorized by this section to continue to sell such insurance for one year and continue to service such insurance until expiration. Title V: District and Farm Credit Administration Organization - Permits the Virgin Islands to be included within a farm credit district, if the extension of credit and other services in the Virgin Islands is determined to be feasible. Revises the process for the election of farm credit district directors by reducing from three to two the number of nominees on the election poll. Establishes the rate of compensation for the Federal Farm Credit Board at the daily equivalent of the rate prescribed for grade GS-18 of the General Schedule. Authorizes the Board to fix the salary of the Governor of the Farm Credit Administration at any level not exceeding the maximum rate of basic pay in the Executive Schedule. Authorizes the Governor to appoint Deputy Governors to provide assistance in the functioning of the Farm Credit Administration. Exempts the Administration from provisions of Federal law relating to appointments in the competitive civil service, travel expenses, allowances, procurement, and property disposition. Credits employees of Farm Credit System institutions with specified leave and retirement benefits when they are transferred to Federal service in the Farm Credit Administration. Authorizes the banks of the System, with the concurrence of two-thirds of the district boards, to sell or otherwise dispose of any interest in property. Requires the Farm Credit Administration to make annual reports to Congress which include a summary of any unresolved differences arising out of consultations with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Comptroller of the Currency and a summary and analysis of specified reports submitted to such Administration by the Federal land banks and Federal intermediate credit banks relating to programs for serving young, beginning, and small farmers and ranchers. Eliminates the requirement that such Administration maintain its principal office in the District of Columbia.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1980
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President instruct the Attorney General to prosecute all persons who violate the Logan Act and the executive order prohibiting travel to Iran, thereby giving color of right to illegal actions by the Government of Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1980
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that neither the Secretary of Transportation nor the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall take any actions which would reduce public air service into Washington National Airport.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1980
Extends the congratulations of the Congress to the Order of the Sons of Italy in America for their 75th anniversary. Proclaims Sunday, June 22, 1980, as "National Italian-American Day."
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 1980
Veterans' Disability Compensation and Survivors' Benefits Amendments of 1980 - Title I: Veterans' Disability Compensation Benefits - Increases the rates of veterans' compensation for: (1) wartime disability compensation; (2) additional compensation for dependents; and (3) clothing allowances paid to certain disabled veterans. Title II: Survivors' Dependency and Indemnity Compensation Benefits - Increases the rates of veterans' dependency and indemnity compensation for: (1) a surviving spouse; (2) surviving children; and (3) supplemental children's benefits. Title III: Miscellaneous Provisions - Extends the authority for the Veterans' Administration regional office in the Republic of the Philippines until September 30, 1985. Sets forth procedures for: (1) retroactive payments for additional children entitled to dependency and indemnity compensation; and (2) reducing payments to a dependent child who has attained the age of 18 and is attending an educational institution, and whose parent is receiving compensation payments as a surviving spouse. Prohibits the payment of burial allowances for any veteran who dies during fiscal year 1981 whose income exceeded $20,000, and includes the income of such veterans' spouse in determining the income of such veteran. Authorizes the Administrator to furnish headstones and markers, upon request, for specified relatives of veterans who are buried in a State veterans' cemetery. Provides for the reduction of pension payments made to veterans of a period of war, and surviving spouses of veterans of a period of war when such pension payments are made concurrently with such individuals' retirement payments. Provides for pension payments to a hospitalized veteran having neither spouse nor child if such veteran is readmitted within six months of a period of care. Limits the amount of compensation for a service-connected disability and dependency and indemnity compensation for any veteran imprisoned in a Federal, State, or local penal institution as a result of conviction of a felony or misdemeanor. Authorizes the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs to apportion and pay to such veteran's spouse, children, or dependent parents the compensation such veteran would have received but for such veteran's incarceration. Sets forth the minimum number of personnel to be employed by the American Battle Monument Commission for the care and maintenance of the cemeteries, monuments, and memorials under the jurisdiction of such Commission. Title IV: Effective Dates - Sets forth the effective dates of specified sections of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 1980
Authorizes the President to present a gold-plated medal, on behalf of the Congress, to those athletes selected through the Olympic trial process to be members of the United States Summer Olympic Team of 1980. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to cause to be stricken 650 such medals with suitable emblems. Declares that such medals are national medals and that funds to carry out this Act shall be made available under the Amateur Sports Act of 1978.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 1980
