The world's political record
Person
![Official portrait of Sen. Cranston, Alan [D-CA]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c000877_200.jpg)
United States · Official source
4,407 records where Sen. Cranston, Alan [D-CA] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1985
Designates the week of August 25 through August 31, 1985, as National CPR Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1985
Authorizes the President, on behalf of the Congress, to present a gold medal honoring George Gershwin to his sister, Frances Gershwin Godowsky, and a gold medal honoring Ira Gershwin to his widow, Lenore Gershwin. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to provide for the sale of bronze duplicates of the medal. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 1985
Title I: Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1985 - Amends the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 to authorize appropriations for Interstate System construction purposes for FY 1991. Sets a minimum apportionment per State of one-half of one percent of the total apportionment for the Interstate System for FY 1988 through 1991. Permits the expenditure of Interstate System funds for certain highway purposes if such funds exceed the estimated cost of completing a State's portion of the Interstate System. Directs the Secretary of Transportation (the Secretary) to apportion: (1) authorized funds for FY 1987 using the apportionment factors from the Interstate Cost Estimate submitted to the Congress in January 1985; and (2) for FY 1986 certain sums previously apportioned for such fiscal year using factors from the Interstate Substitute Cost Estimate for alternative highway and mass transit projects. Sets obligation ceilings for Federal-Aid Highways and Highway Safety Construction Programs for FY 1987 through 1990. Sets distribution guidelines for such obligations. Authorizes appropriations for specified aspects of the Federal-aid system out of the Highway Trust Fund for FY 1987 through 1990. Amends the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 to authorize appropriations for Motor Carrier Safety Grants for FY 1989 and 1990. Amends the Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964 to authorize appropriations for FY 1986 through 1990. Requires that a minimum of ten percent of such appropriated funds be expended with small business concerns owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. Sets guidelines under which the Secretary shall use the Federal share of certain adjusted cost estimates in making apportionments for substitute highway and mass transit projects. Sets apportionment guidelines for specified parts of the Federal-aid systems through FY 1991. Permits ten percent of certain Federal-aid systems apportionments to be transferred to apportionments to complete Interstate gaps upon State request. Sets availability guidelines for non-obligated apportioned funds whereby such funds are available for expenditure by a State for Federal-aid primary system projects for a period of three years after the end of the fiscal year for which such funds were authorized. Directs the Secretary to make funds not obligated within such time period available to States that have obligated certain apportioned funds. Authorizes the imposition of State tolls upon roads, bridges, tunnels, and ferries without payback of certain Federal-aid funds if the toll revenues in excess of operating costs will be used by the State for capital transportation projects, and if such highway bridge or tunnel is publicly owned and operated. Amends the Federal highway bridge replacement and rehabilitation program to provide that $200,000,000 of the amounts authorized under this Act each fiscal year for bridge replacement and rehabilitation on the Federal-aid primary and Interstate System shall be obligated at the Secretary's discretion for certain highway bridge rehabilitation projects. Directs the Secretary to present a detailed report to the Congress regarding a study of the future direction of the Federal-Aid Highway Program once the Interstate Construction Program has been substantially completed. Authorizes appropriations for such study. Title II: Highway Safety Act of 1985 - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1987 through FY 1990, for certain highway safety programs under the auspices of the Federal Highway Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 1985
Designates November 18, 1985, as Eugene Ormandy Appreciation Day.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1985
Amends the Equal Credit Opportunity Act to prohibit the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System from exempting from such Act any class of credit transactions that are primarily for personal, family, or household purposes. Permits the Board to exempt (for five years) a type or class of business or commercial transactions only after determining that application of such Act to such transactions would not contribute substantially to effecting the purposes of such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1985
Calls for special recognition during 1990 of the bicentennial of the first patent and copyright laws.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 1985
Job Security Bank Act of 1985 - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to revise provisions relating to trade adjustment assistance program benefits. Requires workers, before receiving such benefits, to agree to repay certain amounts of such assistance whenever the worker begins full-time employment after total separation from the adversely affected employment. Requires such repayment in monthly installments over the course of the first year of such full-time employment. Sets forth formulas for determining the applicable repayment amount on the basis of the amount of income exceeding specified poverty levels from the full-time employment and the amount of program benefits received. Prohibits payment of program benefits to any worker if: (1) any amount was previously paid under retraining provisions for such worker; and (2) the worker continued or resumed, after the 60 day-period after the retraining ended, the adversely affected employment which had made the worker eligible for such retraining. Revises conditions for eligibility of workers for trade adjustment allowance payments. Removes the condition that all rights to unemployment insurance be exhausted. Adds a requirement that the worker submit a written certification that such worker will undertake retraining in a program approved by a private industry council established under the Job Training Partnership Act. Removes provisions relating to the prescription of regulations requiring workers to accept certain training or to search actively for work outside a certain area. Revises provisions relating to the weekly and maximum total amounts of trade adjustment allowances. Provides that, for any week during which the worker receives any unemployment insurance benefits, the allowance shall equal 50 percent of the amount of unemployment insurance benefits payable to such worker for a week within the period covered by the certification that occurs prior to the first exhaustion of unemployment insurance benefits. Sets the allowance at 100 percent of such amount for any week for which the worker does not receive any unemployment insurance benefits. Sets the maximum total amount of such allowances payable to a worker at 26 times such weekly amount of unemployment insurance benefits. Allows workers to elect: (1) the portion of the period for which such allowance is to be made (which may or may not include any week for which the worker is paid unemployment insurance benefits); and (2) to accept an allowance less than that to which such worker is entitled. Eliminates provisions relating to the application of State laws and to employment services. Revises provisions for retraining. Entitles certain workers to have approved retraining costs up to $3,000 paid for under the trade adjustment assistance program. Sets