United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1980
Exempts Shippers' Export Declarations from public disclosure unless the Secretary of Commerce determines that such exemption would be contrary to the national interest. Requires the person in command of a ship bound for a foreign port to attach bills of lading or equivalent documents to the manifest of the ship's cargo which is required to be submitted to the appropriate United States Customs Service officer to obtain clearance for the ship. Specifies the information to be included on such manifest or attached documents and the elements of such information which shall be available for public disclosure. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to establish procedures to provide access to the information which may be disclosed and protection for the information not available for disclosure.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1980
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the first concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 1981 reported by the Committee on the Budget shall limit budget outlays to 21 per cent of the gross national product.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1980
Congratulates the members of the 1980 U.S. Winter Olympic team, its coaches and officials for a job well done. Recognizes the International Olympic Committee, the U.S. Olympic Committee, the Lake Placid Olympic Organizing Committee and the people of the Lake Placid area for their successful efforts in organizing and producing the XIII Winter Olympic Games.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1980
Designates February 26, 1980, as a national day of prayer, meditation, and unity if the hostages being held in Iran are not released by February 25, 1980.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1980
Amends the Emergency Agricultural Credit Adjustment Act of 1978 to raise from $4,000,000,000 to $6,000,000,000 the limit on the total principal balance outstanding at any time on loans insured or guaranteed under such Act. Extends the authority of the Secretary of Agriculture to make new contracts of insurance or guarantee under such Act until September 30, 1981.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 1980
Amends the Clayton Act to prohibit the direct or indirect restriction by any person engaged in commerce on the use of credit instruments in any transaction concerning the sale, resale, or transfer of gasohol or other synthetic motor fuel, where there is no similar restriction on transactions concerning conventional motor fuel. Prohibits any other condition, restriction, agreement, or understanding which otherwise discriminates against or unreasonably limits the sale, resale, or transfer of gasohol or other synthetic motor fuel.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 1980
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to create a category of incentive stock options for employees, who would not be required to pay tax at the time such an option is exercised and would receive capital gains treatment on the proceeds of any subsequent sale of such stock. Denies the employer any deduction with respect to such stock either at the time of option exercise or at the time of subsequent sale. Requires the issuance of any such option, with shareholder approval, at 100 percent of fair market value. Accepts any stock later determined to be undervalued if issued with a good faith effort to make such issue at not less than fair market value. Allows exercise of such option up to ten years after issuance, and in any sequence. Limits long-term capital gain treatment to the sale of incentive stock held by the employee at least two years after the grant of the option and one year after exercise. Subjects any such stock sold within two years after option grant to ordinary income treatment. Requires an employee to remain an employee continuously from grant to three months prior to exercise. Prohibits the employee from owning more than ten percent of the voting power or value of the stock of the company unless the option price is at least 110 percent of fair market value.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 1980
Amends the Small Business Act to increase loan authorizations to small business concerns for solar energy and energy conservation measures from $30,000,000 to $60,000,000 in direct and immediate participation loans and from $45,000,000 to $90,000,000 in guaranteed loans.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 1980
Family Business Protection Act of 1980 - Amends the Internal Revenue Act, with respect to estate taxes, to reduce the value of any jointly held interest in a decedent's gross estate by up to 50 percent (not to exceed $500,000) of any real or tangible property devoted to use as a farm or to use in any other trade or business, where decedent's spouse and/or children materially participated in the operation of such farm, trade or business. Specifies a formula for the computation of the special value of any such interest. Imposes an additional tax to recapture any such tax benefits if the spouse and/or child dispose of any interest in such property within five years following the decedent's death.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1980
Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture, without regard to whether producers of wheat, corn, and feed grains participated in the 1979 Federal program for such crops, to: (1) make nonrecourse loans available to such producers on their 1979 crops; and (2) make emergency loans to such producers, in conjunction with the Commodity Credit Corporation. Authorizes the Secretary to announce and carry out a cropland set-aside program for the 1980 crops of wheat, corn, and feed grains, upon determination that such action is in the public interest due of the suspension of grain exports to the Soviet Union. Authorizes the Secretary to modify and adjust such program.
United States · United States Congress · 20 December 1979
Amends the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act to establish in the Treasury an Agricultural Export Credit Revolving Fund to finance short-term export credit sales of agricultural commodities produced in the U.S. and to make loans for the construction or acquisition of facilities to improve the capacity of foreign countries to handle, market, process, store, or distribute such agricultural commodities. Requires that all sums received by the Commodity Credit Corporation from the liquidation of loans made to finance short-term export credit sales of such agricultural commodities be added to and become a part of such fund. Authorizes appropriations in specified amounts for fiscal years 1981 through 1983 to such fund. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to report annually to Congress on the export credit sales program carried out by the Corporation in the last fiscal year. Abolishes such fund effective October 1, 1983. Requires that all unobligated money in such fund become a part of the miscellaneous receipts account of the Treasury.
