United States · United States Congress · 19 September 1985
School Excellence and Reform Act - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1987 through 1991 to make payments for programs of: (1) general improvement and excellence in education; and (2) reform and equity in education. Provides that no funds are authorized to carry out this Act for any fiscal year in which the amount appropriated to carry out each of the following provisions of law does not equal or exceed the amount appropriated for such purpose in the preceding fiscal year: (1) chapter 1 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981; (2) chapter 2 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981; (3) title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, relating to bilingual education; (4) the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act; and (5) the Education of the Handicapped Act. Sets forth (after reserving specified amounts for certain U.S. territories and possessions) formulas for State and local allocation of payments for general improvement and excellence in education. Provides, under such local allocation formula, for certain increases in the amount of such payments on the basis of numbers of children eligible to be counted for purposes of special needs funding under specified provisions of subpart 1 (Basic Grants) part A (Programs Operated by Local Educational Agencies) of title I (Financial Assistance to Meet Special Educational Needs of Children) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). Sets forth (after reserving specified amounts for payments to certain U.S. territories and possessions) formulas for State and local allocation for reform and equity in education. Provides, under such State allocation formula, for certain increases in payments based on numbers of children eligible to be counted under the aforementioned ESEA provisions for special educational needs funding. Authorizes the State educational agency to establish the relative weights of factors under such local allocation formula, but requires that such formula be composed of only the following factors: (1) the number of children aged five to 17, inclusive, who are eligible to be counted under the aforementioned ESEA provisions for special educations needs funding; (2) the graduation rate; (3) the absentee rate; and (4) the number of low-achieving students. Permits those general improvement and excellence funds which are allocated to local educational agencies to be used for: (1) pursuit of general educational excellence and improvement of instruction in mathematics, the sciences, communications skills, foreign languages, and technology; and (2) where necessary, for guidance and counseling. Permits those reform and equity funds which are retained by a State under specified provisions of this Act to be used to administer and carry out categorical programs and projects. Permits those reform and equity funds which are allocated to local educational agencies to be used for the development, expansion, or improvement of any of the following categorical programs and projects: (1) early childhood education; (2) school day care; (3) in-service teacher training; (4) dropout prevention; (5) effective schools; and (6) improvement of secondary schools basic skills instruction. Requires State applications for allocations of general improvement and excellence payments and reform and equity payments for any fiscal year under this Act to: (1) meet specified requirements under the General Education Provisions Act; and (2) in the case of reform and equity payment allocations, describe the intended use of funds to be retained by the State to enhance State reform efforts. Allows a local educational agency, in any fiscal year, to submit a single application for an allocation of general improvement and excellence funds or an allocation of reform and equity funds, or both. Permits two or more local educational agencies that propose to conduct joint programs and projects from funds for general improvement and excellence to file such application as a consortium or other combination. Prohibits a local educational agency from applying for an allocation of reform and equity funds unless the total number of children age five to 17, inclusive, in the schools of such agency who are eligible to be counted under the aforementioned ESEA provisions for special educational needs funding exceeds the lesser of 5,000 or 20 percent of the total enrollment of such schools. Requires local educational agencies, in order to receive either general improvement and excellence or reform and equity allocations, to have on file with the State educational agency an application which includes a description of the programs and projects to be funded and a plan for the improvement of the selected educational areas covered by such programs and projects. Requires such local educational agency or consortium applications, or application renewals, to also contain assurances that: (1) the programs and project are designed and implemented in consultation with the parents and classroom teachers of the children to be served; (2) the funds received under this Act will supplement and not supplant non-Federal funding; and (3) the local educational agency will comply with specified maintenance of effort requirements which the State educational agency must enforce. Requires each local educational agency receiving an allocation under this Act for any fiscal year to submit to the State educational agency evidence of progress in particular areas for which funds were expended or evidence of general improvement in the educational system, such as: (1) reductions in, or maintenance of acceptable levels of, absenteeism, discipline problems, and dropouts at the secondary level; (2) more instructional time; and (3) smaller class size. Authorizes the State educational agency, at the State's discretion, to conduct audits on a sampling basis to verify the accuracy of such submissions. Terminates a local educational agency's eligibility to obtain an allocation under this Act for more than three fiscal years, unless the evidence submitted demonstrates progress as verified by the State. Authorizes the Secretary, from specified amounts reserved from reform and equity funds, to make business involvement matching grants to local educational agencies. Sets the maximum amount of any such grant at 50 percent of the fair market value of any donation by local business concerns to the local educational agency for the conduct of programs and projects under this Act. Allows such donations to be in cash or in kind, and may consist of equipment, the services of business personnel, or training provided to the local educational agency.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1985
Expresses the sense of the Senate that no recess appointments should be made when the Senate stands adjourned or recessed within a session for a period of less than 30 days. Expresses the sense of the Senate that no recess appointments should be made of any person if: (1) such person has been nominated during the present presidential term; (2) the Senate has voted not to give its advice and consent; or (3) the appropriate committee has voted not to report such nomination to the Senate.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should propose to the Soviet Union the immediate resumption of negotiations toward conclusion of a verifiable test ban treaty.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1985
Black Lung Benefits Amendments Act of 1985 - Amends the Black Lung Benefits Act to provide that all administrative law judges making determinations under such Act shall receive compensation at a rate not less than the GS-16 level. Makes such amendment applicable to determinations for benefits pending before the Department of Labor on the date of enactment of this Act as well as to claims brought after such date.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 1985
Amends the Equal Credit Opportunity Act to prohibit the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System from exempting from such Act any class of credit transactions that are primarily for personal, family, or household purposes. Permits the Board to exempt (for five years) a type or class of business or commercial transactions only after determining that application of such Act to such transactions would not contribute substantially to effecting the purposes of such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 1985
Job Security Bank Act of 1985 - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to revise provisions relating to trade adjustment assistance program benefits. Requires workers, before receiving such benefits, to agree to repay certain amounts of such assistance whenever the worker begins full-time employment after total separation from the adversely affected employment. Requires such repayment in monthly installments over the course of the first year of such full-time employment. Sets forth formulas for determining the applicable repayment amount on the basis of the amount of income exceeding specified poverty levels from the full-time employment and the amount of program benefits received. Prohibits payment of program benefits to any worker if: (1) any amount was previously paid under retraining provisions for such worker; and (2) the worker continued or resumed, after the 60 day-period after the retraining ended, the adversely affected employment which had made the worker eligible for such retraining. Revises conditions for eligibility of workers for trade adjustment allowance payments. Removes the condition that all rights to unemployment insurance be exhausted. Adds a requirement that the worker submit a written certification that such worker will undertake retraining in a program approved by a private industry council established under the Job Training Partnership Act. Removes provisions relating to the prescription of regulations requiring workers to accept certain training or to search actively for work outside a certain area. Revises provisions relating to the weekly and maximum total amounts of trade adjustment allowances. Provides that, for any week during which the worker receives any unemployment insurance benefits, the allowance shall equal 50 percent of the amount of unemployment insurance benefits payable to such worker for a week within the period covered by the certification that occurs prior to the first exhaustion of unemployment insurance benefits. Sets the allowance at 100 percent of such amount for any week for which the worker does not receive any unemployment insurance benefits. Sets the maximum total amount of such allowances payable to a worker at 26 times such weekly amount of unemployment insurance benefits. Allows workers to elect: (1) the portion of the period for which such allowance is to be made (which may or may not include any week for