forth conditions relating to such retraining approval and payments. Prohibits such retraining payments to any employer who previously received such a payment for on-the-job training of a worker and who terminated such worker's employment within two years after such training began. Requires that retraining approval and determinations of the entitlement of a worker for payment of retraining costs be made without regard to whether a worker is separated from the adversely affected employment. Eliminates provisions relating to discretionary supplemental assistance, refusal to accept or continue training, and failure to make satisfactory progress. Eliminates provisions for job search allowances. Revises provisions for determining the amount of relocation allowances. Limits the amount of subsistence expenses to be taken into account to the lesser of the actual per diem subsistence expenses or 50 percent of the prevailing per diem allowance rate authorized under Federal travel regulations. Limits the amount of travel expenses to be taken into account to the prevailing rate authorized under Federal travel regulations. Eliminates provisions which provide for the termination of the trade adjustment assistance for workers program on September 30, 1985. Directs the Secretary of Labor to consult with the U.S. International Trade Commission and representatives of all organized labor unions at least twice every year on the determinations of eligibility as adversely affected workers and on the operation and effectiveness of the trade adjustment assistance for workers program. Directs the Secretary to report annually to the Congress on such matters. Revises group eligibility requirements under the trade adjustment assistance for workers to include coverage of certain situations where there are increased imports of articles like or directly competitive with articles that are composed of any other article produced by the worker's firm or an appropriate subdivision of such firm. Eliminates, effective one year after the enactment of this Act, provisions for an authorization of appropriations to the Department of Labor to carry out the trade adjustment assistance for workers program. Establishes, effective one year after the enactment of this Act, the Job Security Bank as a trust fund within the Treasury. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, as trustee of the Bank, to make annual reports to the Congress and to invest certain portions of the funds in the Bank. Authorizes appropriations out of the Bank to carry out the trade adjustment assistance for workers program. Requires that the Bank's funds consist of amounts received from the import duty imposed under this Act and any worker repayments of such assistance. Directs the President to immediately undertake to negotiate changes in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade so as to allow any country to impose a uniform duty of not more than one percent ad valorem on all imports in order to fund a trade adjustment assistance program for its workers. Imposes such a duty on all imports into the United States, effective one year after the enactment of this Act. Sets such duty at two-thirds of one percent ad valorem, but authorizes the President (at any time after two years after the enactment of the Act) to modify such rate to a uniform ad valorem rate which does not exceed one percent and which is sufficient to fund the trade adjustment assistance for workers program. Provides that, with specified exceptions, the amendments made by this Act shall be effective two years after its enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 1985
Earmarks a specified amount of the FY 1986 funds appropriated to carry out agricultural development in rural areas under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 for nutrition programs which reduce vitamin A deficiency.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 1985
Designates the month of October 1985 as National High-Tech Month.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 1985
'Designer Drug' Enforcement Act of 1985 - Amends the Controlled Substances Act to establish criminal penalties for the manufacture or possession with intent to distribute or the distribution of unregulated drugs with a chemical structure or effect substantially similar to that of a controlled substance.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 1985
Civil Rights Amendments Act of 1985 - Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of affectional or sexual orientation. Provides that this Act shall not be construed to permit a finding of discrimination based on statistical differences or the fashioning of any remedy requiring a quota. States that nothing in this Act shall be construed to require any person to disclose a personal sexual orientation.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 1985
Designates July 16, 1985, as National Atomic Veterans' Day.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 1985
Designates the rose as the national floral emblem.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 1985
Designates October 1985 as National Community College Month.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 1985
Calls on the Soviet Union to: (1) release Anatoly Shcharansky, Yosef Begun, and other Prisoners of Conscience and allow them to leave the Soviet Union; (2) issue exit permits to long term "Refuseniks" including Ida Nudel and Vladimir Slepak; and (3) allow thousands of Jews who have requested such permits to leave.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 1985
Designates the week beginning November 10, 1985, as National Disabled Veterans Week.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 1985
Government Securities Dealers Act of 1985 - Title I: Government Securities Brokers and Dealers - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to prohibit any Government securities broker or Government securities dealer from making use of the mails or of any means of interstate commerce to effect any transaction in Government securities unless such dealer or broker is registered in accordance with this Act. Requires brokers or dealers already registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission), financial institutions, or primary dealers to notify in writing the appropriate regulatory agency that it is a Government securities broker or Government securities dealer. Requires each appropriate regulatory agency to make available to every other appropriate regulatory agency notices which have been filed with it. Provides that such registration shall be accomplished by filing a registration application with the Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission) containing such information and documents concerning the registrant as the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) may require. Makes unlawful any act or practice or course of business forbidden by the Securities and Exchange Act by a registered Government securities broker or dealer regardless of whether the mails or any means of interstate commerce were used. Allows the Board to conditionally or unconditionally exempt any Government securities broker or dealer from any of the requirements of this Act or regulations promulgated under this Act, if the Board finds that such an exemption is consistent with the public interest. Authorizes the Board to propose and adopt rules to effect the purposes of this title with respect to transactions in Government securities effected by Government securities brokers or dealers. Makes it unlawful for any Government securities broker or dealer to use the mails or any means of interstate commerce to effect a transaction in any Government security in contravention of any rule of the Board. Authorizes the Commission to impose restrictions on a registered Government securities dealer or broker or suspend or revoke the registration of such a dealer or broker if after notice and opportunity for hearing the Commission finds that such action would be in the public interest. Authorizes