United States · United States Congress · 20 December 1979
Expresses the Senate's support for efforts to win the freedom of the hostages in Iran. Calls upon all nations to join in cooperative efforts to restrict relations with Iran. Declares that: (1) any trial or public exploitation of the hostages would be viewed as added provocation; and (2) the American people will not be diverted from their determination that the hostages be freed.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 1979
Occupational Safety and Health Improvements Act of 1980 - Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to exempt employers who maintain workplaces which qualify as non-hazardous, according to specified standards, from inspections or investigations, with specified exceptions. Directs the Secretary of Labor to enter into agreements with State workers' compensation or other appropriate State agencies under which such State agency will submit an annual list of all employers having one or more reported occupational injuries resulting in two or more lost workdays during the preceding year. Requires employers wishing to claim qualification for such exemptions to file an affidavit with the Secretary relating to the safety records of their workplaces. Limits the type or the amount of penalties which may be assessed against employers who maintain an advisory safety committee and a regular consultation program. Requires employers who qualify for exemptions from inspections or limitations on penalties to maintain records to which the Secretary has access. Provides for review by the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission and a U.S. court of appeals of rulings by the Secretary that workplaces do not qualify for exemptions from inspection or limitations on penalties. Prohibits considering consultant or committee reports or recommendations or employee assurances under this Act as evidence of a willful violation of such Act if the employer had a reasonable, good faith belief that the condition involved was not a violation. Prohibits specified liability claims against committees or consultants. Directs the Secretary to: (1) assist State agencies to make necessary procedural modifications; (2) report to Congress on State participation; (3) advise employers and employees of the provisions of this Act; (4) require inclusion of the provisions of this Act, or of similar provisions, for approval of State plans; (5) develop and implement other means to identify workplaces qualifying for exemption, as an alternative to the affidavit process; and (6) explore and report on other means to encourage voluntary self- initiative in workplaces to improve safety and health conditions. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to State agencies to improve their administration of State workers' compensation programs. Authorizes appropriations in specified amounts through fiscal year 1985 for such purpose. Declares the effective date of this Act to be January 1, 1981.
United States · United States Congress · 15 December 1979
Calls upon all followers of Islam to prevail upon their brethren to: (1) release the American hostages held in Iran; and (2) until they are released, permit them to worship regularly in accordance with their religious faiths and meet with clergy of their faiths.
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 1979
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, and Romania are urged: (1) to release certain political prisoners; and (2) to halt the incarceration and harassment of individuals contrary to the Helsinki Accords.
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 1979
Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should: (1) reaffirm U.S. commitment to the Helsinki Accords; (2) communicate to the Soviet Union U.S. disapproval of religious harassment of Christians in the Soviet Union and of the restrictions on such Christians' freedom to emigrate; and (3) advise the Soviet Union of U.S. expectation that the Soviet Union honor its commitments under the Helsinki Accords and under international law.
United States · United States Congress · 4 December 1979
Higher Education Military Service Student Loan Cancellation Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Commissioner of Education to repay or cancel specified amounts or percents of student loans made after October 1, 1975, under the federally insured or guaranteed and the national direct student loan programs, for military service after October 1, 1980 by the borrower. Provides that, for each complete year of service, amounts eligible to be repaid or cancelled are: (1) $500 or ten percent of the loan, for enlisted members of the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve of the Armed Forces; or (2) $1,000 or 20 percent of the loan, whichever is greater, for enlisted members of the Armed Forces on active duty. Authorizes appropriations in specified amounts for such purposes for fiscal year 1981 through 1985. Directs the Secretary of Defense to prescribe a fund allocation schedule during any year for which such appropriation is not sufficient to pay the sum of the amounts eligible for repayment or cancellation, giving priority for service that qualifies for special pay in an area of hostilities.
United States · United States Congress · 28 November 1979
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the American people and their representatives are united in their determination and efforts to achieve the immediate, safe, and unconditional release of all U.S. personnel. Calls upon the U.N. Security Council to take all necessary measures to secure the release of all U.S. personnel held hostage in Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 1979
Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to set the established price for wheat at $3.63 per bushel for the 1979 crop and at $3.88 per bushel for the 1980 crop. Sets the established price for corn at $2.35 per bushel for the 1979 crop and at $2.51 per bushel for the 1980 crop. Declares that the payment rate for grain sorghums and barley shall be such rate as the Secretary of Agriculture determines fair and reasonable in relation to the payment rate for corn. Directs the Secretary to make available to producers loans and purchases on the 1979 and 1980 crops at per bushel levels of $2.51 for wheat and $2.14 for corn. Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to extend to the 1980 and 1981 crops of wheat, feed grains, upland cotton, and rice the farm and prevented planting disaster payment programs. Denies eligibility for such payments to anyone electing to be covered by crop insurance paid for in part by the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation. Requires the Secretary to notify producers of such commodities of their right to elect between disaster payments and crop insurance coverage. Authorizes the Secretary to require, as a condition of eligibility for specified loans, purchases, and payments, that producers of wheat, feed grains, upland cotton, and rice not to exceed the normal crop acreage for the 1980 and 1981 crops adjusted to be fair and equitable among producers. Authorizes the Secretary, in making such requirement, to increase the established price for any such commodity to compensate producers for participation in such commodity program. Directs the Secretary, in making such increases, to take into consideration changes in production costs resulting from such participation.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 1979
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Soviet Union should release Ida Nudel and allow her to emigrate to Israel. Urges the President to: (1) express U.S. opposition to the exile of Ida Nudel to Siberia; and (2) inform the Soviet Union that the United States will take into account the extent to which countries honor their commitments under international law, particularly concerning human rights.
