United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1985
Performing Arts Labor Relations Amendments - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to exclude specified types of employers and performers in the performing arts from coverage under unfair labor practice provisions prohibiting specified contracts or agreements between employers and labor organizations and prohibiting specified actions of labor organizations to force or require cessation of dealings with others, joining of labor or employer organizations, or recognition of or negotiation with labor organizations not certified as representative. Permits such employers, excluding employers in the broadcasting or motion picture industries, to: (1) agree with a labor organization to make membership in such organization a condition of performing arts employment; and (2) make agreements with a labor organization covering performing artists even if the majority status of the organization has not yet been established. Defines "employer" to include purchasers of musical performance services. Defines "employee" to include independent contractors engaged to perform musical services.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
Commemorates May 18, 1985, as the 20th anniversary of the Head Start Program. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the Head Start Program has been cost-effective and successful; and (2) congressional support for such program is reaffirmed.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1985
Bipartisan Commission on Congressional Campaign Financing Act - Establishes the Bipartisan Commission on Congressional Campaign Financing to consider and study laws, regulations, and public commentary relating to the financing of congressional elections. Requires such study to give particular attention to the extent to which current campaign financing practices undermine public confidence in the Government. Requires the Commission to consider the following changes in the present system of campaign financing: (1) increasing or decreasing allowable contributions; (2) increasing the income tax credit for campaign contributions; (3) initiating a plan of public financing; (4) making available free or subsidized broadcasting time; or (5) examining the role of independent expenditures. Directs the Commission to make reasonable efforts to achieve the broadest bipartisan consensus in arriving at its recommendations. Requires the Commission, not later than one year after enactment of this Act, to submit to the Congress its final report. Terminates the Commission 90 days after submission of such report. Requires the Director of the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress and the Chairman of the Federal Election Commission, not later than two months after enactment of this Act, to transmit briefing papers to the Bipartisan Commission which catalog and synthesize pertinent reports, analyses, and recommendations. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1985
Federal Employee Anti-Sex-Discrimination in Compensation Act of 1985 - Establishes the Commission on Compensation Equity to provide, by contract with a consultant, for a report on whether executive agencies are in compliance with laws and regulations prohibiting sex-based wage discrimination. Requires submission of the results of such study to the appropriate congressional committees and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management within 18 months after the effective date of this Act. Requires the Director to submit to such committees and the Commission, 90 days after receipt of such report, a response specifying plans for carrying out the report's recommendations and reasons for not carrying out any recommendation. Allows the Commission to comment on the Director's response. Terminates the Commission 90 days after submission of its comment. Directs the Comptroller General to submit a list of at least five consultants to the Commission from which the Commission shall make its selection. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to limit the rights or remedies provided under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, or the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, or any other provision of law relating to discrimination. Provides funding for the Commission from sums appropriated to the Office of Personnel Management for general operating expenses for FY 1986 and 1987.
United States · United States Congress · 20 February 1985
Amends the Saccharin Study and Labeling Act to extend to May 1, 1988, the period during which the Secretary of Health and Human Services may not take certain actions to restrict the continued use of saccharin or of any food, drug, or cosmetic containing saccharin.