National Export Policy Act of 1980 - Title I: General Findings and Purposes - Sets forth congressional findings and the purposes of this Act. Title II: Export Financing - Amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to direct the Export-Import Bank to adopt export finance programs comparable in structure to those extraordinary measures of official export credits offered by competing countries, until such financing is limited by international agreements. Requires the Bank to report annually to Congress as to whether any additional appropriations or any increases in its commitment authority or ceiling levels are necessary to carry out this Act. States that this Act shall not take effect until six months after enactment, unless the President defers the effective date for an additional six months. Declares it to be the policy of the Congress that the Export-Import Bank of the United States should facilitate, particularly in the presence of foreign officially-supported export credit competition, exports to countries: (1) having insufficient access to international credit facilities; (2) demonstrating reasonable economic progress; and (3) offering adequate formal assurances of repayment (currently, must offer sufficient likelihood of repayment). Increases the aggregate amount of loans and contractual liability of guarantees and insurance which may be outstanding at any one time. Requires such activities to be carried out through the Export Expansion Facility. Provides for the capitalization of such facility. Establishes staggered ten-year terms of office for the Bank directors. Declares that the appropriate congressional committees should consider limitations on Bank activities when considering appropriations for international trade activities rather than when considering foreign assistance activities. Title III: Export-Related Tax Policy - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the earned income exclusion for United States citizens working abroad, who are bona fide residents of a foreign country, from an annual rate of $20,000 to: (1) $50,000; or (2) $65,000, if such persons qualify as bona fide residents for certain specified periods. Allows separate exclusions to married individuals who are both working overseas, although one's excess exclusion cannot be used against income earned by the other. Waives the residency requirements to qualify for such exclusion for those required to leave a foreign country because of civil unrest, war, or similar adverse conditions precluding the normal conduct of business. Reduces from 17 to 11 months the foreign residency requirement with respect to the deduction for certain housing expenses of living abroad. Revises the formula for determining the base housing amount with regard to such deduction to make it 16 percent of the salary of a GS-14, step 1. Repeals similar deductions for cost-of-living differential, schooling expenses, home leave travel expenses, and residence in a hardship area. Provides that the foreign bad debt loss deduction shall not exceed the greater of 15 percent of the taxpayer's taxable income from exports, or two percent of the taxpayer's export receivables outstanding at the close of the taxable year. Provides that the amount of bad debt losses that may be added to a bad debt reserve shall not exceed five percent of the taxpayer's export receivables outstanding as of the close of the taxable year. Permits the amortization, based on a period of 60 months, of: (1) foreign market studies; (2) foreign marketing expenses; and (3) foreign patents. Permits an income tax deduction for currency fluctuation losses on export credit which have not been repaid by the end of the taxable year. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to extend the six-month deadline for exempting exports from the manufacturer's excise tax for an additional 12 months if it is determined, after consultation with the Secretary of State, that exports were delayed because of war, civil unrest, or similar adverse conditions in a foreign nation. Amends the Foreign Trade Zones Act to authorize the Secretary of Commerce to approve the duty-free entry of machinery, materials, and fuels to be used for the production of goods in a foreign trade zone if such goods are not subsequently entered into U.S. customs territory. Sets forth requirements before applications for such treatment will be approved. Makes such approval valid for six years. Requires the Foreign Trade Zones Board to include in its annual report to Congress a summary of activities and proposals to increase the use of foreign trade zones to expand U.S. exports. Makes banking organizations which have invested in an export trading company eligible for treatment as domestic international sales corporations (DISC). Includes the gross receipts from the export of services produced in the United States and from export trade services as qualified export receipts, in the case of a DISC which is an export trading company. Directs the Secretary of Commerce, with the Secretary of the Treasury, to develop and distribute information concerning the utilization of the DISC provisions. Makes export trading companies eligible for Subchapter S treatment if the shareholders of such companies are otherwise small business corporations. Exempts such companies from restrictions on the amount of foreign income they can receive and still be eligible for Subchapter S tax treatment. Title IV: Antitrust - Amends the Webb-Pomerene Act to exempt the export trade, export trade activities, and methods of operation of certified export trade associations and export trading companies from the antitrust laws. Delays the effectiveness of any certificate upon the notification of the Secretary of Commerce by the Attorney General or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) of disagreement with the decision to issue a certificate. Sets forth the procedure to be followed by any association, company, or export trading company seeking certification under this Act and by the Secretary in issuing such certificates. Provides for appeal of the Secretary's denial of certification. Authorizes the Attorney General or the FTC to bring an action to invalidate a certification. Requires the Secretary, in consultation with the Attorney General and the FTC, to publish guidelines for determining whether an association or export trading company will meet the certification requirements. Requires certified associations and export trading companies to submit annual reports to the Secretary. Directs the Secretary to establish within the Department of Commerce an office to promote export trade associations and trading companies. Provides for automatic certification of existing associations. Requires that all applications for certification be kept confidential with specified exceptions. Authorizes the Secretary to require an association or trading company to modify its operation to be consistent with international obligations of the United States. Directs the President to appoint, with the Senate's advice and consent, a task force seven years after enactment to examine the effect of this Act and to make recommendations. Directs the Attorney General to study whether: (1) U.S. business conduct to expand exports conflicts with basic antitrust principles; and (2) a more liberal enforcement policy for overseas activities would impede implementation of the antitrust laws. Requires the Attorney General to identify such conduct which would not warrant prosecution under the antitrust laws. Sets forth the procedures for describing such permissible conduct and disclosing such descriptions. Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to intervene in such suits and to provide legal assistance to exporters. Prohibits prosecution under the antitrust laws of exporters who: (1) have notified the Attorney General of their intention to engage in such designated conduct; or (2) receive an approval, or no objection, from the Attorney General concerning proposed transactions. Requires the Attorney General and the Secretary of Commerce to report to Congress concerning implementation of this section. Title V: Amendments to Other Laws that Hinder Exports - Amends the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 to change the name of such Act to the Business Practices and Records Act. Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require issuers of securities to keep their books and maintain a system of internal accounting controls in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Makes issuers liable for knowingly falsifying any books or for the intentionally wrongful maintenance or circumvention of the system of internal accounting controls. Requires only good faith efforts by issuers holding 50 percent or less of the equity capital to use their influence to cause transactions and dispositions of assets to be carried out consistent with such provisions. Repeals the provisions specifying prohibited foreign corrupt practices by issuers. Amends the Business Practices and Records Act to include issuers within the provisions specifying prohibited foreign corrupt practices by domestic concerns. Permits items of value to be given to foreigners in specified circumstances, including courtesy items, demonstration expenses, and payments lawful under the laws of the country of the intended recipient. Directs the Attorney General to issue guidelines specifying permissible conduct and arrangements associated with common types of export sales arrangements and business contracts and precautionary procedures creating a rebuttable presumption of compliance. Provides for the establishment of a Business Practices and Records Act Review Procedure to answer specific inquiries concerning enforcement of such Act. Requires the Attorney General to issue opinions regarding compliance. Makes such opinions final and binding on all parties if the conduct does not involve a violation. Requires annual reports to Congress by: (1) the Attorney General concerning actions taken pursuant to such Act; and (2) the Securities and Exchange Commission concerning the reporting requirements. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should negotiate agreements establishing standards of conduct for international business practices, a resolution procedure, and rates of commissions. Directs the President to report to Congress concerning the progress of such negotiations. Requires Congress to review the Business Practices and Records Act after receiving the President's report. Requires an export competitiveness impact statement from any issuing authority taking significant action which could affect adversely U.S. exports or the international competitive position of the United States and its exporters. Expresses the sense of Congress that export paperwork must be reduced to encourage export sales. Requires all agencies to minimize paperwork and reporting requirements. Title VI: Export Awareness and Export Promotion Programs - Export Trading Company Act of 1980 - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to promote export trading companies and facilitate contacts between producers of exportable goods and export trading companies. Authorizes any banking organization to invest up to specified amounts in export trading companies upon notifying, but without obtaining the prior approval of, the appropriate Federal banking agency, if such investment does not cause an export trading company to become a subsidiary of such organization. Allows greater investment by Edge Act Corporations not engaged in banking. Permits any banking organization to invest beyond such limitations with the prior approval of the appropriate Federal banking agency. Requires prior notification of such agencies in specified circumstances. Sets forth further limitations on export trading companies and investments by banking organizations. Specifies factors to be taken into consideration by the banking agencies. Permits such agencies to impose conditions in approving applications to invest in export trading companies. Requires such agencies to report to the appropriate congressional committees concerning implementation of this Act and any recommendations. Provides for judicial review of denial orders in the appropriate U.S. Court of Appeals. Sets forth the grounds for disapproval. Provides for remand for further consideration by the banking agency. Directs the Economic Development Administration and the Small Business Administration to give special weight to export-related benefits when considering applications for loans and guarantees by export trading companies. Directs the Export-Import Bank of the United States to provide loan guarantees to export trading companies or exporters to be secured by accounts receivable or inventories when adequate financing is not otherwise available and such guarantees will facilitate expansion of exports. Small Business Export Expansion Act of 1980 - Amends the Small Business Act to authorize the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to permit participating lending institutions to take actions on behalf of the Administrator with respect to deferred participation loans. Empowers the SBA, either directly or in cooperation with lending institutions, to extend credit for export purposes to enable small business concerns to develop foreign markets. Limits the extension of such credit to periods of 18 months or less. Sets a maximum of $750,000 which may be committed to any borrower from the business loan and investment revolving fund. Establishes within the Administration an Office of International Trade to promote sales opportunities for small business goods and services abroad. Requires such Office to: (1) provide small businesses with