United States · United States Congress · 8 November 1979
Authorizes the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Incorporated, to erect a memorial on public grounds in West Potomac Park 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 · 8 November 1979
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) all countries and all people be urged to respond generously to Cambodian relief efforts; (2) Cambodian authorities be encouraged to allow the use of all possible avenues for delivering food and medical supplies; and (3) the United States and the United Nations should express their expectation that the great power supporters of the factions in Cambodia share in international responsibility for averting famine.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 1979
Authorizes the Chicago, Milwaukee, Saint Paul, and Pacific Railroad Company (Milwaukee Railroad), in consultation with the Secretary of Transportation, to sell all or any portion of its system. Authorizes the Secretary to develop plans and participate in negotiations for, and make recommendations to the trustee of the railroad regarding, the sale or transfer of any portion of such system. Directs the Secretary, in developing such plans and entering into such negotiations, to give preference to financially responsible persons, including governmental entities, negotiating for the purchase of any line with the intent of providing common carrier service. Stipulates that any such proposal shall be submitted to the court having jurisdiction over the reorganization of the Milwaukee Railroad. Sets forth the conditions under which such bankruptcy court may approve the sale of such a line. Stipulates that by January 1, 1980, an association composed of representatives of national railway labor organizations, employees, and shippers may submit to the Interstate Commerce Commission a plan for converting all or a substantial part of the Milwaukee Railroad into an employee or employee-shipper owned company along with a method for implementing such a plan. Directs the Commission to approve such a plan if: (1) adequate financing is available to the proponents of such plan; (2) the plan is fair and equitable to the railroad's creditors; (3) implementation of such plan will occur by May 10, 1980; and (4) that portion of the railroad covered by the plan can be operated on a self-sustaining basis. Directs the Commission, upon approving such plan, to submit its findings to the bankruptcy court. Directs the court, within ten days, to determine whether such plan is fair and equitable to the railroad's creditors. Stipulates that the Commission's determination with respect to such issue shall be rebutted only by clear and convincing evidence. Amends the Emergency Rail Services Act of 1970 to remove the requirement that federally guaranteed railroad certificates of railroads in reorganization be treated as an expense of administration and receive the highest priority in payment under the Bankruptcy Act if the railroad involved is actively engaged in formulating an employee ownership plan or an employee-shipper ownership plan. Increases the aggregate principal amount of all certificates which may be guaranteed under such Act. Directs the Secretary to immediately guarantee trustee certificates of the Milwaukee Railroad to allow the railroad to maintain its rail system. Stipulates that such guaranteed certificates shall not have priority in bankruptcy over the claim of any creditor of such railroad which exists as of the date of the enactment of this resolution. Requires each rail carrier to give preference in hiring to any employee of the Milwaukee Railroad who is separated from his employment by reason of any reduction of service by such railroad occurring prior to March 1, 1981. Entitles employees of the Milwaukee Railroad who, by April 1, 1981, are required to change their residence to maintain employment with such railroad or to obtain employment with another rail carrier, to moving expenses. Stipulates that such expenses shall be paid by the Milwaukee Railroad and shall be treated as administrative expenses of such railroad's estate. Entitles employees of such railroad who are separated from that employment by reason of any reduction of service prior to March 1, 1984, to supplemental unemployment insurance. Grants such benefits to individuals who are separated from such railroad and become employed by another rail carrier by March 1, 1981, and are separated from that employment prior to March 1, 1984. Sets forth the amounts of such benefits. Directs the Milwaukee Railroad, at specified periods, to submit to the Railroad Retirement Board a list of those individuals separated from the railroad subsequent to the enactment of this resolution. Directs the Board to mail copies of such lists to other rail carriers. Requires rail carriers to submit lists of their available employment positions with the Board. Allows displaced employees of the Milwaukee Railroad access to such lists. Allows such an individual to bid on such an available position. Requires rail carriers to accept such a bid by the individual who has the most seniority in the class or craft within which such a position is listed. Entitles individuals who are employed by the restructured Milwaukee Railroad or individuals who are separated from such railroad and obtain employment with another rail carrier by March 1, 1981, to employee relocation incentive compensation. Sets forth the amount and the conditions under which such compensation may be granted. Entitles an employee of such railroad, by April 1, 1981, to elect to receive a separation allowance from such railroad in an amount equal to $2,000 for each year of completed service up to a maximum of $25,000. Entitles individuals making such an election to receive from the Board expenses for training in qualified institutions for new career opportunities. Stipulates that any individual who receives moving expense benefits, supplementary unemployment compensation or employee relocation incentive compensation under this resolution shall not be eligible for such separation allowance or new career training assistance. Stipulates that any individual who receives any assistance under this Act shall be deemed to have waived any employee protection benefits otherwise available under specified laws or any applicable contract or agreement. Authorizes appropriations in specified amounts to carry out the various provisions of this Act. Directs the Secretary to guarantee certificates of such railroad in order to provide moving expenses, employee relocation incentive compensation and separation allowances