the appropriate regulatory agencies to impose similar sanctions on a Government securities dealer or broker not required to register under this Act. Authorizes the appropriate regulatory agencies to examine all records of Government securities brokers and dealers at any time such an agency deems it necessary or appropriate to conduct such an examination of records. Requires all Government securities brokers and dealers required to register under this Act to join a registered securities association in order to lawfully effect any transaction in any Government security. Title II: Conforming Amendments - Part A: Conforming Definitions - Revises certain definitions for purposes of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934. Part B: Additional Conforming Amendments - Makes certain conforming amendments with respect to sanctions which may be imposed against brokers or dealers and certain provisions affecting registered securities associations. Title III: Transitional and Savings Provisions - Provides that the provisions of this Act shall not effect any pending administrative or judicial proceedings. Specifies that nothing in this Act shall be construed to limit or impair the authority of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to establish conditions for the monitoring of, receipt of reports from, or recognition of a Government securities dealer as a primary dealer. Title IV: Report on Transfers of Government Securities - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury, the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission to submit a joint report, within six months after the date of enactment of this Act, to the Congress regarding existing capabilities and potential improvements for the transfer of, and the creation and perfection of security interests in, Government securities. Sets forth the requirements of such report. Title V: Effective Dates - Provides that this Act shall become effective 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act. Provides that the rulemaking authority of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System shall take effect on the date of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 1985
Designer Drug Enforcement Act of 1985 - Amends the Controlled Substances Act to prohibit any person from knowingly and intentionally manufacturing or distributing a designer drug intended for human consumption. Provides for a fine of not more than $250,000, or imprisonment for not more than 15 years, or both. Defines "designer drug" as a substance other than a controlled substance that has a chemical structure substantially similar to that of a controlled substance in schedules I or II. Exempts from this provision any person who manufactures or distributes a substance in conformance with an approved new drug application for certain investigational use.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 1985
Authorizes the establishment in the District of Columbia of a memorial to women who have served in the armed forces.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 1985
Designates the month of November 1985 as National Hospice Month.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1985
Designates a portion of a specified street in the District of Columbia as Raoul Wallenberg Avenue.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1985
Veterans' Administration Reorganization Act of 1985 - Defines the "detailed plan and justification" which is required of the Administrator of Veterans Affairs before certain administrative reorganizations of Veterans Administration (VA) facilities may occur. Authorizes the Administrator to undertake a reorganization within the Department of Medicine and Surgery of the VA to transfer the functions of the Technology and Performance Evaluation Section and the Information and Education Service at the VA Prosthetics Center in New York to a new Prosthetics Assessment and Information Center in the Washington, D.C., area.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1985
Fair Access to Foreign Markets - Directs the President to take appropriate action to: (1) ensure a satisfactory resolution of import relief petitions filed by U.S. producers and processors of citrus, pasta, wheat flour, poultry, canned fruits, and raisins, relating to the subsidies and discriminatory tariffs of the European Economic Community (EEC); (2) counter any retaliatory action of the EEC by withdrawing additional concessions; and (3) rebalance the level of concessions in U.S.-EEC trade.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1985
Designates the period October 1 through September 30, 1986, as the time to reflect on the achievements of the Peace Corps during its 25 years, and on ways such programs might be used in the future. Authorizes and requests the President to proclaim this period as a time to honor Peace Corps volunteers and reaffirm our commitment to such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1985
Designates July 20, 1985, as Space Exploration Day.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1985
Designates the week of August 18 to August 24, 1985, as Health Care Expo '85 Week.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1985
Declares that the Senate agrees to cooperate with the Jacob K. Javits Senate Fellowship Program. Directs the Senate to provide assistance as may be necessary for the success of this fellowship program.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 1985
Amends the Federal criminal code with regard to the ban on mailing dangerous items to include martial arts weapons within the prohibition. Prohibits mail-order sales to States which have banned the manufacturing, selling, carrying, and possession of such weapons. Authorizes the Postal Service to prescribe regulations for mailing otherwise nonmailable martial arts weapons to certain military, State, or municipal procurement officers or employees, as well as certain bona fide manufacturers or dealers. Exempts knives, swords, and other ceremonial or collector weapons that are otherwise mailable under this section.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 1985
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) conduct a study for the purpose of determining tolerable State error rates under the Aid to Families with Dependent Children Program (part A of title IV of the Social Security Act); and (2) contract with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a concurrent study. Sets forth reporting requirements. Sets the AFDC error rate at four percent (currently three percent). Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to waive all or any part of any sanction that would otherwise be imposed upon a State if the State is unable to reach the allowable error rate despite a good faith effort. Permits a State to request such a waiver upon a showing that: (1) it has made a good faith effort to reduce erroneous payments; or (2) its error rate was determined incorrectly and should be lower. Permits a State to appeal the Secretary's denial of a waiver. Provides for a moratorium on reducing payments for excess errors. States that it is the intent of the Congress to revise such moratorium at a time after the reports required by this Act have been submitted. Provides for incentive payments to States with error rates under four percent, but not until the moratorium is lifted. Provides that when determining a State's error rate: (1) the rate shall be fixed at the lower bound of the standard interval for errors within which the State's true error rate falls; and (2) errors which are technical in nature or have no fiscal impact shall be disregarded.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 1985
