United States · United States Congress · 15 April 1982
Amends the Department of Agriculture Organic Act of 1944 to make the appointments (by the President) of the Chief Forester of the Forest Service and the Administrator of the Soil Conservation Service subject to the advice and consent of the Senate. Requires such persons to be knowledgeable in their respective areas.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 1982
Expresses the sense of the Senate that continued, adequate funding should be provided for the necessary research, development, and demonstration of new fossil fuel technologies.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1982
Prohibits the Government from imposing export restrictions on agricultural commodities which interfere with valid export contracts if: (1) the contracts were entered into before the imposition of such restrictions; and (2) the contracts provide for the delivery of such commodities for export within 180 days of the date the restrictions are imposed.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 1982
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) proposed rescissions of Federal funds for multifamily rental housing projects on which construction can begin within 12 months after enactment of this Act should be rejected; and (2) the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development should expedite construction of such projects. Amends the National Housing Act to increase the limitation on the amount of home mortgages the President can authorize the Government National Mortgage Association to purchase.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 1982
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) an effective Federal environmental program is necessary to protect U.S. citizens' health and well-being; (2) the Environmental Protection Agency should be appropriated increased funds to protect our environment and meet expanded responsibilities mandated by law; and (3) the President should submit a new budget for the Environmental Protection Agency for FY 1983 reflecting these principles.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 1982
Title I: Emergency Homeownership Program - Emergency Homeownership Act of 1982 - Amends the National Housing Act to activate the emergency housing market stimulation program to: (1) direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to provide periodic mortgage assistance payments to homeowners; and (2) authorize the Secretary to insure assisted mortgages. Extends, until March 31, 1983, the Secretary's authority to enter into such assistance contracts and to insure such mortgages. Requires such contracts to provide for assistance payments for up to five years. Directs the Secretary to continue assistance payments to mortgagors who remain eligible after a contract expires to the extent that funds remain in a revolving fund containing recaptured assistance payments and unexpended appropriations under such program. Increases the maximum family income (from 130 to 140 percent of the area median income) over which a mortgagor is disqualified from assistance payments. Allows the Secretary to raise such area median income ceiling to 145 percent when necessary. Limits the maximum amount of assistance payments to the lesser of: (1) the balance of the mortgagor's monthly payment for principal, interest, and mortgage insurance after applying 25 percent of the mortgagor's income; and (2) the difference between the maximum interest rate on a FHA mortgage and an interest rate four percentage points lower than such maximum rate, but not less than ten percent. Specifies the limit on assistance payments for loans on manufactured homes. Permits up to 30 percent of the mortgages assisted under such program to involve homes constructed before April 1, 1982. Requires that the remaining assisted mortgages involve homes the construction of which began on or after such date. Increases the maximum sales price of a home eligible for such mortgage insurance and assistance payments to 100 percent (currently 82 percent) of the maximum principal obligation of a FHA mortgage. Authorizes the Secretary to increase such maximum sales price to 105 percent when necessary in certain areas. Directs the Secretary to consider the unemployment rate in various regions of the country when allocating assistance under the emergency market stimulation program. Authorizes appropriations for such program. Authorizes the Secretary to advance downpayment assistance, matching up to $5,000 of a family's available funds, on a newly constructed home that is financed by a loan not insured under the National Housing Act. Authorizes the Secretary to provide downpayment assistance to families: (1) whose income do not exceed 140 percent of the area median income; (2) who certify that they lack sufficient funds to purchase a home without such assistance; and (3) who have not owned a home in the preceding three years. Provides for the recapture of downpayment assistance plus interest upon the disposition of the home or when the owner rents the home for more than one year. Authorizes appropriations for downpayment assistance. Title II: Homeowners' Relief - Emergency Homeowners' Relief Act of 1982 - Directs the Secretary to make emergency mortgage relief advances for certain mortgagors when, for three consecutive months, the amount of delinquent mortgage loans exceeds a specified percentage of the amount of all mortgage loans accounted for in the mortgage delinquency series maintained by the Federal Home Loan Bank Board (FHLBB). Directs the Secretary to provide such emergency advances in States within a FHLBB district if such mortgage delinquency condition exists for that district, even if such condition does not exist for the nation. Directs the FHLBB to submit delinquency information to the Secretary and Congress monthly. Provides for the discontinuation and resumption of the emergency advances program depending on the mortgage delinquency condition. Lists the eligibility conditions for emergency advances, including requirements that: (1) foreclosure would result without such assistance; (2) the mortgagor