which the worker is paid unemployment insurance benefits); and (2) to accept an allowance less than that to which such worker is entitled. Eliminates provisions relating to the application of State laws and to employment services. Revises provisions for retraining. Entitles certain workers to have approved retraining costs up to $3,000 paid for under the trade adjustment assistance program. Sets forth conditions relating to such retraining approval and payments. Prohibits such retraining payments to any employer who previously received such a payment for on-the-job training of a worker and who terminated such worker's employment within two years after such training began. Requires that retraining approval and determinations of the entitlement of a worker for payment of retraining costs be made without regard to whether a worker is separated from the adversely affected employment. Eliminates provisions relating to discretionary supplemental assistance, refusal to accept or continue training, and failure to make satisfactory progress. Eliminates provisions for job search allowances. Revises provisions for determining the amount of relocation allowances. Limits the amount of subsistence expenses to be taken into account to the lesser of the actual per diem subsistence expenses or 50 percent of the prevailing per diem allowance rate authorized under Federal travel regulations. Limits the amount of travel expenses to be taken into account to the prevailing rate authorized under Federal travel regulations. Eliminates provisions which provide for the termination of the trade adjustment assistance for workers program on September 30, 1985. Directs the Secretary of Labor to consult with the U.S. International Trade Commission and representatives of all organized labor unions at least twice every year on the determinations of eligibility as adversely affected workers and on the operation and effectiveness of the trade adjustment assistance for workers program. Directs the Secretary to report annually to the Congress on such matters. Revises group eligibility requirements under the trade adjustment assistance for workers to include coverage of certain situations where there are increased imports of articles like or directly competitive with articles that are composed of any other article produced by the worker's firm or an appropriate subdivision of such firm. Eliminates, effective one year after the enactment of this Act, provisions for an authorization of appropriations to the Department of Labor to carry out the trade adjustment assistance for workers program. Establishes, effective one year after the enactment of this Act, the Job Security Bank as a trust fund within the Treasury. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, as trustee of the Bank, to make annual reports to the Congress and to invest certain portions of the funds in the Bank. Authorizes appropriations out of the Bank to carry out the trade adjustment assistance for workers program. Requires that the Bank's funds consist of amounts received from the import duty imposed under this Act and any worker repayments of such assistance. Directs the President to immediately undertake to negotiate changes in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade so as to allow any country to impose a uniform duty of not more than one percent ad valorem on all imports in order to fund a trade adjustment assistance program for its workers. Imposes such a duty on all imports into the United States, effective one year after the enactment of this Act. Sets such duty at two-thirds of one percent ad valorem, but authorizes the President (at any time after two years after the enactment of the Act) to modify such rate to a uniform ad valorem rate which does not exceed one percent and which is sufficient to fund the trade adjustment assistance for workers program. Provides that, with specified exceptions, the amendments made by this Act shall be effective two years after its enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 1985
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 · 11 July 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that if the Soviet Union agrees to verifiable reductions in the number of intermediate-range and strategic offensive nuclear weapon launchers and warheads, the United States should agree to verifiable restrictions (consistent with the 1972 Treaty on the Limitation of Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems) on the development, testing, and deployment of strategic defensive weapons systems.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 1985
Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 for the Federal Bureau of Investigation to carry out counterterrorism activities, including the purchase of additional vehicles. Authorizes the Attorney General to pay in advance for expenses arising out of contractual and reimbursable agreements with State and local law enforcement agencies while engaged in cooperative activities related to terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 1985
Amends the Tariff Schedules of the United States to increase the duty on petroleum and petroleum products imported into the United States by ten dollars per barrel. Authorizes appropriations to the President to provide or increase funding for financial assistance to lower income individuals and families adversely affected by increased energy costs by an amount equal to the increased duty imposed by this Act. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Energy to determine the monetary effect of such duty on such individuals and families. Amends the Social Security Act to transfer the revenues created by such duty to the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to reduce, from time to time, the tax rates relating to old-age, survivors, and disability insurance by an amount equal to the net revenues attributable to the duty imposed by this Act. Provides that the residents of no State shall receive a portion of such tax reductions that is disproportionate to the portion received by residents of another State.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 1985
Declares that the Senate agrees to cooperate with the Jacob K. Javits Senate Fellowship Program. Directs the Senate to provide assistance as may be necessary for the success of this fellowship program.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 1985
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) conduct a study for the purpose of determining tolerable State error rates under the Aid to Families with Dependent Children Program (part A of title IV of the Social Security Act); and (2) contract with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a concurrent study. Sets forth reporting requirements. Sets the AFDC error rate at four percent (currently three percent). Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to waive all or any part of any sanction that would otherwise be imposed upon a State if the State is unable to reach the allowable error rate despite a good faith effort. Permits a State to request such a waiver upon a showing that: (1) it has made a good faith effort to reduce erroneous payments; or (2) its error rate was determined incorrectly and should be lower. Permits a State to appeal the Secretary's denial of a waiver. Provides for a moratorium on reducing payments for excess errors. States that it is the intent of the Congress to revise such moratorium at a time after the reports required by this Act have been submitted. Provides for incentive payments to States with error rates under four percent, but not until the moratorium is lifted. Provides that when determining a State's error rate: (1) the rate shall be fixed at the lower bound of the standard interval for errors within which the State's true error rate falls; and (2) errors which are technical in nature or have no fiscal impact shall be disregarded.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the targeted jobs income tax credit for five years from 1985 to 1990. Includes as members of a targeted group handicapped individuals who are eligible to receive rehabilitative services. (Present law limits such group to handicapped individuals who have completed rehabilitative services.) Increases the eligibility period for supplemental security income (SSI) recipients and general assistance recipients to be included as members of a targeted group.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 1985
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the United States: (1) should not sell advanced weapons to Jordan; (2) should ensure that Israel retains its qualitative military edge in the Middle East; and (3) should focus its efforts on bringing Jordan into direct peace negotiations with Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1985
Renewable Energy and Conservation Transition Act of 1985 - Title I: Extension of Business Energy Credits - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the energy investment tax credit for solar energy property from 1985 to 1990. Sets the amount of such credit during such period at 15 percent for low temperature solar property and 25 percent for all other solar property. Extends the energy investment tax credit for wind property from 1985 to 1988. Sets the amount of such credit at: (1) ten percent during 1986 and 1987; and (2) five percent during 1988. Extends the energy investment tax credit for geothermal property and biomass property from 1985 to 1988. Extends the energy investment tax credit for ocean thermal property from 1985 to 1990. Revises the definition of "solar property" for purposes of such tax credit. Sets forth special rules for geothermal equipment to qualify for such credit. Title II: Affirmative Commitment Rule to Extend the Business Credit for Certain Long-Term Projects - Extends the time period during which an affirmative commitment must be made in order for long-term energy projects to be eligible for the energy investment tax credit. Allows such an extension: (1) from 1990 to 1993 for solar energy property; (2) from 1988 to 1990 for geothermal energy property; and (3) from 1985 to 1990 for hydroelectric generating property. Title III: Extension of Residential Energy Credits - Extends the residential energy income tax credit for solar renewable energy property from 1985 to 1990. Phases out such credit over such period of time. Provides that solar hot water systems and active space heating systems must meet certain additional standards in order to qualify for such credit. Extends the residential energy income tax credit for wind renewable energy property from 1985 to 1988. Phases out such credit over such period of time. Extends the residential energy income tax credit for geothermal renewable energy property from 1985 to 1988. Phases out such credit over such period of time. Revises the definition of geothermal deposits for purposes of such credit. Revises the definition of energy conservation expenditures for purposes of the residential energy income tax credit to limit the amounts taken into account to $700. Limits the energy conservation income tax credit to taxpayers with an adjusted gross income of less than $30,000. Title IV: Effective Date - Sets forth the effective date of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1985
