United States · United States Congress · 11 June 1981
Amends the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure to require a court to impose consecutive sentences on any defendant who commits and is convicted of a felony while on bail or release on personal recognizance for another offense and is also convicted of the original offense.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 1981
Declares the sense of the Congress that the President and the Secretary of State should take all necessary steps to: (1) bring the Baltic States question before the United Nations; (2) urge the United Nations to request the Soviet Union to withdraw all non-native troops, agents, colonists, and controls from the Republics of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia; and (3) return all Baltic exiles from Siberia, prisons and labor camps in the Soviet Union. Requires the Secretary of State to do his utmost to bring the matter of the Baltic States to the attention of all nations by means of special radio programs and publications. Declares that the United States should not agree to the recognition of the Soviet Union's annexation of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Directs the President to take steps to provide that all maps of Europe show the Republics of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia as independent states. Calls for a return of self-determination to Lithuania, Latvia,and Estonia through free elections conducted under the auspices of the United Nations.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 1981
Expresses the opposition of the Senate to the attempt by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization to regulate news content and the operation of the world press.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 1981
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to pay a specified sum to the estate of a named individual in exchange for the transfer from such estate to the Smithsonian Institution of a described historical collection.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 1981
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income $1,000 ($2,000 for joint returns) of the interest earned on an All Savers Certificate in taxable years 1981, 1982, and 1983.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1981
Olympic Coin Act of 1981 - Declares the purposes of this Act to be: (1) to provide for the minting of coins to commemorate the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games; and (2) to help finance those games without the use of tax revenues. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint: (1) not more than 30,000,000 copper-nickel clad coins with a face value of one dollar; (2) not more than 22,400,000 silver coins with a face value of ten dollars; (3) not more than 2,400,000 gold coins with a face value of fifty dollars; and (4) not more than 1,600,000 gold coins with a face value of one hundred dollars. Specifies the size and weight of such coins. Specifies that the designs of such coins shall be determined by the Secretary in consultation with the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee. Sets certain minting specifications for such coins. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee which shall provide for the implementation of the purposes of this Act. Directs the Secretary to furnish such coins to the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee at a price agreed to pursuant to such implementation agreement. Provides that all coins minted shall be delivered to the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee for distribution and sale to the public in accordance with the terms of the implementation agreement. Sets the delivery date for each series of coins. Provides that all proceeds received by the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee from the commercial sale of such coins shall be used for the purpose of staging and promoting the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games and assisting the U.S. Olympic Committee and amateur athletics. Provides that all coins authorized by this Act shall be legal tender. Directs that no coins shall be minted pursuant to this Act after December 31, 1984.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1981
Public Land Reform Act of 1981 - Title I: Short Title; Findings and Declaration of Policy; Definitions - Declares that the Federal Government retains ownership of substantial territory considered unreserved unappropriated public lands in States wholly west of the one-hundredth meridian. Provides that it is the policy of this Act to place all such lands, presently held in trust for the States in which they are situated, in State ownership. Excludes from the definition of unreserved unappropriated public lands the following: (1) lands within the boundaries of national parks, national monuments, and national wildlife and migratory bird sanctuaries established prior to May 1, 1981; (2) designated units of the National Wilderness Preservation System; (3) lands within boundaries of military and Indian reservations; (4) lands essential to the operation, maintenance, and access to the U.S. Water and Power Resources Services projects, and designated highways; (5) lands necessary to the operation, maintenance, and access to shipyards, docks, security and defense establishments, magazines, arsenals, and Federal buildings; and (6) lands selected under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and other applicable law. Title II: Federal Land Transfer Board - Authorizes the Governor of any State seeking to acquire such unreserved and unappropriated lands to petition the President within ten years of the enactment of this Act to establish a Federal Land Transfer Board for such State. Directs the President to establish such a Board consisting of State and Federal members within 90 days of the receipt of such an application. States that the Board shall serve until all conveyances of such lands within the State are carried out. Requires each Federal Land Transfer Board to coordinate its activities with the State land management agency established pursuant to this Act. Directs each Board to carry out the required land transfers within two years of its determination that a State's application meets the requirements of this Act. Empowers the Land Transfer Boards to resolve land claims and disputes arising from the implementation of this Act. Grants any State aggrieved by a decision of a Land Transfer Board on its application the right to a public hearing and review before the Board. Empowers the United States courts of appeals to hear appeals from final orders of the Boards. States that judicial review shall be on the record made before the Board and that the Board's findings shall be conclusive if supported by substantial evidence. Prohibits members of the Board from directly or indirectly receiving compensation as a result of any land transfer carried out pursuant to this Act. Title III: State Land Management Agencies - Requires each State seeking the conveyance of unreserved and unappropriated land under this Act to establish a State land management agency to: (1) hold any transferred lands in trust for all people of the United States; (2) protect the interests of persons who have acquired rights in such land under Federal law; (3) provide for an ongoing inventory and study of public lands within the State with a view toward determining the best methods of management and utilization; (4) provide for the continued annual payments to units of local government in which entitlement lands are situated; (5) transfer to the United States those property interests necessary to continue lawful Federal activities; and (6) continue to administer lands previously administered by the United States pursuant to a treaty or interstate compact in conformance with the terms of such treaty or compact. Title IV: Conveyance From State Ownership - Prohibits any State from conveying lands conveyed to it by the Federal Land Transfer Board unless such land is difficult and uneconomic to manage, or no longer necessary for the purpose for which it was acquired, or its disposal will serve important public objectives. Title V: Miscellaneous - Declares that the United States shall retain control over the oceans, seas, navigable rivers, streams, lakes, and projects of the Corps of Engineers and Water and Power Resources Service. Directs the President to modify agreements with other nations if necessary to implement this Act. Grants the consent of Congress to any interstate compact relating to the management and use of such lands if it has been approved by the appropriate Federal Land Transfer Board. Grants the consent of Congress to any amendments to the Enabling Act of a State receiving a conveyance of land which may be necessary to revoke any disclaimer to title of public lands not granted by the United States to the State. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to report to the Congress, within 18 months of enactment of this Act, on the results of a study of the relative costs and benefits of Federal and State land management activities. Authorizes sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1981