has suffered a loss of income as a result of involuntary unemployment or underemployment due to adverse economic conditions; and (3) there is a reasonable prospect that the mortgagor will be able to resume full mortgage payments. Limits the amount of emergency advances to the least of: (1) 80 percent of the total monthly mortgage payment; (2) $600; or (3) the amount necessary to supplement the amount the homeowner is capable of contributing. Limits the duration of emergency advances to 12 months plus any period of delinquency, with a six-month extension permitted. Declares that emergency advances shall be repayable on terms prescribed by the Secretary. Sets forth the authority of the Secretary to recapture emergency advances. Requires the Secretary and specified agencies to: (1) waive or relax limitations pertaining to the operations of certain mortgagees and financial institutions with respect to mortgage delinquencies in order to encourage forbearance in residential mortgage loan foreclosure; and (2) request such institutions to notify the appropriate agency and the mortgagor of least 30 days before instituting foreclosure proceedings on a mortgage. Authorizes appropriations to carry out this title.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 1982
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President should resume negotiations with the Soviet Union to extend the duration of the existing long-term grain sales agreement and to require the Soviet Union to purchase a minimum amount of grain annually at a level not less than the level required by the existing agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 1982
Fair Practices in Automotive Products Act - Title I: Domestic Content Requirements for Motor Vehicles - Sets forth for all motor vehicle manufacturers which produce over 100,000 motor vehicles for ultimate retail sale in the United States "minimum domestic content ratios" (the domestic value, including labor and parts, of the manufacturer's production costs of all automotive products sold in the United States). Requires all vehicle manufacturers producing more than 50,000 motor vehicles for sale in the United States to provide information to the Secretary of Transportation for the purpose of administering this requirement. Authorizes the imposition of import restrictions on manufacturers violating such standards. Title II: Unfair Actions Affecting Domestic Parts Manufacturers - Makes it unlawful for any vehicle manufacturer to refuse to determine whether parts produced in the United States by a parts manufacturer satisfy reasonable replacement part standards established by the vehicle manufacturer. Makes violators civilly liable to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 1982
Declares that the United States should propose to the Soviet Union: (1) a long-term, mutual, and verifiable nuclear forces freeze at equal and sharply reduced levels; and (2) practical measures to reduce the danger of an accidental nuclear war and to prevent the use of nuclear weapons by third parties. States that the United States and the Soviet Union should channel their resources away from amassing nuclear armaments and towards fighting poverty, hunger, and disease. Declares that the United States should continue to work for balanced arms reductions.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 1982
Expresses the sense of the Senate that cost of living adjustments in social security benefits should not be eliminated or reduced before the findings and recommendations of the National Commission on Social Security Reform have been considered by the President and Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 1982
Expresses the sense of the Senate that preventive child and maternal health care programs should be adequately funded to ensure their continued effectiveness.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1982
Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to acquire certain lands located in Kentucky in order to establish the Alben Barkley National Historic Site. Authorizes appropriations from the Land and Water Conservation Fund for the acquisition of such lands and interests therein.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1982
Clean Air Reauthorization and Acid Precipitation Study Act of 1982 - Amends the Clean Air Act ("the Act"). Title I: Implementation Plans and Enforcement - State Implementation Plans (SIPs) and the SIP revision Process - Revises required State Implementation plans (SIPs) provisions. Directs a State to notify the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of proposed and adopted revisions to its SIP and of any comments or objections filed concerning such revisions. Directs the Administrator to: (1) submit to the State comments on the technical and legal sufficiency of any proposed revision; (2) publish notice of a revision in the Federal Register within 30 days of receipt of notice of State adoption of the revision; and (3) provide a period of 30 to 70 days for public comment. Provides that any SIP revision shall be deemed approved and become effective 90 days after publication in the Federal Register, unless the Administrator, upon considering the State's administrative proceeding record and public comments, disapproves on the basis of failure to satisfy specified requirements. Directs the Administrator to publish notice of such approval or disapproval. Permits the Administrator to: (1) extend the periods for public comment and for approval, by up to 60 days; and (2) hold public hearings on SIP revisions. Provides that an SIP approval shall not be effective unless the Administrator finds, and publishes, that the State's response to any objection filed both during the State's proceedings and the Administrator's public comment period was not arbitrary or capricious. Repeals the requirement that SIPs provide for periodic inspection and testing of motor vehicles to enforce compliance with applicable emission standards. Prohibits the Administrator from requiring, as a condition of SIP approval, any indirect source review program or, except as specified in provisions for nonattainment areas, any