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United States · Official source
1,811 records where Sen. Abdnor, James [R-SD] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 1979
Amends the Administrative Procedure Act to require Federal agencies to provide general notice of, and an opportunity for public participation in, rulemaking proceedings concerning public property, loans, grants, benefits, or contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 1979
Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should terminate all military training of Iranian personnel pursuant to sales under the Arms Export Control Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 1979
Authorizes and requests the President to designate the week beginning on November 23, 1980, as "National Family Week."
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 1979
Authorizes the President, on behalf of the Congress, to present a gold medal of appropriate design to Bryan Lewis Allen, the first aviator to cross the English Channel in a self-powered plane. Authorizes appropriations of up to $15,000 to strike such medal. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike bronze duplicates of such medal for sale to the public.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 1979
Amends the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Incorporated, to erect a memorial on public grounds in the District of Columbia in honor and recognition of the men and women of the armed forces who served in the Vietnam war.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 1979
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) no action should be taken to withdraw the one-dollar bill from circulation without congressional approval; (2) no action shall be taken to artificially stimulate the demand for the one-dollar coin; and (3) public demand shall dictate the quantity of United States coins produced.
United States · United States Congress · 18 October 1979
Rural Cooperative Business Income Act of 1979 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that income received by a mutual or cooperative telephone or electric company for services to customers or rural telephone or electric companies, and income received from the rental or sale of communications or power facilities, shall not be subject to the tax on unrelated business income.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 1979
Authorizes the acquisition and installation of works of art in public buildings, if the Administrator of General Services: (1) determines that a project for construction or repair of a public building shall include such works; (2) solicits proposals for creation of such works from the American artistic community; and (3) submits suitable proposals to a selection panel to select the proposal for a particular project. Directs the Administrator to establish a selection panel for each project. Permits the Administrator to solicit additional proposals if the selection panel is unable to select any proposal. Limits the cost of acquisition and installation of works of art to no more than one-half of one percent of the total cost of the project.
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 1979
Federal Property and Administrative Services Act Amendments of 1979 - Amends the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 to require each Federal agency, in acquiring personal property or nonpersonal services, to: (1) request a statement of the price of such property or services from each supplier submitting a proposal; and (2) select the lowest price offered. Extends specified provisions of such Act governing the management of property of executive agencies to govern property management for all Federal agencies. Requires the Secretary of Defense to obtain the consent of the Administrator of General Services (Administrator) in order to exempt the Department of Defense from specified provisions of such Act. Declares that procurement policies and methods prescribed by the Administrator pursuant to such Act are binding on all Federal agencies. Requires Federal agencies to acquire all personal property and nonpersonal services through the Administrator. Directs any agency currently exempted from such Act to seek an exemption from amendments made by this Act from the Administrator if the head of such an agency believes such amendments adversely affect the agency's authority. Authorizes the Administrator to review the procurement policies of Federal agencies. Authorizes the Administrator to utilize multiple award schedules in the procurement of personal property and nonpersonal services under certain conditions. Directs contractors seeking awards under such a schedule to certify the accuracy of all price and cost data required to be submitted. Requires any contract awarded under a multiple schedule program to provide that: (1) the price to the Government shall be adjusted to exclude any cost increased because of inaccurate data; and (2) the Government may elect to cancel, without liability, any uncompleted portion of the contract. Authorizes the Administrator, upon determining that a contractor knew or should have known that any submitted data was inaccurate, to debar such contractor from participating in Government contracts for three years. Requires the Administrator to establish procedures affording contractors adequate notice and an opportunity for a hearing with respect to any proposed debarment. Permits the Administrator to order a temporary debarment pending such a hearing if such action is necessary to protect public interests.
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 1979
Prohibits the leasing of any space in the Greater Washington, District of Columbia, metropolitan area for any Federal department, agency, or instrumentality established after January 1, 1979.
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 1979
Authorizes and requests the President to designate May 1, 1980, as "National Bicycling Day."
