A resolution relative to the Space Shuttle, Challenger.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 1986
Expresses the deep sorrow of the Senate for the fate of the space shuttle Challenger.
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2,344 records where Sen. Gramm, Phil [R-TX] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 1986
Expresses the deep sorrow of the Senate for the fate of the space shuttle Challenger.
United States · United States Congress · 18 December 1985
Amends the copyright law to prohibit a copyright holder from conveying the right to publicly perform an audiovisual work on non-network commercial television without simultaneously conveying the right to perform in synchronization any copyrighted music which accompanies such work.
United States · United States Congress · 13 December 1985
Military Installation Security and Antiterrorism Act of 1985 - Amends Federal defense procurement provisions to require that each defense contract which is to be performed on a military installation shall include a provision which prohibits contractor personnel from performing such contract until: (1) a criminal history check has been made on such personnel; and (2) the Secretary concerned has reviewed such information. Directs the head of a Federal criminal justice agency to make such information available: (1) upon request of the Secretary concerned or the head of another Federal department or agency; and (2) after written consent from the person concerned. Prohibits the Secretary concerned or the head of any other Federal department or agency from requesting a criminal history record on any person unless such Secretary or department or agency head has first obtained the person's written consent for the release of such information.
United States · United States Congress · 13 December 1985
Declares that the Senate encourages the Government of the People's Republic of China to abandon its coercive practices under the "one-child" program and urges that Government to punish any violators.
United States · United States Congress · 13 December 1985
Extends the condolences of the Senate to the family members of soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division who died in service to their country.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 1985
Amends the Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964 to authorize the Secretary of Transportation (the Secretary) to use Federal funds to contract directly for construction management oversight services. Declares that the Federal share of any such contract shall be 100 percent. Requires recipients of Federal financial assistance for major capital projects to: (1) provide the construction management oversight contractor reasonable access to construction sites and records; and (2) prepare and implement a construction management program which meets specified requirements and receives the Secretary's approval. Requires the Secretary to issue implementation guidelines within 120 days after enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 1985
Expresses the Senate's condolences to Barry Goldwater and the Goldwater family upon the death of Peggy Goldwater, the wife of Senator Goldwater.
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 1985
Amends the judicial code to increase the number of bankruptcy judges: (1) from two to three for the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas; (2) from seven to nine for the Northern District of California; (3) from four to six for the Eastern District of California; (4) from 12 to 19 for the Central District of California; (5) from three to four for the Southern District of California; (6) from two to four for the Middle District of Florida; (7) from four to six for the Northern District of Georgia; (8) from one to two for the Southern District of Georgia; (9) from one to two for Idaho; (10) from eight to ten for the Northern District of Illinois; (11) from two to three for the Central District of Illinois; (12) from two to three for the Northern District of Indiana; (13) from one to two for the Northern District of Iowa; (14) from one to two for the Southern District of Iowa; (15) from two to three for the Western District of Kentucky; (16) from two to three for Maryland; (17) from two to three for the Western District of Michigan (18) from one to two for Nebraska; (19) from two to three for Nevada; (20) from five to seven to New Jersey; (21) from one to two for the Northern District of Oklahoma; (22) from two to three for the Western District of Oklahoma; (23) from four to five for Oregon; (24) from one to two for South Carolina; (25) from two to three for the Eastern District of Tennessee; (26) from two to three for the Western District of Tennessee; (27) from four to five for the Northern District of Texas; (28) from three to six for the Southern District of Texas; (29) from two to three for the Western District of Texas; (30) from two to three for Utah; (31) from three to four for the Eastern District of Virginia; (32) from one to two for the Eastern District of Washington; (33) from four to five for the Western District of Washington; and (34) from three to four for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
United States · United States Congress · 23 November 1985
Farm Programs Predictability Act of 1985 - Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to provide that if the Secretary of Agriculture does not announce the terms of the 1986 price support programs for wheat, feed grains, upland cotton, or rice within 60 days of the planting date, producers may elect to participate in such programs by reducing planted acreages for each crop by specified percentages. Permits five percent increases in the percentage reduction if 1985 carryover stocks exceed a specified percent of annual usage for the 1986 marketing year. Stipulates that such election shall not apply to any commodity for which acreage allotments or marketing quotas are in effect.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 1985