Housing and Community Development Amendments of 1981 - Title I: Community and Economic Development - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to authorize combined appropriations for block grants for community development activities and urban development action grants for fiscal years 1982 and 1983. Eliminates application requirements for block grants to metropolitan cities and urban counties. Directs any such city or county (entitlement community) and any State or local government seeking a grant to submit to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: (1) a final statement of community development objectives and the projected use of funds; and (2) certifications that the grant will be administered in accordance with the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1968, and that the projected use of funds gives priority to activities to benefit low and moderate income families or to prevent blight. Directs grantees to: (1) furnish information to the public concerning the amount of funds available for proposed community development and housing activities; (2) publish proposed grant statements for public comment; (3) to hold public hearings on community development and housing needs; and (4) to make the final Statement available to the public. Permits grants to be made to an entitlement community only if such community certifies that it is following a current housing assistance plan approved by the Secretary. Requires grantees (entitlement communities and States) to submit performance reports. Directs the Secretary to review the performance of grantees annually to determine: (1) whether each entitlement community has carried out its activities, housing assistance plan, and certifications in a timely manner; and (2) whether each State grantee has distributed funds to local governments in a timely manner and conducted appropriate reviews of the performance of such local governments. Authorizes the Secretary to adjust, reduce, or withdraw grants on the basis of such reviews. Directs State grantees to perform actions of the Secretary concerning the release of funds to units of local government to carry out the purposes of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1974. Provides grantees authority to receive grant payments in one lump sum to establish a revolving fund in a private institution to finance rehabilitation activities. Eliminates certain restrictions on the use of block grant funds for the provision of public services not provided by a local government within the last 12 months. Authorizes the use of such funds for the provision of assistance to private, for-profit entities to carry out an economic development project. Limits to ten percent the amount of any grant which may be used fo public service activities. Permits the Secretary to waive such limitation. Revises the formula for the allocation of funds appropriated for community development block grants. Allocates 70 percent of such funds to entitlement communities and 30 percent of such funds to States for nonentitlement areas. Requires the reallocation of funds which are not received by an entitlement community for a fiscal year or which become available as a result of an adjustment of grant amounts following reviews according to the existing dual formula. Requires that the funds allocated to States be distributed to nonentitlement areas: (1) by the State according to its final statement projecting the use of such funds; or (2) by the Secretary if the State elects not to distribute such funds, if the State's performance evaluation warrants such action, or if the State Governor fails to certify that the State: (a) plans for community development activities; (b) provides technical assistance to local governments for such activities; (c) provides State funds for such activities equal to ten percent of the Federal funds allocated; and (d) consults with local officials concerning such distribution. Reduces the total amount of appropriations which may be set aside for the Secretary's special discretionary fund for fiscal years 1982 and 1983. Eliminates uses of the fund for making grants for: (1) areawide community development programs; (2) disaster assistance; and (3) correcting inequities resulting from the block grant allocation formula. Prohibits age discrimination under any program or activity funded under the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974. Reduces the amount of appropriations authorized for urban development action grants for fiscal years 1982 and 1983. Modifies the contents of grant applications to eliminate requirements for: (1) documentation of results in providing housing for persons of low and moderate income and in providing housing and employment for minorities; (2) an urban development action plan consistent with the community development program, the housing assistance plan, and the overall economic development plan of the area; and (3) preparation of a citizen participation plan and publication of information on fund availability and eligible activities. Revises grant selection criteria to include: (1) the extent to which the grant will stimulate economic recovery by leveraging private investments; (2) the number of jobs to be created; and (3) the extent to which State or local government funding has been committed. Eliminates a requirement that the Secretary allocate such grants equally among programs to restore deteriorated neighborhoods, to reclaim real property for industrial purposes, and to renew commercial employment centers. Directs the Secretary to assure that the amount of any grant is the least necessary to make the project feasible. Permits rehabilitation loans to be made only for urban homesteading programs or multifamily properties after October 1, 1981. Terminates authority for such loans on October 1, 1983. Authorizes appropriations for fiscal year 1983 to carry out the urban homesteading program. Repeals the Neighborhood Self-Help Development Act of 1978. Amends the Housing Act of 1954 to repeal provisions concerning comprehensive planning grants. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on steps to be taken to: (1) target block grant funds on the cities most urgent revitalization needs; (2) develop income eligibility requirements for recipients of block grant supported rehabilitation; and (3) limit rehabilitation work to essential work needed to restore decent, safe, and sanitary or energy-efficient conditions. Title II: Housing Assistance Programs - Increases the Secretary's annual contributions contract authority for low-income housing projects for fiscal years 1982 and 1983 and the corresponding budget authority. Requires the Secretary to allocate a specific portion of the additional contract authority for fiscal years 1982 and 1983 for public housing modernization. Restricts the allocation of the remaining contract authority between existing and newly constructed or substantially rehabilitated units. Prohibits the Secretary from reserving more than 30 percent of the total annual budget authority for the last quarter of a fiscal year or more than 15 percent for any month of the last quarter. Authorizes appropriations for fiscal years 1982 and 1983 for operating subsidies for public housing projects. Prohibits the Secretary from withholding new construction authority from allocation for discretionary use in a fiscal year. Authorizes appropriations for operating assistance for troubled multi-family housing projects for fiscal years 1982 and 1983. Extends through fiscal year 1983 the Secretary's authority to use amounts in the rental housing assistance fund for such projects. Increases the mortgage purchase authority of the Government National Mortgage Association for fiscal year 1982. Limits the amount available to purchase mortgages of projects containing no federally-assisted units. Increases the amount the Secretary may borrow from the U.S. Treasury to finance the loan program for housing for the elderly or handicapped for fiscal years 1982 and 1983. Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 and the National Housing Act to establish the rent for housing units assisted under such Acts at the highest of: (1) 30 percent of the family's monthly adjusted income; (2) ten percent of the family's monthly income; or (3) the portion of any welfare assistance designated for the family's housing costs. Redefines the term "lower income families" to exclude families whose incomes exceed 50 percent of the median area income. Includes as income the value of any asset a family member disposed of within the preceding 24 months to qualify for housing assistance. Requires the Secretary to review annually (currently biennially) the incomes of families living in public housing projects and rental housing projects designed for lower income families. Establishes the amount of monthly assistance payments to owners who provide housing for lower income families as the difference between the maximum rent the owners may charge under terms of the assistance contract and the rent established for tenants of assisted units. Amends the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965 to establish the rent supplement for units provided for lower-income tenants at the lesser of: (1) 70 percent of the fair: market rent; or (2) the amount by which the fair market rent exceeds 30 percent (currently 25 percent) of the tenant's adjusted income. Provides for the delayed application of such revised supplement where immediate application of such revised supplement would violate existing leases or cause extraordinary hardship. Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to require the Secretary to: (1) assure that newly constructed housing to receive lower-income housing assistance is modest in design; (2) limit increases in contract rents for such housing units to the operating cost increases incurred by owners of comparable projects in the area; (3) give cost considerations a 33 1/3 percent weighted average when reviewing proposals for housing assistance; and (4) give priority to entering contributions contracts with housing projects located on specific tracts of land provided by State or local governments, if affording such priority will be cost-effective. Prohibits the Secretary from: (1) providing assistance payments for unoccupied units for more than 30 days; (2) entering into a contributions contract for a newly constructed project if the sizes of the project units exceed the minimum property standards by more than ten percent or the local standards; or (3) denying assistance to projects because project units do not contain bathroom or kitchen facilities. Directs the Secretary to assure that at least 25 percent of the newly constructed or substantially rehabilitated units for the elderly or handicapped to which Federal housing assistance is provided after October 1, 1981, are efficiencies. Requires the Secretary to rescind a regulation requiring owners of federally- assisted housing projects to attempt to select tenant families so that the average family income is at least 40 percent of the median area income. Permits providing lower-income housing assistance to promote mixed income housing only when such assistance aids lower income families in obtaining a decent place to live. Prohibits the owner of an assisted project from renting any project unit to a tenant who is not eligible for assistance unless the satisfactory number of units are occupied by eligible tenants. Permits the Secretary to give preference to applications for assistance for a portion of the units in a project only if that project does not receive other forms of Federal assistance. Eliminates a requirement that public housing agencies select tenants with a broad range of incomes. Prohibits the Secretary from entering into a contract to provide lower-income housing assistance to a project in an area imposing rent controls. Requires the owner of a project receiving such assistance to notify tenants at least six months before increasing the rent after expiration of the assistance contract. Directs the Secretary to: (1) determine the number of assisted housing projects owned by developers with five-year contributions contracts who will not renew their contracts; (2) notify the tenants of such projects of possible rent increases upon the expiration of such contracts; and (3) report to Congress on ways of recapturing the Government's investment in such projects. Directs the Secretary to assure that no State or local official profits by participating in a federally-assisted housing program. Permits public housing agencies to retain the greater of 100 percent of their legal expenses or 50 percent of the amount collected out of judgments obtained in recovering lower-income housing assistance wrongfully paid because of fraud or abuse. Eliminates provisions authorizing only the public housing agency to evict a tenant in an assisted unit. Declares that the tenant's rights shall be determined by the lease and applicable State and local law. Authorizes the Secretary to utilize additional budget authority provided for contributions contracts under the United States Housing Act of 1937 for rent supplements under the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965. Amends the Housing and Community Development Amendments of 1978 to direct the Secretary to dispose of multifamily housing projects owned by the Secretary to tenant-owned cooperatives. Amends the National Housing Act to eliminate the requirement that the Secretary recapture assistance provided to a homeowner when the homeowner fails to make mortgage payments for 90 days or move. Prohibits the Secretary from providing Federal housing assistance for the benefit of any illegal alien. Directs the Secretary to develop and implement a revised fee schedule for development managers of lower income housing projects. Establishes an interagency task force composed of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to report to Congress on: (1) the least expensive means of financing Federal rental housing assistance programs; (2) the direct and indirect costs on a per-unit basis of providing housing under each such program; and (3) the Federal resources required to prevent financial losses in connection with, and to maintain housing projects currently assisted under such programs. Directs the Secretary to: (1) review the administration of the subsidy program for the operation of low-income housing projects; (2) report to Congress recommendations for new subsidy formulas containing incentives for good management; and (3) report to Congress on the feasibility of implementing a computer system to be utilized by public housing agencies to comply with reporting requirements. Title III: Program Amendments and Extensions - Amends the National Housing Act to extend the Secretary's authority to insure loans for mortgages and home improvement. Extends the Secretary's authority to establish the maximum interest rates for certain mortgage insurance programs. Amends the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1970 to authorize appropriations for research for the Department of Housing and Urban Development in fiscal years 1982 and 1983. Amends the National Housing Act to increase the amount of funds authorized to be appropriated to cover losses sustained by the General Insurance Fund. Increases the maximum amounts of property improvement loans eligible for Federal insurance with respect to existing single family structures or manufactured homes, apartment buildings or dwellings for two or more families, and historic structures. Provides for higher loans where financing of a solar energy system is involved. Increases maximum loan amounts for financing the purchase of single and multi-module manufactured homes and lots for such homes. Permits the Secretary to increase such amounts by a specified sum when necessary to meet higher area costs. Eliminates the distinction between an undeveloped and a developed lot. Increases the maximum loan terms for: (1) property improvement loans where installation of a solar energy system is involved; (2) loans to purchase single-module manufactured homes; and (3) historic preservation loans. Increases the maximum loan amount which the Secretary may insure in connection with a manufactured home park. Amends the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 to authorize the Secretary to provide low and moderate income tenants with default and delinquency counseling. Amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to authorize appropriations for various insurance studies during fiscal years 1982 and 1983, and to repeal erosion insurance coverage for the collapse or subsidence of land along a lake caused by waves or currents exceeding anticipated cyclical levels. Amends the National Housing Act to extend the Secretary's authority to provide riot insurance and to repeal erosion insurance coverage for the collapse or subsidence of land along a lake caused by waves or currents exceeding anticipated cyclical levels. Amends the National Housing Act to extend the Secretary's authority to provide riot insurance and to repeal the Secretary's authority to provide crime insurance. Amends the Housing and Community Development Amendments of 1978 to authorize appropriations for the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation for fiscal years 1982 and 1983. Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1975 to direct the President to appoint two of the members of the Board of Directors of the National Institute of Building Sciences selected each year, and to extend the authorization for the Institute through fiscal year 1987. Authorizes the Secretary to develop a model manufactured housing zoning code for use by local authorities, and a demonstration program utilizing lower cost building technology for projects located on vacant inner-city land. Directs the Secretary to publish a complete edition of the basic laws and authorities relating to housing and community development reflecting changes caused by this Act, and to publish revised editions as necessary. Amends the National Consumer Cooperative Bank Act to terminate the authority of the Bank to make new commitments for loans or guarantees and to issue obligations. Directs the Bank to deposit amounts received as loan repayments into the U.S. Treasury. Provides that any housing cooperative existing on March 21, 1980, is eligible for a bank loan regardless of voting control requirements. Prohibits the Secretary from obligating or expending $5,552,000,000 of budget authority provided for fiscal year 1981. Title IV: Multifamily Mortgage Foreclosure - Multifamily Mortgage Foreclosure Act of 1981 - Authorizes the Secretary to foreclose multifamily mortgages held by the Secretary encumbering real estate located in any State. Sets forth procedures for the designation of a foreclosure commissioner or commissioners by the Secretary. Designates the Secretary as a guarantor of payment of any judgment against such commissioners. Permits a foreclosure by the Secretary to commence upon the breach of a covenant or condition in the mortgage agreement for which foreclosure is authorized under such mortgage. Specifies procedures for: (1) notice of default and foreclosure sale; (2) service of such notice; (3) presale reinstatement and cancellation of foreclosure; (4) conduct of a foreclosure sale; (5) disposition of foreclosure costs and sale proceeds; (6) transfer of title and possession; and (7) recording the foreclosure and sale. Authorizes the Secretary to require, as a condition and term of sale, that the purchaser at a foreclosure sale under this Act agree to the continued operation of the security property in accordance with the appropriate loan program. Title V: Rural Housing - Amends the Housing Act of 1949 to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 1982 to the Secretary of Agriculture; (1) to insure and guarantee loans for rural housing, with certain restrictions; (2) to make loans and grants for improvements of rural housing; (3) to provide financial assistance for the provision of low-rent housing for domestic farm labor; (4) for the payment of expenditures respecting construction defects in assisted dwelling units; (5) to provide rental assistance to low and moderate income families in rural areas; and (6) for programs of mutual and self-help housing in rural areas and the Self-Help Housing Land Development Fund. Repeals the current definition of "persons of low income" for purposes of such Act. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to establish income definitions. Removes the requirement that the Secretary of Agriculture provide interest credit subsidies on rural housing loans to persons of low and moderate income. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to report to Congress concerning: (1) financing for rural housing programs; (2) workable definitions of "low income" and recommendations for contribution requirements to conform Farmers Home Administration housing assistance programs to the housing programs of the Department of Housing and Urban Development; (3) minimum levels for subsidies to assisted families; and (4) the Administration's efforts to minimize the costs of subsidized housing.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1981