access to current and complete export information; (2) encourage greater small business participation in trade fairs, shows, missions, and other domestic and overseas export development activities of the Department of Commerce; and (3) assign full-time export development specialists to each Administration regional office. Directs the Administrator, after consultation with specified agencies, to establish an export promotion center in each of two regional offices of the Administration where field offices of the Department of Commerce and the Internal Revenue Service exist. Requires each such center to serve as a one-stop information center of Federal Government export assistance, financing programs available to small business, and other provisions of law governing exporting for small business. Requires: (1) a progress report on the implementation of such centers to the appropriate Congressional committees within six months of enactment of this Act; and (2) an evaluation, within two years after enactment, of the effectiveness of such centers in developing and expanding small business exports. Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to make grants to qualified applicants to encourage the development and implementation of small business international marketing programs. Sets forth eligibility requirements for applicants. Prohibits the use of any Federal funds to directly underwrite any small business participation in foreign trade missions abroad. Requires each small business international marketing program to: (1) have a full-time staff director to manage program activities; (2) have access to export specialists to counsel and assist small business clients; and (3) establish an advisory board. Directs the Secretary to require, as a condition to any grant, that an additional amount equal to twice the amount of such grant be provided from sources other than the Federal Government. Directs the Secretary to develop a plan to evaluate such programs to: (1) determine the impact of such programs on the small businesses assisted; (2) determine the amount of export sales generated by such businesses; and (3) make recommendations concerning continuation and/or expansion of the program. Requires the establishment of at least one small business international program within each region of the Department of Commerce. Directs the Secretary of Commerce, through the International Trade Administration, to maintain a central clearinghouse for the collection, dissemination, and exchange of information between such programs. Directs the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements with industrial corporations to develop foreign markets for their products. Requires the Secretary to direct specific market research for the products involved in foreign markets upon entering such agreements. Permits interested industrial corporations to submit a proposal incorporating specific marketing actions to the Secretary. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into a marketing agreement after approving any such proposal. Requires repayment of the Federal share of the costs by the entity entering into such an agreement. International Education Programs Act - Amends the Higher Education Act to direct the Secretary of Education to make grants to, and contracts with, institutions of higher education to pay the Federal share of the cost of programs designed to promote linkages between such institutions and the American business community engaged in international economic activities. Requires higher education institutions to apply for such grants and contracts. Limits the amount of Federal assistance. Provides for an advisory board to consider the grants made, or contracts entered into, and to review programs established under this section. Directs each Federal agency and U.S. representative to any international organization to: (1) identify programs affecting the export of U.S. firms' services; (2) make available information concerning such programs; (3) establish programs to publicize export-related programs for services; and (4) modify those programs with an adverse effect on the export of services. Makes the Secretary of Commerce responsible for coordinating such programs. Directs the Department of Treasury to report to Congress concerning the feasibility of extending DISC treatment to the export of services. Title VII: Agricultural Exports - Amends the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act to establish the Agricultural Export Credit Revolving Fund to be available for: (1) the export of, or aid in the development of, foreign markets for agricultural commodities; and (2) loans for the acquisition of facilities in foreign countries to improve the countries' capacities to handle agri-commodities exported from the United States. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to report to Congress annually concerning the export credit sales program. Abolishes such fund effective October 1, 1983. Amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to require the ratio of credit extended by the Export-Import Bank for agricultural exports in comparison with the total amount extended be at least equivalent to the value of agricultural exports in comparison with total value of exports. Specifies exceptions to this requirement. Requests the President to take action to establish an International Wheat Exporting Commission which would establish an annual minimum world market price for wheat and prescribe export quotas. Requires the President to keep Congress informed about the establishment of such Commission and to report annually once such Commission is established. Title VIII: International Agreements - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the multilateral trade agreement be strongly implemented; and (2) the efforts must continue to secure a freer world trading environment. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to implement a special export subsidy program for agricultural commodities to neutralize the effects of foreign export subsidy programs. Specifies the circumstances required before such program may be implemented. Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should enter negotiations for international codes of: (1) official export financing; (2) business conduct; (3) reciprocity of antitrust enforcement; and (4) fair trade in services. Requires the President to report to Congress concerning the progress of such negotiations. Title IX: Government Support of Export Goals - Overseas Private Investment Corporation Act of 1980 - Establishes the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) as an independent agency. Sets forth the duties of OPIC. Provides for the capital of OPIC to be paid in through the appropriation process and through transfer from OPIC's earned income. Sets forth the structure of OPIC with a Board of Directors, a President of the Corporation, an Executive Vice President of the Corporation, other officers and staff, and consultants. Authorizes OPIC to issue insurance to eligible investors covering new or existing investments protecting against specified risks. Authorizes OPIC to make arrangements with foreign governments or multilateral organizations for sharing liabilities. Limits the insurance that may be issued to a single investor. Authorizes OPIC to issue guarantees of loans and other investments. Sets forth limitations on such guarantees. Authorizes OPIC to make direct loans to privately owned or mixed publicly and privately owned firms for projects sponsored by or significantly involving United States small business or cooperatives. Limits the circumstances under which OPIC may acquire stock in any other corporation. Authorizes OPIC to initiate and support the identification, assessment, and promotion of private investment opportunities, with specified exceptions. Authorizes OPIC to administer special projects to provide private technical, professional, or managerial assistance in the development of human resources, skills, technology, capital savings, and intermediate financial institutions and cooperatives. Authorizes OPIC to engage in other insurance, reinsurance, and risk sharing activities with other insurance companies, financial institutions, persons, or groups. Limits the amount of reinsurance of liabilities which OPIC may issue. Limits the amount of maximum contingent liability pursuant to insurance or guarantees issued under this Act which may be outstanding at any one time. Establishes the: (1) Direct Investment Fund as a revolving fund to be available for direct investments; and (2) Insurance Reserve and Guaranty Reserve to be available for discharging liabilities. Authorizes appropriations to the investment and guaranty fund in specified circumstances. Authorizes OPIC to issue obligations in specified circumstances in order to discharge liabilities. Requires that all revenues and income transferred to or earned by OPIC be available to carry out OPIC's purposes. Directs OPIC to determine that suitable arrangements exist for protecting OPIC's interests in connection with any insurance, guaranty, or reinsurance issued under this Act. Pledges the full faith and credit of the United States for the full payment and performance of previous obligations. Sets forth conditions with respect to insurance, guaranty, and reinsurance coverage under this Act concerning fees, time limits, fraud, and settlement of disputes. Sets forth administrative provisions and duties applicable to OPIC. Requires OPIC to undertake to broaden the participation of United States small business, cooperatives, and other small investors in the development of small private enterprise in less developed friendly countries or areas. Directs OPIC to report annually to Congress concerning its operations. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to define "eligible investor" in terms of this Act with respect to housing guarantees. Repeals provisions: (1) prohibiting the transfer of OPIC funds between accounts; (2) authorizing the President to deny assistance to any less developed country which fails to enter into an agreement to institute the investment guaranty program; and (3) establishing OPIC. Stipulates that nothing in this part shall be construed as terminating any of OPIC's statutory authority. Requires the President to submit to the appropriate congressional committees any necessary technical or conforming amendments. Declares that the potential for U.S. exports shall be a primary decisionmaking factor in considering which projects to include in U.S. foreign aid programs. Requires the Director of the International Development Cooperation Agency, (IDCA) to transfer the functions of the Office of Reimbursable Development from the Agency for International Development to an independent functional status within the IDCA. Declares that the Office of Management and Budget should assure that adequate budget allocations are made available to carry out the programs prescribed in this Act. Declares that the Department of Justice should do what it can to facilitate procedures for exporters. Declares that the Small Business Administration should: (1) be aware of the benefits of export to small business development; and (2) use every opportunity to provide information and assistance to potential exporters. Declares that the U.S. ability to export coal, nuclear power fuels, and other energy matters in a reliable manner should be a key consideration. Directs congressional committees to include in their reports the effect of the bill or resolution on the international competitiveness of the United States. Creates a National Export Council to: (1) serve as a national advisory body on matters relating to United States export trade: (2) act as a liaison among the communities represented by its membership; and (3) provide advice on Federal plans and actions that affect export promotion and development policies which have an impact on those communities represented by its membership. Requires the Council to make an annual report to the President and the Congress on its activities. Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to appoint commercial ministers, counselors, and attaches with the rank and privileges of other ministers, counselors, and attaches in U.S. embassies and consulates, to: (1) provide trade and commercial services; (2) engage in the promotion of U.S. exports; (3) file semiannual reports to the Secretary on market, industrial, and commodity conditions in their districts and on the implementation of multilateral and bilateral trade agreements; and (4) maintain current data on the commercial standing and capacity of foreign firms within their districts. Provides for domestic assignment, office logistics, allowances and benefits of such ministers, counselors, and attaches. Directs the Comptroller General to report to Congress with any recommendations concerning: (1) the organization of international trading and financing programs in the United States; (2) the effectiveness of foreign export promotion programs; and (3) the trade activities of specified Federal agencies. Expresses the sense of Congress that the appropriate congressional committees should review periodically the trade organization of the U.S. Government.