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 1979
Amends the Department of Transportation Act to direct the Secretary of Transportation to reallocate appropriations for rail service assistance solely to States which require supplementary assistance to mitigate the effect caused by the filing of large-scale abandonments by railroads in liquidation or reorganization under the Bankruptcy Act. Sets forth the factors to be considered in such reallocation, including the amount of mileage in the State for which the application for abandonment or discontinuance has been filed and the relationship between such mileage and the total rail mileage in such State.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 1979
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that the standard mileage rate used in computing the charitable deduction for expenses incurred in the operation of a motor vehicle shall be the same as the standard mileage rate established by the Secretary of the Treasury for the business related deduction.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 1979
Title I: Meat Labeling and Inspection - Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act to require the labeling as imported of any imported meat or meat product, which is capable for use as human food, or its container. Requires that such products: (1) meet the same health standards as domestically produced meat; and (2) be tested in the exporting country. Requires periodic tests of such products in the United States by the Department of Agriculture as well. Title II: Requirement of Certain Eating Establishments to Inform Customers that Imported Meat or Meat Food Products are Served in Such Establishment - Requires eating establishments serving imported meat to inform customers of this fact.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 1979
Welcomes Pope John Paul II to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 1979
Congressional Pay Raise Deferral Act - Amends the Federal Salary Act of 1967 and the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 to provide that any adjustment in the rate of pay for Members of Congress proposed during any Congress shall not take effect earlier than the beginning of the next Congress. States that any such pay adjustment proposed in an even-numbered year of any Congress after the congressional elections and before the beginning of the following Congress, shall be considered as occurring during the first session of the following Congress for the purposes of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 1979
Designates certain lands in the Black Hills National Forest, South Dakota, as the Harney Peak Wilderness.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 1979
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that interest earned on a nonnegotiable time deposit certificate which has a maturity of one year or less will not be treated as received or accrued until the earlier of its maturity date or the date on which it is redeemed. Excludes such certificates from classification as a discount instrument of indebtedness.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 1979
Veterans' Rehabilitation and Education Amendments of 1979 - 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 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 allowances provisions to: (1) provide for payments during the evaluation of vocational rehabilitation period; (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 and 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 allowance 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 veterans hospitalized (not pending final discharge) 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's facilities may be used to provide unpaid training or work experience as part of a veteran's vocational rehabilitation program. States that such a veteran shall be deemed a Federal employee for workmens' 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. Title II: GI Bill 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. Provides that an incarcerated veteran pursuing a program of education shall be paid at the same rate as half-time and active duty recipients. 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 of Veterans - 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; (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; and (4) provide that an incarcerated individual pursuing a program of education shall be paid at the same rate as half-time and active duty recipients. Part C - Amendments 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 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 that they know or should have known concerning their compliance with, or eligibility for, such educational assistance. Revises overpayment provisions to: (1) make individual recipients liable (presently only the educational institution is liable); and (2) provide that a waiver of individual liability shall not release such institution from liability. 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 III: Repeal of Authority to Pursue Predischarge Education Training (PREP) Under Chapter 32 - Repeals specified provisions authorizing servicepersons to participate in the predischarge education training program (PREP). Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - Authorizes the Administrator to release information to a consumer credit agency concerning veterans' benefits debts to: (1) obtain current addresses of debtors; (2) obtain credit reports in order to assess a debtor's ability to repay; and (3) give notice of the outstanding obligation. Prohibits the VA from making such disclosure until 30 days have elapsed after reasonable efforts have been made to notify the individual of the VA's intention to disclose debt information. Prohibits disclosure of such information by the VA in a case of a disputed claim until the accuracy of the information is determined or until the Administrator reviews such claim. Provides that records disclosed to a consumer reporting agency may be used only for the purpose provided for by this Act, and that the Privacy Act does not apply to such disclosure. Authorizes the disclosure by the Administrator of names and addresses from use in a collection proceeding for debts owed for any Veterans' Administration benefits program. Includes required drills and field exercises within the category of National Guard activities which are considered active duty for training for purposes of veterans' reemployment rights. Defines "person" for purposes of veterans' survivors and dependents special restorative training to mean children of veterans. Title V: 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.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 1979