Consumer Products Energy Efficiency Amendments of 1985 - Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to provide that the labeling rules regarding consumer product energy efficiency standards shall require disclosure of such standards at the point of sale and in any advertising of the product. Directs the Secretary of Energy (the Secretary) to: (1) publish and make available comparative guides of the energy efficiency and annual operating cost of certain consumer products; (2) prescribe an energy efficiency standard for certain consumer products; and (3) include in the Secretary's annual report on consumer product energy efficiency standards the percentage of covered products or components which are imported. Requires the Secretary, before determining whether a standard is economically justified, to weigh its effect on domestic production, reduction of unemployment, electric utilities, and the human environment. Authorizes the Secretary to prescribe an energy efficiency standard for certain consumer products if it is determined that improvement of 20 percent or more is feasible. Delineates the criteria to be considered by the Secretary in determining whether a performance-related feature justifies the establishment of either a higher or a lower energy efficiency standard. Directs the Secretary to: (1) issue energy efficiency improvement guidelines for each of the following five years if no standard for a covered consumer product is prescribed; (2) monitor the improvements in efficiency; and (3) prescribe an energy efficiency standard whenever a certain type of consumer product type fails for three consecutive years to achieve at least half of the improvement under such guideline.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 1985
International Airport Security Cooperation Act - Directs the Secretary of State (the Secretary) to: (1) determine which countries are high terrorist threats; (2) determine which international airports in those countries are serviced by U.S. air carriers or are otherwise frequently used by U.S. citizens; and (3) determine which of those airports fail to comply with the minimum international airport security standards. Directs the Secretary to: (1) determine which international airports are not under the de facto control of the government of the country in which they are located; and (2) determine which of those international airports pose a high risk of introducing danger to international air travel. Directs the Secretary to publish a list within six months of enactment of this Act of the airports identified as failing to meet minimum security standards and airports identified as posing a high risk of introducing danger to international travel. Directs the Secretary to issue a travel advisory with respect to each airport on such list. Directs the President, if after 120 days an international airport is still on the list, to prohibit: (1) U.S. air carriers from landing at the listed airport; (2) all air carriers of the country in which the airport is located from landing at U.S. airports; and (3) the air carriers of all other countries from making direct flights between the listed airport and the United States. Lists additional sanctions which the President may impose. Authorizes the President to waive some of the sanctions for national security or humanitarian reasons. Authorizes the President to lift the travel advisory and other sanctions only if the President determines that the international airports in that country no longer meet specified criteria. Prohibits the removal of a sanction from taking effect until 15 days after the President notifies the Congress of such decision. Directs the Secretary to: (1) call for a meeting of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to discuss current compliance of airports with existing international security standards and to upgrade the security standards for international airports; and (2) call on member countries of ICAO to enforce existing standards and impose a moratorium on the use of any non-complying international airport. Directs the Secretary to seek agreement on strengthening enforcement measures and standards for compliance with respect to aircraft sabotage, aircraft hijacking, and airport security. Authorizes additional appropriations to carry out the antiterrorism programs of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 for FY 1986 and 1987. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Transportation for research on and development of airport security devices or techniques for detecting explosives. Calls upon the President to seek the establishment of an international committee (the International Anti-Terrorism Committee) to focus the attention and secure the cooperation of governments and of the public on the problems and responses to international terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 1985
Medicare Solvency and Health Care Financing Reform Act of 1985 - Adds a new title XXI to the Public Health Service Act entitled "Programs for Reforming the Health Care Financing System." Sets forth part A of such title entitled "State Health Care Programs." Provides that if a State transmits to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, within one year of the enactment of this Act, a statement that the State intends to submit a health care plan (described below), for purposes of making payments to the State under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act the Federal medical assistance percentage shall be 102 percent of such percentage as otherwise determined under Medicaid for such State for up to one year. Directs the Secretary to exempt hospitals in a State from the prospective payment limits established under this Act for certain time periods occurring during the first year of the transition period (defined in part C of title XXI as the 24-month period beginning January 1986) if: (1) the State requests such treatment; (2) the State indicates an intention to have implemented a State plan under title XXI which will provide for a recoupment of any revenues received in excess of the amounts permitted under part A; and (3) the State has agreed, with respect to such hospitals, that if a State plan under this Act is not implemented by the end of the first year of the transition period, then the Secretary shall provide for such adjustment in the prospective payment limits under part I of part B as will provide for recoupment in the subsequent year of any revenues received in excess of amounts permitted. Authorizes a State to apply to the Secretary for the approval of a health care plan for the State for an initial period of up to three years, subject to disapproval. Authorizes extensions of such initial period for up to two additional years. Provides that, for any one-year period, in the case of any State with an approved plan: (1) the transitional period provisions of subpart I of part B of title XXI shall not apply; (2) requirements for reimbursement (other than those relating to beneficiary cost sharing) under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act shall be waived; and (3) for purposes of making payments to a State under Medicaid the Federal medical assistance percentage shall, for the year the plan is in effect, be 103 percent (or 104 percent in the case of an unrestricted Medicaid plan) of the amount of the Federal medical assistance percentage otherwise determined under Medicaid and 102 percent (or 103 percent in the case of an unrestricted Medicaid plan) for any subsequent year (except for any extension period) of the amount of the Federal medical assistance percentage otherwise determined. Defines "unrestricted Medicaid plan" as a State Medicaid plan which does not impose any limitation on the scope or duration of inpatient hospital services other than requiring that such services be medically necessary. Directs the Secretary to annually review each approved plan. Requires the continued approval, for a certain time, of a plan not in compliance, if the State certifies that it will comply within a stated time period. Permits a further extension of approval if there is a trend towards compliance. Provides for the establishment of a Federal program with respect to hospitals for a State which cannot comply. Requires a State plan, in order to be approved, to meet the general requirements set forth below and, if