United States · United States Congress · 29 May 1980
Permits veterans to refinance previously guaranteed mortgage loans which are secured by homes they still own and occupy. Sets forth conditions and requirements pursuant to such loans.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1980
National Defense Compensation Act of 1980 - Increases the pay and allowances, and certain special and incentive pays, of members of the uniformed services for pay periods beginning after December 31, 1981, 1982, and 1983. Directs the President, in any year in which an alternative pay plan is transmitted to the Congress, to include in such plan a statement specifying the adjustments which would have been made but for such alternative plan.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1980
Veterans' Rehabilitation and Education Amendments of 1980 - Title I: Revision of Vocational Rehabilitation Program - Revises veterans' vocational rehabilitation provisions to declare the purpose of this Act to be to provide all services necessary to enable veterans with service-connected disabilities to attain maximum independence, to become employable, and to obtain and maintain suitable employment. Redefines "vocational rehabilitation" to include the provision of all services required to achieve the purpose of this Act, including discharge, medical, social, psychological, economic, and vocational services (presently defined in terms of educational and vocational training to restore employability). Defines "employment handicap" as a disability impairing a veteran's ability to prepare for, obtain, or retain employment consistent with his or her abilities, aptitudes, and interests. Revises entitlement provisions to: (1) make eligibility run as of September 16, 1940, (rather than World War II as at present); (2) require a handicap to be an employment handicap as defined by this Act; and (3) provide for follow up vocational services to a rehabilitated veteran in order for such veteran to enter new employment more suitable to his or her current capacity or condition. Eliminates the language extending eligibility for specified veterans to October 15, 1971. Sets forth the scope of services, including: (1) evaluation of rehabilitation potential; (2) educational, vocational and personal counseling; (3) a vocational rehabilitation plan; (4) vocational and related services including tutorial services, tuition, books, and other training materials; (5) treatment for mental and emotional disorders; (6) medical care; (7) prosthetic and other corrective devices; (8) placement and postplacement services; (9) services to a veteran's family; (10) special rehabilitation services, including services for the blind and the deaf; (11) subsistence allowances; (12) essential employment equipment and supplies for severely disabled veterans requiring homebound training and or self-employment; (13) transportation costs, including pre- and post-training services; and (14) work study allowance, loans, and other incidental goods and services. Revises duration of services provisions to: (1) provide basic vocational rehabilitation services for 48-months; (2) remove the nine year (from discharge) eligibility limitation; and (3) provide a 12 month rehabilitation evaluation period. Revises subsistence allowance provisions to: (1) provide for payments during the evaluation of vocational rehabilitation potential; (2) provide payments for unpaid on-job training or work experience in a Federal agency or during such evaluation period; (3) pay room and board expenses for individuals pursuing a program on a residential basis in a specialized rehabilitation facility; (4) provide that vocational payments be paid on a full-time basis for two months following a determination of employability; (5) set forth the rate of payment for individuals in unpaid Federal training or work experience; (6) prohibit payments to incarcerated individuals; and (7) provide for advance payment of subsistence allowances. Authorizes personal adjustment counseling during the evaluation of rehabilitation feasibility period. Sets forth basic requirements of a vocational rehabilitation program, which shall include: (1) participation by the veteran in formulation of a written plan; and (2) a statement of objectives and goals, services and a time schedule for providing such services, and a projected completion date. Revises leave of absence provisions to remove the 30-day per year limitation on such leave. Revises the regulation of conduct provisions to remove the three-month forfeiture of subsistence penalty for unsatisfactory conduct and to replace the permanent disqualification for further vocational rehabilitation penalty with a provision allowing the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs to reinstate such benefits upon satisfactory conduct. Increases the maximum amount of loans available to a veteran from $200 to $400. Authorizes vocational rehabilitation to members of the Armed Forces, otherwise eligible, and veterans hospitalized in VA or non-VA medical facilities. Authorizes vocational training outside the United States (presently prohibited for post-World War II veterans who were not citizens at the time of their United States military service). Provides that any Federal agency facility may be used to provide unpaid training or work experience as part of a veteran's vocational rehabilitation program. States that such veteran shall be deemed a Federal employee for workmen's compensation purposes but not for the purposes of laws administered by the Office of Personnel Management. Authorizes the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs to use the facilities, staff, and other resources of any Federal agency to provide services under this Act. Directs the Administrator to assist in the development of employment and on-job training opportunities, including payments to employers for providing on-job training to certain veterans. Directs the Veterans Administration (VA) to: (1) provide employment assistance, including direct employment placement, utilization of Federal, State, and nonprofit private employment services, and securing loans and paying business license fees; (2) provide vocational rehabilitation staff training and development; and (3) carry out an ongoing program of rehabilitation research and special projects, including grants and contracts with public and nonprofit agencies. Directs the Administrator to appoint a Veterans' Advisory Committee on Rehabilitation. Revises provisions concerning the limitation on periods of assistance under two or more veterans' educational assistance programs to include