program of periodic inspection and testing of motor vehicles. Permits States to include, and the Administrator to approve, such programs in SIPs. New Source Performance Standards - Limits the applicability of the percentage reduction requirement for new fossil fuel fired stationary sources to those categories of stationary sources to which such requirement were applied under regulations in effect as of December 31, 1981. Provides that NSPS apply only to stationary source construction or modification commenced after NSPS regulations are promulgated (currently, proposed). Enforcement - Provides a one-year period for compliance after issuance of specified Federal enforcement orders (not including Federal orders relating to violations of national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants or State enforcement orders). Repeals a requirement that the Administrator seek an injunction or assess a civil penalty in the case of any major stationary source not in compliance within 30 days of such a Federal enforcement order. Provides discretionary authority for the Administrator to seek injunctions or assess penalties any case of noncompliance which last beyond 30 days enforcement orders (and continues such discretionary authority in cases not involving major stationary sources). Directs the Administrator to carry out specified enforcement authorities through the use of full-time Federal officers or employees. States that contractors should be used only as necessary to provide technical support for such enforcement. Prohibits the Administrator from contracting with anyone other than a full-time Federal officer or employee to provide legal assistance for such enforcement. Revises enforcement provisions relating to major stationary sources which burn petroleum products or natural gas to cover such sources which voluntarily convert to an alternate fuel. Includes other alternate fuels under the enforcement provisions which currently cover conversion to coal by such sources. Requires (currently allows) each State to develop and submit to the Administrator a plan for carrying out noncompliance penalty provisions in such State. Repeals the authority of the Administrator to carry out noncompliance penalty provisions in a State under certain conditions. Authorizes (currently requires) the State, or the Administrator if the State has not received a delegation, to carry out penalty provisions to assess and collect a noncompliance penalty in specified circumstances. Authorizes the State to grant exemptions from penalties in cases of minor noncompliance (and continues the authority of the Administrator, when appropriate, to do so). Repeals a requirement that the Administrator send notices of noncompliance to specified persons, in the event the State fails to send such notices. Requires persons receiving such notices to submit a calculation of the amount of penalty owed and a schedule of payments within a reasonable period prescribed by the Administrator or the State (currently requires such submission within 45 days of notice issuance or petition denial). Makes a similar change in the deadline for submissions of petitions challenging such notice or alleging entitlement to an exemption. Provides that public hearings on such petitions be conducted by the Administrator or the State, as appropriate, and that decisions on such petitions be made within a reasonable time (currently requires the Administrator to hold such hearings unless the State agrees to do so and currently requires a decision within 90 days after receipt of the petition). Repeals provisions authorizing the Administrator to review State decisions on such petitions and requiring such review under certain conditions. Authorizes the State or the Administrator, as appropriate, to adjust or compromise any penalty assessment if the source is in compliance. Repeals provisions for: (1) final adjustments of penalties after compliance; and (2) Administrator objections to, and substitutions for, State noncompliance penalties. Revises requirements for noncompliance penalty assessed amount determinations and payment schedules. Authorizes the Administrator, after notice and public hearing, to revoke or suspend any delegation under noncompliance penalty provisions upon determination that a State is not complying with such provisions. Attainment Date Extensions - Permits States to receive up to five-year extensions beyond the December 31, 1982, national primary ambient air quality standard ("primary NAAQS") attainment date for pollutants in nonattainment areas (currently the Act permits such extensions for carbon monoxide and photochemical oxidants). Requires, in order to receive such extensions, that a State: (1) certify to the Administrator that attainment is not possible before December 31, 1982, despite implementation of all reasonably available measures; and (2) commit itself to not modifying State nonattainment plan provisions so as to adversely affect reasonable further progress. Directs the Administrator to publish notice of such certification and afford an opportunity of not more than 60 days for public comment, including a hearing where appropriate. Directs to Administrator, if satisfied that such attainment is not possible, to extend the deadline to a date providing for attainment as expeditiously as possible, but not later than December 31, 1987. Grants the Administrator discretionary authority, upon State application and after notice and public hearing, to provide an additional extension of an attainment date for any NAAQS, for up to six years beyond the December 31, 1987 extension. Conditions such additional extensions on a State demonstration that: (1) the State has made good faith efforts to make reasonable further progress toward attainment during the previous extension period and has achieved annual incremental reductions in emissions of the air pollutant concerned; (2) all applicable SIP provisions, including those relating to legislative and funding actions and reasonably available control technology (or alternative measures that achieve equal or greater reductions in emissions) are being adequately implemented; (3) air