Repeals the residential energy conservation program and the energy conservation program for commercial buildings and multifamily dwellings under the National Energy Conservation Policy Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1981
Expresses the sense of the Senate that Anatoly Shcharansky be released from prison in the Soviet Union, be given proper medical treatment, and be permitted to emigrate to Israel. Urges the President, the Secretary of State, and the U.S. delegation to the Madrid Conference on Security and Cooperation to continue to express U.S. opposition to the imprisonment of Anatoly Shcharansky.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1981
Amends the Surface Mining and Reclamation Act of 1977 to permit a registered professional land surveyor (in addition to an engineer or geologist) to prepare and certify maps or plans for use in an application for a surface coal mining and reclamation permit.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1981
Transit Assistance Act of 1981 - Amends the Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964 to prohibit a discretionary capital grant or loan from being made by the Secretary of Transportation unless the applicant has sufficient capability to maintain the facilities and equipment purchased with such grant or loan. Revises the Federal share of such grants and loans. Authorizes appropriations for fiscal years 1982 through 1986 for the purposes of such Act, including research and development, training, and demonstration projects. Authorizes appropriations, beginning in fiscal year 1983, for administrative costs necessary to carry out the functions of such Act. Authorizes the Secretary to make capital grants to States and local public bodies for repair or replacement of public transportation equipment and facilities damaged by natural disaster or catastrophic occurrence. Sets forth conditions for approval of such grants. Authorizes appropriations for formula grants for fiscal years 1981 through 1984 for: (1) urban mass transit; (2) construction or operating assistance; (3) commuter rail and fixed guideway systems; and, for fiscal years 1982 through 1986, (4) the purchase of buses and related equipment or the construction of bus-related facilities; and (5) areas other than urbanized areas. Authorizes a Governor to transfer part of a specified apportionment made to his or her State to supplement funds apportioned to the State for areas other than urbanized areas. Requires that such amounts so transferred be utilized for construction projects. Directs that, after fiscal year 1983, unobligated or deobligated funds for urban mass transit grants shall be added to the amount available for apportionment for buses, bus-related equipment, and construction of bus-related facilities. Declares that apportionments for fiscal year 1975 shall lapse on September 30, 1977, and apportionments for fiscal year 1976 shall lapse on September 30, 1978. Prohibits the Secretary from approving a project for the payment of operating expenses of urban mass transit services after September 30, 1984. Repeals provisions that require that rates charged elderly and handicapped persons for transportation during non-peak hours be no more than one-half of peak hour full fares. Eliminates grants for the establishment and operation of transportation centers at nonprofit institutions of higher learning. Revises the criteria for the award of contracts for acquisition of rolling stock, including buses. Provides a local option for transit programs for the handicapped. Lists the required elements of such programs. Declares that a recipient of funds under such Act may not be required to retrofit: (1) any bus to provide for wheelchair users; or (2) any fixed guideway system to accommodate handicapped persons. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress within three years after the date of enactment of this Act on the service being provided by apportionment recipients to handicapped persons. Prohibits sums apportioned by the Secretary after September 30, 1982, for formula grants for areas other than urbanized areas from being used for operating expenses or costs incurred under purchase of service agreements. Repeals provisions concerning terminal development programs and intercity bus service. Amends the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1978 to prohibit the authorization of appropriations for a specified waterborne transportation demonstration project after September 30, 1981. Amends the National Mass Transportation Assistance Act of 1974 to repeal provisions dealing with the investigation of safety hazards in urban mass transportation systems.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 1981
Delinquent Payments Act of 1981 - Requires Federal agencies to pay interest on overdue payments to businesses for property or services. Specifies the procedure for computing such interest. Requires an agency to pay any such interest charges out of funds appropriated for its programs. Allows an agency to take advantage of an early payment discount only if payment is made within the time specified by the business. Directs each agency to report to Congress annually on interest payments made during the fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 1981
Amends the venue provisions of Federal law to provide that a civil action in which a party is the United States must be brought in a judicial district or circuit in which: (1) the non-Federal real party in interest maintains the facilities or conducts the activities that are the subject of the action; or (2) the Federal action being sought or challenged will affect the use of public or private property within that State. Directs that the action shall be brought in the district or circuit in which the State capital is located if the non-Federal party is a State or local government. Requires that a copy of the summons and complaint in such actions shall be served on the Attorney General of each State in which the action could have been brought under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1981
Regulatory Reform Act - Amends the Administrative Procedure Act to require the notice of proposed agency rulemaking to include: (1) a statement of the Congressional intent behind the rule; (2) a solicitation for public proposals for alternative methods; (3) a description of the data used in the rulemaking; and (4) a determination of whether the rule is a "major rule," as defined in this Act. Directs each agency to publish with such notice: (1) a description of the costs and benefits of and alternatives to the proposed rule; and (2) a justification for proposing the rule and selecting it over the alternatives. Requires agencies to give interested persons at least 60 days to submit written comments on any proposed rule and to make oral comments on major rules. Provides for a 30-day extension of such period. Directs each agency to publish with each final rule a statement of its basis and purpose, including an assessment of the public comments and a comparison of the costs, benefits, and adverse effects of the rule. Requires an agency officer or employee to prepare the rulemaking notice and the statement of the basis and purpose. Directs each agency to maintain, for judicial review, a public file of the paperwork and comments pertaining to each rulemaking proceeding. Allows an agency to promulgate an emergency rule without meeting the notice and comment requirements. Directs such agency: (1) to publish an explanation of the situation requiring the emergency rule and a justification of the emergency rule selected; and (2) to comply with normal rulemaking requirements as soon as practicable. Requires each agency to review its major rules every ten years. Directs each agency to: (1) publish and submit to the President a proposed review schedule; and (2) publish a final schedule within one year after enactment of this Act. Permits the President to select additional rules for review. Directs each agency to publish a notice of its proposed action regarding a reviewed rule. Requires that the notice: (1) assess the costs, benefits, and adverse effects of the rule; and (2) invite public proposals for modifications or alternatives to the rule. Requires an agency to follow normal rulemaking procedures when amending or rescinding a rule. Specifies procedures for renewing a rule without amendment. Directs a court reviewing an agency action to: (1) set aside any agency rule found to lack substantial support in the rulemaking file; (2) determine the authority or jurisdiction of the agency on the basis of the language of the authorizing statute or other evidence of legislative intent; and (3) accord no presumption in favor of or against agency action. Declares that when proceedings for review of the same agency action are instituted in two or more courts of appeals within ten days, the Administrative Office of the United States Courts shall select the court in which the record shall be filed by a system of random selection. Authorizes the courts not selected to grant preliminary relief pending transfer of their proceedings. Requires each agency to publish in the Federal Register, semiannually, an agenda of the rules the agency expects to propose, promulgate, renew, or withdraw within the next 12 months, including a schedule of the significant actions pertaining to each rule. Directs the President to publish, semiannually, a Calendar of Federal Regulations, listing each of the major rules included in the agenda.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1981