United States · United States Congress · 20 February 1985
Prohibits ending the voluntary restraint on imports of Japanese automobiles until U.S. exports to Japan are substantially increased and the U.S. trade deficit with Japan is substantially reduced.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 1985
Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1985 - Amends the Education Amendments of 1972, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to provide a definition of the phrase "program or activity." Defines such term as all of the operations of: (1) a department or agency of a State or of a local government; (2) the entity of such State or local government that distributes Federal assistance and each such department or agency to which the assistance is extended; (3) a university or a system of higher education; (4) a local educational agency or other school system; (5) a corporation, partnership, or other private organization; or (6) any other entity consistent with the coverage provided above.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1985
Handicapped Children's Protection Act of 1985 - Amends the Education of the Handicapped Act to authorize the award of a reasonable attorney's fee as part of the costs to a parent or legal representative of a handicapped child or youth who is the prevailing party in a civil suit under such Act to protect the child's right to a free appropriate public education. Provides that such amendment shall apply to actions and proceedings brought on or after July 4, 1984, and actions and proceedings brought prior to such date which were pending on such date. Provides that nothing in the Education of the Handicapped Act shall be construed to restrict or limit the rights, procedures, and remedies under the Constitution, title V of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, or other Federal statutes prohibiting discrimination.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1985
Malt Beverage Interbrand Competition Act - Declares that no antitrust law shall prohibit the importer, brewer, or trademark licensee of a trademarked malt beverage, when such beverage has substantial competition from other malt beverages in an area, from: (1) entering into an agreement granting a wholesale distributor the exclusive right to sell such beverage within any defined geographic area within a State; or (2) limiting such distributor to the sale of such beverage for ultimate resale to consumers in such area. Declares that this Act shall not affect any provision of any State law.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1985
Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to direct the Federal Communications Commission to require that all telephones provide internal means for use with hearing aids. Requires (currently authorizes) any common carrier or connecting carrier providing telephone exchange service to provide specialized terminal equipment for persons whose hearing, speech, vision, or mobility is impaired. Requires State regulatory commissions to require any such carrier to provide such equipment at affordable rates.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 1985
Expresses the Senate's commendation of the Soil Conservation Service on its 50th anniversary, and the Senate's commitment to vigorous soil and water conservation efforts. Expresses the Senate's commendation of the Soil Conservation Service on its 50th anniversary, and the Senate's commitment to vigorous soil and water conservation efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1985
Authorizes the Special Counsel of the Merit Systems Protection Board (which receives allegations of prohibited personnel practices, including cases involving employee disclosure of waste, fraud, and mismanagement) to obtain judicial review of a final Board decision pursuant to a written complaint recommending disciplinary action against an employee. Authorizes any employee aggrieved by the final decision to intervene in such proceedings. Requires that petitions filed pursuant to this Act be filed with the district court and preserves the right of a trial de novo and appellate review.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 1985
Interstate Cost Estimate Act of 1985 - Revises Federal procedures regarding the establishment of interstate cost estimates to direct the Secretary of Transportation to apportion interstate construction funds and interstate substitute highway and public mass transit funds at the beginning of each fiscal year if the Congress has not approved such cost estimates to make such apportionment by that time. Directs the Secretary to apportion: (1) the interstate cost estimate sums remaining to be apportioned for FY 1985 and 1986; and (2) the interstate substitute cost estimate sums remaining to be apportioned for FY 1984 and 1985.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1985
Professional Sports Community Protection Act of 1985 - States that it shall not be unlawful for a professional sports league or its clubs to enforce rules or agreements that: (1) decide that a member club may not relocate; (2) divide revenues to promote economic opportunities for member clubs; and (3) establish procedures and standards for the selection and termination of club ownership. Prescribes a notice requirement for clubs seeking relocation. Lists factors for consideration in determining whether a league will permit a club to relocate, which include: (1) the adequacy of the existing stadium and facilities; (2) the operating revenues or losses during the preceding three years; and (3) any offers to purchase the club at fair market value which would keep such club in its home territory. Provides that judicial review of the league's determination may be sought in a civil action brought in a district court of the United States by: (1) the club seeking relocation; (2) the stadium owner or operator; or (3) the local government. Prohibits the bringing of such action in a district court within the club's home or proposed territory. Requires leagues to file with the Secretary of Commerce their rules regarding: (1) team relocation; (2) division of revenues; and (3) selection and termination of club ownership. States that the provisions of this Act do not affect the applicability of the antitrust laws (as defined in the Clayton Act and the Federal Trade Commission Act). Preempts State and local laws inconsistent with this Act. Applies the provisions of this Act to any major league football, basketball, hockey, or soccer team.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 1985
Constitutional Amendment - Defines "person" to include the unborn for the purpose of the right to life guarantee. Makes such amendment inapplicable to laws permitting medical procedures required to prevent the death of the mother.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 1985