pursuant to this Act. Directs the Secretary to guarantee obligations to finance an equipment repair program for the Milwaukee Railroad, or its successors, during the remainder of 1979 and 1980. Amends the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976 to direct the Secretary to immediately purchase redeemable preference shares or trustee certificates convertible to such shares to facilitate the rehabilitation and improvement of Milwaukee Railroad property which has been sold to another person or retained by such railroad that will be used for common carrier rail service. Directs the Secretary of Energy to conduct an assessment of the present and potential coal hauling needs in the area served by the Milwaukee Railroad and to report such findings to Congress within 30 days. Stipulates that the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act shall not apply to transactions carried out pursuant to this joint resolution. Directs the Railroad Retirement Board to publish and make available for distribution by the Milwaukee Railroad to its employees a document describing the rights of employees as established by this joint resolution. Directs the Board to submit periodic reports to Congress on its activities pursuant to this joint resolution. Directs the Milwaukee Railroad to continue its operations as they existed on May 1, 1979, until: (1) an employee or employee-shipper ownership plan is not submitted to the Commission within the alloted time; (2) such a proposed plan is found to be not feasible by the Commission; (3) the proposed plan is found by the bankruptcy court not to be fair and equitable to the railroad's creditors; or (4) the plan is not implemented within the time frame prescribed in this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 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 the enumerated categories of 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, where such individual is not convicted of such charges. Imposes as a condition for the inspection or examination of records or 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 the transfer of records required under this Act to a facility owned, managed, or controlled by the United States or any State or 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. Requires that resolutions of disapproval be immediately referred to only those standing committees having legislative responsibility for this Act. Allows a sponsor of any such resolution to move to discharge from further consideration a committee which does not report out the resolution within 45 days of continuous session of Congress. States that it shall be in order to move to proceed to the consideration of the resolution any time after a committee has reported or has been discharged from further consideration. 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 · 3 October 1979
Authorizes and requests the President to designate the weeks of January 21 through January 27, 1979, and January 20 through January 26, 1980, as "Junior Achievement Week" in honor of the sixtieth anniversary of Junior Achievement, an organization dedicated to the American enterprise system and service to youth.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1979
Domestic Violence Prevention and Services Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to make grants to States, local public agencies, and nonprofit organizations for projects designed to prevent domestic violence and to provide immediate shelter and other assistance for victims and dependents of victims of domestic violence. Stipulates that such funds may not be used for direct payment to any victim of domestic violence or to a dependent of such victim, and that no income eligibility standard may be imposed for anyone seeking services under this Act. Requires each State receiving assistance to report annually to the Secretary on the implementation of programs and projects under this Act. Directs the Secretary to designate within the Office of the Secretary an administrative unit to serve as the National Center on Domestic Violence, to be responsible for: (1) the coordination (through the interagency council established by this Act) of all Federal programs relating to domestic violence; (2) the operation of a national clearinghouse to collect and disseminate information relating to domestic violence; (3) the development of a national media campaign to increase public awareness of the problems of domestic violence and the availability of services for its victims; and (4) keeping Congress informed with respect to the implementation of this Act. Requires the Secretary to report annually to Congress on the programs authorized by this Act. Requires that the records of any person subject to any program, project, or activity assisted under this Act be subject to the confidentiality provisions of the Drug Abuse Office and Treatment Act of 1972. Directs the Secretary to evaluate and report to Congress within two years of the first obligation of State grants on the effectiveness of the programs under this Act. Establishes an Interagency Domestic Violence Council to assist the Director of the National Center in coordinating all Federal programs regarding the prevention of domestic violence. Directs the Secretary to report within 90 days of the end of fiscal year 1981 and of each subsequent fiscal year to certain congressional committees specific information relating to applications for assistance for domestic violence research. Authorizes appropriations through fiscal year 1983 to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 1979
Authorizes the President, on behalf of the Congress, to present a gold medal of appropriate design to Simon Wiesenthal in recognition of his contribution to international justice through the documentation and location of war criminals from World War II. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike bronze duplicates of such medal for sale to the public.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 1979