quality problems are so severe and persistent, for identified reasons, that the previous extended deadline cannot be attained; and (4) in the case of requests for additional extensions for carbon monoxide or photochemical oxidants, the State has adopted and will implement in a cost- effective manner a program of motor vehicle inspection and maintenance not inconsistent with the purposes and requirements of title II (Emissions Standards for Moving Sources) of the Act. Directs the Administrator to promulgate guidelines for SIP revisions, including guidelines respecting the terms of such additional extensions. Authorizes the Administrator to prohibit issuance of a construction or modification permit for any major stationary source which emits a pollutant for which a NAAQS has not been attained by the appropriate deadline. Permits case-by-case waivers of such prohibition for the construction of any new stationary source to replace an existing stationary source, upon determination by the permitting authority that emissions from the new source of each air pollutant for which the area is designated a nonattainment area will be less than such emissions from the existing source. Directs the Administrator to: (1) enforce such permit requirements by issuing an order or bringing a civil action; and (2) seek an injunction or assess a civil penalty for violations of such prohibitions against construction or modification. Nonattainment (other amendments) - Revises other part D provisions for permit requirements in nonattainment areas to require that proposed new or modified major stationary sources comply with the best available control technology (BACT) standard, in the case of permits issued on or after the enactment date of this Act (compliance with the lowest achievable emission rate (LAER) standard is thus required only for permits issued before such date). Repeals a requirement that SIP provisions for nonattainment areas establish a specific schedule for implementation of a vehicle emission control inspection and maintenance (I/M) program in order to qualify for a deadline extension in meeting the primary NAAQS for photochemical oxidants or carbon monoxide. Requires that SIP nonattainment provisions for urban areas with greater that 500,000 population, in which the 1981 photochemical oxidants and/or carbon monoxide level exceeded the respective primary NAAQS by 50 percent or more, must contain a cost-effective program applicable to in-use motor vehicle emissions and not inconsistent with title II (Emission Standards for Moving Sources) of the Act. Requires that such program include an I/M program, if the State deems this appropriate. Allows a State to decide that the I/M program will apply first to motor vehicle fleets and commercial operators and then, when the State determines necessary for attainment, to other vehicles. Permits any State to: (1) continue an I/M program for any nonattainment area which does not fall under the new requirements concerning urban areas with the above-mentioned population and pollution areas; or (2) submit revisions to modify or eliminate such program. Makes specified emissions level requirements for construction and operation in nonattainment areas inapplicable in the case of any SIP under which: (1) the construction or modification of specified stationary sources is required to comply with the best available control technology (BACT) standard; (2) an adequate emissions inventory is maintained; (3) all existing major stationary sources will be in compliance with emission limitations based upon reasonably available control technology (RACT) not later than 1987 (or earlier, as appropriate); (4) notwithstanding the construction of new major stationary sources, there is a program for obtaining such annual reductions in emissions as represent reasonable further progress; and (5) annual increased emissions resulting from source construction or modification shall not exceed one percent of the inventoried emissions of the applicable pollutant in the nonattainment area. Provides that the Administrator shall apply on a gradual or partial basis the authority to withhold Federal grant funds for sewage treatment and highways in cases of noncompliance with the Act as appropriate to the severity of such violations. Prevention of Significant Deterioration - Revises provisions for Prevention of Significant Deterioration of Air Quality (PSD). (PSD provisions currently specify allowable short-term and long-term "increments" of emissions of sulfur oxide and particulate matter - regulations for other pollutants are not yet final - in areas with cleaner air than that required by NAAQS. (Currently the smallest increments are allowed in "class I" areas, which include "statutorily designated" large national parks and wilderness areas, with larger increments in "class II" areas, and the largest increments in "class III" areas.) Repeals the "increment" limitations (specified "maximum allowable increases over baseline concentrations") for class II and class III areas. Eliminates the short-term increment limitations for class I areas. Permits State Governors to rule that concentrations of particulate matter attributable to fugitive dust from specified sources shall not be taken into account in determining compliance with maximum allowable increases in ambient concentrations. Eliminates provisions for PSD area redesignations as class III areas. Provides that PSD preconstruction requirements shall only apply to physical or operational changes resulting in a significant net increase in source emissions of any air pollutant regulated under provisions for NAAQS, NSPS, or NESHAPs. Sets a de minimis amount for such increase at 100 tons per year (1,000 tons per year of carbon monoxide) for any air pollutant for which a NAAQS is established (except lead) and 18 tons per year for fluorides. Revises PSD preconstruction review analysis requirements to grant discretion to the permitting authority in determining whether continuous air quality monitoring data is necessary to determine whether emissions from a facility will exceed maximum allowable increases (class I area increments) or maximum allowable