Equity and Choice Act of 1985 - Amends chapter 1 (Financial Assistance to Meet the Special Educational Needs of Disadvantaged Children) of the Educational Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981 (ECIA) (hereinafter referred to as Chapter 1) to add provisions for educational vouchers. Requires each local educational agency (LEA) to provide an educational voucher, upon parental request, to the parents of each educationally deprived child selected to participate in the LEA's Chapter 1 program. Requires each LEA to: (1) provide written notice to such parents of the options available to them under Chapter 1, including their right to obtain an educational voucher for their child; (2) afford such parents a reasonable period of time to request such vouchers; and (3) convene an annual public meeting to discuss the availability and authorized uses of such vouchers, and invite parents of all eligible children and representatives of private eligible educational institutions to such meeting. Sets forth authorized uses of such vouchers. Allows such vouchers to be used as payment toward tuition and/or to obtain compensatory services at: (1) a public school outside the child's school attendance area (if the LEA permits this); (2) a public school outside the child's district; or (3) private school. Sets forth formulas for determining the amount of such a voucher. Requires each LEA to provide regular Chapter 1 programs and projects for eligible public and private school children whose parents do not request educational vouchers from that LEA. Sets forth requirements for LEA applications for Chapter 1 assistance. Declares that such voucher payments to a private school or a public school outside the child's school district shall not constitute Federal financial assistance to the private school or that public school. Declares that the use of such funds by such private or public schools shall not constitute a program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. Provides that such voucher payments to parents shall not be subject to Federal, State, or local income taxes. Requires that any private school eligible for such voucher payments include a statement that it does not discriminate against student applicants or students on the basis of race in any published bylaws, advertisements, admission application forms, or other published materials. Makes inapplicable to such voucher programs specified Chapter 1 provisions relating to authorized program design and description and application approval and assurances. Allows each LEA to use Chapter 1 funds to provide for transportation, on an equitable basis, to eligible children whose parents obtain vouchers and enroll such children at public schools outside their school attendance area or school district or at private schools. Makes such use of funds an administrative cost of carrying out Chapter 1 programs and projects. Sets forth provisions relating to nondiscrimination by private schools in such voucher program. Prohibits voucher payments with respect to any private school if there is in effect a judgment by a U.S. district court declaring that such school follows a racially discriminatory policy, or if a U.S. court of appeals has ordered the district court to enter such a judgment. Requires each private school, before receiving voucher payments, to file with the LEA a verified statement: (1) declaring that such school has not followed a racially discriminatory policy during the previous 12 months; (2) indicating whether such a declaratory judgment or order has been entered against the school in an action brought under this Act; and (3) attesting that the school has complied with the requirement to include a statement of nondiscrimination in its published materials. Grants the Attorney General exclusive jurisdiction to investigate and determine whether a private school is following a racially discriminatory policy. Defines "racially discriminatory policy" for purposes of this Act. Declares that a racially discriminatory policy shall not include failure of any institution to pursue or achieve any racial quota, proportion, or representation in the student body. Defines "race" to include color or national origin. Authorizes the Attorney General to have sole discretion to seek a declaratory judgment against any private school upon: (1) receipt within the previous one-year period of any allegation of discrimination against such institution; and (2) a finding of good cause by the Attorney General. Authorizes the U.S. district court for the district in which the private school is located to make a declaration with respect to whether such institution follows a racially discriminatory policy, upon the filing of an appropriate pleading by the Attorney General. Sets forth procedures with respect to such allegations, pleadings, and declarations. Authorizes the Attorney General to have sole discretion to enter into settlement agreements prior to and in lieu of filing such actions. Authorizes the court to award costs and reasonable attorneys' fees to any private school which prevails in such actions unless the court determines that the Attorney General was substantially justified. Provides for post-judgment motions for declarations that a school no longer follows a radically discriminatory policy. Sets forth technical and conforming amendments to ECIA and to specified provisions of Federal law relating to the creation of the declaratory judgment remedy.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should express its condolences to Colombia and make available to it emergency humanitarian assistance and relief.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 1985
Designates January 1986 as United States Savings Bonds Month.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 1985
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) should make changes to the transportation and certificate regulations regarding the Voluntary Natural Gas Transportation Program so that: (1) natural gas transportation to residential, commercial and industrial gas consumers is resumed as soon as possible; and (2) the disincentives for natural gas pipelines to provide voluntary transportation of natural gas for others are removed. Expresses the sense of the Senate that FERC should take immediate action to make natural gas transportation available on an expedited basis in order to preclude further disruption in the natural gas marketplace.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 1985
Designates November 30, 1985, as National Mark Twain Day.