applicable, certain requirements relating to rate setting plans. Permits a plan, in meeting the general requirements, to be designed in a manner that meets such requirements through a rate setting system, a voluntary system, or through the use of competitive mechanisms. Requires a plan to be designed in a manner so as to provide, to the satisfaction of the Secretary, that: (1) the amount of the total revenues per discharge for all hospitals in the State for each year beginning before 1987 in which the plan is in effect may not exceed the base general hospital revenues per discharge increased by the sum of the compounded sum of the percentage limits for a year and the previous years for which the State plan was in effect, and the population-discharge factor; and (2) the amount of the total revenues per discharge for all services furnished to hospital inpatients for all hospitals in the State for each year beginning after 1986 in which the plan is in effect may not exceed the sum of the base general hospital revenues per discharge increased by the sum of the compounded sum of the percentage limits for a year and the previous years for which the State plan was in effect, and the population-discharge factor, plus the base physician-related hospital revenues per discharge increased by the sum of the compounded sum of the percentage limits for a year and the previous years for which the plan is in effect and provided for a limitation under this clause (2), and the population-discharge factor. Authorizes a State, at its option, to apply the test specified in clause (2) instead of the test specified in clause (1) with respect to years prior to 1986. Permits a plan, instead of meeting the above requirements, to meet such other alternative test of constraint of health care costs as the Secretary determines will not result in a greater expenditure of funds under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act and by private payers than would have been made if the plan met the above requirements. Requires a plan to be designed so as to provide that the amount of revenues for inpatient hospital services and physicians' services to hospital inpatients and individuals entitled to benefits under parts A (Hospital Insurance) and B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII of the Social Security Act may not exceed the amount which would otherwise be payable (including copayments and deductibles) for such services under title XVIII. Permits a plan (other than a plan providing for the establishment of rates of hospital reimbursement for hospital inpatient services) to provide that payment under title XVIII for inpatient hospital services and for other services furnished to hospital inpatients shall continue to be made in the amounts and in the manner otherwise provided under Medicare. Requires that the unreimbursed costs incurred by hospitals in providing services to low-income, uninsured or underinsured patients (other than Medicare or Medicaid patients) be paid pursuant to a plan in an amount which must, in the aggregate, be the same proportion of total revenues as such unreimbursed costs are of total costs of patients who are neither Medicare nor Medicaid patients. Provides that such unreimbursed costs shall be paid through distribution of funds pooled at the statewide level, through a higher payment rate, or through another method approved by the Secretary. Requires a plan to have a mechanism for providing fair hearings for hospitals and any other entities aggrieved by determinations made under the plan. Requires a State to provide for the appointment of a panel, consisting of members with expertise in health care economics and service delivery, to advise in the development and implementation of its plan, periodically review and propose modifications to the plan, and establish the methodology for establishing the percentage limit used to compute hospital revenues. Requires such methodology to include the use of appropriate external price indicators, the use of data from major collective-bargaining agreements for nonsupervisory hospital employees, and other appropriate indicators of wage costs. Requires the methodology to be approved by the Secretary. Requires a plan, to the extent that it provides for meeting plan requirements through a system which provides for the establishment of rates for hospital reimbursement for hospital inpatient services by an entity other than the hospital, to meet the following additional requirements: (1) except as provided in clause (2), the plan must provide equitable treatment of all entities that pay for health services covered under the plan, of hospital employees, and of patients; (2) if the plan is established under State law, the plan must take into account the proportion of costs associated with, and services covered by, the different payors, including Medicare and Medicaid, and may not permit undue shifting of proportions of costs among the different payors; (3) the plan may not make available any discount in price to any purchaser unless the discount accurately reflects economic benefits to a hospital resulting from a service arrangement with a purchaser and the discount is made available to all other purchasers who can satisfy such service; and (4) the plan must provide a procedure whereby, upon the request of a hospital, an adjustment can be considered to the rate limitation applicable under the plan to that hospital to reflect a significant change in the inpatient hospital services, increased costs for the compensation of employees, funds necessary to provide for the efficient operation of a hospital which the State has determined should remain in operation, and higher expenses associated with a regional tertiary care institution, teaching hospital, or children's hospital. Directs the Secretary, in reviewing a plan which provides for control of hospital inpatient costs through a competitive mechanism, to take into account the degree to which the plan provides for the following or other measures to improve price competition among providers: (1) the plan provides for open enrollment periods; (2) the plan provides for the dissemination of information concerning different health benefits plans; (3) the plan encourages innovation and public incentives to new forms of health care delivery and financing; (4) there are negotiated prices and risk-sharing between insurers and health care providers; and (5) the laws of the State do not impose legal barriers to competition in negotiated and other arrangements among insurers and health care providers. Sets forth part B of title XXI entitled "Residual Federal Program, subpart I, Transition Period." Provides that, subject to the provisions of subpart I, for any accounting period of a hospital subject to subpart I, the total revenues for inpatient hospital services may not exceed the total of such revenues that are permitted on the basis of prospective payment limits established under subpart I for the hospital's discharges as classified by diagnosis-related groups. Requires each hospital subject to a limitation on revenues under subpart I to provide for the publication of a price list which establishes the price per discharge which any payor may pay for inpatient hospital services. Requires a hospital to submit its price list to the Secretary. Directs the Secretary to determine (for each accounting period) a prospective payment limit for inpatient hospital services for discharges classified by diagnosis-related groups. Sets forth the method for determining and adjusting the limit for each hospital for discharges. Authorizes the Secretary, at the request of a hospital, to increase the allowable revenues for an accounting period or provide for an increase in the base number of discharges otherwise permitted under subpart I to allow for higher revenues than would otherwise be permitted if: (1) a major renovation or replacement of physical plant or significant change in the capacity of the hospital has occurred; (2) the hospital is a sole community provider or provides a