concentrations (primary and secondary NAAQS). Requires PSD preconstruction permit programs to: (1) notify applicants within two months after receipt as to whether or not the application is complete and in what respects an incomplete application should be modified; and (2) issue or deny the permit within seven months after a completed application is received. Authorizes any officer or employee of a permitting agency to communicate and meet with any applicant, prior to submission of an application, to clarify PSD preconstruction permit requirements. Eliminates the requirement that PSD regulations for hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, photochemical oxidants, and nitrogen oxides contain measures at least as effective as the "increment" limitations for sulfur oxides and particulate matter. Provides that the Administrator shall promulgate PSD regulations, as appropriate, for any such pollutant (thus repealing a specific deadline for such regulations). Deletes the requirement that the specific measures included in such regulations to evaluate permit applications be "numerical." Eliminates the special definition of "best available control technology" (BACT) for purposes of PSD provisions. Defines BACT for purposes of the Act to mean the applicable New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) (the EPA-set technology-based standards for categories of industries), along with applicable national emission limitation standards for hazardous air pollutants (NESHAPs). Retains determination of the BACT by the permitting authority on a case-by-case basis where no NSPS exists for a stationary source in a particular category. Allows State and local governments to adopt or enforce standards or limitations more stringent than the BACT standard. Visibility Protection - Limits the applicability of specified visibility protection provisions to: (1) "significant" impairments of visibility within mandatory class I Federal areas; and (2) "significant" adverse impacts on air quality related values (including visibility) on lands within class I areas. Operation and Maintenance - Requires that SIPs include a program for periodic audits of major stationary sources to insure the proper operation and maintenance of pollution control equipment used to comply with emission limitations. Requires that the results of such audits be available to the public. Sets a deadline, six months after enactment of this Act, for submission of SIP revisions taking account of such requirements. Emergency Variances - Revises provisions for emergency variances from any SIP requirement applicable to a stationary source. Authorizes the President to issue such variances. Permits such variances to be issued when foreign imports of fuels used by a stationary source have reached an excessive level and such imports can be reduced by the emergency suspension. Increases the maximum period for such temporary emergency suspensions to two years (currently four months), but prohibits any such suspension remaining in effect for more than four months if it results in a violation of any NAAQS. Requires the person (a State Governor or the President) issuing any suspension for a period of more than four months to revoke such suspension upon determination that the stationary source did not change to an alternative fuel. Administrative Review - Revises provisions relating to international air pollution. Directs the Administrator to: (1) publish notice in the Federal Register upon receipt of specified information or allegations about such pollution originating in the United States; (2) receive public comments and conduct an investigation including public hearings respecting such pollution; and (3) make a finding as to whether any air pollutant emitted in the United States causes or contributes to air pollution in a foreign country. Provides that any finding that U.S. emissions cause or contribute to air pollution which may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare in a foreign country shall be deemed to be a finding which requires an SIP revision. Regulatory Stability - Sets forth regulatory stability provisions establishing a ten-year "grandfather" period, commencing with construction or modification, during which a stationary source (unless subsequently modified) shall not be subject to more stringent requirements if the construction or modification is subject to NSPS, obtains a permit or approval, and meets all permit or approval requirements. Excludes from such "grandfather" provision any emission limitation or standard imposed on any stationary source with respect to: (1) hazardous pollutants designated under NESHAP provisions; (2) pollutants with no NAAQS in effect at commencement of the construction; or (3) any other air pollutant, if the Administrator judges that the public health or welfare may be endangered. Effective Data and Transitional Rules - Sets forth an effective date and transitional rules for the amendments relating to Nonattainment provisions and to PSD provisions. Title II: Ozone Protection - Revises ozone protection provisions of the Act. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to continue ozone protection studies and research while increasing actual measurements of stratosphere ozone and improving methods of monitoring potential trends in such measurements. Directs the Administrator to contract annually with the National Academy of Sciences to: (1) continue review and research; (2) determine the extent, nature, and causes of changes in stratospheric ozone concentration (with particular attention to the effects of chlorofluorocarbons); (3) investigate unreasonable effects on health and the environment; and (4) report all findings and associated uncertainties. Directs the National Academy of Sciences, in consultation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to report, within two years and annually therafter until such time as the theory of ozone depletion by chlorofluorocarbons has has been validated, all findings concerning actual or potential alteration of the concentration of ozone in the stratosphere, its causes, and associated implications and uncertainties. Requires