Amends the Energy Tax Act of 1978 to make permanent the exemption of gasohol from the excise tax on motor fuels.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 1979
Designates the Federal Building in Wilmington, Delaware, as the J. Caleb Boggs Building.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 1979
Federal Firearms Law Reform Act of 1979 - Title I: Amendments to Gun Control Act - Amends the Gun Control Act of 1968 to redefine: (1) "manufacturer" to mean any person engaged in the "business of manufacturing" (instead of "manufacture" of) firearms or ammunition; and (2) "dealer" to exclude dealers in ammunition and persons engaged in the business of repairing firearms. Adds a new definition, "engaged in the business", with respect to manufacturers, dealers, and importers. Includes as a manufacturer of ammunition a person whose gross sales of his own ammunition exceed $1,000 in any calendar year. Includes as a dealer in firearms a person who deals in firearms as a regular course of business with the principal objective of livelihood and profit through the repetitive purchase and resale of firearms. Replaces the current term "crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year" with a new definition of "disabling crime." Eliminates certain activities regarding ammunition from the coverage of the current prohibitions. Revises current provisions respecting the interstate sale or transfer of firearms. Revises the current prohibition against selling a firearm or ammunition to certain persons (such as persons under indictment for a felony or addicted to drugs) to apply such prohibition only to persons convicted of a disabling crime. Revises the current prohibition against certain persons transporting a firearm or ammunition in interstate commerce to: (1) extend such prohibition to possession or receipt in commerce or affecting commerce of any firearm or ammunition; (2) conform such prohibition to the new "disabling crime" provision; and (3) include as additional categories illegal aliens, persons dishonorably discharged from the Armed Forces, and persons who have renounced their United States citizenship. Makes the same changes to the current prohibition against certain persons who receive a firearm or ammunition which has been transported in interstate commerce, but applies such prohibition to persons who are employed by specified individuals. Excludes ammunition dealers from the current licensing requirements. Stipulates that the Secretary of the Treasury may revoke a license only where the holder of such license has "knowingly" violated a provision of the Act or regulation. Bars the Secretary from denying or revoking a license on the basis of violations under this Act which are alleged in criminal proceedings instituted against a licensee, but for which such individual has not been convicted. Imposes as a condition for the inspection or examination of records, documents, and any firearm or ammunition kept by an importer, manufacturer, or dealer pursuant to this Act that the Secretary has reasonable grounds to believe that a violation has occurred and that evidence may be found on the premises of such persons. Restricts the firearm information obtained from licensees which the Secretary may make available to State or local governments. Establishes a limited recordkeeping requirement for firearms collectors. Stipulates that the general penalty under this Act shall apply to whoever "willfully" violates any provision. Prohibits, with respect to a person's second or subsequent conviction for illegally using or carrying a firearm during the commission of a felony, the granting of parole before completion of the minimum sentence. Amends the forfeiture provision to subject to seizure any firearm or ammunition "involved in or used" in any violation of the Act (instead of "involved in or used or intended to be used"). Requires a court to award attorney's fees to the prevailing party (other than the United States) in an action or proceeding for the return of seized firearms or ammunition. Allows the court to award such fees in any other action upon a finding that the action was initiated in bad faith. Amends the rulemaking authority of the Secretary to provide that no regulation may require (1) the transfer of records required under this Act to a facility owned, managed, or controlled by the United States or any State or (2) the establishment of any system of registration of firearms, firearms owners, or firearms transactions. Requires a 90-day public comment period for proposed regulations (no period is currently specified). Allows one House of Congress to disapprove by resolution any firearms regulation within 90 days of continuous session of the promulgation of such rule. Set forth procedures for such resolutions. Prohibits the Secretary from prescribing any rules identical to regulations disapproved by Congress without the enactment of additional legislation respecting his authority. Prohibits the Secretary from prescribing regulations which require purchasers of black powder to complete affidavits or forms attesting to their exemption from certain provisions of the Federal criminal code. Makes any law or regulation promulgated by any State prohibiting the transfer of an unloaded and not readily accessible firearm or ammunition null and void. Title II: Amendments to title VII of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 - Repeals title VII of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act (relating to the receipt, possession, or transportation of firearms by felons, veterans dishonorably discharged, mental incompetents, illegal aliens, and persons renouncing their United States citizenship).