Authorizes the Black Revolutionary War Patriots Foundation to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia to honor the courageous slaves and free black persons of the American Revolution. Directs the Secretary of the Interior, with the approval of the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission, to select the site, approve the design and plans, and provide for maintenance. Prohibits the use of any Federal funds for the memorial's construction. Terminates the Foundation's authority to establish such memorial five years from the date of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1985
Amends the Black Lung Benefits Act to direct the Secretary of Labor to reduce, within two years after enactment of this Act, the number of cases pending and awaiting review by: (1) administrative law judges to not more than 6,000; and (2) the Benefits Review Board to not more than 800. Allows such reduction to be accomplished by employing or obtaining the services of additional administrative judges and using other measures. Directs the Secretary to notify the Congress of the measures being taken to comply with this Act within 30 days after its enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1985
Amends the Small Reclamation Projects Act of 1956 to authorize additional appropriations for assistance to non-Federal organizations for developing reclamation projects.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1985
Economic Equity Act of 1985 - Title I: Retirement - Pension Vesting, Integration, and Portability Act of 1985 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to revise provisions relating to maximum age conditions under pension plans to provide for continued coverage for certain workers over the normal retirement age. Provides that pension plans may only exclude from participation, on the basis of age, an employee who has attained the normal retirement age under the plan if: (1) the plan is a defined benefit plan or a target benefit plan (as under current law); and (2) the employee's accrued benefit under the plan is greater than the normal retirement benefit to which the employee would be entitled at the normal retirement age if the employee commenced participation at the earliest possible entry age under the plan and served continuously until attaining the normal retirement age under the plan. Revises provisions relating to minimum vesting standards to reduce, from ten years to five years, the number of years of service which a pension plan participant must complete in order to earn a nonforfeitable right to 100 percent of the participant's accrued benefit derived from employer contributions. Permits multiemployer pension plans to retain the ten-year minimum vesting standard if such plans meet certain conditions, including complete reciprocity for workers who move from one regional pension plan to another within the same industry. Repeals a certain "class year plan" rule. Permits participants with three (currently five) years of service to elect within a specified period to have their nonforfeitable percentage computed under the plan without regard to any plan amendment changing the vesting schedule. Revises minimum participation standards, minimum vesting standards, and benefit accrual requirements to provide for pension plan coverage of part-time workers. Revises the definition of "year of service," for purposes of minimum participation and vesting standards, to treat 500 to 1,000 hours of service per year by a part-time employee as one-half of a year of service. Provides that the date on which such employee completes such one-half of one year of service shall be the latest date until which the plan participation of such employee may be delayed. Includes service of at least 500 (currently 1,000) hours in determinations of years of plan participation, for purposes of benefit accrual requirements. Establishes minimum benefit rules for integrated pension plans. Requires such plans to offer a minimum benefit without taking into account contributions or benefits under specified provisions of the Social Security Act, the Internal Revenue Code, or any other Federal or State law. Sets forth formulas, based on specified percentages of employee compensation, for determining such minimum benefit in the case of: (1) an integrated defined benefit plan; and (2) an integrated defined contribution plan or an integrated simplified employee pension. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe necessary or appropriate regulations to carry out the purposes of such minimum benefit rules for integrated plans in any case in which the employer has two or more plans. Provides for distributions of accrued benefits of less than $7,000 to portable pension accounts (individual retirement accounts or individual retirement annuities). Requires a pension plan to distribute a participant's nonforfeitable benefit to a portable pension account if: (1) the plan is a defined benefit plan, or an individual account plan subject to specified funding standards; (2) the present value, as of the date of separation from service, of such benefit is less than $7,000; and (3) the participant elects in writing, after receiving a required notice, to have such benefit distributed to such portable pension account in a distribution which is excluded from gross income under specified Internal Revenue Code provisions. Directs the Secretary of Labor to prescribe by regulation the manner and form in which such election is to be made. Requires the plan administrator, upon being informed by a participant that the participant wishes to make an election pursuant to these provisions, to provide notice to the participant of: (1) the present value, as of the date of separation, of the participant's nonforfeitable benefit (with such present value to be deemed equal to the actuarial equivalent, as of such date, of the normal form of benefit under the plan); (2) the amount of the participant's benefit on the date of the participant's retirement payable under the pension plan at normal retirement age expressed in the form of a single life annuity under a defined benefit plan or in the normal form of payment under an individual account plan; and (3) the additional tax (under specified Internal Revenue Code provisions as revised by this Act) on distributions from, or disqualification, of the portable pension account before the date on which the participant attains age 59 1/2. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise provisions relating to pension plans. Makes such revisions similar to those made to ERISA by title I of this Act with respect to: (1) continued coverage for certain workers over the normal retirement age; (2) a minimum vesting standard of five years of service (reduced from ten years), with the exception of multiemployer plans meeting certain conditions (including reciprocity); (3) repeal of the class year plan rule; (4) protection from changes in the vesting schedule for participants with three years of service; (5) coverage for part-time workers under minimum participation standards, minimum vesting standards, and benefit accrual requirements; (6) establishment of minimum benefit rules for integrated plans; and (7) distributions of accrued benefits to portable pension accounts. Revises provisions relating to additional tax on certain amounts included in gross income before age 59 1/2. Requires, in cases of early distributions or disqualification involving portable pension accounts to which accrued benefits from a pension plan have been distributed as provided under this Act, that the additional tax (for the taxable year in which the early distribution is received or the disqualification occurs) shall be equal to the amount of the early distribution, or of the disqualification, which is includible in gross income for such taxable year. Directs the Secretary of Labor to: (1) conduct a study of the feasibility and ramifications of requiring private employee pension benefit plans to provide cost-of-living adjustments to benefits payable under such plans; (2) compile data and analyze the effect inflation is having and may be expected to have on retirement benefits provided under such plans; and (3) submit study results, with recommendations, within two years after enactment of this Act. Social Security Modernization Act - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to provide that the combined earnings of a married couple which are attributable to the period of their marriage shall be shared equally between them for purposes of determining the eligibility for and amount of OASDI benefits to which each spouse is or may become separately entitled. Credits the survivor of the marriage with 100 percent of the combined total wages for the period of the marriage. Provides that this Act shall not apply in specified cases where it would result in a reduction of OASDI benefits. Provides full benefits for disabled widows and widowers without regard to age. Enables an insured individual's spouse who has attained the age of 50 and is not entitled to any other monthly benefits to obtain a transition benefit for four months upon the death of the insured individual. Establishes the amount of such transition benefit at 71.5 percent of the primary insurance amount of the insured individual or, if it is higher, 71.5 percent of the primary insurance amount of the spouse. Repeals the separate definition of disability applicable to widows and widowers. Permits the months of a widow's or widower's entitlement to Supplemental Security Income benefits (title XVI of the Social Security Act) on the basis of a disability to be counted towards the 24 months needed to become entitled to hospital insurance benefits under Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) on that basis. Uniformed Services Former Spouses' Equity Act - Provides that a former spouse of a member of the uniformed services shall be entitled, unless expressly provided by a spousal agreement or court order, to an annuity: (1) equal to 50 percent of the retired or retainer pay of the member if married to the member throughout the creditable service of the member; or (2) equal to a pro rata share of 50 percent of such pay if not married to the member throughout the entire creditable service of the member. Requires that an election by a member not to participate, or to participate at a reduced level, in the Survivor Benefit Plan or to provide an annuity for a dependent child only must