post-Vietnam era benefits within such limitation, and to provide a 48-month aggregate eligibility period for vocational rehabilitation and other educational assistance. Limits the current provision which reduces the number of clock hours of attendance required for payment of benefits for certain courses to courses accredited by nationally recognized accrediting agencies. Authorizes veterans eligible for vocational rehabilitation services to pursue such program using their educational assistance entitlements. Title II: GI Bill Rate Increase - Increases rates of veterans payments for: (1) educational assistance allowances, including special supplementary assistance; (2) educational assistance for survivors and dependents, including special training allowances; and (3) State and local agency administrative expenses, including educational assistance for apprenticeship or other on-job training and education loans. Title III: Educational Assistance Program Amendments : Part A - Educational Assistance for Veterans - Authorizes the Administrator to disapprove a veteran's or serviceperson's application for educational assistance if enrollment would be prohibited by any of the appropriate administrative provisions. Eliminates the 50 percent employment reporting requirement for courses if: (1) veteran and eligible dependent or survivor enrollment does not exceed 35 percent of total enrollment (for the two-year reporting period); and (2) the course had met the employment requirements for two consecutive reporting periods. Eliminates the requirement that a major portion of an open circuit television course must require conventional classroom or laboratory attendance in order to be approved by the Administrator for assistance. Eliminates computing persons receiving Federal educational assistance from the "85-15" enrollment eligibility requirement. Eliminates the course completion time provision as a requirement for satisfactory educational progress with regard to discontinuance of educational assistance. Revises foreign study provisions to authorize such study if: (1) the course is part of a standard college degree program (or its equivalent) at an institution of higher learning so recognized by the foreign country; and (2) the Administrator approves. Authorizes assistance for continuing education or training required by Federal, State, or local law for professional or vocational relicensure or continued employment. Provides that such continuing education shall be paid at the same rate as refresher training. Stipulates that educational assistance for a veteran pursuing an eligible (as revised by this Act) open circuit television course shall be paid in the same manner as an independent study program. Part B - Educational Assistance for Dependents and Survivors - Disqualifies specified family members from eligibility as qualified tutors for veterans receiving supplementary tutorial assistance. Directs the Administrator to approve any application for educational assistance received from an eligible survivor or dependent. Authorizes the Administrator to arrange for educational or vocational counseling for such dependents upon their request. Authorizes the Administrator to disapprove an eligible survivor's or dependent's application for educational assistance if enrollment would be prohibited by any of the appropriate administrative provisions. Prohibits such individuals from enrolling in an educational institution not located in a State or in the Republic of the Philippines unless: (1) the course is part of a standard college degree (or its equivalent) at an institution of higher learning so recognized by the foreign country; and (2) the Administrator approves. Revises provisions concerning advance educational assistance payments to such individuals to: (1) authorize direct payments to an eligible individual (presently payments must be made to a parent or guardian); (2) eliminate certain certification requirements; and (3) provide that payments for an eligible (as revised by this Act) open circuit television course shall be paid in the same manner as an independent study program. Part C - Amendment Relating to Administration of Educational Benefits - Revises provisions concerning the period for which educational or subsistence allowances will be paid for eligible veterans or persons to provide that: (1) the individual must be pursuing a course of study (presently only required to be enrolled); (2) the Administrator shall determine regulations regarding eligibility; and (3) payment shall be for the stated period of enrollment, or the actual period of enrollment, whichever is shorter. Requires veterans and other individuals to report any changes in their educational status to the Administrator. Requires educational institutions to report any facts they know or should have known concerning their compliance with, or eligibility for, such educational assistance. Includes "residence" in the definition of a full-time undergraduate course. Defines "in residence on a standard quarter-or semester-hour basis" to require pursuit of regularly scheduled weekly class instruction on campus at the rate of one standard class session per week throughout the semester for one semester hour of credit. Provides for payments to veterans and eligible persons attending non- degree courses during periods between terms which do not exceed 15 calendar days and periods when the school is not in session because of teacher conferences or teacher training sessions (not to exceed five days in any 12-month period). Terminates the (veterans') education advisory committee as of December 31, 1989. Includes post- Vietnam era veterans' educational assistance, and deletes vocational rehabilitation, within such committee's responsibility. Title IV: Post-Vietnam Era Veterans' Educational Assistance Program Adjustments - Makes eligible for participation in the Post-Vietnam Era Veterans' Educational Assistance Program certain persons who entered military service on or after January 1, 1977, after having served on active duty before or after such date for a period of 180 days or less and were discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable. Revises the procedure for distribution of unused contributions to such program fund by the participant, if the participant dies while on, or after discharge from, active duty and has not designated a beneficiary under the Servicemen's Group Life Insurance program. Title V: Revision of Eligibility for Veterans Employment and Training Programs - Defines "veteran" for purposes of veterans' job counseling, training, and placement benefits, and disabled and Vietnam era