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 1979
Cancels the liability of any qualified recipient for excess payments made for the self-hauling of hay and other roughages under the Hay Transportation Assistance Program (HTAP). Obligates the Department of Agriculture to make all payments pursuant to Departmental directives issued prior to December 1, 1976.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 1979
Amends the Clean Air Act to stipulate that no motor vehicle emission standard promulgated under such Act shall apply to any motor vehicle which will be used predominantly in an area in which the reduction of motor vehicle emissions is not necessary to meet national ambient air quality standards. Stipulates that the Administration of the Environmental Protection Agency may not control or prohibit the sale of any fuel, class of fuels, or fuel additive if the Administrator determines that: (1) such product will be predominantly used in an area in which the reduction of motor vehicle emissions is not necessary in order to meet national ambient air quality standards; and (2) the use of such a product will not significantly impair the performance of any emission control device in the motor vehicle in which the product will be used.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 1979
Authorizes and requests the President to designate the week of December 3 through December 9, 1979, as the "Boy Scouts Calendar Distribution Week."
United States · United States Congress · 5 September 1979
Social Security Deposit Act of 1979 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to direct a State to pay to the Secretary of the Treasury, within 30 days following the end of each month, OASDI contributions related to the employment of State employees.
United States · United States Congress · 5 September 1979
Authorizes and directs the President to designate the month of September, 1980, as "National Rehabilitation Month."
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1979
Amends the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act to stipulate that an automobile manufacturer's failure to comply with any average fuel economy standard shall not be deemed "unlawful conduct" under such Act unless the Secretary of Transportation has determined that: (1) any credits which the manufacturer may have received for exceeding such standards in any model year do not fully offset any penalty for failure to achieve such standards; and (2) the time for which such credits could be earned to offset such a penalty has expired. Allows such a credit to be used to offset any penalty which may have been assessed against the manufacturer in the three consecutive years prior to the model year in which the manufacturer exceeds such a standard.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1979
Reauthorizes the Grass Rope unit, South Dakota, as part of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin program. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to construct, operate, and maintain such unit for irrigation, wildlife mitigation, and other purposes. Authorizes the Secretary to acquire lands and estimates necessary for such project. Sets forth provisions for the repayment of capital costs of such unit. Authorizes the Secretary to transfer operation and maintenance of such unit to the Lower Brule Sioux tribal government or other qualified entity. Modifies Federal reclamation laws to limit land eligible to receive water from such unit to 160 acres of singly-owned land, exempting Indian trust lands. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to determine the interest rate on the construction and other costs of such unit.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1979
Lamb Meat Quota Act of 1979 - Limits the aggregate quantity of lamb meat that may be imported into the United States after 1979 to the smaller of: (1) 24,500,000 pounds; or (2) ten percent of the domestic slaughter of land during the preceding year. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to estimate quarterly whether the domestic price of lamb exceeds the parity price and, on the basis of such estimate, to adjust the aggregate quantity of lamb meat which may enter the United States. Requires the Secretary to annually estimate the quota established, the domestic price of lamb, and any adjustment of the quota. Directs the Secretary to allocate such quotas among supplying countries on the basis of their share of the U.S. market.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1979
Tax Relief Act of 1979 - Title I: Individual Income Tax Reductions - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce individual and estate and trust income tax rates for 1979 and to make permanent reductions for succeeding years. Provides for cost-of-living adjustments to individual income tax brackets and to the amount of the personal exemption. Provides that the amount of the personal exemption and the zero bracket amount applicable to a taxpayer shall determine whether such taxpayer is required to file an income tax return. Title II: Capital Cost Recovery - Revises 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 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. Title III: Reduction of Payroll Taxes and Long-Range Financial Strengthening of the Social Security System - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to repeal the special increases in the contribution and benefit base, for purposes of determining amount of tax liability, for 1979 through 1981. Limits contribution and benefit bases to a maximum $22,900 in 1979 and 1980. Makes reductions in the social security tax rate and sets forth the tax rate through year 2010. Provides for the partial funding of title XVIII (Medicare), part A (Hospital Insurance Benefits for the Aged and Disabled) of the Social Security Act from general revenues.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 1979