Product Liability Risk Retention Act of 1979 - Title I: Risk Retention Groups - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to promulgate standards for the approval of risk retention groups. Defines such groups as entities formed to assume or spread the liability of two or more persons arising from products liability claims or defective construction claims. Enumerates standards which the Secretary may consider in approving any such group including the amount and liquidity of its assets, soundness of its reserves, adequacy of its insurance coverage, and its overall plan of operations. Sets forth factors to be included in a group's application for approval. Authorizes the Secretary to conduct audits of the applicant. Sets forth limitations on the risk coverage afforded to any one person in the group. Authorizes the Secretary to make approval conditional as necessary. Requires any refusal of approval to specify the factual conclusions and legal authority upon which is is based. Authorizes the Secretary to require a group to set a maximum amount of risk which it will accept. Requires such a group's participants to obtain insurance for losses in excess of such maximum limitations. Establishes requirements for the terms of such insurance coverage. Prohibits a group from assuming liability for any person other than its members or its members' affiliates. Permits a group to assume liability which arises from an agreement of hold harmless or indemnity between a member and its supplier, purchaser, or consignee. Requires all or a portion of an individual's product liability or completed operations risk exposure be assumed by the group. Sets forth requirements concerning the return of a withdrawing member's capital contribution. Prohibits such groups from acquiring reinsurance from its members or affiliates. Prohibits a group from making non-pro-rata assessments or retroactive adjustments based on the loss experience of a member. Directs the Secretary to require each group to maintain reserves which it shall hold as a fiduciary for the benefit of claimants against its members. Prohibits a group from having any interest in the securities or debts or its members or their affiliates. Requires each group to submit annual reports to the Secretary. Declares that this Act shall preempt any State law relating to the formation, operation, or provision of insurance-services to risk retention groups. Stipulates that this Act shall not effect the authority of a State to tax risk retention groups. Applies Federal antitrust laws to such groups. Exempts the ownership interest of such groups from the securities laws. Limits the use of information obtained pursuant to this Act. Permits the Secretary to require data concerning the product liability claims experience of such groups. Authorizes the Secretary to audit each group and to require each group to engage an independent accountant to examine its books, records, and financial statements. Requires each group to pay an application fee and annual fees to cover supervisory expenses of the Secretary. Authorizes the Secretary to revoke the certificate of approval of a risk retention group. Enumerates circumstances in which such authority may be exercised. Requires that all hearings to revoke a group's certificate of approval be held in the District of Columbia. Exempts such hearings from requirements of law relating to agency adjudications. Empowers the United States District Court for the District of Columbia to hear appeals from orders of the Secretary issued pursuant to this Act. Requires the proceeds from a group's reinsurance policies to be paid to the group's receiver or other appropriate judicial officer if the group is adjudged insolvent. Title II: Group Purchase of Product Liability and Completed Operations Insurance - Exempts any group seeking to purchase liability insurance, its members, or any person who provides such insurance from any State law which restricts group insurance or would prohibit or discriminate against the application of this Act. Title III: Miscellaneous Provisions - Declares that this Act shall not be deemed to affect State tort law. Directs the Secretary to issue rules and regulations and to take all other actions necessary or appropriate to implement this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 1979
Reye's Syndrome Act of 1979 - Amends title XI of the Public Health Service Act (Genetic Disease, Hemophilia Programs, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) to authorize the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to establish, through the National Institute of Neurological, Communicative Disorders, and Stroke, the Reye's Syndrome Coordinating Committee to make grants to and enter into contracts with public and nonprofit private entities for a three-year project to establish two comprehensive Reye's syndrome diagnostic and treatment centers. Includes among the duties of such centers: (1) the conduct of basic and clinical research; (2) the development of new and improved treatments; (3) the provision of physician training programs; and (4) informational services, with respect to the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of Reye's syndrome. Directs the Secretary to submit a report to Congress within six months of the end of the project with respect to its accomplishments. Authorizes the Committee to provide financial assistance to public agencies, nonprofit private entities, and individuals not associated with the centers, to conduct research on Reye's syndrome.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 1979
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Soviet Union should, with regard to the 1980 Summer Olympics: (1) permit full participation by athletes, spectators, and journalists; (2) issue visas, admission tickets, and hotel reservations on a nondiscriminatory basis; (3) not interfere with news coverage; and (4) not prevent or punish its citizens for communicating with participants.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 1979
Agricultural, Forestry, and Rural Energy Act of 1979 - Amends the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 to add a new "Title XX--Agricultural, Forestry, and Rural Energy Act" which directs the Secretary of Agriculture to implement an Agricultural, Forestry, and Rural Energy Production, Use, and Conservation Program in order to enable the United States to achieve net energy independence for agricultural and forestry production, processing, and marketing, and to reduce the petroleum and natural gas consumption of rural residents and communities by 50 percent by the year 2000. Directs the Secretary to establish an Agricultural, Forestry, and Rural Energy Board to assist the Secretary by: (1) making a comprehensive assessment of the Nation's agricultural, forestry and rural energy needs, resources, practices, legal authorities, programs, and related elements (such assessment to be updated at least every five years); and (2) preparing the Energy Production, Use, and Conservation Program. Requires the Energy Production, Use, and Conservation Program to: (1) inventory the specific needs and opportunities for public and private investment in agricultural, forestry, and rural energy production, use, and conservation projects; (2) identify estimated costs, returns, results, and benefits associated with such investments; and (3) discuss the priorities and options for the accomplishment of such Program. Requires cooperation with Federal, State, and local agencies and organizations. Demands submission of the completed Program to the Secretary and to Congress within one year after enactment of this Act, with revision at least every five years. Requires annual reports on the Program to Congress by February 1 of each year, the first to be submitted by February 1, 1981. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to implement an applied research program to develop: (1) economical and energy-efficient fuel hydrocarbons, and petrochemical substitutes from biomass; (2) techniques for using energy so derived in the production, processing, and marketing of agricultural commodities and forest products; (3) economical ways for rural communities to use such energy; (4) the use of wood as an energy-efficient material in building construction; and (5) energy conservation systems and techniques for farmers, owners of forest land, rural residents, and rural communities. Authorizes annual appropriations not to exceed $50,000,000 solely for applied research at State agricultural experiment stations to develop agricultural, forestry, and rural energy production, use, and conservation. Requires the Secretary to study the feasibility of alternate crop-livestock systems to produce both foodstuffs and fiber for domestic and export markets and biomass for use in the production of energy. Directs the Secretary to implement an extension program to disseminate the results of rural energy research and to encourage rural residents and communities to adopt projects for the production and use of biomass energy and energy conservation techniques. Authorizes the annual appropriation of $50,000,000 under the Smith-Lever Act, and $5,000,000 under the Renewable Resources Extension Act of 1978 for rural and forest energy extension work by State extension services. Directs the Secretary to establish (to the extent practicable, at existing Department of Agriculture research facilities) four Wood Energy Centers and four Agricultural Biomass Energy Centers, each in a different geographic region of the United States and located in an area containing substantial amounts of private forest land or intensively used farm land, as appropriate. Requires each Center, under Board direction, to: (1) perform applied wood or agricultural biomass energy production and use and energy conservation research projects; (2) develop an information bank; (3) field-test promising research findings; (4) provide technical assistance to landowners, colleges and universities, and other interested parties; (5) make demonstration projects; (6) disseminate information on new energy technologies; (7) perform energy need analyses for rural residents and communities; (8) perform similar research, field test, and demonstration programs with respect to agricultural commodities; and (9) implement solar energy model farms and demonstration projects. Permits the Secretary to make National Forest Systems wood and residues available to assist in such research and demonstrations. Authorizes annual appropriations of $30,000,000 for Wood Energy Centers and $30,000,000 for Agricultural Biomass Energy Centers. Authorizes the Secretary to share up to 75 percent of the cost of implementing wood energy production practices set forth in agreements for such purposes with owners of nonindustrial private forest land. Requires that such agreements be based on individual forest management plans ensuring maximum development of the land for wood for energy. Authorizes annual appropriations of $100,000,000 for such program. Directs the Secretary to conduct a five-year pilot program of financial assistance to owners of nonindustrial private forest land which shall include, but not be limited to: (1) the insuring and guaranteeing of loans providing periodic loan disbursements; (2) the consolidation for resale in private capital markets of the loan obligations of individual landowners; and (3) the loaning of funds to lending institutions in order to make such guaranteed loans. Declares eligible for such program any private individual, group, Indian tribe or other native group, association, partnership, corporation or other legal entity which owns forest land capable of producing crops of industrial wood, provided the applicant is unable to obtain sufficient credit elsewhere. Requires borrowers to prepare, keep current, and adhere to an individual forest management plan, developed in cooperation with and approved by the State forester (or equivalent official). Limits the maximum amount of any insured or guaranteed loan to any one landowner to $50,000 annually. Authorizes the Secretary to guarantee up to 90 percent of that portion of the overall loan obligation which exceeds the market value of the assets securing such loan. Bases the amount of the periodic loan disbursement upon the future expected market value of the timber securing such loan, limiting the total principal and interest obligation to 80 percent of such value. Allows for adjustment of loan terms, as agreed by both landowner and lender, following periodic reviews of individual loan agreements and forest management plans. Entitles borrowers to prepayment of all or any part of an outstanding loan obligation without penalty. Sets a repayment term of up to 40 years. Allows the interest rate to be set by the lender and borrower. Directs the Secretary to appoint a program development and evaluation committee to advise him regarding the financial assistance program. Requires funding for the program to be drawn from the Rural Development Insurance Fund. Authorizes necessary appropriations for administrative expenses. Limits the total annual expenditure: (1) for insured loans to a maximum $25,000,000; and (2) for guaranteed loans to a maximum of $10,000,000. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to State for the employment of additional State foresters or equivalent officials to provide technical assistance to owners of private forest land in: (1) identifying the opportunities for, and increasing the production of, wood for energy; and (2) developing individual forest management plans under programs of this Act. Requires the Secretary, in determining the amount of such assistance, to consider the underuse of forest growth in the State and the potential for use of this material in energy production in the State. Permits the Secretary to take necessary actions to make wood energy use training programs available to such foresters. Authorizes the annual appropriation of not more than $8,500,000 for such financial assistance program. Directs the Secretary to establish State advisory committees in States with significant amounts of nonindustrial private forest land to advise the Secretary and the State forester periodically about the effectiveness of Federal programs and the potential for developing markets for wood energy. Authorizes the Secretary to make loans to establish concentration and distribution centers that make fuelwood available to homeowners. Authorizes the annual appropriation of $10,000,000 for five fiscal years. Directs the Secretary to implement a program disseminating information and providing technical assistance with respect to the small-scale production and use of ethanol, methanol, low and medium British thermal unit gas, and other energy forms from agricultural biomass. Requires State extension services to conduct at least 100 workshops annually instructing: (1) interested parties on construction and operation of agricultural biomass energy production facilities; and (2) county extension agents on the conduct of agricultural biomass energy extension at the local level. Directs the Secretary to establish projects for rural energy conservation and the production and use of energy from biomass through direct, insured, and guaranteed loans to finance the construction and operation of commercial or on-farm projects. Authorizes the Secretary to make up to $10,000,000 worth of grants for demonstration for the same purposes. Limits the total amount of such loans made or insured in any fiscal year to not more than $250,000,000 with at least one-third allocated for projects using wood or wood wastes, and at least one-fourth allocated for small-scale facilities for the annual production of at most 2,000,000 gallons of ethanol, or the energy equivalent of other forms of biomass energy. Limits the annual total of guaranteed loans to $1,000,000,000 similarly allocated. Requires: (1) the execution of at least 75 percent of such loans, guarantees, and grants by May 31 of the fiscal year in question; and (2) the coordination of such programs with other specified agriculture and energy loan and grant programs. Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to authorize, for fiscal years 1981 and 1982, not to exceed: (1) $25,000,000 for community facility loans for rural electric cooperatives for projects to generate electricity using nonfossil energy sources including biomass and hydropower; (2) $50,000,000 for direct, insured, or guaranteed farm ownership (real estate) loans for nonfossil energy systems used on farms; (3) $20,000,000 for direct, insured, or guaranteed farm operating loans for equipment using biomass or solar energy or increasing energy conservation; (4) $250,000,000 for guaranteed and $20,000,000 for insured industrial development loans, with authority to transfer amounts between such categories, for commercial biomass energy production projects. Authorizes the Administrator of the Rural Electrification Administration to make grants to owners of rural electric systems, or federations of such owners, for projects demonstrating alternate energy and conservation technologies. Authorizes appropriations for such grants for fiscal years 1980 through 1983. Directs the Farm Credit Administration to encourage the production credit associations, Federal land banks, and banks for cooperatives to use the existing authority in the Farm Credit Act of 1971 to make loans to farmers for the establishment or operation of commercially feasible biomass energy production or energy conservation projects. Amends the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act to authorize the Secretary to provide cost-sharing financial assistance and technical assistance to agricultural producers for shelter belts, minimum tillage systems, manure or other suitable fertilizer wastes, integrated pest management, energy-efficient irrigation water management, and water conservation measures necessary to improve crop yields in relation to the amount of energy used in crop production. Makes this Act effective October 1, 1979.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 1979
Amends the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977, effective for one or more of the 1980 and 1981 crops of upland cotton, feed grains, rice, and wheat, to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to require producers not to exceed the acreage on the farm normally planted to crops designated by the Secretary. States that such acreage shall be reduced by any set-aside or diverted acreage. Authorizes the Secretary to increase the established price for any such commodity for which he requires producers not to exceed normally planted acreage. Sets the established prices for the 1980 and 1981 crops of such commodities at not less than the established prices for the previous year's crop of the respective commodities adjusted to reflect any change in the inflation rate for such previous crop year.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 1979
Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians Act - Establishes the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians to: (1) determine whether a wrong was committed against American citizens and permanent resident aliens who were subjected to relocation or internment as a result of Executive Order Numbered 9066 dated February 9, 1942, and other associated Government acts; and (2) recommend appropriate remedies. Directs the Commission: (1) to hold public hearings in specified cities; and (2) within 18 months after enactment of this Act, to submit a final report of its findings and recommendations to Congress and the President. Terminates the Commission six months after such report is submitted.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 1979
Savings and Investment Encouragement Act of 1979 - Title I: Incentives for Individual Saving - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income up to $100 of the interest earned on a savings account. Permits an exclusion of up to $500 for interest which is reinvested in a savings account. Excludes from gross income up to $500 of dividends received which are reinvested in the stock of domestic corporations. Requires that the sum of the adjusted basis of stock in domestic corporations held by the taxpayer plus the amount held in a savings account (investment base) on the last day of a taxable year exceed the investment base of the taxpayer as of the first day of such taxable year, plus the amount of dividends and interest excludible for such taxable year. Title II: Incentives for New Plant and Equipment - 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 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. Title III: Incentives for Research and Development - Qualifies research and development expenditures related to a trade or business for the investment tax credit.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 1979