Amends the Mineral Lands Leasing Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to lease additional lands to the holder of an oil shale lease for purposes, other than the removal of minerals contained therein, that the lessee demonstrates are necessary for the development of an oil shale operation. Permits the lessee to use the land to, among other things: (1) dispose of oil shale waste; and (2) build plants, reduction works, and other needed facilities. Requires a lease to contain provisions providing for proper protection of environmental and other resource values. Sets forth guidelines for determining the duration of the lease and the rental fee.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1981
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 manufacturers, dealers, and importers. Defines as a manufacturer or dealer of firearms a person who manufactures or deals in a regular course of trade or business with the principal objective of livelihood and profit. Excludes as dealers persons making occasional sales or repairs of firearms. Eliminates certain activities involving ammunition from the coverage of the current prohibitions. Makes it unlawful for any person to transfer any firearm to a person who does not reside in the same State, if the transferor has reasonable cause to believe that acquisition of the firearm by such person would violate any State or local law or ordinance. 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. 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. Imposes as a condition for the inspection or examination of records, documents, firearms, or ammunition that the Secretary has probable cause to believe that a violation has occurred and that evidence may be found on the premises. Restricts the firearms information obtained from licensees which the Secretary may make available to State or local governments. Establishes a limited recordkeeping requirement for firearms collectors. Establishes a "willful" scienter (knowledge) requirement with respect to general violations of the Act. Revises the current offense of using or carrying a firearm during commission of a Federal felony to: (1) include use of a destructive device; (2) delete the act of "carrying" a firearm to commit a felony; and (3) limit such offense to felonies over which the Federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Retains the current penalty (one to ten years) for first offenses. Increases the penalty for second or subsequent offenses to five to 25 years' imprisonment (currently, two to 25 years). Extends to first offenders the stipulations, currently applicable only to second offenders, that the court not suspend any sentence or grant probation. Deletes the prohibition against concurrent sentences. 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 to protect persons or property. Amends the forfeiture provision to subject to seizure any firearm or ammunition "involved in or used" in any violation of the Act (instead of "involved in or used or intended to be used"). 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 to make the following changes. 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. Makes the authority of the Secretary to permit importation of certain types of firearms and ammunition nondiscretionary. Extends the 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). Establishes a Congressional veto procedure with respect to firearms regulations. Authorizes either House of Congress to adopt a resolution of disapproval within 90 days of the rule's promulgation. 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, veterans dishonorably discharged, mental incompetents, illegal aliens, and persons renouncing their United States citizenship).
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1981
Housing and Community Development Amendments of 1981 - Title I: Community and Economic Development - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to authorize combined appropriations for block grants for community development activities and urban development action grants for fiscal years 1982 and 1983. Eliminates application requirements for block grants to metropolitan cities and urban counties. Directs any such city or county (entitlement community) and any State seeking a grant to submit to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: (1) a final statement on community development objectives and the projected use of funds; and (2) certifications that the grant will be administered in accordance with the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1968, and that the projected use of funds gives priority to activities to benefit low and moderate income families or to prevent blight. Directs grantees to publish proposed grant statements for public comment, and to make the final statement available to the public. Permits grants to be made to an entitlement community only if such community certifies that it is following a current housing assistance plan approved by the Secretary. Requires grantees (entitlement communities and States) to submit performance reports. Directs the Secretary to review the performance of grantees annually to determine: (1) whether each entitlement community has carried out its activities, housing assistance plan, and certifications in a timely manner; and (2) whether each State grantee has distributed funds to local governments in a timely manner and conducted appropriate reviews of the performance of such local governments. Authorizes the Secretary to adjust, reduce, or withdraw grants to local governments on the basis of such reviews. Directs State grantees to perform actions of the Secretary concerning the release of funds to units of local government to carry out the purpose of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1974. Provides grantees authority to receive grant payments in one lump sum to establish a revolving fund in a private institution to finance rehabilitation activities. Eliminates certain restrictions on the use of block grant funds for the provision of public services not provided by a local government within the last 12 months. Authorizes the use of such funds for the provision of assistance to private, for-profit entities to carry out an economic development project. Limits to ten percent the amount of any grant which may be used for public service activities. Permits the Secretary to waive such limitation. Revises the formula for the allocation of funds appropriated for community development block grants. Allocates 70 percent of such funds for entitlement communities and 30 percent of such funds to States for nonentitlement areas. Requires the reallocation of funds which are not received by an entitlement community for a fiscal year or which become available as a result of an adjustment of grant amounts following reviews according to the existing dual formula. Requires that the funds allocated to States be distributed by the States to units of local government located in nonentitlement areas according to each State's final statement projecting the use of such funds. Permits States to elect not to receive an allocation of funds for fiscal year 1982 in which case the Secretary shall administer the allocation of funds for local governments in accordance with provisions existing prior to enactment of this Act. Reduces the amounts of appropriations which may be set aside for the Secretary's discretionary fund for fiscal years 1982 and 1983. Eliminates uses of the funds for making grants for: (1) areawide community development programs; (2) disaster assistance; and (3) correcting inequities resulting from the block grant allocation formula. Reduces the amount of appropriations authorized for urban development action grants for fiscal year 1982. Modifies the contents of grant applications to eliminate requirements for: (1) documentation of results in providing housing for persons of low and moderate income and in providing housing and employment for minorities; (2) an urban development action plan consistent with the community development program, the housing assistance plan, and the overall economic development plan of the area; and (3) preparation of a citizen participation plan and publication of information on fund availability and eligible activities. Revises grant selection criteria to include: (1) the extent to which the grant will stimulate economic recovery by leveraging private investment; (2) the number of