be made jointly with the member's spouse. Provides that such an election must be in writing. Allows a member who has a former spouse to jointly elect a spousal agreement with such former spouse or as provided under a court order to provide a survivor to the former spouse or to waive such an annuity. Treats a former spouse as a spouse for purposes of eligibility as a beneficiary, computation of annuities, and reductions in retired or retainer pay under the Survivor Benefit Plan if the member elects such treatment. (Present law treats a former spouse as a person with an "insurable interest" subject to certain restrictions and requiring larger reductions in retired or retainer pay.) Establishes a 24 month period during which members who were already divorced before the effective date of this Act may elect to have a former spouse covered under the Survivor Benefit Plan. Provides that a former spouse's share of retired or retainer pay shall be based on the gross amount of such pay. (Present law bases such share on the net amount of such pay after specified deductions.) Title II: Dependent Care - Social Services and Child Care Assistance Act of 1985 - Amends title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services) of the Social Security Act to set allotment amounts for FY 1984, 1985, and 1986 and each succeeding fiscal year. Allocates from the allotment set for FY 1986 and available for any fiscal year, specified amounts for: (1) funding for a National Resource Center on Family Day Care; (2) grants to States for training and child care services. Specifies amounts shall be used: (1) for the training and retraining of human services personnel; (2) for the training and retraining in the prevention of child abuse of licensed child care operations; and (3) for the provision of child day care services to children who are abused or neglected, who are members of families receiving aid under title IV (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) of such Act, or children who are members of specified low-income groups. Amends title XX (Block Grants to States for Services) of the Social Security Act to require the Governor of each State, as a condition of the State's eligibility for receiving title XX Federal payments, to establish or designate a State Advisory Committee on Child-Care Standards which shall: (1) examine, investigate, and study the State's laws, regulations, and procedures for licensing, regulating, and monitoring child-care services and programs within the State; and (2) prepare a report outlining the committee's findings and recommendations, including a description of the current status of child-care licensing, regulating, or monitoring within the State to be submitted to each State's Governor for transmittal, along with the Governor's comments, to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Establishes a National Advisory Committee on Child-Care Standards in order to assist and provide guidance to the States in improving the quality of child-care services. Requires each State Advisory Committee and the National Advisory Committee to review the options for child-care standards published by the Department of Health and Human Services in January 1985 and the final 1980 HEW Day Care Regulations. Directs the National Advisory Committee to issue recommended standards for child-care programs, after first publishing proposed standards and receiving comments. Terminates the National Advisory Committee 90 days after the publication of the final recommended standards. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 through 1988 for grants to States to carry out their plans for correcting the deficiencies in or improving the licensing, regulating, or monitoring of child-care programs. Requires each State, in order to receive a grant, to submit a plan to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out the recommendations contained in its report. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize appropriations for FY 1986 through 1990 for grants to institutions of higher education for: (1) construction, reconstruction, and renovation of facilities, located at such institutions, to be used to provide child care services (free for students from families with incomes less than 150 percent of the poverty level, and with a sliding-scale of fees based on income for other students participating); (2) child care services through vouchers for disadvantaged college students (with two-thirds of the participants to be low-income students who are first generation college students, and the remainder to be either low-income or first generation college students); and (3) child care personnel work-experience programs (which provide experience for students by arranging part-time employment for them in licensed child care programs). Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to provide grants to public housing authorities to assist them in providing child care services for lower income families. Requires a program report to the Congress within two years. Authorizes FY 1986 through 1988 appropriations. Title III: Insurance - Nondiscrimination in Insurance Act - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in the consideration of applications for, or the granting of, insurance policies and the terms of such policies. Permits insurers who regularly provide insurance solely to persons of a single religious affiliation to continue to do so. Prohibits any insurer from establishing auto insurance rates for women or any particular group of women which are higher or lower in relation to the rates offered men or any similarly situated group of men, except for non-gender related risk-based reasons. Grants to States having insurance discrimination laws the primary opportunity to enforce the prohibitions of this Act. Permits an aggrieved person to file a civil action in State or Federal court against an insurer, if a State which has received notice of a complaint fails to act within 60 days (120 days in certain circumstances) or has terminated all proceedings under State law without any final resolution. Authorizes the Attorney General to bring a civil action in district court when there is reasonable cause to believe that a person or group is engaged in a pattern or practice of resistance to the rights granted by this Act and that such denial raises an issue of general public importance. Authorizes the Court to: (1) order the defendant to amend any relevant contract to comply with the provisions of this Act (no premium payment may be increased and no benefits may be reduced); (2) require the defendant to pay punitive damages in addition to actual damages; and (3) award the aggrieved person reasonable attorneys' fees. Continued Access to Group Health Insurance Act of 1985 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to require continuation coverage under group health plans for certain spouses, former spouses, and dependent children of employees insured under such plans. Makes such continuation coverage a requirement for the allowance of a tax deduction for employer contributions to group health plans. Provides that the spouse and dependent children of an insured employee may be entitled to five years of continuation coverage under a group health plan if the insured employee: (1) dies; (2) becomes separated or divorced from his or her spouse; or (3) becomes entitled to Medicare. Makes such coverage available only if it is elected within a specified period by or on behalf of the spouse or child to be covered. Sets forth notification requirements. Sets forth a special rule relating to collective bargaining agreements. Title IV: Employment - Establishes the Commission on Compensation Equity to provide, by contract with a consultant, for a report on whether executive agencies are in compliance with laws and regulations prohibiting sex-based wage discrimination. Requires submission of the results of such study to the appropriate congressional committees and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management within 18 months after the effective date of this Act. Requires the Director to submit to such committees and the Commission, 90 days after receipt of such report, a response specifying plans for carrying out the report's recommendations and reasons for not carrying out any recommendation. Allows the Commission to comment on the Director's response. Terminates the Commission 90 days after submission of its comment. Directs the Comptroller General to submit a list of at least five consultants to the Commission from which the Commission shall make its selection. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to limit the rights or remedies provided under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, or the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, or any other provision of law relating to discrimination. Provides funding for the Commission from sums appropriated to the Office of Personnel Management for general operating expenses for FY 1986 and 1987. Amends part A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) of title IV of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to States to assist in carrying out programs which: (1) prevent long-term dependency upon AFDC; (2) permit pregnant teenagers and teenage mothers to remain in school; (3) provide job counseling, employment readiness, job placement, and academic and vocational education services to pregnant teenagers and teenage mothers; and (4) integrate and coordinate services otherwise available to pregnant teenagers and teenage mothers. Sets forth: (1) requirements a State must meet in order to receive a grant; and (2) reporting requirements. Directs the Secretary to establish a systematic reporting system capable of yielding comprehensive data on which service figures and program evaluations shall be based. Requires the Secretary to report annually to Congress. Authorizes appropriations. Women's Business Ownership Act of 1985 - Establishes the National Commission on Women's Business Ownership to review: (1) the status of women owned small businesses nationwide; (2) the role of the Federal Government in aid to and the promotion of women owned small businesses; (3) data collection procedures and the availability of data relating to women owned businesses, women owned small businesses, and small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged women; (4) other Federal initiatives relating to women owned small businesses, including those relating to Federal procurements; and (5) special impediments suffered by small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged women. Directs the Commission to recommend: (1) new private sector initiatives which would provide management and technical assistance to women owned small businesses; (2) ways to promote greater access to financing and procurement opportunities for such businesses; and (3) other measures relating to small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged women. Terminates the Commission on the date that it transmits its final report to the President and to each House of the Congress. Authorizes appropriations. Title V: Tax Reform - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that the zero bracket amount for heads of households shall be the same as the zero bracket amount for joint returns and surviving spouses. Increases the amount of the earned income tax credit from 11 percent to 16 percent of the first $5,000 of earned income. Provides for a phaseout of such credit for taxpayers with adjusted gross incomes between $11,000 and $16,000. Provides that governmental payments shall be disregarded for purposes of determining support and maintenance of a household. Provides that any refund of Federal income taxes or advance payment made to an individual by reason of the earned income credit shall not be taken into account as income for purposes of determining eligibility for benefits or assistance under any Federal program or any State or local program financed in whole or part with Federal funds. Provides for cost-of-living adjustments for the amount of the earned income credit and the phase-out thresholds of such credit beginning in 1987. Allows a refundable income tax credit for: (1) employment related dependent care expenses, plus (2) expenses for the respite care of a dependent. Sets the amount of such credit at 50 percent of the sum of such expenses. Reduces such percentage (but not below 20 percent) by one percent for each full $1,000 amount by which the taxpayer's adjusted gross income exceeds $11,000. Provides for cost-of-living adjustments to such adjusted gross income amount. Limits the amount of employment-related expenses and respite care expenses which may be taken into account for purposes of such credit. Allows such credit for expenses incurred for the care of: (1) a dependent of the taxpayer who is under the age of 15; (2) a dependent of the taxpayer who is physically or mentally incapable of caring for himself; or (3) a spouse who is incapable of caring for himself. Repeals present provisions relating to the income tax credit for dependent care expenses necessary for gainful employment. Increases the amount individuals may contribute on behalf of their spouses for purposes of the deduction for retirement savings. Provides that no deduction from gross income shall be allowed to a taxpayer for entertainment expenses for food, beverages, lodging, or entertainment incurred in connection with a facility which discriminates on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Exempts facilities operated by a religious organization where access is limited to members of a particular religion. Treats dues and fees paid to discriminatory facilities as nondeductible expenses. Requires the submission of a statement to the Secretary of the Treasury that a facility not open to the public does not discriminate in order for amounts paid to such facility to qualify for the entertainment expense deduction. Requires the posting of a public notice in the facility stating the nondiscriminatory policy. Permits the Secretary to revoke the acceptance of the statement of nondiscrimination. Requires the taxpayer to report on his or her income tax return any amounts paid or incurred for food, beverages, lodging, or entertainment in any facility which is not open to the public or does not serve the public in order to deduct such amounts from gross income.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1985
Nuclear Waste Policy Improvements Act of 1985 - Title I - Amends the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 to require that the nomination of sites for repositories of high-level radioactive waste be accompanied by an environmental assessment which includes the environmental impact of transporting high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel through the region surrounding such site. Requires the Secretary of Transportation and the President to include, in their consideration of recommended sites, the effect of transportation of high-level radioactive waste on States containing possible transportation routes. Requires the Secretary to include, in a public site recommendation statement, specified details of the effect of such transportation on those States. Requires the Secretary, when considering alternative nuclear waste sites, to take into consideration such transportation routes and the impact of such transportation on routes in States adjacent to the State in which a repository has been selected. Title II - Directs the Secretary to provide assistance to any State that contains likely transportation routes to a high-level nuclear waste repository in such State, if the State's application demonstrates assistance is needed to upgrade or maintain such routes in order to provide adequate public protection from accidents involving high-level nuclear waste.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1985
States that the Congress extends its condolences to the Brazilian people and to the family of President Neves. Sends its best wishes to President Jose Sarney and forwards its congratulations to the Brazilian people for their country's return to democracy.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1985
Expresses, on the 40th anniversary of V-E Day, the Nation's deep gratitude and recognizes the enormous debt owed to the American servicemen who fought in World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1985
Title I: Recognition of Injustice and an Apology on Behalf of the Nation - States that the Congress accepts the findings of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians and recognizes that a grave injustice was done to both citizens and resident aliens of Japanese ancestry by the evacuation, relocation, and internment of civilians during World War II. Title II: United States Citizens of Japanese Ancestry and Resident Japanese Aliens - Requests the President to offer pardons to those convicted of violating laws during the internment period whose conduct was based on a refusal to accept racially or ethnically discriminatory treatment. Provides that Federal departments and agencies that review applications for restitution of positions, status, or entitlement lost during the internment period shall review such applications giving full consideration to the findings of the Commission. Establishes within the Treasury a Civil Liberties Public Education Fund. Authorizes appropriations for the Fund. Requires the Attorney General to pay $20,000 from the Fund in compensation to each surviving internee. Establishes a Board of Directors which shall be responsible for making disbursements from the Fund. Provides that disbursements from the Fund shall be used to: (1) sponsor research and public educational activities dealing with the internment; (2) fund studies of similar civil liberties abuses; (3) prepare and distribute hearings and findings of the Commission; and (4) promote the general welfare of the ethnic Japanese community in the United States. Title III: Aleutian and Pribilof Islands Restitution - Aleutian and Pribilof Islands Restitution Act - Establishes within the Treasury the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands Restitution Fund. Directs the Administrator of the Fund (the Aleutian/Pribilof Islands Association) to make restitution for certain Aleut losses sustained in World War II. Requires the Administrator to establish a trust of $5,000,000 and to distribute the interest of such trust for: (1) the benefit of the elderly, disabled, or seriously ill; (2) students in need of scholarship assistance; (3) preservation of Aleut cultural heritage and historical records (4) the improvement of community centers of affected Aleut villages; and (5) other purposes to improve Aleut life. Authorizes the Administrator to rebuild and restore churches and church property damaged or destroyed in Aleut villages during World War II. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to make payments of $12,000 from the fund to eligible Aleuts for any uncompensated personal property losses. Provides that such payments shall not be considered income or receipts for purposes of Federal taxes or determining eligibility for Federal benefits or assistance. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Secretary of the Army to implement a program for the removal and disposal of live ammunition, obsolete buildings, abandoned machinery, and other hazardous debris remaining in populated areas of the lower Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands. States that the authority contained in this Act shall be supplemental to the authority of the Secretary of Defense in administering the Environmental Restoration Defense Account and shall be exercised only in the event that such account is inadequate to eliminate hazardous military debris from populated areas of the Lower Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands. Authorizes appropriations. Provides that bidding rights for surplus Federal property might be exercised by the Aleut Corporation in lieu of conveyance of Attu Island to the Aleut people, such island having been designated as wilderness. States that the bidding rights shall be exercised by the Aleut Corporation without any preference over any other bidder. Provides that an amount equal to $500 for each acre traditionally occupied by the Aleut people on Attu Island shall be transferred to the Corporation account established by this Act and made available to the Corporation for such bidding.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1985
National Diffusion Network Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to carry out a program to promote the use of exemplary educational programs, products, and practices to interested elementary and secondary schools. Requires the Secretary to provide information, materials, training, technical assistance, and evaluations. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to, and contracts with, public and nonprofit private educational institutions and organizations to carry out such program. Declares that such program shall be deemed to be a continuation of the National Diffusion Network for which provision is made under the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981. Directs the Secretary to allocate funds available under such Act to such program. Authorizes additional appropriations, if necessary, to carry out such program in FY 1986 through 1989.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1985
Amends the National Labor Relations Act to provide that a specified prohibition against certification of labor organizations representing both "guards" and other employees, for collective bargaining unit purposes, is to be applied only in the case of "plant guards."