disproportionate percentage of its services to low-income or Medicare patients, the hospital would otherwise be insolvent, and the State has determined that the hospital should remain open; (3) a larger revenue increase is needed because the hospital is a regional tertiary care institution, teaching hospital, or children's hospital; and (4) there has been a significant change in the characteristics of the hospital's mix of patients. Subjects a hospital which has total inpatient revenues for an accounting period in excess of its applicable limit to a civil penalty, unless the excess is deposited in an escrow account. Permits withdrawals from the account upon the Secretary's certification that the total inpatient revenues of a hospital for an accounting period fall below the applicable limit for that period. Establishes a civil penalty for a physician or other person or entity (other than a hospital) who has charged any person or entity for services which are required by law to be billed to a hospital. Sets forth provisions relating to notice, opportunity for a hearing, and appeal of such penalties. Prohibits a hospital from engaging in an admission practice that results in: (1) a refusal to admit a patient who is unable to pay for inpatient hospital services; (2) the refusal to admit a patient who would be expected to require unusually costly or prolonged treatment; or (3) the refusal to provide emergency services to any person in need of such services. Sets forth penalties, including exclusion from Medicare or Medicaid participation, for hospitals committing such admissions violations. Sets forth subpart II of Part B entitled "Post-Transition Period." Provides that in the case of a State not having a plan approved under part A and in effect for any period beginning after the transition period, the Secretary shall establish and implement a health care plan for such State for such period which meets the requirements of part A, with specified differences. Sets forth definitions under part C of title XXI. Establishes an Advisory Committee on Health Care Technologies and Procedures. Directs the Advisory Committee to examine the appropriateness of the various interventions and the conditions under which they are needed, the safety and efficacy of alternative therapeutic and preventive regimens, and the standards for availability and utilization of various technologies, and to publicly report on whether or not payments should be made for such services and, if so, under what conditions and frequency of service. Exempts individuals enrolled in health maintenance organizations and competitive medical plans from the limits established under title XXI on revenues and discharge of a hospital if: (1) the organization elects such treatment; or (2) the organization annually pays for more than 20 percent of the number of bed-days of care with respect to that hospital. Amends provisions of the Public Health Service Act relating to employees' health benefits plans to provide that if an employer makes a contribution with respect to the costs of a health benefits plan of an employee and the employer offers the option of membership in a health maintenance organization or a competitive medical plan, which membership provides benefits at least actuarially equivalent to those provided under the other health benefits plan, the employer shall: (1) contribute at least as much towards the membership as the maximum amount of the employer's contribution to the other plan; (2) provide for a cash rebate if the contribution with respect to any other health benefits plan exceeds the cost of membership with the organization; and (3) provide information to employees that reasonably compares the benefits and costs of different plans. Exempts from the provisions of the previous sentence employees of an employer represented by a collective bargaining representative or other employee representative selected under any law. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, with respect to health maintenance organizations and competitive medical plans, to provide that the annual per capita rate of payment for each class of members shall be 100 percent in the case of individuals enrolled with an eligible organization in an area where at least 30 percent of the individuals eligible to enroll with an organization are enrolled. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to exempt a health maintenance organization which is a public entity from the requirement that at least 75 percent of its membership be Medicaid eligible or insured under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII or under both parts A (Hospital Insurance) and B of title XVIII. Directs the Secretary, under the prospective payment provisions of title XVIII of the Social Security Act, to provide that in the case of a State health care plan approved under Part A of title XXI of the Public Health Service Act payments with respect to services covered under title XXI: (1) may, at the State's option, be made in accordance with title XXI rather than Medicare; or (2) shall be made in accordance with title XXI rather than Medicare in the case of a plan which provides for the control of hospital costs through a title XXI rate setting mechanism. Provides for increased Medicare payments to a hospital for its operating costs if the number of admissions for an accounting period exceeds the hospital's admissions during a specified base period. Directs the Secretary to determine a regionally adjusted capital-related prospective payment rate for each inpatient hospital discharge in accordance with a specified formula. Directs the Secretary, for each diagnosis-related group, to estimate the average per discharge amount of charges recognized under part B of title XVIII attributable to items and services furnished to inpatients within such group during 1983. Provides that, subject to the part B deductible and subject to other provisions of the Medicare prospective payment rate provisions, with respect to each individual entitled to benefits under part A and enrolled under part B of title XVIII who is a hospital inpatient and whose discharge is classified within a diagnosis-related group, the Secretary shall provide for payment to the hospital of an amount equal to 80 percent of a specified rate in lieu of payments otherwise made under part B for inpatient services. Requires that: (1) payments for health care services furnished to inpatients be made to or through a hospital as a condition of the hospital's participation in the Medicare payment; and (2) the Secretary provide for notice to the public and to individuals enrolled under part B of title XVIII of the Social Security Act of such requirement. Permits the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund to borrow at any time from other social security trust funds if it can repay the loan within ten years. Provides for the periodic transfer to the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund from the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund of amounts which the Secretary determines to be equal to a specified fraction of the total revenues of the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund for each fiscal year. Directs the Secretary to conduct and report to the Congress on seven studies relating to: (1) health care costs, quality, delivery, and services; and (2) the effects of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 1985
Designates the month of March 1986 as National Hemophilia Month.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 1985
Amends the Arts and Artifacts Indemnity Act to delete certain restrictions on the indemnification of works of art when these are exhibited outside the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 1985
Designates the week of September 15 through September 21, 1985, as National Dental Hygiene Week.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1985
Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to increase the contract amount (from $1,000,000 to $1,500,000) that the Small Business Administration may guarantee to any surety with respect to certain bonds relating to small businesses.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1985
Congratulates the Society of Real Estate Appraisers on its Golden Anniversary for its service to the public interest with professional expertise.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 1985
Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to prohibit a common stock that is part of a class of an issuer's securities which is nonvoting or which carries disproportionate voting rights (entitling a share owner to cast more or less than one vote based on such share) from being registered on a national securities exchange or quoted on an automated quotation system operated by a registered national securities association. Sets forth a grandfather clause with respect to such disproportionate stock that was listed or quoted before a specified date.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 1985
Child Abuse Reporting and Clearinghouse Improvements Act of 1985 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to clarify the intent of certain confidentiality provisions to provide that such provisions do not supersede any State or local reporting requirements of suspected child abuse. Modifies the classification system used by the Identification Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to include a category for statistics for offenses involving child abuse (including sexual abuse). Requires the Attorney General to report to the Congress within 90 days on whether such modification has been made and, if not, when it will be made. Amends the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to require the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect in coordination with the Department of Justice to compile, analyze, publish, and disseminate to each State information on effective programs in the prosecution of child sexual abuse cases. Directs the Center to develop model training materials for law enforcement, legal, judicial, and child welfare personnel to deal with child sexual abuse victims and to support research projects to identify improvements in the investigation and prosecution of child sexual abuse cases.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 1985
Federal Pesticide Reform Act of 1985 - Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to require a person defined as a "certified applicator" to have undergone pesticide safety training. Requires pesticide ingredient statements to list inert as well as active ingredients. Eliminates from the definition of "misbranded" the provision relating to an unregistered pesticide manufactured in the United States solely for export. Defines "data gap" and "adverse reproductive effect" for purposes of this Act. Requires the registration of pesticides intended for export. Permits public access to pesticide application information before a final registration decision has been reached. Prohibits the registration of a pesticide having an adverse reproductive effect. Restricts the use of conditional registration. Requires public access to supporting data for any such registration. Repeals the interim administrative review provision which required a validated test or other significant evidence of adverse effect before initiation of a formal agency review. Establishes a timetable for the registration of pesticides which have not been reregistered since September 30, 1978, and which: (1) are used on food crops or remain as residues in potable ground water; (2) have significant data gaps; or (3) cause mutagenic effects. Requires specified additional data on inert ingredients. Prohibits registration of a pesticide containing an inert element which either by itself or in combination causes harmful environmental effects. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop a comprehensive plan for evaluating inert ingredients. Subjects information concerning the toxicity of inert ingredients to specified disclosure provisions. Requires reregistration determinations to be made within one year of data receipt. Requires a registrant to disclose EPA information regarding any adverse effects (human or environmental) of a pesticide. (Currently the disclosure standards is unreasonable environmental effects.) Directs the Administrator to initiate a cancellation hearing if materially false, misleading, or inaccurate supporting information has been submitted on behalf of a pesticide registration or residue tolerance. Directs the Administrator to issue a notice of intent to cancel, or to hold a cancellation hearing, based upon a pesticide's substantial question of safety. Permits any member of the public to initiate a cancellation hearing. Revises cancellation hearing provisions, including: (1) giving the parties a right to participate; and (2) setting specific time limits for hearing dates and determinations. Prohibits the reregistration of canceled, suspended, or withdrawn pesticides under conditional registration, experimental use, or special local need categories unless: (1) there is no available alternative; (2) there is a threat of significant infestation damage; and (3) data is available supporting the pesticide's effectiveness against such infestation. Sets forth additional health and safety information for the Administrator to collect and make public regarding pesticide manufacturing plants. Subjects pesticide exporters to recordkeeping requirements under such Act. Provides for the disclosure of pesticide intermediary chemicals. Repeals the prohibition on disclosure of health and safety information to foreign or multinational producers. Requires commercial applicators to maintain pesticide spraying records. Requires specified activities to reduce pesticide drift. Prohibits the use in foreign countries of U.S.-submitted registration or licensing data. Makes it unlawful to: (1) fail to disclose findings of additional risk; and (2) violate EPA regulations. Repeals the provisions requiring Federal indemnification of holders of canceled or suspended pesticides. Provides a private right of action for violations of such Act. Prohibits the export of a pesticide whose U.S. registration has been canceled on withdrawn unless: (1) the exporter notifies the Administrator regarding quantity and destination; and (2) the Administrator has received a request for such pesticide from such country (after having provided such country with the appropriate data regarding the pesticide's cancellation). Prohibits the importation of agricultural commodities with detectable residues of U.S.-prohibited pesticides. Authorizes the Administrator to provide foreign countries with technical assistance to develop pesticide research and regulatory programs. States that in exercising any authority under such Act, the Administrator shall not be preempting Department of Labor authority under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. Places additional requirements on applications for special local needs registrations. Authorizes EPA to establish and enforce standards for indoor pesticide residues. Authorizes the Administrator to change pesticide use classifications or package labeling. Directs the Administrator to: (1) establish a worker health and safety program; (2) establish within EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs a separate administrative unit responsible for pesticide workers' health and safety; and (3) issue pesticide worker safety regulations. Directs the Administrator: (1) upon detection of pesticide groundwater contamination to notify the affected State and each registrant of such pesticide; and (2) to issue a notice of intent to cancel such pesticide's use registration unless the affected State acts to control further contamination or the registrant amends such use. Requires the imposition of registration fees sufficient to run the registration program. Protects employees from being dismissed or penalized for reporting violations of such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 1985