Requests the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a wheat set-aside for the 1980 crop year.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 1979
Title I: Amendments to the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act - Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to make grants to any water system to enable it to comply with any national primary drinking water regulation, schedule, or other requirement with which it does not currently comply, and to assist such water system to serve its users at a reasonable user rate. Authorizes grants to any association with the legal authority to construct, operate, and maintain a water system in order to construct a proposed water system to comply with such regulations, when such association has been notified by the Environmental Protection Agency that the current drinking water supply of any potential user of such proposed system would not comply with such regulations. Limits the amount of any such grant, in most cases, to that portion (not to exceed 90 percent) of the cost of constructing, installing, operating, or maintaining treatment facilities and equipment necessary to achieve compliance, which cannot be paid through reasonable user rates over a reasonable period of time. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to any water system which has achieved compliance with all national primary drinking water regulations, for the purpose of assisting such system to serve its users at a reasonable user rate. Limits any such grant to the difference between 75 percent of the development cost of the system and the amount of any previous development grant. Establishes priorities for the making of grants to water systems. Title II: Amendments to Title XIV of the Public Health Service Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to deem in compliance with national primary drinking water regulations, until any noncompliance is corrected or a grant application under this Act is withdrawn or rejected, any rural public water system: (1) which the Environmental Protection Agency has notified of noncompliance with such regulations; and (2) which has certified to the Administrator in writing that the system is unable to comply because the expense of achieving compliance would require the imposition of an unreasonable user rate; and (3) which certifies that it has applied to the Secretary of Agriculture for a grant under Title I of this Act. Waives specified notice-to-user requirements for a noncomplying system during the period of deemed compliance. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, at the request of any association with legal authority to construct, operate, and maintain a public or similar water system, to determine whether the drinking water supply of any potential user of such proposed system, if such system were a public system, would be in compliance with all national primary drinking water regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 1979
Consumer Checking Account Equity Act of 1979 - Amends the Federal Reserve Act and the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to authorize member banks in the Federal Reserve System and federally insured nonmember banks to make automatic funds transfers from a savings deposit to a demand deposit pursuant to the written authorization of the depositor to make such transfers in connection with checks or drafts drawn upon the bank. Authorizes federally insured banks and savings and loan associations, State banks and savings and loan associations, savings banks, and mutual savings banks to offer interest-bearing deposits or accounts upon which the depositor may make withdrawals by negotiable instrument for the purpose of making transfers to third parties (NOW accounts). Stipulates that such deposits or accounts may only be held by individuals or nonprofit organizations. Amends the Home Owners' Loan Act of 1933 to permit Federal savings and loan associations and Federal mutual savings banks to establish remote service units pursuant to regulations of the Federal Home Loan Bank Board. Authorizes such associations to extend loans directly related to negotiable order of withdrawal accounts. Amends the Federal Home Loan Bank Act to require any institution which has subscribed for the stock of a Federal Home Loan Bank to maintain reserves against its negotiable order of withdrawal accounts pursuant to regulations prescribed by the Board after consultation with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Prescribes the required form of such balances. Amends the Federal Credit Union Act to permit insured credit unions to offer share draft deposits to individuals and nonprofit organizations in accordance with regulations prescribed by the National Credit Union Administration Board. Requires each Federal credit union to maintain reserves against such deposits in amounts and forms prescribed by the Board after consultation with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 1979
Designates March 20, 1980, as "National Agriculture Day."