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the United States should pay honor to the memories of the innocent civilians and American and Allied soldiers who died at the hands of the Nazis; (2) it is fitting and appropriate for the President, in a gesture of reconciliation, to visit the Federal Republic of Germany; (3) the President should recognize the importance of the relationship between the two countries; and (4) the President should reassess his planned itinerary for his forthcoming trip to the Federal Republic of Germany.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1985
Self-Employment Opprtunity Act of 1985 - Provides for a demonstration program in which a limited number of States would be permitted to provide unemployment compensation to individuals for the purpose of funding self-employment. Directs the Secretary of Labor to enter into a program agreement with at least five, but not more than ten, States. Requires program agreements to provide that: (1) each eligible individual, for the three-year benefit period beginning on the date on which such agreement is entered into, shall be entitled to receive a weekly self-employment allowance in lieu of the regular, extended, or other additional compensation for which such individual would otherwise be eligible for such week; and (2) the State shall implement a program that is approved by the Secretary and designed to select and assist individuals for self-employment, monitor such employment, and provide for a complete evaluation of the use of such allowances. Sets forth factors that the Secretary must consider in selecting States for such program. Makes an individual an eligible individual with respect to any benefit year, for purposes of this Act, if such individual: (1) is eligible to receive regular compensation under the State law during such benefit year; (2) submits an application to the State agency for a self-employment allowance under this Act; and (3) meets applicable State requirements. Limits the number of individuals who may be considered as eligible individuals for purposes of this Act during such year. Provides that the amount of a self-employment allowance for any individual for any week shall be equal to the amount of regular, extended, or other additional compensation which would be payable to such individual for such week. Permits eligible individuals to file applications for self-help allowances with State agencies responsible for administering agreements under this Act. Requires a State to pay a self-help allowance in periodic installments at the same intervals and in the same amount as regular, extended, or other additional compensation is paid by the State. Allows such payment to be made directly to, or on behalf of, an eligible individual. Provides that State and Federal requirements relating to availability for work, active search for work, or refusal to accept suitable work shall not apply to an individual receiving a self-employment allowance under this Act as long as such individual is self-employed. Provides for payments to States of amounts equal to the Federal share of each payment (other than administrative expenses) made by the State agency on account of self-employment allowances provided under this Act. Requires that such Federal share be paid from amounts available for payment of the Federal share of extended or other additional compensation. Makes such Federal share equal to the percentage of the extended or other additional compensation for which the State would have been entitled to reimbursement if such individual were receiving extended or other additional compensation in lieu of the self-employment allowance. Permits States to make payments (exclusive of administrative expenses) from State unemployment funds for adjustment assistance provided under this Act. Provides, for purposes of Social Security Act provisions relating to grants for administrative expenses, that the provisions of this Act shall be treated as unemployment compensation law. Directs the Secretary to submit to the Congress: (1) within two years after enactment of this Act, an interim report on the effectiveness of such demonstration program; and (2) within four years after such enactment, a final report on such program. Sets forth provisions relating to fraud and overpayments. Excludes activities taken by a State pursuant to an agreement under this Act from being taken into consideration in determining whether there has been a net decrease in the solvency of the State unemployment compensation program. Defines "self-employment allowance" as payments made for the purpose of assisting an eligible individual with such individual's self-employment. Defines "extended or additional compensation," for purposes of this Act, as: (1) extended compensation; (2) Federal supplemental compensation payable under the Federal Supplemental Compensation Act of 1982; and (3) any other compensation payable to exhaustees by reason of conditions of high unemployment. Gives certain other terms under this Act the same meanings as under the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970. Makes this Act effective on October 1 of the first fiscal year beginning after its enactment date.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1985
Authorizes the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. Subjects the Fraternity's design and plans for the memorial to the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, the Commission of Fine Arts, and the National Capital Planning Commission. Directs the Secretary to: (1) select a site for the memorial with the approval of the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission; (2) prohibit its construction unless sufficient funds are available for its completion; (3) provide for the maintenance of the memorial upon its completion. Provides that U.S. funds may not be used to establish the memorial. Directs that the authority to establish the memorial is contingent upon its construction beginning within five years.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1985
National Individual Training Account Act of 1985 - Title I: Individual Training Accounts - Establishes the national individual training account program to be administered by the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of the Treasury in cooperation with the States. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to enter into agreements whereby States or State unemployment compensation agencies shall: (1) issue and redeem vouchers to pay training and relocation expenses; (2) accept contributions from employees and employers for deposit into individual training accounts and distribute any amount in any such account at such times as any distribution from such account is authorized; (3) provide individual counseling or job and training referral services to any participant in the program; and (4) cooperate with officers of the Federal Government or of any other State in carrying out this Act. Directs the Secretary of Labor, upon the request of a State, to provide information and to detail, on a reimbursable basis, personnel to assist such State in establishing a State individual training account program. Sets forth the duties of the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of the Treasury in administering the program established by this Act. Sets forth provisions for distributions from individual training accounts. Sets forth provisions for eligible training programs and for certification of such programs by the Secretary of Labor. Sets forth provisions for qualified relocation expenses and for approval of such expenses by the Secretary of Labor. Provides that individual training and related accounts are to be established as separate book accounts in the Unemployment Trust Fund. Title II: Amendments to the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 Relating to Individual Training Accounts - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise provisions for approval of State unemployment compensation laws to require that a State have a State individual training account program which has been approved by the Secretary of Labor. Applies such requirement to certifications of such State laws for 1986 and subsequent years. Revises Federal unemployment tax provisions to add requirements relating to State individual training account programs. Revises provisions relating to itemized Federal income tax deductions for individuals and corporations to allow such deductions for employee or employer contributions to individual training accounts made after December 31, 1984. Prohibits any reduction (through an additional credit allowance) in Federal unemployment tax in the case of any large employer which refuses to participate in the national individual training account program. Defines "large employer" as one which during the calendar year employed an average of not less than 25 employees. Makes such denial of reduction applicable to calendar years beginning after December 31, 1986. Appropriates to the Secretary of Labor, for the expense of administering the Federal-State employment service, for each fiscal year ending after January 1, 1986, an amount determined by the Secretary of the Treasury to be equivalent to an unspecified portion of the amounts received in the general fund in the Treasury which are attributable to the operation of such denial of reduction in the unemployment tax rate of such large employers who refuse to participate in the national individual training account program.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1985
High Technology Morrill Act - Establishes the Technology Education Trust Fund in the Treasury. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to be the trustee of the Fund and to report to the Congress annually on the Fund's operation. Directs the Secretary to transfer from the Treasury's general fund to the Fund, for FY 1987 through 1991, three percent of the rents, royalties, and other sums paid to the United States under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, and any other Federal statute authorizing payments for mineral resource development designated by the Secretary for the purpose of this Act. Limits the amount of such transfers to $250,000,000 in any one fiscal year. Provides that amounts in the Fund shall be available for making payments in accordance with this Act as provided in advance by appropriation Acts, and without fiscal year limitation on availability unless specifically enacted. Prohibits the Secretary from making transfers to the Fund after FY 1991. Directs the Secretary to pay into the Treasury's general fund any amounts remaining in the Fund after FY 1993. Authorizes the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) to make grants to education institutions (including vocational schools), private for-profit business concerns, and State agencies making application jointly to pay the Federal share of the cost of technology education programs. Allows private nonprofit organizations and State agencies to submit applications jointly if the nonprofit private organization represents an educational institution and a for-profit business concern, or a group of such institutions and concerns. Requires that such applications be consistent with State economic development and educational policies and with private sector priorities and educational institution needs. Requires the State and local public sources pay 30 percent, and for-profit businesses pay 20 percent, of total program costs. Sets forth other application requirements. Allows grants made under this Act to be used for: (1) laboratory equipment and facilities in educational institutions; (2) improving science and mathematics education and computer literacy in elementary and secondary schools through teacher training, equipment improvement, and curricula development; (3) research/education centers for training new scientific, engineering, and technical employees while carrying out applied research or stimulating innovation, technology transfer, and the application of new technologies; (4) mathematics, science, and engineering faculty development through support for graduate students who enter teaching, faculty exchange with industry, teaching retraining, and other faculty retention programs; (5) lifelong learning and cooperative education activities for the scientific, engineering, and technical work force; (6) development of new educational methods and equipment such as computer-based educational aids and telecommunication instructional technologies; (7) expansion of technical training programs and initiation of programs at institutions of higher education (including postsecondary vocational education institutions) designed to retrain workers for jobs requiring more technical skills; (8) improving the access of women, minorities, and handicapped to technical, engineering, and scientific fields; and (9) cooperative programs between the humanities and the sciences. Sets forth provisions for grant payments, distribution of funds, withholding, administration, and audit. Authorizes the Secretary to establish advisory committees for purposes of this Act. Directs the Secretary to consult with the Secretary of Defense to coordinate technical training programs supported by the Department of Defense and activities assisted under this Act. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to transfer Department of Defense funds for technical training programs to the Secretary to carry out programs under this Act. Directs the Secretary to consult with the Secretaries of Commerce, Labor, and Education and the heads of other appropriate Federal agencies in carrying out this Act. Directs the Secretary to report annually to the Congress on activities assisted by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1985