National Student Loan Reform Act - Declares the purposes of this Act to be to: (1) ensure capital availability for student loans by strengthening the campus-based direct loan program; (2) adjust repayment schedules, and otherwise improve collection procedures, to make repayment sensitive to ability to repay and to reduce the default rate; and (3) guarantee loans to eligible borrowers so as to facilitate providing the expected family contributions (or, in the case of independent students, the expected self-help contribution) to the cost of higher education. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Student Loan Marketing Association (Association) to enter into agreements with eligible institutions for making low-interest loans to students directly through such institutions. Sets forth the terms of such agreements. Stipulates that: (1) the conditions of such loans shall be determined by the institution, subject to any requirements or limitations prescribed by the Association; (2) the amount of such loans shall equal the cost of attendance minus any scholarships or other loans, the expected family income or self-help contribution, and any other Federal assistance; (3) such loans will be made to accepted or attending students in financial need who are carrying at least one-half the normal academic workload; and (4) such loans shall be evidenced by a written agreement. Stipulates with regard to repayment that: (1) the repayment period shall begin nine months after a student graduates or ceases to carry the required workload, and continue for a maximum of 15 years; (2) repayment may be in either equal or graduated installments at the option of the student borrower; (3) payments may be accelerated or paid in full without penalty; (4) the interest rate shall be seven percent; (5) no security or endorsement shall be required unless the student borrower is a minor; (6) the loan shall be cancelled upon the death or permanent total disability of the student borrower; (7) no repayment shall be required while the borrower is in school, or for up to three years while in the Armed Forces, Peace Corps, or a volunteer under the Domestic Volunteer Act of 1973; (8) repayment extensions may be made; and (9) partial ban cancellation shall be made for certain teaching positions and combat veterans. Establishes a loan program guaranteed by the Association to meet the cost of the expected family contribution under this Act. Authorizes necessary appropriations to the student ban insurance fund for such loans and related expenses. Transfers such funds availability from the Commissioner of Education to the Association. Provides that the Association shall pay an eligible institution ten dollars per academic year year for each enrolled student on whose behalf such family-contribution loan is made. Limits such new family-contribution loans to fiscal years 1981-1985, and prohibits payments for existing loans after September 30, 1989. Stipulates with regard to such family-contribution loans: (1) the institution must certify to the lender the amount of the expected family contribution; (2) such loans shall be 100 percent insured; (3) the student must have been accepted, or already enrolled, on at least a half- time basis; (4) such loans will be made without security and without endorsement; (5) repayment shall begin no more than nine months after graduation or after the student ceases to be at least a half-time student, and shall be over a period of not less than five nor more than ten years; (6) principal need not be paid (but interest shall accrue) if the student is enrolled at least half-time (including graduate school), in a rehabilitation training program, or unable to find (for up to 12 months) full-time employment; (7) interest, at a rate of one percent less than the Treasury rate, shall accrue and paid during the term of the loan, except that such interest may be deferred until repayment of the principal starts; and (8) payments may be accelerated without penalty. Provides that, upon application by an eligible lender, the Association shall issue certificates of insurance covering the loan and setting forth the amount and terms of the insurance. Authorizes the Association to issue to a lender a certificate of comprehensive coverage to cover all qualifying loans made by such lender within a specified cutoff date and up to a specified aggregate maximum. Sets forth lender recovery procedures for defaulting loans. Provides that the Association shall repay the loans of bankrupt, diseased, or disabled borrowers. Revises provisions regarding special allowance payments to lenders to: (1) change the formula for computing such allowance; and (2) extend the five percent limit on such allowance from October 1, 1977, to October 1, 1980. Eliminates the provision providing for a District of Columbia student loan insurance program. Authorizes Federal credit unions to make family-contribution loans to eligible borrowers. Terminates existing lending programs (Guaranteed Student Loan Program and the National Direct Student Loan Program) six months after the enactment of this Act. Provides for the dissolution of the existing Student Loan Marketing Association and the assumption, and expansion, of such Association's functions by a newly created Association. Includes within such new Association's functions: (1) the authority to continue to purchase, sell, collect or otherwise deal in specified existing student loan programs; (2) the authority to contract with State guaranty agencies (and compensate them for services) for collecting student loans, distributing loan funds to institutions, monitoring and auditing student loan programs, and providing technical assistance and information regarding such loans. Authorizes the Association to issue notes, bonds, or other obligations, with the concurrence of the Secretary of the Treasury. Provides that the obligations of the Association shall constitute general obligations of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 1979
State 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.
![Official portrait of Sen. Boschwitz, Rudy [R-MN]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b000647_200.jpg)