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President should reconsider the rescission of funds for the Economic Development Assistance Programs and make the full amount available for obligation in FY 1985.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Olmsted Heritage Landscapes Act of 1985 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National Park Service, to prepare a State-by-State inventory of Olmsted heritage landscapes. Provides that all properties on the inventory shall be part of an Olmsted heritage landscape system. Requires periodic updating of the inventory. Directs the Secretary to: (1) promulgate general standards for preservation of historic landscapes; (2) provide technical assistance to Federal agencies, State and local governments, private organizations, and other interested individuals on the identification, commemoration, and preservation of Olmsted heritage landscapes; (3) conduct and submit to Congress a thematic study of historic landscapes to identify those landscapes which would qualify as national historic landscapes; (4) encourage a program for the use of the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site in Massachusetts as a center for research and establish an advisory committee for the site; and (5) encourage appropriate international activities related to the Olmsted heritage landscapes. Requires the Secretary to provide for the coordination of applications for grants for the preservation of Olmsted heritage landscapes. Requires the Secretary to encourage maximum public participation in carrying out the purposes of this Act. Requires the Secretary to conduct appropriate activities during the decade of 1985 to 1995 to commemorate the Olmsted achievements and influence on American life. Establishes the Advisory Committee on Olmsted Heritage Landscapes, which shall assist the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation in carrying out those of its duties under the National Historic Preservation Act that relate to Olmsted heritage landscapes. Terminates such Committee after December 31, 1995. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Title I: Amendments to Title 18, United States Code (18 U.S.C. 921-928) - 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. Adds a new definition "engaged in the business" with respect to manufacturer, dealers, and importers. Defines as a manufacturer, dealer, or importer of firearms a person who manufactures or deals in a regular course of trade or business with the principal objective of livelihood and profit. Defines "with the principal objective of livelihood and profit" to mean that the intent underlying the sale or disposition of firearms is predominantly one of obtaining livelihood and pecuniary gain. Excludes as dealers persons making occasional sales or repairs of firearms. Eliminates certain activities involving ammunition from the coverage of the current prohibitions. Permits the interstate sale of handguns where the sale complies with the law of the licensee's State and the State of the purchaser's residence. Presumes the licensee to have actual knowledge of the published laws of the States. Revises the current prohibition against certain classes of persons transporting a firearm or ammunition in interstate commerce to extend such prohibition to possession or receipt in commerce or affecting commerce of any firearm or ammunition. Includes as additional categories illegal aliens, dishonorably discharged members of the armed forces, and U.S. citizens who renounce their citizenship. Excludes ammunition dealers from the current licensing requirements. Declares that a licensed dealer's personal collection of firearms shall not be subject to recordkeeping requirements in specific circumstances. Permits the Secretary of the Treasury to revoke a license only where the holder "willfully" violates a provision of the Act. Bars the Secretary from denying or revoking a license on the basis of violations which are alleged in criminal proceedings instituted against a licensee, where such individual is not convicted of such charges. Allows the Government to voluntarily dismiss criminal charges prior to trial and still proceed with revocation. Imposes as a condition for the inspection or examination of records, documents, firearms, or ammunition that the Secretary has reasonable cause to believe that a violation has occurred and that evidence may be found on the premises. Requires a warrant to be issued for such search. Provides exceptions to such warrant requirement. Requires licensed collectors to maintain records of the receipt, sale, or other disposition of firearms. Requires records maintained by a licensee who has discontinued business to be delivered to the Archivist of the United States and the Secretary of the Treasury and to be disposed of after 20 years. Sets forth information-gathering procedures for tracing firearms and prohibits criminal charges based solely on information provided under those procedures. Prohibits records from being kept at a centralized location or entered in a computer for storage or retrieval. Permits licensed importers, manufacturers, and dealers to conduct business at temporary locations other than the one specified on a license (for example, gun shows). Establishes either a "knowing" (scienter) or a "willful" requirement with respect to general violations of the Act. Imposes additional penalties for the use of a firearm during the commission of a Federal crime of violence and for carrying a firearm in furtherance of a Federal crime of violence. Increases the penalties for the criminal misuse of firearms by making such penalties mandatory and at higher fine levels or longer prison terms than current law requires. Extends to first offenders the requirement, currently applicable only to second offenders, that the court not suspend any sentence or grant probation. Prohibits the granting of parole to first and subsequent offenders. Declares that no person shall be subject to the additional, mandatory penalties if use of the firearm or destructive device was a nonfelonious attempt to protect persons or property. Amends the forfeiture provision to subject to seizure any firearm or ammunition "involved in or used" in a knowing violation of the Gun Control Act (instead of "involved in or used or intended to be used"). Directs the court to award attorney fees to the prevailing party (other than the United States) in a proceeding for the return of seized firearms or ammunition. Requires the court to award such fees in any other action upon a finding that the action was without foundation or was initiated in bad faith. Limits seizure to firearms individually identified as involved in the violation. Revises the current procedure allowing persons who have been convicted of a crime to apply to the Secretary for relief from the firearms prohibitions. Permits any person prohibited from possessing, shipping, transporting, or receiving firearms or ammunition to apply for relief. Requires, instead of permits, the Secretary to grant release, unless the applicant will be likely to act in a manner dangerous to public safety. Permits any person who is denied relief to seek de novo judicial review in Federal court. Imposes on the applicant the burden of proof. Makes the authority of the Secretary to permit importation of certain types of firearms and ammunition nondiscretionary. Increases the number of types of sporting firearms which may be imported. 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). 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. Declares 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, dishonorably discharged veterans, mental incompetents, illegal aliens, and persons renouncing their United States citizenship).