jobs to be created; and (3) the extent to which State or local government funding has been committed. Eliminates a requirement that the Secretary allocate such grants equally among programs to restore deteriorated neighborhoods, to reclaim real property for industrial purposes, and to review commercial employment centers. Directs the Secretary to assure that the amount of any grant is the least necessary to make the project feasible. Prohibits the Secretary from making any such grant unless the applicant provides assurances that its program will be conducted in conformity with the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1968. Prohibits discrimination on the basis of age or with respect to a handicapped individual under any program or activity funded under the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974. Extends the deadline for submission of the Secretary's annual report to Congress on activities under such Act. Authorizes appropriations for fiscal year 1983 to carry out the urban homesteading program. Repeals: (1) the Neighborhood Self-Help Development Act of 1978; (2) provisions of the Housing Act of 1954 governing comprehensive planning grants; (3) the rehabilitation loan program under the Housing Act of 1964; and (4) the weatherization assistance program under the Energy Conservation and Production Act. Title II: Housing Assistance Programs - Increases the Secretary's annual contributions contract authority for low-income housing projects for fiscal years 1982 and 1983 and the corresponding budget authority. Requires the Secretary to allocate a specific portion of the additional contract authority for fiscal year 1982 for public housing modernization. Restricts the allocation of the remaining contract authority between existing and newly constructed or substantially rehabilitated units. Authorizes appropriations for fiscal years 1982 and 1983 for operating subsidies for public housing projects. Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 and the National Housing Act to establish the rent for housing units assisted under such Acts at the highest of: (1) 30 percent of the family's monthly adjusted income; (2) 10 percent of the family's monthly income; or (3) the portion of any welfare assistance designated for the family's housing costs. Establishes uniform definitions for the rental assistance program of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Redefines the term "lower income families" for purposes of the United States Housing Act of 1937 to exclude families whose incomes exceed 80 percent of the median area income. Requires that at least 30 percent (currently 20 percent) of the units available for initial occupancy in a public housing project in a fiscal year be occupied by very low income families. Requires the Secretary to review the incomes of families living in public housing projects and rental housing projects designed for lower-income families annually (currently biennially). Establishes the amount of monthly assistance payments to owners who provide housing for lower-income families as the difference between the maximum rent the owners may charge under terms of the assistance contract and the rent established for tenants of assisted units. Amends the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965 to establish the rent supplement for units provided for lower-income tenants at the lesser of: (1) 70 percent of the fair market rent; or (2) the amount by which the fair market rent exceeds 30 percent (currently 25 percent) of the tenant's adjusted income. Provides for delayed application of such revised supplement where immediate application would violate existing leases or cause extraordinary hardship. Amends the Housing and Community Development Amendments of 1978 to authorize appropriations for fiscal years 1982 and 1983 for operating assistance for troubled multifamily housing projects. Authorizes the Secretary to utilize additional budget authority provided for contributions contracts under the United States Housing Act of 1937 for rent supplements under the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965. Eliminates provisions authorizing only the public housing agency to evict a tenant in an assisted unit. Declares that the tenant's rights shall be determined by the lease and applicable State and local law. Increases the mortgage purchase authority of the Government National Mortgage Association for fiscal year 1982. Authorizes the Secretary to borrow from the U.S. Treasury such sums as may be necessary to finance the loan program for housing for the elderly and handicapped for fiscal year 1983. Amends the National Housing Act to eliminate the requirement that the Secretary recapture assistance provided to a homeowner when the homeowner fails to make mortgage payments for 90 days or more. Title III: Program Amendments and Extensions - Amends the National Housing Act to extend the Secretary's authority to insure loans for mortgages and home improvement. Extends the Secretary's authority to establish the maximum interest rates for certain mortgage insurance programs. Amends the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1970 to authorize appropriations for research for the Department of Housing and Urban Development in fiscal years 1982 and 1983. Amends the National Housing Act to increase the amount of funds authorized to be appropriated to cover losses sustained by the General Insurance Funds. Increases the maximum amounts of property improvement loans eligible for Federal insurance with respect to existing single family structures or manufactured homes, apartment buildings or dwellings for two or more families, and historic structures. Provides for higher loans where financing of a solar energy system is involved. Increases maximum loan amounts for financing the purchase of single and multi-module manufactured homes and lots for such homes. Permits the Secretary to increase such amounts by a specified sum when necessary to meet higher area costs. Eliminates the distinction between an undeveloped and developed lots. Increases the maximum loan terms for: (1) property improvement loans where installation of a solar energy system is involved; (2) loans to purchase single-module manufactured homes; and (3) historic preservation loans. Increases the maximum loan amount which the Secretary may insure in connection with a manufactured home park. Amends the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 to authorize the Secretary to provide low and moderate income tenants with default and delinquency counseling. Title IV: Multifamily Mortgage Foreclosure - Multifamily Mortgage Foreclosure Act of 1981 - Authorizes the Secretary to foreclose on multifamily mortgages held by the Secretary encumbering real estate located in any State. Sets forth procedures for the designation of a foreclosure commission or commissioners by the Secretary. Designates the Secretary as a guarantor of payment of any judgment against such commissioners. Permits a foreclosure by the Secretary to commence upon the breach of a covenant or condition in the mortgage agreement for which foreclosure is authorized under such mortgage. Specifies procedures for: (1) notice of default and foreclosure sale; (2) service of such notice; (3) presale reinstatement and cancellation of foreclosure; (4) conduct of a foreclosure sale; (5) disposition of foreclosure costs and sale proceeds; (6) transfer of title and possessions; and (7) recording the foreclosure and sale. Authorizes the Secretary to require, as a condition and term of sale, that the purchaser at a foreclosure sale under this Act agree to the continued operation of the security property in accordance with the appropriate loan program.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 1981
Declares that the Senate urges: (1) the Civil Aeronautics Board and other Federal agencies to refrain from any extraordinary action in regard to the proposed merger between Texas International Airlines and Continental Airlines; and (2) the Board to proceed with consideration of such merger under its regular procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 1981
National Consumer Cooperative Bank Liquidation Act - Repeals the provisions of the National Consumer Cooperative Bank Act to dissolve the National Consumer Cooperative Bank. Abolishes, effective immediately, the Board of Directors of such Bank. Transfers the functions, powers, duties, assets, and liabilities of the National Consumer Cooperative Bank, the Board of Directors, and the Office of Self-Help Development and Technical Assistance to the Secretary of the Treasury. Authorizes the establishment of a fund for such purpose. Permits crediting of loan repayment and other proceeds to such fund and their use to cover expenses associated with the liquidation of the bank. Directs the Secretary: (1) not to enter into any new loan or loan guarantee commitments on behalf of the bank; (2) to transfer loans to other Federal agencies or enter into contractual arrangements for loan servicing; and (3) to sell or otherwise dispose of any outstanding loans. Directs the Secretary to liquidate the outstanding capital stock of the Bank. Permits the Secretary to redeem specified classes of stock owned by borrowers either by payment or by reduction of the outstanding balance of the borrower's loan.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 1981