National Entrepreneurship Act - Title I: State Pension Investment Units - Requires a pension investment unit of each State, in order to help accelerate such State's rate of economic growth and job creation, to: (1) issue an annual report to the State's Governor which identifies and makes recommendations to eliminate tax and legal barriers that prevent pension funds from investing a greater portion of their assets in the securities of young entrepreneurial corporations; (2) analyze and evaluate the long-term growth potential of such corporations; (3) help pension funds reduce the risk of investing in such corporations; and (4) develop new investment options and collect and disseminate information about other investment options. Requires the Secretary of Labor to solicit proposals from States for the establishment and operation of State pension investment units. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States to pay the Federal share (not to exceed 50 percent) of the cost of establishing and operating such units. Requires each State, in order to be eligible to receive such a grant, to designate as a pension investment unit a new or existing office within the State government. Requires each unit to establish an Advisory Council composed of trustees and managers of pension plans established in the State and an Advisory Committee composed of representatives of participants in, and beneficiaries of, major public and private pension plans established in such State. Limits the amount of Federal payments a State may receive during the program's three years. Authorizes appropriations through FY 1988. Terminates the authority granted by this title after FY 1988. Title II: State Venture Capital Corporation Assistance Act - Provides Federal matching grants to States which establish or expand existing venture capital corporations. Sets forth the eligibility criteria for such a matching grant. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to monitor and evaluate annually the effectiveness of each corporation assisted under this title. Authorizes appropriations. Title III: Secondary Mortgage Markets - Technology Development and Mortgage Assurance Corporation Act - Establishes the Technology Development and Mortgage Assurance Corporation which is authorized to purchase, make commitments to purchase, hold, deal with, and sell certain kinds of industrial mortgages from any qualified financial institution. Directs the Corporation to: (1) establish criteria for determining the eligibility of financial institutions to be certified to originate, sell, and service industrial mortgages; and (2) receive applications for certification. Permits the Corporation to issue and sell securities based upon such mortgages as it may set aside. Title IV: Loan Loss Reserve Fund - Requires the Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Chairman of the Federal Home Loan Bank Board to establish an Entrepreneurship Loan Loss Reserve Fund which shall receive equal premium payments from participating lenders, borrowers, and the Government for the purpose of insuring lenders against defaults on loans to small businesses, young businesses, and entrepreneurial corporations. Requires each respective Chairman to certify institutions which are eligible to participate in the loan loss reserve program and to record eligible loans. Sets forth procedures to be followed in the case of a default by a qualifying business on any eligible loan. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 1985
National Security Programs Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1986 and 1987 - Title I: National Security Programs - Authorizes appropriations for the Department of Energy (DOE) for FY 1986 for plant and capital equipment and operating expenses in carrying out national security programs in the following areas: (1) weapons activities; (2) materials production; (3) defense waste and byproducts management; (4) verification and control technology; (5) nuclear safeguards and security; (6) security investigations; and (7) naval reactors development. Title II: General Provisions - Prohibits the use of funds authorized under this Act where the costs of the program exceed 105 percent of the program authorization or the costs exceed by more than $10,000,000 the amount authorized by this Act, whichever is the lesser. Prohibits the use of funds authorized by this Act for programs which have not been presented to or requested of the Congress unless the Secretary of Energy transmits to the appropriate committees a full and complete statement of the action proposed. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out any general plant project only if the maximum estimated cost of the project does not exceed $1,200,000. Sets forth procedures for the approval of projects which exceed by more than 25 percent their estimated cost, and exempts from such procedures any project which has an estimated cost of less than $5,000,000. Allows the transfer of funds from specified projects to other Government agencies for the performance of work for which the appropriation is made. Authorizes the Secretary to perform construction design services for construction projects in support of national security programs. Permits funds to remain available until expended if so specified in an appropriation Act. Title III: Authorization of Appropriations - Authorizes appropriations for programs under this Act for FY 1987 to DOE, such funds not to be available before FY 1987.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 1985
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President should: (1) immediately propose to the Soviet Union a limited mutual and verifiable moratorium on the flight-testing and deployment of new strategic ballistic missiles or the detonation of nuclear explosive devices, or both; and (2) continue to maintain the existing moratorium on the testing of anti-satellite weapons unless the Soviet Union resumes such testing or it refuses to proceed with further negotiations aimed at achieving an agreement on such weapons.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 1985
Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations through FY 1988 for the following programs: (1) project grants and contracts for family planning services; (2) training grants and contracts; and (3) informational and educational materials.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 1985
Agricultural Productivity Act of 1985 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to: (1) make an inventory of existing research and extension materials and recommend further areas of research regarding crop rotation, intercropping, biological pest control, and other related farming and soil conservation systems; and (2) make such information available to the public. Directs the Secretary to conduct research on 24 pilot farms (having specified mixes of livestock and crops) to examine the effects of the transition from practices relying on chemical fertilizers and pesticides and traditional soil tillage to systems relying on organic and biological pest control, crop rotation, and conservation tillage. Requires such farms to be chosen within 140 days. Directs the Secretary to make a parallel study of 24 farms which have been using such farm systems for at least five years. Sets the term of such projects at five years each. Sets forth on-farm study data, including soil profile changes, crop yields, energy and water use, and farm income. Directs the Secretary to make payments to the owner of a pilot farm if the Secretary determines such payments are justified. Stipulates that these payments may be made only during a project's last four years. Directs the Secretary to coordinate such pilot farms project with specified Federal and State agricultural services, colleges, and farmers. Directs the Secretary to report to the appropriate congressional committees: (1) within 15 months regarding the information inventory; and (2) by April 1 of each year regarding the pilot farms, with a final project summary and recommendations by April 1 of the year following completion. Provides for a five-year program of intercropping assistance under the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 1985
Prohibits the obligation of funds during FY 1985 and 1986 for the testing of anti-satellite weapons against objects in space unless the President certifies to the Congress certain findings on actions taken by the Soviet Union.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 1985
National Infrastructure Act - Establishes in the Treasury the National Infrastructure Fund. Authorizes appropriations for each of FY 1986 through 1995. Directs amounts in the Fund to be made available to the Secretary of the Treasury to make interest-free repayable grants to States. Establishes within the Fund a separate account to be known as the Sinking Fund Account for deposits by States of grant obligations. Requires the Secretary to invest amounts in the Account in interest-bearing obligations of the United States. Requires the Secretary to maintain separate records of funds in the Account with respect to each grant made under this Act. Requires the Secretary to report annually to the Congress from FY 1987 through 2016 on the financial condition of the Account. Entitles each State to repayable grants, according to a specified population ratio, for FY 1986 through 1995. Specifies terms for payments to States by the Secretary and repayments by States to the Secretary of such grants. Allows the Secretary to adjust the amount of any payment if deemed necessary. Allows States 20 years for repayment of grants, with adjustments made to the Account for each State at such time. Sets forth qualifications for States receiving such grants, including: (1) a contractual agreement by the State that it will establish an infrastructure revolving fund in its treasury to deposit and maintain records of grants received and make interest-free loans to various departments and agencies within the State; (2) terms and length of repayment; (3) specified uses to which grant funds may be applied; and (4) specified prohibited uses of grant funds. Requires a State to make available to the Secretary and the Comptroller General for inspection such records as either may require. Requires annual independent financial audits of grant-participating States to determine compliance with this Act. Allows States to waive such audit requirement in specified circumstances. Allows the Secretary to waive such audit requirement in certain cases. Requires any audits done to be made available to the public within 30 days after being received by the Secretary. Directs the Comptroller General to review the activities of the Secretary and the States to determine compliance under this Act. Requires a State making an interest-free loan under this Act to hold at least one public hearing on the proposed loan, with adequate notice to the public. Requires the Secretary, before June 2 of each year ending before January 1, 1997, to report to the Congress on: (1) the status and operation of the Fund during the prior fiscal year; (2) the amounts made available for each such purpose during the prior fiscal year; and (3) the administration of this Act. Requires, at the end of each fiscal year for which repayable grants are made under this Act, each State government receiving such a grant to submit a report to the Secretary on the amount, purposes, and uses of such grant. Requires the Secretary to determine population (used as a statistic in awarding grants) on the same basis that the Secretary of Commerce determines resident population for general statistical purposes. Requires the Secretary to use population estimates provided by the Secretary of Commerce to determine amounts of repayable grants for each fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 1985