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
American Conservation Corps Act of 1985 - Establishes an American Conservation Corps within the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture. Directs the Secretaries of both departments to establish and administer a conservation and rehabilitation program on Federal public and Indian lands. Directs the Secretary of the Interior alone to establish and administer such a program on non-Federal public lands. Directs the Secretaries to assist program agencies (any Federal, State, or Indian agency responsible for the management of public lands) in establishing and operating residential and nonresidential American Conservation Corps Centers. Describes the types of projects which will receive program preference. Limits program projects to those on public lands or Indian lands, except where projects on nonpublic lands provide documented public benefits. Sets forth requirements for establishing conservation centers and eligibility criteria for enrollees in the program. Requires that preference be given to economically, socially, physically, and educationally disadvantaged youth and youth residing in areas having substantial unemployment. Requires program agencies to provide services, facilities, supplies, and equipment for conservation centers as the Secretary deems necessary. States under what conditions and for what purposes an enrollee/volunteer shall be deemed a Federal or State employee. Permits the Tennessee Valley Authority to utilize such volunteers. Sets forth compensation and reimbursement provisions for volunteers and their upkeep. Directs the Secretaries to assist program agencies in securing certification or academic credit for skills acquired by volunteers during their participation and to conduct cost-benefit analysis and evaluations of the program. Permits the Secretaries to conduct pilot programs for alternative approaches. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to report to the Congress within the year on a study of Civilian Conservation Corps sites suitable for a commemoration of such Corps. Sets forth study opportunities and limitations for program volunteers, including a requirement that program agencies provide job guidance and placement assistance. Directs the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to report at least annually to the President and the Congress. Directs the Secretary of Labor to make available appropriate labor market information. Sets forth employee appeal rights for workers displaced by American Conservation Corps volunteers. Sets forth funding limitations. Requires participating program agencies to certify that their programs will not displace workers. Sets forth procedures whereby State shares go to local governments when no State program agency exists. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1985 and 1986.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Amends the Steel Import Stabilization Act to direct the U.S. Trade Representative, in negotiating with Japan and South Korea on steel products import limits, to negotiate the apportionment of the aggregate limit among specified subcategories of steel products. Directs the U.S. Trade Representative to apportion the aggregate limit if such negotiations are not successfully concluded within 30 days of the enactment of this Act. Sets forth such subcategories.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Establishes the Commission on More Effective Government to: (1) study the management, operation, and organization of the executive branch and its relationship with the other branches of the Federal Government, the State and local governments, and the private sector; and (2) recommend changes in Federal laws and practices (including redistribution of functions among Federal, State, and local governments) to promote greater effectiveness in the transaction of public business. Directs the Commission to assure meaningful public participation. Requires the Commission to keep the President and the Congress informed and to submit a final report with its findings and recommendations within 24 months. Terminates the Commission 90 days after such report is submitted. Directs the Comptroller General, the Chairman of the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, and the Directors of the Congressional Research Service, the Congressional Budget Office, and the Office of Technology Assessment to prepare briefing papers on recent reports of their organizations which are relevant to the work of the Commission. Requires the Comptroller General, for a period of four years after the Commission ceases to exist, to monitor and report periodically to the President and the Congress on the implementation of Commission recommendations. Directs a portion of the Commission staff to continue to seek implementation of the Commission's recommendations for a specified period after the Commission is abolished. Places such staff under the direction of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Directs the executive agencies to carry out, and propose legislation to carry out, the recommendations with which they agree. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to make a final report to the President and the Congress on the disposition of such recommendations within four years after the Commission's final report. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
Constitutional Amendment - Declares that equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1985
States that the United States and the Soviet Union should: (1) pursue a complete halt to the nuclear arms race; (2) decide when and how to achieve a mutual verifiable freeze on the testing, production, and further deployment of nuclear warheads, missiles, and other delivery systems; (3) give special attention to destabilizing weapons; and (4) proceeding from this freeze, pursue major, mutual, and verifiable reductions in nuclear warheads, missiles, and other delivery systems.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 1984