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1979
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income up to $1,000 of the interest income received by an individual during the taxable year.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1979
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Special Representative for Trade Negotiations should seek to persuade the European Economic Community (EEC) to cease subsidizing wheat exports from member countries. Sets forth actions to be taken by the United States if the EEC refuses to stop such subsidies, including subsidizing U.S. wheat exports.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 1979
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit distilled spirits plants to be established solely for producing, processing, storing, using, and distributing distilled spirits exclusively for fuel use. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to exempt such distilled spirits plants from the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code pertaining to distilled spirits, wines, and beers (except requirements pertaining to the payment of the excise tax) when necessary to facilitate the production of fuel. Permits distilled spirits to be withdrawn free of tax from the bonded premises of a distilled spirit plant exclusively for fuel use. Prohibits distilled spirits to be withdrawn, used sold, or disposed of for any purpose other than fuel use. Specifies that the term "distilled spirits" does not include distilled spirits produced from petroleum, natural gas, or coal.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 1979
Expresses the sense of the House that: (1) the report of the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare entitled "Report on Home Health Services Under Titles XVIII, XIX, and XX" is not responsive to the requirements set forth in the Medicare-Medicaid Anti-Fraud and Abuse Amendments; and (2) such report shall be returned to the Secretary and revised to comply with such requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 1979
Smaller Enterprise Regulatory Improvement Act - Amends the Small Business Act to require each Federal agency to publish semiannually an agenda of those rules which may be proposed during the upcoming six-month period affecting a substantial number of small business concerns and small organizations. Defines "small organizations" to include unincorporated businesses, sheltered workshops, nonprofit enterprises which are not dominant in their fields and such other groups and enterprises as each Federal agency shall establish by rule. Requires each published agenda to be transmitted to the Office of Advocacy of the Small Business Administration for comments. Directs each Federal agency to endeavor to provide notice of each agenda to affected small enterprises by means other than publication in the Federal Register. Directs each Federal agency to publish a written analysis prior to the issuance of any rule affecting a substantial number of small business concerns and organizations which considers: (1) the effect of such rule on small enterprises and competition; (2) whether an exemption could be provided such small enterprises; (3) whether lesser compliance standards could be adopted for small enterprises; and (4) the expected nature of reporting and recordkeeping requirements necessitated by such rule. Requires each Federal agency to issue a rule containing an exemption or differing compliance standards for such small business concerns and organizations if it is lawful, desirable, and feasible to do so. States that such small enterprises shall be given an opportunity to participate in agency rulemaking. Requires each agency to review its existing rules and prepare an analysis for purposes of eliminating those rules which are most burdensome to small businesses and organizations. Permits any agency to perform the analyses required by this Act in conjunction with any other analysis required by law. Declares that such other analysis shall not in itself satisfy the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 1979
Student Freedom of Choice Act of 1979 - Amends the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act to provide that no employer shall justify discrimination against any employee for nonmembership in or failure to support a labor organization if the employee is a student enrolled in a full-time program of secondary, vocational, or higher education.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 1979
Amends the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act to eliminate all provisions authorizing union security agreements (requiring union membership as a condition of employment).