United States · United States Congress · 18 October 1985
Amends the Hobbs Act to redefine "extortion" 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: (1) exclude Federal jurisdiction on the ground that conduct involving force, violance, or fear thereof takes place in the course of a legitimate business or labor dispute, or on the ground that the conduct violates State or local law; or (2) chill legitimate labor activity by authorizing Federal prosecution for offenses occurring during a labor dispute not involving extortion.. Makes it a bar to a prosecution under this Act that the defendant's conduct: (1) was incidental to peaceful picketing in the course of a legitimate labor dispute; (2) consisted solely of minor bodily injury or property damage; or (3) was not intended to extort property.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 1985
Designates the period from October 28, 1985, through October 28, 1986, as the Centennial Year of Liberty in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 1985
Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to eliminate the second concurrent resolution on the budget and thus provide for the annual adoption of a single concurrent resolution on the budget (budget resolution). Sets forth maximum Federal budget deficit amounts for each of fiscal years 1986 through 1990 providing for the incremental reduction of the deficit to zero by 1990. Prohibits either House of Congress from considering or adopting a budget resolution or a revision thereof providing for budget outlays exceeding revenues by more than the prescribed maximum deficit amount. Requires the Congress to complete action on any reconciliation bill or resolution to: (1) an original budget resolution by June 15 of each year; or (2) a revised budget resolution within 30 days after the revision is adopted. Provides that no amendment that would increase specific budget outlays or reduce specific revenues set forth in a budget resolution or reconciliation bill as reported shall be in order in the House or the Senate, unless such amendment provides for offsetting adjustments in other outlays and revenues to ensure that total outlays are not increased and total revenues are not reduced. Requires each Senate and House committee to report its subdivisions of allocated budget outlays and new budget authority within ten legislative days after the budget resolution is agreed to. Makes it out of order for the House or the Senate, after the Congress has completed action on the budget resolution for a fiscal year, to consider legislation that, if enacted, would: (1) provide for or require budget outlays or new budget authority in excess of the appropriate committee allocation reported in connection with such resolution, unless the legislation is favorably reported by the Committee on Appropriations of the House involved with a certification that the appropriate committee will take actions necessary to assure that enactment of such legislation will not result in a deficit exceeding the maximum deficit amount applicable; or (2) provide for new budget authority or spending authority or reduce revenues so that the resulting deficit would exceed the maximum deficit amount applicable. Requires the conference report on any legislation providing new budget authority or new or increased tax expenditures to disclose the information required to be disclosed in committee reports on such legislation. Requires the Federal budget transmitted to the Congress by the President each year, and revisions thereof, to set forth levels of outlays and revenues resulting in a deficit not in excess of the applicable maximum deficit amount. Permits the President to transmit alternative budgets satisfying such requirement. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and the Director of the Congressional Budget Office: (1) to estimate the levels of total revenues and budget levels for each fiscal year; (2) to estimate the rate of real economic growth during that year; (3) to determine whether the deficit for such year will exceed the applicable maximum deficit amount and whether such excess is statistically significant; and (4) if either Director determines that the maximum deficit amount will be exceeded, to submit a report to the President and the Congress specifying the amount of such excess, whether it is statistically significant, the estimated rate of real economic growth for that year, and the percentages by which automatic spending increases and relatively controllable expenditures shall be reduced during such year in order to eliminate such excess. Requires the President, upon receiving such a report, to: (1) issue an order that eliminates one-half of such excess by suspending or uniformly reducing (not below zero) automatic spending increases under Federal law for such year and the other half by sequestering such amounts of budget authority as are necessary to reduce each relatively controllable expenditure by a uniform percentage; and (2) send a message to both Houses of Congress identifying the total amount and percentage by which automatic spending increases are to be reduced, the total amount of budget authority to be sequestered, the amount of budget authority to be sequestered for each relatively controllable expenditure, and the account, department, establishment, project, or function affected by the cut in budget authority. (Authorizes the President to issue such an order if the reported excess is not statistically significant.) Directs the President to issue such order: (1) within 14 days after receiving such report if the estimate for real economic growth for the fiscal year is zero or greater; or (2) within 30 days if the estimate for real economic growth is less than zero. Authorizes the President, during such 30-day period, to submit to the Congress a joint resolution to: (1) reduce the deficit to an amount not exceeding the applicable maximum deficit amount; or (2) suspend the requirements of this Act for such fiscal year. Permits the President's message to the Congress to include alternative ways to reduce the deficit to an amount not exceeding the maximum deficit amount. Permits the Committee on the Budget of the House or the Senate, within ten days after the President has issued such an order, to report a joint resolution superseding such order. Makes it out of order for the House or the Senate to consider or agree to any such resolution which, if enacted, would cause the fiscal year deficit to exceed the maximum deficit amount. Sets forth House and Senate procedures for consideration of such a resolution. Waives specified provisions of this Act in any fiscal year for which a declaration of war has been enacted. Makes this Act applicable through FY 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 1985