that such report be made to the Administrator and to the Congress, with copies available to the public. Requires that continuing research and monitoring programs be expanded to determine the extent, nature, causes, effects, and associated uncertainties of stratospheric ozone concentration changes. Directs the President, within two years from the date of enactment of this Act and annually thereafter, to report to the Congress and the public on efforts to reach international agreements among the major free-world producing countries of chlorofluorocarbons as to the nature, extent, and implications of any threat to the concentration of ozone in the stratosphere and as to the appropriate regulatory action to be taken. Prohibits the Administrator from proposing further regulations for the control in the United States of any chlorofluorocarbon under the Act or the Toxic Substance Control Act until: (1) the Administrator determines that depletion of the stratospheric ozone by chlorofluorocarbons at a rate determined to be eventually harmful to human health and the environment is actually detected; or (2) the President reports that international agreement has been reached as to the nature, extent, and implications of any threat to the concentration of ozone in the stratosphere and as to the appropriate regulatory action to be taken. Provides that this Act shall not affect: (1) the validity of regulations concerning aerosol propellants containing chlorofluorocarbons promulgated by the Administrator before the effective date of this Act; or (2) the Administrator's obligation to comply with other applicable requirements in adopting regulations for the control of chlorofluorocarbons. Prohibits States or local governments from adopting or attempting to enforce any regulation (except ones controlling halocarbon use as an aerosol propellant) respecting the control of chlorofluorocarbons to protect the stratosphere or stratospheric ozone until the Administrator has promulgated regulations for such control in the United States. Title III: Authorization of Appropriations - Authorizes appropriations to the Administrator for FY 1983 through FY 1987. Provides for sums necessary for: (1) the Administrator and the States to effectively carry out the Act's provisions, including training of State and local personnel, enforcement, abatement, and control, consideration of SIPs and revisions, and audits; and (2) sufficient funding for personnel for the Administrator to carry out the Act, particularly its regulatory functions, without undue reliance on contractors. Requires that such authorization not be less than the appropriations authorized in fiscal year 1981 to carry out the Act (except provisions relating to the National Commission on Air Quality). Prohibits the Administrator from using any funds appropriated under the Act for any payment for a reduction-in-force in any fiscal year. Directs the Administrator to inform the appropriate committees of the Congress of the reasons for such reduction, its impact on carrying out the Act, and other detailed or pertinent information, at least 30 days prior to issuing any general notice of such reduction. Declares that nothing in this title shall authorize appropriations for any research and development activities under the Act. Title IV: Acid Precipitation Study - Amends the Energy Security Act (title VII provisions also known as the "Acid Precipitation Act of 1980") to reduce the period covered by a comprehensive research plan from ten years to five years. Makes conforming amendments relating to implementation of, and authorization of appropriations for, the comprehensive research plan. Directs the Acid Precipitation Task Force to submit a final report, with detailed recommendations, within five years of enactment of the Energy Security Act. Authorizes the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to submit recommendations, to accompany the final report of the Task Force, for specific changes in law supported by scientific findings of the Taks Force. Prohibits the Administrator from proposing or promulgating any rule to control sulfur dioxide or nitrogen oxide emissions if such rule would expand the Administrator's existing regulatory authority, before the final report is transmitted. Directs the Task Force to: (1) study fuel precombustion treatment and low-polluting combustion processes for reduction of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions; and (2) solicit information from State agencies conducting acid deposition research.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 1982
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President should: (1) work with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to reduce the interest rates for farmers; (2) take specified emergency actions to stabilize commodity prices and provide credit assistance to farmers; and (3) nominate persons for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System who will insure that agricultural interests are fairly represented.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1982
Amends the National Housing Act to authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, through the Government National Mortgage Association, to assist middle- and lower-income families in acquiring a home or membership in a cooperative housing association by making periodic interest reduction payments on behalf of such families to mortgagees and lenders. Prohibits the Secretary from entering into contracts to provide interest reduction payments during any month unless the Federal Home Loan Bank Board's home mortgage interest rate index for the most recent two-month period exceeds 12.5 percent per year. Conditions eligibility for interest reduction payments on the insurability of the first mortgage or loan secured by such property. Sets forth the qualifications for insurance, which include requirements that: (1) the loan be executed by a borrower who has an annual income of less than $30,000; (2) the loan involve a one- to four-family dwelling the construction of which was completed on or after March 6, 1982; (3) the loan be amortized over 30 