Expresses the Senate's appreciation to members of the entertainment industry, especially the Entertainment Industries Council, for their work in discouraging and communicating the danger of drug use.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 1984
Interstate Compact - Grants congressional approval to the Midwest Interstate Compact on Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management, which provides for cooperation among the States of Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin in the management of low-level radioactive waste. States that eligible parties to the compact are the States of Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Permits any State not eligible for membership in the compact to petition for eligibility.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 1984
Expresses the Senate's appreciation to members of the entertainment industry, especially the Entertainment Industries Council, for their work in discouraging and communicating the danger of drug use.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1984
Designates the Regional Veterans Administration Medical Center in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, as the General Black Jack Pershing Regional Veterans Administration Medical Center.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 1984
Designates the week beginning February 17, 1985, as a time to recognize the contributions of volunteers who give their time to become Big Brothers and Big Sisters to youths in need of adult companionship.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 1984
Authorizes and directs the Secretary of the Treasury to pay specified sums to each of certain named individuals in full settlement of all claims against the United States arising from the flooding of land in Missouri due to excess dam water release.
United States · United States Congress · 10 August 1984
Arms Race Control Act of 1984 - Directs the President to propose to the Soviet Union that the two sides agree to halt for a limited time: (1) the flight, testing, and deployment of strategic ballistic missiles under development; (2) the testing of antisatellite weapons against objects in space; and (3) the detonation of any nuclear explosive device. Prohibits the obligation or spending of any funds, beginning six months after enactment of this Act, for any such testing, deployment, or detonation unless the President provides a determination and certification to the Congress, together with an unclassified report and a detailed classified report setting forth the basis for the decision stating that: (1) the President has tried in good faith and has failed to achieve a mutual and verifiable agreement with the Soviet Union to impose the constraints on such testing, deployment, and detonation; (2) the President has reliable evidence that the Soviet Union is proceeding with such testing, deployment, or detonation; and (3) failure of the United States to do the same would undermine the national security. Provides for the allocation of personnel as may be appropriate to ensure continued progress toward the goal of a comprehensive halt in the nuclear arms race. Directs the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Director of the United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, to transmit to the Congress an annual report regarding the status of and prospects for bilateral and multilateral negotiations to accomplish the goal of a comprehensive halt in the nuclear arms race.
United States · United States Congress · 10 August 1984
Congratulates the U.S. athletes who participated in the games of the XXIII Olympiad in Los Angeles. Urges the speedy enactment of S. 2568 (discrimination by Federal assistance recipients).
United States · United States Congress · 9 August 1984
Authorizes the Special Counsel of the Merit Systems Protection Board to appear as a counsel on behalf of any party in a civil action brought in connection with any function of the Special Counsel and to initiate and prosecute on behalf of any party in any such case an appeal of the decision of any administrative tribunal, U.S. district court, or the U.S. Claims Court. Authorizes any person aggrieved by a prohibited personnel practice to intervene in any administrative or judicial action brought by the Special Counsel under this Act. Entitles any such party appealing an administrative decision to have the facts subject to trial de novo by the reviewing court.
United States · United States Congress · 9 August 1984
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal rules relating to the determination of the issue price of certain debt instruments issued for property. Amends the Tax Reform Act of 1984 to repeal the revisions made to rules for the imputation of interest on certain deferred payments. Provides that the Internal Revenue Code shall be applied and administered as if such revisions had not been enacted.
United States · United States Congress · 9 August 1984
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President should direct appropriate members of the Administration to: (1) pursue discussions with Canada directed toward resolving problems relating to U.S. imports of Canadian pork; and (2) use all available authorities to protect the economic viability of the U.S. pork industry and to promote free and fair trade.
United States · United States Congress · 9 August 1984
Expresses the sense of the Senate that no recess appointments should be made when the Senate stands adjourned or recessed within a session for a period of less than 30 days.