United States Product Integration Incentive Act of 1985 - Prohibits any quantity limitation on products to that portion of the product assembled or processed from articles grown, produced, or manufactured in the United States. Provides that this Act shall not constitute a modification to category quotas designated for countries participating in bilateral agreements with the United States pursuant to the Multi-Fiber Arrangement for textiles and textile products, except for the prohibition contained within this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 1985
Grants a Federal charter to the Confederate Memorial Association.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 1985
Designates the week of October 6 through October 13, 1985, as National Housing Week.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1985
Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to exclude the employees of States and local governments from the provisions of that Act relating to maximum hours. Revises the definition of "employee" under that Act to exclude any volunteer for a State, local, or interstate public agency, even if such volunteer is paid expenses or a nominal fee to perform the voluntary services.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1985
Designates the week of September 23 through September 29, 1985, as National Historically Black Colleges Week.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 1985
Expresses the Senate's concern about Doctor Yury Orlov and calls upon the Soviet Union to release him from exile and allow him and his wife to emigrate. Urges the President to instruct the Secretary of State to raise this issue with the Soviet Union privately and at specified forums.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 1985
Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to exclude the employees of States and local governments from the provisions of that Act relating to maximum hours.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 1985
Calls on the Soviet Union to: (1) release Anatoly Shcharansky, Yosef Begun, and other Prisoners of Conscience and allow them to leave the Soviet Union; (2) issue exit permits to long term "Refuseniks" including Ida Nudel and Vladimir Slepak; and (3) allow thousands of Jews who have requested such permits to leave.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 1985
Designates the week beginning November 10, 1985, as National Disabled Veterans Week.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 1985
Authorizes the establishment in the District of Columbia of a memorial to women who have served in the armed forces.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1985
Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Secretary of Agriculture to jointly conduct a study of the use of unleaded fuel in agricultural machinery and to report to the Congress on such study. Prohibits any reduction in the permitted lead level in gasoline below a specified level until after the Congress receives such report. Authorizes appropriations
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1985
Designates the period October 1 through September 30, 1986, as the time to reflect on the achievements of the Peace Corps during its 25 years, and on ways such programs might be used in the future. Authorizes and requests the President to proclaim this period as a time to honor Peace Corps volunteers and reaffirm our commitment to such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1985
Designates July 20, 1985, as Space Exploration Day.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1985
Declares that the Senate agrees to cooperate with the Jacob K. Javits Senate Fellowship Program. Directs the Senate to provide assistance as may be necessary for the success of this fellowship program.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 1985
National Security Protection Act of 1985 - Requires the Secretary of Defense to submit a report to the Congress within 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act: (1) on the existing capabilities of the military departments and the Office of the Secretary of Defense to conduct counterintelligence operations; and (2) on plans of the Secretary for reduction in the number of members of the armed forces of the United States and civilian employees of the Department of Defense who hold clearances granting them access to classified information. Amends the Uniform Code of Military Justice to punish acts of espionage in time of peace by imprisonment for any term of years or for life or by death. Makes such acts of espionage involving the Soviet Union or any other Communist country punishable by death or mandatory life imprisonment. Requires the Secretary of Defense to use polygraph examinations to assist in determining the initial eligibility of persons to have access to sensitive compartmented information and the continued access to such information. Permits the Secretary to use polygraph examinations to assist in determining the initial eligibility of persons to have access to classified information other than sensitive compartmented information and the continued access to such information. Prohibits the use of the polygraph examination as the sole basis for denying eligibility for clearance or access to any classified information. Permits the refusal of clearance or access to classified information of individuals who refuse to submit to polygraph examinations. Requires a report to the Congress on plans to implement the polygraph examination requirements. Restricts the death penalty for an act of espionage to cases involving the Soviet Union or any other Communist country and the documents or information involved is classified. Imposes a mandatory life term of imprisonment for espionage involving the Soviet Union or any other Communist country. Prohibits any probation or suspension of sentence for individuals convicted of espionage involving the Soviet Union or other Communist country, and denies such individuals any opportunity for parole.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1985