Small Business Innovation Research Act of 1981 - Amends the Small Business Act to direct the Small Business Administration (SBA) to: (1) maintain an information program to provide small businesses an opportunity to participate in Federal small business innovation research (SBIR) programs; (2) coordinate a schedule for release of agency SBIR solicitations and prepare a master release schedule; (3) monitor SBIR programs within Federal agencies; and (4) report annually to the Congressional Small Business Committees on the SBIR programs. Requires each Federal agency with a research and development budget in excess of $100,000,000 in fiscal year 1982 or any subsequent fiscal year to spend a specified percentage of its budget in connection with an SBIR program. Requires each Federal agency with a research and development budget in excess of $20,000,000 for fiscal year 1982 or any subsequent fiscal year to establish specific goals for funding research and development agreements with small businesses. Directs each Federal agency with an SBIR program to report annually to the SBA the number of awards over $10,000 in amount made under the SBIR program and to concerns other than small business concerns. Directs the Administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, in conjunction with the SBA, to promulgate regulations for the conduct of the SBIR programs. States that this Act does not authorize the appropriation of funds.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 1981
Regulatory Reduction and Congressional Control Act of 1981 - Amends the Administrative Procedure Act to require Federal agencies to provide interested persons at least 60 days after publication of the general notice of a proposed rulemaking to participate in the rulemaking. Allows an agency to adopt an emergency rule, temporarily, without regard to specified time constraints. Provides expedited procedures for the adoption of a rule to replace such a temporary emergency rule. Subjects interpretive agency rules and general policy statements which will have general applicability and affect the rights of persons outside the agency to notice and public comment requirements for agency rulemaking. Directs each agency, upon publishing a recommended final rule, to transmit to Congress a copy of the rule with a summary of the problem requiring Government regulation and a statement of the estimated costs imposed by the rule. Prohibits such a rule from becoming effective if one House adopts a resolution disapproving the rule within 60 days of continuous session of Congress and the other House does not disapprove such resolution within 30 days thereafter. Specifies factors to be considered by a Congressional committee when determining whether or not to report such a resolution. Allows an agency to issue a modified rule relating to the same area as a disapproved rule. Authorizes each Congressional committee having legislative jurisdiction over an existing agency rule to review such rule periodically to determine whether: (1) provisions of the rule seriously injure the public interest; or (2) the rule violates or is inconsistent with other rules, existing law, judicial decisions, congressional intent, or its statutory authority. Authorizes such a committee or any Member of Congress to report or introduce a resolution requiring that an agency reconsider and repromulgate an existing rule or else the rule shall lapse within 180 days. Requires any agency repromulgating a rule to hold a hearing for oral presentations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 1981
Competitive Export Financing Act of 1981 - Amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to direct the Export-Import Bank to adopt export finance programs comparable in structure to those extraordinary measures of official export credits offered by competing countries, until such financing is limited by international agreements. Authorizes appropriations for such programs. Requires the Bank to report annually to Congress on whether any additional funds are necessary to carry out this Act. Sets the effective date of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 1981
Commends Secret Service Agents Timothy McCarthy and Jerry Parr and Metropolitan Police Officer Thomas Delahanty for their performance in the line of duty with respect to the assassination attempt on the life of the President of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 1981
Constitutional Amendment - Requires Congress to adopt for each year a budget which sets forth the total receipts and outlays of the United States. Prohibits the adoption of any budget in which outlays exceed total receipts, unless three-fifths of each House of Congress approve such budget. Prohibits Congress from passing and the President from signing any bill which would cause the total outlays for any year to exceed the total expenditures in the budget for such year. Prohibits the retention of receipts in any year for use of the Treasury in an amount which exceeds as a proportion of the national income, the amount retained for the prior year, unless a bill directed at approving a specific increase in such proportion has been passed by a majority of each House. Permits Congress to waive the provisions of this Act with respect to any single year in which a declaration of war is in effect.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 1981
Amends the Powerplant and Industrial Fuel Use Act of 1978 to permit local distribution companies to provide natural gas service to residential customers for use in outdoor lighting fixtures installed before the enactment of such Act and for which natural gas was being provided on the date such Act was enacted. Requires each local distribution company, in accordance with rules established by the Secretary of Energy, to: (1) inform its customers periodically of the amount of natural gas consumed by outdoor lighting; and (2) report the method to the Secretary.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1981
Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to direct (currently authorizes) the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to issue permits for the discharge of dredged or fill material into navigable waters at a disposal site or sites specified by the applicant (currently specified by the Secretary), unless the Secretary determines that such site cannot be specified through the application of certain guidelines or other considerations. Limits the definition of "navigable waters" for purposes of such permits to mean all waters which are presently used or are susceptible to use in their natural condition as a means to transport interstate or foreign commerce shoreward to their ordinary high water mark, including all waters which are subject to the ebb and flow of the tide shoreward to their mean high water mark. Declares that the discharge of dredged or fill material in waters other than navigable waters (as limited by such definition) is not prohibited by or otherwise subject to regulation under any Act of Congress. Revises procedures for application of the provisions of this Act by a State requesting Federal jurisdiction over nonnavigable waters. Repeals provisions relating to State permit programs for the discharge of dredged or fill material into other types of navigable waters. Eliminates the qualifying phrase "to the maximum extent practicable" in the requirement that specified agreements between Federal agencies assure that decisions on permit applications be made within 90 days of published notice.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1981
Constitutional Amendment - Limits the increase of total budget outlays of the United States Government during any fiscal year to the rate of increase in the gross national product during the previous calendar year. Requires the use of any surplus to reduce the public debt. Allows the limit on total outlays to be changed by a three-fourths vote of both Houses of Congress, or by a two-thirds vote in the case of an emergency declared by the President. Prohibits the Congress from requiring or authorizing any agency of the government to require that a State or local government engage in additional or expanded activities unless such State or local government is compensated for the costs incurred.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 1981
Requires an embargo on the export of any goods or services to the Soviet Union during any period in which a grain embargo is in effect against such country.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1981
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to qualify for the investment tax credit shale oil equipment including hydrogenation or similar equipment, but excluding refining equipment.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1981
Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain National Forest System lands which are: (1) 40 acres or less and interspersed with or adjacent to mineral patents; (2) ten acres or less and have been used or improved upon as a result of an erroneous Federal survey; and (3) road rights-of-way substantially surrounded by lands not owned by the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1981