Child-Care Standards Improvement Act of 1985 - Amends title XX (Block Grants to States for Services) of the Social Security Act to require the Governor of each State, as a condition of the State's eligibility for receiving title XX Federal payments, to establish or designate a State Advisory Committee on Child-Care Standards which shall: (1) examine, investigate, and study the State's laws, regulations, and procedures for licensing, regulating, and monitoring child-care services and programs within the State; and (2) prepare a report outlining the committee's findings and recommendations, including a description of the current status of child-care licensing, regulating, or monitoring within the State to be submitted to each State's Governor for transmittal, along with the Governor's comments, to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Establishes a National Advisory Committee on Child-Care Standards in order to assist and provide guidance to the States in improving the quality of child-care services. Requires each State Advisory Committee and the National Advisory Committee to review the options for child-care standards published by the Department of Health and Human Services in January 1985 and the final 1980 HEW Day Care Regulations. Directs the National Advisory Committee to issue recommended standards for child-care programs, after first publishing proposed standards and receiving comments. Terminates the National Advisory Committee 90 days after the publication of the final recommended standards. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 through 1988 for grants to States to carry out their plans for correcting the deficiencies in or improving the licensing, regulating, or monitoring of child-care programs. Requires each State, in order to receive a grant, to submit a plan to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out the recommendations contained in its report.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 1985
School-Based Child Care Act - Amends the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981 to add new chapter 3 provisions for school-based child care and early childhood education demonstration projects. (Redesignates the current chapter 3 provisions as chapter 4.) Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 through 1990 for such projects in the public schools to increase the availability of child care and early childhood education services for children aged four and five, particularly those from low-income families. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to pay the Federal share of the cost of establishing and supplementing child care services and early childhood education for four- and five-year-old children in the elementary and secondary schools of such LEAs. Permits such child care services and early childhood education to include: (1) the extension of half-day kindergarten to meet the needs of working parents; (2) services for four-year-old children which shall be available for the full working day throughout the calendar year using public elementary or secondary school facilities; and (3) arrangements to furnish part-day care for children to complement half-day school-based kindergarten or early childhood education programs furnished in elementary schools. Allows LEAs receiving such assistance to enter into contracts for such services with public agencies and nonprofit private organizations which: (1) represent significant portions of the community to be served; and (2) have experience furnishing child care services. Sets forth provisions for grant applications and approval. Requires LEA applications to be reviewed by the appropriate State educational agency (SEA) before submission to the Secretary. Requires assurances that project participants will receive the services free of charge for children from families with incomes less than 150 percent of the poverty level. Requires a sliding scale of fees dependent upon the family's income for other participants. Requires a description of measures which the LEA will take to encourage the equitable participation of handicapped and severely handicapped children in such projects. Requires projects to meet specified minimum standards and to encourage parent involvement in project design and operation. Requires specified assurances as to the non-Federal share of such project costs. Requires establishment of community advisory panels. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish objective criteria for application approval; (2) ensure adequate distribution of such grants; and (3) give preference to applications which propose projects serving a significant portion of children from low-income families and projects furnishing services for the entire workday. Allows such grants to be made for a period of five fiscal years, but requires annual reevaluation to ensure that project goals and objectives have been met. Directs the Secretary, upon finding that an LEA is not making progress toward meeting its project goals and objectives, to discontinue its grant, after notice and opportunity for a hearing. Limits the maximum Federal share of project costs to: (1) 75 percent in the first year; (2) 60 percent in the second year; and (3) 40 percent in the third, fourth, and fifth years. Sets forth annual reporting requirements for LEAs receiving such project grants. Directs the Secretary, by September 30, 1989, to report to the Congress and the President on the basis of such annual LEA reports and an independent evaluation of such projects. Limits the amount of funds which may be used for such evaluation.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 1985
Child Development Associate Scholarship Assistance Act of 1985 - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make a grant for any fiscal year to any State receiving a grant under title XX (Grants to States for Services) of the Social Security Act to enable the State to award scholarships to eligible individuals within the State who are candidates for the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential. Sets forth requirements for State applications for such grants and for distribution of such grants throughout the Nation. Defines "eligible individual" as a candidate for the CDA credential whose income does not exceed a specified poverty line by more than 50 percent. Requires States receiving such grants to submit specified program information to the Secretary annually. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 and succeeding fiscal years.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 1985
Dependent Care Grants Act Amendments of 1985 - Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 to revise provisions added by subchapter D (State Grants for Dependent Care Planning and Development of Dependent Care Programs and for Other Purposes) of the Human Services Reauthorization Act. Raises the amount of appropriations authorized for FY 1986 for such grants to States for planning and development of dependent care programs. Extends the authorization of appropriations for such grants through FY 1989. Adds provisions relating to reallotment of such grants program funds among States. Requires that resource and referral systems funded through such grants provide information designed to improve the ability of parents and guardians to make an informed selection of available dependent care services. Eliminates prohibitions against State use of such grants to: (1) pay the costs of operation of any resource or referral system or any before or after school child care program established, expanded, or improved through such grants; or (2) subsidize the direct provision of dependent care services, including child care services. Eliminates the prohibition against the Federal share of any project supported under such grants program from exceeding 75 percent. Extends until September 30, 1989, the requirement for revision, as necessary, of the State's description of the intended use of such grants. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out a program of collecting data from recipients of assistance under such grants program designed to provide a national needs assessment for child care services of school-age children, including data on the number of children served, the number awaiting care, the income distribution of families, and the percentage of families requiring reduced or waived fees. Revises reporting requirements. Directs the Secretary to report, within 160 days after the end of each fiscal year, to specified congressional committees on activities under such grants program, together with a needs assessment of the availability of, and need for Federal support of, child care services for school-age children in each State. Entitles the subchapter D grants program the "Dependent Care Grants Act."
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 1985
Family Day Care Provider Assistance Act of 1985 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make payments to States for grants for community-based nonprofit organizations to furnish support services and assistance for family day care providers. Includes among such services and assistance: (1) training for such providers; (2) resource centers to make developmentally appropriate curriculum materials; (3) systems of substitute caregivers; (4) technical assistance in understanding local regulations and relevant tax and other policies; and (5) subgrants to providers for the purchase of small equipment. Requires that grant recipients furnish, or propose to furnish, such support primarily to providers serving low-income families. Directs the Secretary to establish a National Resource Center on Family Day Care, to be operated on a regional basis, either directly or through grant or contract. Includes among Center functions: (1) training individuals involved in training family day care providers; (2) serving as a clearinghouse for resource materials on family day care; and (3) providing technical assistance to family day care sponsors, providers, and trainers of providers with respect to relevant laws and regulations. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 and succeeding fiscal years for: (1) the National Resource Center on Family Day Care; and (2) payments to States under this Act, with such payments to be allocated among States in the same ratio as payments under title XX (Grants to States for Services) of the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 1985
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President should: (1) be commended for his efforts to negotiate a multilateral agreement banning chemical weapons; (2) continue to pursue such an agreement; and (3) seek the continuation and the development of bilateral discussions between the United States and the Soviet Union to achieve a verifiable ban on chemical weapons.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 1985
National Endowment for the Homeless Act - Authorizes the establishment of a nonprofit corporation to be known as the National Endowment for the Homeless. States the purposes of the Endowment to be to: (1) provide shelter, food, and supportive services for the homeless; (2) promote greater cooperation between the public and private sectors in providing services for the homeless; and (3) provide funds for innovative local programs for the homeless. States that the Endowment may only fund programs undertaken by nonprofit organizations and units of local government, and that such assistance shall be in addition to, rather than a substitute for, financial support otherwise available for the homeless. Sets forth grant distribution and operating provisions. Establishes within the Endowment a National Council of Shelter, Food, and Service Providers. Requires an annual report to the President for transmittal to the Congress. Authorizes FY 1986 through 1988 appropriations, including additional matching amounts.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1985
Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide coverage for outpatient occupational therapy services.
![Official portrait of Sen. Hart, Gary W. [D-CO]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/h000287_200.jpg)