years; and (4) beginning with the second year, the loan payments be increased by a specified amount which shall be applied to the principal obligation until it is paid off. Limits the duration of the interest reduction payments to five years. Declares that the amount of all such payments shall constitute a second lien on the property. Requires repayment of such amount, not to exceed 60 percent of the homeowner's net equity: (1) upon the sale or disposition of the property; (2) upon the refinancing of the loan; or (3) when the owner ceases to occupy the property as a principal residence for a period exceeding nine months. Limits the amount of interest reduction payments to the difference between the amount of the monthly principal and interest payment under the terms of the loan and the amount such payment would be if the interest rate on the loan were: (1) 11 percent per year; or (2) four percentage points less than the rate specified in the loan, whichever rate is higher. Requires the Secretary to: (1) allocate the amount available to carry out this Act on the basis of the population, number of housing starts, and unemployment in each State relative to all States; and (2) assure that the allocated amounts are made available in a manner which maximizes participation by eligible lenders and borrowers. Declares that any mortgage insured or assisted under this Act shall be eligible for purchase by the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Association Corporation. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1982
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President should invite the Soviet Union to begin nuclear arms negotiations regarding: (1) current or proposed strategic arms; and (2) control of nuclear proliferation.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1982
Expresses the sense of the Senate that Congress supports the President's decision to prohibit imports of Libyan oil and to deny licenses for the export of certain oil and gas equipment to Libya.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1982
Reaffirms that deposits, up to the statutorily prescribed amount, in federally insured depository institutions are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1982
Declares the sense of the Congress that the Congress shall authorize and appropriate such sums as may be necessary to assure the full coverage of all the deposits and accounts insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation, and the National Credit Union Administration Board upon documented notification of need by such agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 1982
Expresses the sense of the Senate that no action be taken to terminate or otherwise weaken the community service employment program for senior citizens under title V of the Older Americans Act of 1965.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1982
Declares that if Israel or any other democratic state is denied its rights and privileges in the United Nations' General Assembly the United States will suspend its participation in the General Assembly and will withhold its contribution to the United Nations until the action is reversed.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 1982
Requests the President to designate the week of June 20 through June 27, 1982, as National Safety in the Workplace Week to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the American Society of Safety Engineers.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 1982
War Powers Resolution Amendments of 1982 - Amends the War Powers Resolution to prohibit the use of U.S. armed forces in El Salvador for combat, unless: (1) Congress has declared war or enacted specific authorization for such use of U.S. armed forces; (2) the armed forces are necessary to meet a clear and present danger of attack upon the United States; or (3) they are necessary to meet a clear and present danger to U.S. citizens and to evacuate the U.S. citizens. Requires the President to describe in a report to Congress the grounds for sending the troops into El Salvador if they were not sent pursuant to a declaration of war or a specific congressional authorization.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 1982
White House Conference on Productivity Act - Title I: Findings - States the findings of Congress concerning U.S. productivity. Title II: The White House Conference on Productivity - Directs the President to call a White House Conference on Productivity, within one year, to develop recommendations to stimulate the U.S. productivity improvement rate. Lists the policy options the Conference shall consider. Requires the Conference to submit a report to the President. Requires the report to be made public. Directs the President to transmit to the Congress recommendations for legislative action to implement recommendations in the report. Title III: Administration - Provides for the administration of the Conference. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1982
Title I: Incentive Grants for States with Strict Driving While Intoxicated Statutes - Amends the highway safety programs uniform standards to direct the Secretary of Transportation to make incentive grants to States that have specified statutes concerning driving while intoxicated. Title II: National Driver Register - National Driver Register Act of 1982 - Eliminates the register in the Department of Commerce that lists the names of persons who have had their motor vehicle operator's licenses revoked. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish and maintain a National Driver Register to assist chief driver licensing officials of participating States in exchanging information regarding the motor vehicle driving records of individuals. Prohibits the Secretary from maintaining information in such Register for more than a seven-year period from the date of its entry. Allows any State to participate in such Register system. Directs the chief driver licensing official of a participating State to transmit to the Secretary specified information on certain drivers (including reversals of previously transmitted traffic offense convictions). Allows access to such information to specified individuals, including the Administrator of the Bureau of Motor Carrier Safety and the Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. Limits the use of such information to official investigations and other specified purposes. Directs the Secretary to implement a pilot test program to demonstrate the potential effectiveness of a system for electronic referral and relay of information regarding the motor vehicle driving records of individuals. Describes State participation in such program. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress on the program. Sets forth criminal penalties for the unauthorized disclosure of information from the National Driver Register. Establishes a National Driver Register Advisory Committee to advise the Secretary concerning the efficiency and effectiveness of the Register system. Directs the Committee to report at least annually to the Secretary. Directs the Secretary, within nine years of the date of enactment of this Act, to report to Congress on the level of State participation in and the effectiveness of the Register system. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the provisions of this Act for fiscal years 1983 through 1985.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1982
Amends the Bankruptcy Act to provide that a debtor shall not be discharged from a judgment debt resulting from a liability based upon driving while legally intoxicated.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1982
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain land to Shy Flat Tabernacle Cemetery, Incorporated, Christian County, Kentucky, with the condition that such land be used for cemetery purposes. Reserves the mineral interests in the land to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 1982
Provides for deferrals on repayment of specified farm loans and a moratorium on foreclosures through FY 1983 for borrowers suffering economic hardship. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to make loan rescheduling procedures available.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1982
Appalachian Transition Assistance Act of 1982 - Amends the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965 to add as a purpose of such Act the orderly transition from special Federal assistance to increased State, local, and private investment in Appalachian regional development. Authorizes appropriations to the President and the Appalachian Regional Commission through FY 1987. Authorizes appropriations through FY 1990 for the Appalachian development highway system. Increases the Federal share of specified construction costs of such system. Authorizes the Commission to make grants to States and other entities to assist in: (1) the creation or retention of permanent private sector jobs; (2) aiding severely distressed and underdeveloped counties; and (3) providing reasonable access to primary health care for residents of the region. Specifies restrictions on funds authorized by this Act, including limiting the Federal share of any project approved under this Act (except highway systems) to 50 percent of its costs. Extends certain programs under such Act to October 1, 1987.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1982
Expresses the sense of the Senate that Congress should consider making a supplemental appropriation to the Department of Health and Human Services to continue the Work Incentive Program (title IV of the Social Security Act) for FY 1982.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1982
Expresses the sense of the Senate that if Israel is expelled from the United Nations General Assembly or if Israel's credentials are suspended or denied by the General Assembly the United States will withhold: (1) its participation from the General Assembly; and (2) its assessed contributions to the United Nations.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1982
Orphan Drug Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate regulations to exempt from such Act drugs intended solely for drug treatment investigations. Defines "drug treatment investigation" as an investigation of a drug which involves human participants with a rare disease or condition. Establishes in the Department of Health and Human Services an interagency committee known as the Committee on Orphan Drug Development. Makes it the function of such committee to promote the development of drugs for rare diseases or conditions (orphan drugs). Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to submit to the Committee an annual report on the rare disease and condition research activities of NIH. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to submit to the Committee an annual report on the use of the tax credit for experimental expenses. Requires the Committee to report by June 1 of each year to the appropriate congressional committees on its activities and the results of its evaluations, including the report submitted by NIH and the Secretary of the Treasury. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for qualified experimental expenses incurred while researching orphan drugs.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 1982
Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 to extend by five months (until September 30, 1982) the period within which an individual must have become a full-time student at a post secondary educational institution in order to receive, after July 1982, child's insurance benefits on the basis of student status under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act. Extends by one year (through August 1986) the period during which such benefits may be paid to an individual so qualified. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to notify all individuals who are entitled to child's insurance benefits for the month in which this Act is enacted of the changes made in the eligibility requirements and benefit amount by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 and this Act.
![Official portrait of Sen. Ford, Wendell H. [D-KY]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/f000268_200.jpg)