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1979
Capital Cost Recovery Act of 1979 - 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 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 · 26 June 1979
Authorizes the President, on behalf of the Congress, to present a gold medal of appropriate design to Bryan Lewis Allen, the first aviator to cross the English Channel in a self-powered plane. Authorizes appropriations of up to $15,000 to strike such medal. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike bronze duplicates of such medal for sale to the public.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 1979
Defense Production Act Amendments of 1979 - Amends the Defense Production Act of 1950 to authorize the President to allow the Department of Energy and the Tennessee Valley Authority to guarantee loans for the purpose of expediting deliveries or services with respect to national defense contracts. Increases the maximum loan which any Federal agency may guarantee under such Act without the approval of Congress from $20,000,000 to $38,000,000. Requires notification to specified Congressional committees of any proposed obligation above such limit. Authorizes the agency involved to guarantee such a loan if neither House of Congress disapproves of such action within a specified time. Authorizes the President to provide loans to private business enterprises for the production of energy. Increases the ceiling for loans made to private enterprises pursuant to such Act from $25,000,000 to 48,000,000. Extends the President's power under such Act to purchase raw materials for the national defense through fiscal year 1995. Directs the President to attempt to achieve a national production goal of at least 500,000 barrels per day crude oil equivalent of synthetic fuels and synthetic chemical feedstocks within five years. Authorizes and directs the President to require fuel and chemical feedstock suppliers to provide synthetic fuels and synthetic chemical feedstocks in any case where the President deems it practicable and necessary to meet national defense needs. Authorizes the President, in carrying out these objectives, to: (1) contract for purchases or commitments to purchase synthetic fuels and synthetic chemical feedstocks which may be for Government use or resale; and (2) encourage the development and production of such synthetic fuels and feedstocks for national defense preparedness. Terminates the President's authority to enter into such contracts at the end of fiscal year 1995. Sets forth procedures for the awarding and performance of such contracts. Authorizes the President to organize corporations to meet the production goal for synthetic fuels and feedstocks as set forth in this Act. Sets forth Congressional oversight measures with respect to the formation of such corporations. Authorizes appropriations of $2,000,000,000 for synthetic fuel and feedstock contracts as authorized pursuant to this Act. Extends specified provisions of such Act through fiscal year 1980.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 1979
Motor Carrier Regulatory Improvement Act of 1979 - Title I: General Provisions - Declares the findings of Congress that: (1) a safe, sound, competitive, and fuel efficient motor carrier system is vital to the maintenance of a strong national economy and defense system; (2) the objective of a motor carrier system serving the Nation as a whole can best be achieved through the plan of regulation adopted in 1935; and (3) the Interstate Commerce Commission must administer such regulatory system through the issuance of certificates and permits necessary to implement more effectively the standards of public convenience and necessity and of consistency with the public interest. Title II: Motor Carrier Entry - Requires the Commission, in determining whether to issue any certificate authorizing motor carrier transportation, to take specified factors into consideration including the degree of existing competition and fuel conservation with respect to an applicant's requested route authority. Prohibits the Commission from considering an applicant's level of proposed rates in making a determination regarding such requested route authority but directs the Commission to consider whether the level of rates of existing carriers is so high as to constitute an embargo of the traffic. Authorizes the Commission to require a carrier which is protesting a grant of operating authority to show that: (1) it is able to handle the traffic contained in the application; (2) it is willing to provide such service; and (3) it has either performed service or solicited business within the scope of the application. Stipulates that a contract carrier does not have to limit its operation to carriage for a particular industry or within a particular geographic area. Removes the requirement that the Commission, in deciding whether to grant a permit to a motor contract carrier, consider the number of shippers to be served by the carrier or the nature of the transportation to be provided. Stipulates that an application for conversion of motor contract carrier authority to motor common carrier authority must be filed with the Commission when the operations of the contract carrier in fact become common carriage. Stipulates that a person may not hold a certificate of a motor common carrier of property or a permit of a motor contract carrier of property if the person performing the transportation is doing so in the furtherance of a nontransportation primary business. Authorizes one corporation to provide transportation services for another corporation without a certificate or a permit under specified conditions. Directs the Commission to approve pooling and division of transportation or earnings agreements between common carriers without a hearing, unless it finds that the agreement is of major transportation importance or