Entitles individuals who performed service as National Guard technicians before January 1, 1969, to credit for such service when determining length of service for purposes of civil service retirement, leave, employee death and disability compensation, group life and health insurance, severance pay, tenure, and status.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 1985
Natural Gas Utilization Act of 1985 - Amends the Powerplant and Industrial Fuel Use Act of 1978 to repeal: (1) prohibitions on the use of natural gas and petroleum as a primary energy source in new electric powerplants and new major fuel-burning installations; (2) the prohibition on the construction of new powerplants without alternate fuel capability; (3) the authority of the Secretary of Energy to prohibit the use of natural gas in certain boilers; (4) the prohibition on the use of natural gas for decorative outdoor lighting; and (5) the authority of the Secretary to restrict increased uses of petroleum by existing powerplants. Makes conforming amendments. Repeals the incremental pricing provisions of the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 1985
Foreign Motor Carrier Registration Act of 1985 - Amends the Motor Carrier Safety Act of 1984 to exempt commercial motor vehicles owned or operated by foreign carriers providing interstate transportation of property from Federal regulations regarding: (1) certain Federal safety standards; (2) safety equipment inspection; and (3) safety fitness certification. Requires the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations regarding the safety roadworthiness of commercial motor vehicles owned or operated by foreign motor carriers and foreign motor private carriers providing interstate transportation of property (trucks). Requires such standards to differentiate among various categories of commercial motor vehicles and among various cross-border entry levels. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 for the Department of Transportation and the Interstate Commerce Commission (the Commission) to investigate the safety roadworthiness of such vehicles. States that foreign motor carriers and foreign motor private carriers providing interstate transportation of property shall be subject only to the safety roadworthiness rules adopted under this Act. Declares that commercial motor vehicles owned or operated by a foreign motor carrier or foreign motor private carrier providing interstate transportation of property may be required to pass safety roadworthiness inspections if the Department of Transportation and the Commission deem such an inspection to be in the national interest. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish procedures to determine safety roadworthiness. Directs the Commission to find an applicant unfit to operate under a foreign motor carrier registration certificate if the applicant does not meet the safety roadworthiness requirements. Prohibits a foreign motor private carrier from providing interstate transportation of property without an appropriate certificate of registration. States that the requirement that certificated foreign carriers be fit, willing, and able means safety roadworthiness and proof of minimum financial responsibility. Declares that the procedures to require proof of minimum financial responsibility shall differentiate among various categories of commercial vehicles and among various cross-border entry levels. Denies entry into the United States to any commercial motor vehicle providing transportation under a certificate of foreign motor carrier registration if a copy of such certificate is not in the vehicle. Requires the Commission to issue certificates of foreign motor carrier registration during a certain moratorium period only for the purpose of transporting property in a designated United States port adjacent to the foreign country in which the motor carrier or its owners are domiciled.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 1985
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the United States: (1) should not sell advanced weapons to Jordan; (2) should ensure that Israel retains its qualitative military edge in the Middle East; and (3) should focus its efforts on bringing Jordan into direct peace negotiations with Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1985
Korean War Veterans Memorial Act of 1985 - Authorizes the American Battle Monuments Commission to erect a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia or its environs to honor members of the U.S. Armed Forces who served in the Korean war. Subjects the selected site, design, and plans for the construction of such memorial to the approval of the National Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission. Directs that, upon its completion, the memorial shall be turned over to the Department of the Interior which shall then be solely responsible for its maintenance. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1985
Designates June 12, 1985, Anne Frank Day.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1985
Designates the week of June 2 through June 8, 1985, as National Intelligence Community Week.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1985
Amends the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act and the Walsh-Healey Act to require overtime compensation only for hours of employment in excess of 40 hours in a workweek for employees of Federal Government contractors or subcontractors.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 1985