Designates a calendar week in 1985 as National Infection Control Week.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 1985
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to exempt from the naturalization English language requirement any person who: (1) is at least 65 years old; (2) has lived in the United States for at least five years; and (3) has made diligent efforts to learn English.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 1985
Fair Insurance Coverage Act - Prohibits any insurer from discriminating in an insurance contract against any person because of blindness. Includes within the prohibition refusing to make or negotiate a contract for insurance or giving different treatment with respect to terms, conditions, rates, or benefits because of blindness. Establishes a preference for State actions prior to judicial enforcement under this Act. Authorizes any aggrieved person, in the absence of State actions or jurisdiction, to bring an action under this Act for individual relief. Authorizes the Attorney General of the United States to bring an action for injunctive relief whenever there is reasonable cause to believe a person is engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination or when an individual is aggrieved and an issue of general public importance is raised. Grants the Federal district courts jurisdiction of such actions regardless of the amount in controversy. Allows a court to order monetary, equitable, or other appropriate relief, including punitive damages.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the targeted jobs income tax credit for five years from 1985 to 1990. Includes as members of a targeted group handicapped individuals who are eligible to receive rehabilitative services. (Present law limits such group to handicapped individuals who have completed rehabilitative services.) Increases the eligibility period for supplemental security income (SSI) recipients and general assistance recipients to be included as members of a targeted group.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 1985
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration should retain the current corporate average fuel economy standard for passenger automobiles.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 1985
Improved Standards for Laboratory Animals Act - Amends the Animal Welfare Act to revise the humane standards for animals transported in commerce. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to promulgate standards to govern the humane handling, care, treatment, and transportation of animals by dealers, research facilities, and exhibitors. Requires each research facility to establish an institutional animal committee with sufficient expertise to assess the appropriateness of animal care and treatment in experimental research. Requires the committee at each facility to: (1) inspect at least semiannually all animal study areas and animal facilities at the research facility; (2) file an inspection certification report of each inspection at the research facility; (3) notify the administrative representative of the research facility of any deficiencies; and (4) notify the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the funding Federal agency if such deficiencies remain uncorrected. Requires each research facility to provide for annual training in the humane treatment of animals for scientists, animal technicians, and other personnel involved with animal care and treatment in such facility. Directs the Secretary to establish an information service at the National Agricultural Library to provide information on improved methods of animal experimentation, including: (1) employee training; (2) preventing unnecessary duplication of animal experimentation; (3) reducing or replacing animal use; and (4) minimizing pain and distress. Requires a funding Federal agency to suspend or revoke Federal Support for a project if it is determined that conditions of animal care, treatment, or practice in a particular project have not been in compliance with standards promulgated under this Act. Requires the Secretary to inspect each research facility at least once each year. Requires such follow-up inspections as may be necessary until all deficiencies which may be found are corrected. Imposes penalties for the release of any confidential information or trade secrets by any member of an Institutional Animal Committee. Increases penalties for violations of the Animal Welfare Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 1985
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the United States: (1) should not sell advanced weapons to Jordan; (2) should ensure that Israel retains its qualitative military edge in the Middle East; and (3) should focus its efforts on bringing Jordan into direct peace negotiations with Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1985
Renewable Energy and Conservation Transition Act of 1985 - Title I: Extension of Business Energy Credits - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the energy investment tax credit for solar energy property from 1985 to 1990. Sets the amount of such credit during such period at 15 percent for low temperature solar property and 25 percent for all other solar property. Extends the energy investment tax credit for wind property from 1985 to 1988. Sets the amount of such credit at: (1) ten percent during 1986 and 1987; and (2) five percent during 1988. Extends the energy investment tax credit for geothermal property and biomass property from 1985 to 1988. Extends the energy investment tax credit for ocean thermal property from 1985 to 1990. Revises the definition of "solar property" for purposes of such tax credit. Sets forth special rules for geothermal equipment to qualify for such credit. Title II: Affirmative Commitment Rule to Extend the Business Credit for Certain Long-Term Projects - Extends the time period during which an affirmative commitment must be made in order for long-term energy projects to be eligible for the energy investment tax credit. Allows such an extension: (1) from 1990 to 1993 for solar energy property; (2) from 1988 to 1990 for geothermal energy property; and (3) from 1985 to 1990 for hydroelectric generating property. Title III: Extension of Residential Energy Credits - Extends the residential energy income tax credit for solar renewable energy property from 1985 to 1990. Phases out such credit over such period of time. Provides that solar hot water systems and active space heating systems must meet certain additional standards in order to qualify for such credit. Extends the residential energy income tax credit for wind renewable energy property from 1985 to 1988. Phases out such credit over such period of time. Extends the residential energy income tax credit for geothermal renewable energy property from 1985 to 1988. Phases out such credit over such period of time. Revises the definition of geothermal deposits for purposes of such credit. Revises the definition of energy conservation expenditures for purposes of the residential energy income tax credit to limit the amounts taken into account to $700. Limits the energy conservation income tax credit to taxpayers with an adjusted gross income of less than $30,000. Title IV: Effective Date - Sets forth the effective date of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1985
Authorizes the Black Revolutionary War Patriots Foundation to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia to honor the courageous slaves and free black persons of the American Revolution. Directs the Secretary of the Interior, with the approval of the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission, to select the site, approve the design and plans, and provide for maintenance. Prohibits the use of any Federal funds for the memorial's construction. Terminates the Foundation's authority to establish such memorial five years from the date of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1985
Designates the week beginning May 18, 1986, as National Tourism Week.