veterans' employment and training benefits as one who: (1) served on active-duty for more than 180 days and received other than a dishonorable discharge; or (2) received a service-connected disability discharge. Defines "disabled veteran" for purposes of disabled veterans' training and employment benefits as one who: (1) is entitled to veterans' disability compensation; or (2) received a service-connected disability discharge. Declares that no veteran shall be considered a Vietnam-era veteran after December 31, 1989. Requires the Secretary of Labor to assure that any veteran made ineligible for certain veterans' job counseling and placement assistance by provisions of this Act (defining categories of eligible veterans) shall be provided with employment assistance and related services under other applicable provisions of law. Includes disabled veterans and Vietnam-era veterans as those eligible veterans who shall receive special consideration for job placement. Requires the Secretary of Labor to include numerical breakdowns of such veterans' categories in his annual veterans' training report to Congress. Makes a qualifying Vietnam veteran eligible for Federal contract priority-hiring. Directs that the benefits an eligible veteran may be receiving (or has received) under certain other programs of the VA shall be disregarded when determining the needs and qualifications of such veteran under any employment or training program financed with Federal funds. Authorizes the Administrator to give preference to qualified disabled and Vietnam-era veterans for employment in the VA as veterans' benefits counselors and veterans' claim examiners. Grants to members of the National Guard, called to assemble for required drills and field exercises for a period of not less than twelve consecutive weeks, the reemployment rights of reserves called to active duty. Title VI: Cost-Savings Provisions - Repeals the authority for veterans to receive educational assistance for the pursuit of flight and correspondence training, including post-Vietnam-era veterans and survivors and dependents. Directs the Administrator to deduct from future payments any overpayment made to persons for service-connected disability or death compensation, dependency and indemnity compensation, pension for non-service-connected disability for death, and educational assistance benefits. Provides that such deductions are not subject to time limitations for bringing civil actions or administrative proceedings. Grants the Administrator the authority to charge interest on amounts owed to the United States for overpayment of benefits or services provided by the Veterans' Administration, unless such amounts are repaid within a reasonable period of time. Directs the Administrator to prescribe regulations to set forth the rate of interest to be charged. Repeals the authority of the Administrator to deduct from future payments any overpayment made to parents for dependency and indemnity compensation. Revises existing provisions of law relating to overpayments made to veterans receiving educational assistance to declare that such overpayment constitutes a liability of the veteran to the United States (present provisions cover the liability of the institution attended by the veteran). Stipulates that if such liability of the veteran is waived, the institution is not released from its liability. Authorizes the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs to disclose to a consumer reporting agency the name and address of an individual indebted to the Veterans' Administration (VA) for the purpose of obtaining consumer reports in order to assess such individual's ability to repay the debt and to give notice of the outstanding obligation. Prohibits: (1) the VA from disclosing other information that would imply an individual's indebtedness to the United States; and (2) the credit reporting agency from indicating in its reports or files that such VA inquiry indicates any indebtedness by such individual (willful violation punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 for the first offense and up to $20,000 for a subsequent offense). Authorizes the disclosure of an individual's name, address, and other identifying information necessary to locate him or her in order to carry out specified VA evaluation studies. Requires the Administrator to make a pre-disclosure determination that the inclusion of a particular individual in such study is clearly warranted. Establishes other disclosure requirements similar to those for indebtedness disclosures. Authorizes the disclosure of information affecting an individual's credit rating (name, address, indebtedness) if such individual has failed to respond to administrative debt-collection efforts. Requires the VA, before making such indebtedness disclosures, to: (1) notify an individual of the information to be disclosed, and to which credit agencies, at least 30 days prior to such disclosure; (2) inform the individual of his or her right to dispute the debt claim; and (3) make a determination regarding any such disputed debt. Defines "consumer reporting agency" for purposes of this Act. Authorizes the Administrator, upon application by any person, to make available any appraisal report submitted to, or prepared by, the VA in connection with any home, condominium, or mobile home loan. Authorizes the Administrator to disclose the name and address of any person to any person (authorized by regulation) for the purpose of determining creditworthiness, verifying information, or to provide assistance pursuant to any such loan made by the VA. Stipulates that any such disclosure be recorded in the file of the person concerned. Exempts a credit agency's handling of such VA debt disclosures from the Privacy Act. Authorizes the VA to use its own attorneys to recover any amount owed the United States under laws administered by the Administration. Repeals specified provisions authorizing servicepersons to participate in the predischarge education training program (PREP). Sets forth the rate of educational assistance allowance for an incarcerated veteran or eligible person. Title VII: Technical Amendments - Defines "person" for purposes of veterans' survivors and dependents special restorative training to mean children of veterans. Title VIII: Effective Date - Provides that the provisions of this Act shall take effect on the first day of the second month after the date of enactment of this Act and specifies those provisions which shall take effect on October 1, 1980.
![Official portrait of Sen. Abdnor, James [R-SD]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/a000009_200.jpg)