Designates the week of June 2 through June 8, 1985, as Future Problem Solving Program Week.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should: (1) ensure that U.S. officials carry out the pledge to resolve the issue of the Americans still missing and unaccounted for in Indochina; (2) work for the immediate release of any Americans still held captive and the return of the remains of those who died in Southeast Asia; and (3) make every effort to secure the further cooperation of Laos and Vietnam in resolving this issue.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1985
Condemns specified actions of the Sandinistas and the action of Nicaraguan President Ortega in traveling to Moscow as evidence of an effort by the Sandinistas to strengthen ties with the Soviet Union.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1985
Continental Scientific Drilling and Exploration Act - Directs the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of the Interior through the the United States Geological Survey, and the Director of the National Science Foundation to implement the policies of the proposed Continental Scientific Drilling Program of the United States relating to earth science research and technological development. Prescribes guidelines for such implementation, including: (1) taking action to assure an effective cooperative effort in furtherance of the Program; (2) taking administrative and financial measures to assure the effective functioning of the Interagency Accord on Continental Scientific Drilling; (3) assuring the continuing operation of the Interagency Coordinating Group; and (4) assuring that the Interagency Coordinating Group receives appropriate Federal agency cooperation. Requires a report to the Congress within 180 days of enactment which describes: (1) policy objectives; (2) projected schedules of scientific and engineering events that would advance Program objectives; (3) resources and funding levels needed for projected schedules of events and Program policy objectives; and (4) cooperation with the international community.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1985
Gives special recognition to the achievements of John James Audubon and the work he has inspired.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1985
Amends the Davis-Bacon Act to require the Secretary of Labor to base the determination of the prevailing wage for a class of laborers or mechanics or helpers on the wage paid to 50 percent or more of the corresponding class employed on private industry projects of a character similar to the contract work in the urban or rural civil subdivision of the State in which the work is to be performed. Requires that such determination be based on a weighted average if the same wage is not paid to at least 50 percent of such corresponding class. Increases from $2,000 to $1,000,000 the threshold dollar amount subjecting certain contracts to such Act and requiring them to specify the minimum wages to be paid to laborers, mechanics, and helpers. Establishes a separate classification for helpers of laborers or mechanics, for purposes of such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1985
Child Abuse Victims Rights Act of 1985-Amends the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Statute to extend its coverage to the sexual exploitation of children. Authorizes a civil suit for treble damages for any persons injured personally or in their business or property by violations of RICO. Amends the Federal criminal code to provide a mandatory life sentence for any person who kidnaps an individual under the age of 18. Imposes the death penalty in any case where such victim dies as the result of the kidnapping. Increases the penalties for offenses involving the sexual exploitation of children. Provides for a mandatory minimum sentence for second offenders. Requires the Attorney General, within one year, to submit a report to the Congress recommending possible changes in the Federal Rules of Evidence, the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and other courtroom prosecutorial and investigative procedures which would facilitate the participation of child witnesses in cases involving child abuse and sexual exploitation. Specifies a list of considerations including: (1) the use of closed-circuit cameras, two-way mirrors, and other out-of-court statements; (2) the use of judicial discretion to circumscribe the use of harassment or confusing questions; (3) the use of videotape in investigations; (4) the possibility of streamlining, investigative procedures; and (5) improved training of prosecutorial and investigative staff in the special problems of child witnesses. Requires the Attorney General to modify the classification system used by the National Crime Information Center in its Interstate Identification Index, and by the Identification Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation with respect to offenses involving the sexual exploitation of children, to include the age of the victim and the relationship of the victim to the offender. Requires such classification to use a uniform definition of a child. Amends the Missing Children's Assistance Act to increase by one the membership of the Advisory Board on Missing Children.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1985
Amends Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to provide that, for community development block grant program purposes, any city classified as a metropolitan area central city as of FY 1983 shall retain such classification at least through the next census.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1985
Amends the Tariff Schedules of the United States to add Afghanistan to the list of communist countries the imports from which are subject to the column two rate of duty. Prohibits granting nondiscriminatory (most-favored-nation) treatment to the products of Afghanistan. Prohibits entering into a commercial agreement with Afghanistan pursuant to the Trade Act of 1974. Prohibits Afghanistan from participating in any program under which the United States extends credit, credit guarantees, or investment guarantees.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 1985
Authorizes and requests the President to designate the month of May 1985 as National Child Safety Awareness Month.