Business Accounting and Foreign Trade Simplification Act - Changes the name of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (FCPA) to the Business Practices and Records Act. Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require securities issuers to maintain an internal accounting system that provides reasonable assurance that specified accountability and accuracy goals are met. Establishes the degree of previous knowledge necessary to find liability for violations of the accounting standards. Requires only good faith efforts at ensuring compliance by issuers who hold 50 percent or less of the equity of domestic or foreign firms. Transfers from the Security and Exchange Commission to the Department of Justice jurisdiction to enforce the antibribery prohibitions of the FCPA with respect to issuers. Changes the jurisdictional basis of the current corrupt practices prohibition to prohibit bribery "with respect to activities in interstate or foreign commerce" (currently, the basis is use of the mails or interstate commerce "in furtherance" of bribery). Prohibits payments or promises made "directly or indirectly" by a domestic concern to a foreign official in order to obtain business. Prohibits such payments that are made to influence a foreign official's act or induce such an official to violate a legal duty. Prohibits domestic concerns from directing or authorizing such payments. Exempts from such prohibition any payment to a foreign official to facilitate or expedite performance of official duties and which is customary in the country where made. Enumerates additional exemptions, including items of value given in return for hospitality or in token of regard and esteem, and marketing or demonstration expenses pertaining to the business presentation. Empowers the Attorney General to undertake any civil investigation which is necessary to enforce the Act. Makes the provision in the Business Practices and Records Act the exclusive Federal law authorizing Federal proceedings against a domestic concern for using the mails or any instrumentality of interstate commerce to violate such Act. Requires an interagency task force to issue guidelines specifying: (1) permissible conduct and arrangements associated with common types of export sales arrangements; and (2) business contracts and precautionary procedures which would create a rebuttable presumption of compliance. Provides for the establishment of a Business Practices and Records Act Review Procedure to answer specific inquiries concerning enforcement of such Act. Requires the Attorney General to issue opinions regarding compliance. Makes such opinions final and binding on all parties if the conduct does not involve a violation. Requires annual reports to Congress by: (1) the Attorney General concerning actions taken pursuant to such Act; and (2) the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission concerning the reporting requirements. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should negotiate agreements establishing standards of conduct for international business practices, a resolution procedure, and rates of commissions. Directs the President to report to Congress concerning the progress of such negotiations. Requires Congress to review the Business Practices and Records Act after receiving the President's report. Directs the President to report to Congress on the legal and practical consequences of specific action that the United States could take under existing law to: (1) promote international cooperation to prevent bribery of foreign officials, candidates, or parties in third countries; and (2) encourage persons or businesses operating in foreign countries to refrain from bribing foreign officials, candidates, or parties to the disadvantage of U. S. industry. Requires the report to contain recommendations for new legislation and an analysis of the potential effect on U. S. interests of the corruption of foreign officials and political leaders.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1981
Prohibits the Federal Trade Commission or any administrative law judge from issuing antitrust decisions, findings, or cease-and-desist orders in concentrated market structure or shared monopoly proceedings until Congress establishes and defines the elements of such a violation. Declares that this Act shall apply to any proceeding pending on March 10, 1981. Vacates any decision or order issued in such proceeding before the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1981
Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 - Title I: Individual Tax Rate Cuts - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce individual and estate and trust income tax rates for 1981, 1982, 1983, and 1984, lowering the maximum rate to 50 percent in 1984. Repeals the 50 percent maximum tax rate on personal service income. Reduces the alternative minimum tax for noncorporate taxpayers. Title II: Incentives for Plant, Equipment, and Real Property - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise the method for determining useful lives of business assets for purposes of computing allowable depreciation deductions. Replaces the asset depreciation range (ADR) method with a schedule of capital cost recovery periods for three classes of business property. Establishes cost recovery periods for the following classes of business property: (1) Ten-year property, including owner-used buildings and their structural components and certain public utility property; (2) five-year property, including tangible property, and (3) three-year property, including automobiles, light-duty trucks, and certain tangible property used in connection with research and experimentation. Excludes from the category of recovery property: (1) property placed in service before January 1, 1981; (2) certain property eligible for amortization; and (3) certain depreciable real property. Requires the recapture of depreciation amounts and investment tax credit amounts applicable to assets which are sold or otherwise disposed of prior to the expiration of the capital cost recovery period. Revises the treatment of progress expenditure property with respect to the investment tax credit and the allowance for depreciation. Includes as recovery property, property which would have been depreciated using the retirement-replacement-betterment method. Provides special rules for recovery property predominantly used outside of the United States. Establishes definite useful lives for certain types of real property, (e.g., buildings, low-income housing, owner-occupied industrial and commercial buildings) which are not subject to change by the Internal Revenue Service upon audit. Allows current depreciation of any qualified progress expenditure property not yet placed in service. Revises the applicable percentage for determination of the investment tax credit to make eligible for such credit: (1) 100 percent of the basis of ten-year or five-year recovery property; and (2) 60 percent of the basis of three-year recovery property. Revises the progress expenditure rules to eliminate the useful life requirement for depreciable property being constructed by or for a taxpayer for use in trade or business (qualified progress expenditure property) and to apply to such property the revised percentages for determining the investment tax credit under this Act. Revises rules for the recapture of tax benefits upon the disposition of property eligible for the investment tax credit. Prescribes recapture percentages for each of the three classes of recovery property. Limits the amount of the investment tax credit to the amount that the taxpayer has at risk. Disqualifies capital cost recovery property from the allowance for first year depreciation. Repeals the retirement-replacement- betterment methods of depreciation allowed for certain types of property. Specifies that such property shall be depreciated using a ratable method. Requires the recapture as ordinary income of excess depreciation from recovery property which is subsequently sold or exchanged. Exempts accelerated depreciation on real property with a shortened audit-proof life and recovery property from classification as an item of tax preference for purposes of computing the minimum tax. Sets forth rules for treatment of the depreciation allowance for any recovery property under real property with a shortened audit-proof life in computing the earnings and profits of a corporation. Extends the carryover period for the net operating loss deduction, the investment tax credit, the work incentive program credit, and the new employee credit. Sets forth a method of computing the recovery allowance for recovery property and certain real property in the case of certain corporate acquisitions.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1981
Amends the Federal criminal code to revise the scope of, and penalties under, the Hobbs Act (prohibiting interference with commerce by threat or violence). Redefines "extortion" for the purposes of such Act to mean obtaining property from another with consent by use of actual or threatened force, violence, or fear thereof, or wrongful use of fear not involving force or violence, or under color of official right. Expresses Congressional intent not to exclude Federal jurisdiction on the ground that conduct involving force, violence, or fear thereof, takes place in the course of a legitimate business or labor dispute. Requires that the extent of property damages be at least $2,500 for purposes of the prohibition against obstructing commerce by willfully damaging property. Increases the maximum penalties for such offenses, including enhanced penalties where death, bodily injury, or property damage exceeding $100,000 results.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1981
Oil Production Incentive Act of 1981 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate the phased reduction of the rate of the percentage depletion allowance for independent oil and gas producers and royalty owners (reduced to 15 percent by 1984) and to retain the 22 percent rate for taxable years ending after 1980.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1981
Expresses the sense of Congress that Congress shall work its will and take final action no later than May 31, 1981, on the economic recovery proposals which President Reagan presented to the Congress on February 18, 1981.
![Official portrait of Sen. Garn, E. J. (Jake) [R-UT]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/g000072_200.jpg)