there is a substantial likelihood that the agreement will unduly restrain competition. Stipulates that, if the Commission finds that either of such factors exist, it shall conduct a hearing to determine if the agreement will be in the interest of better service to the public or of economy in operation. Exempts from the Commission's jurisdiction certain carriage of property by motor vehicle which is incidental to transportation by aircraft. Title III: Motor Carrier Rates - Prohibits the Commission from disapproving motor carrier rate bureau agreements unless it finds that such an agreement would violate or not be in furtherance of the national transportation policy. Exempts such approved agreements from the antitrust laws. Revises the voting processes within rate bureau meetings. Directs the Commission, in determining the reasonableness of motor property carrier rate levels, to approve and maintain revenue levels that are adequate to cover total operating expenses, including the operation of leased equipment, and depreciation based upon the replacement cost of useful equipment and facilities of current prices, plus a reasonable profit. Prohibits the Commission from suspending a motor carrier rate on the basis that it exceeds or is below a just and reasonable if: (1) the rate changes are not of general applicability to all or substantially all classes of traffic; (2) the rate change if filed within five years after the enactment of this Act; and (3) the rate increase or decrease is not more than seven percent annually. Grants the Commission the exclusive authority to prescribe an intrastate rate for a motor carrier of property if: (1) the carrier files a change in such a rate with the appropriate State authority; and (2) the State does not act finally on such proposed change within 120 days. Limits a State's power to assess or collect discriminatory taxes on motor carriers of property. Title IV: Expediting Motor Carrier Proceedings - Establishes time limitations for actions of the Commission regarding motor carriers of property proceedings.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 1979
Authorizes the Interstate Commerce Commission to prescribe through lines and joint rates for motor carriers of property. Prohibits the Commission from requiring such a carrier, without its consent, to embrace in such a mandated route substantially less than the entire length of its route and of any intermediate carrier operated in conjunction and under a common management which lies between the termini of such proposed through route unless: (1) such inclusion of lines would make the through route unreasonably circuitous; or (2) the Commission finds that the through route proposed to be established is needed in order to provide adequate, more efficient, or more economic transportation. Requires carriers participating in a through route and joint rate to promptly pay rate divisions or make interline settlements. Allows the suspension or cancellation of such a route and rate under rules promulgated by the Commission in the event of undue delinquency in the settlement of such divisions or interline settlements.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 1979
Congressional Salary Act of 1979 - Amends the Federal Salary Act of 1967 to make any recommendations of the President relating to the salaries of Members of Congress, Delegates to the House of Representatives, and the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico purely advisory. Amends the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 to require that the annual rate of pay for members of Congress, Delegates to the House of Representatives, the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico, and the Senate and House leadership be the rate payable for such positions on the date of enactment of this Act unless otherwise established by law. Prohibits any law increasing such rates of pay from taking effect before the first day of the Congress following the Congress during which such law is enacted.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 1979
Modifies the Belle Fourche Irrigation project, South Dakota, to include construction, betterment of works, land rehabilitation, water conservation, recreation, fish and wildlife conservation and development, and silt control. Redesignates such project as the "Belle Fourche Unit" of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin program. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to negotiate and execute an amendatory repayment contract with the Belle Fourche Irrigation District covering all lands of the existing Belle Fourche project. Limits the period for repayment of the construction and rehabilitation and betterment costs by irrigation water users to not more than 40 years. Permits costs incurred under the provisions of this Act to be covered by appropriations for the Bureau of Reclamation.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 1979
Exempts States from the requirement of filing environmental impact statements with respect to the following actions taken under fish and wildlife restoration programs: (1) surveys and inventories to determine the numbers and conditions of fish and wildlife and their habitats; (2) routine maintenance with respect to facilities and improvements; (3) hunter education programs; (4) coordination projects providing for administrative and clerical services for State projects; (5) research other than: (a) research to develop new technologies; (b) research which involves the killing of a significant number of animals; (c) research which requires a significant disruption of the physical environment; and (d) research which affects public health or safety; (6) technical guidance for the purpose of improving fish and wildlife resources; (7) migratory bird banding operations; and (8) development of a comprehensive plan for fish and wildlife management.