United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1979
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Standby Conservation Plan No. 1 (relating to weekend gasoline sales restrictions), as amended, not be approved and that the President submit alternative conservation plans to the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1979
Voluntary Broadened Stock Ownership, Job Preservation, and Community Stabilization Act - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to conduct a continuing investigation to identify those industrial, manufacturing, business, agricultural, and service organizations which are in danger of ceasing operation or of outmigration and whose closing or relocation would result in substantial unemployment and economic dislocation in the community. Directs the Secretary to conduct a similar program where a concern is available for purchase and the employees, or the employees and the community, wish to acquire it through certain forms of ownership and control. Directs the Economic Development Administration (EDA), with the approval of the Secretary, to provide loans for technical assistance and loan guarantees for startup and operating costs to an employee or employee-community corporation which meets certain requirements in order that it may assume ownership and operation of an organization so identified. Conditions loans upon, among other factors: (1) certification that the corporation will allow new employees to participate and will adopt a method for acquisition of stock of persons no longer associated with the organization for the purpose of making it available to all employees on a nondiscriminatory basis; and (2) compliance with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954. Directs the EDA, with the approval of the Secretary, to authorize guarantees of loans to approved employee organizations or employee-community organizations to provide equity funding for the purchase of the concern. Permits such organizations to adopt any ownership form they choose, provided that: (1) all employees of the concern will be offered an opportunity to participate in the ownership plan; and (2) employees subject to a collective bargaining agreement will be included in such an offering, unless the representing union waives, in writing, such participation. Provides for nondiscrimination in the programs funded by this Act. Amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 to allow: (1) greater employer contributions for certain purposes to employee stock ownership plans; and (2) residents of a political subdivision of a State to participate in a particular general stock ownership corporation if such distinction is warranted by such corporation's business and is nondiscriminatory.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 1979
Establishes a Commission on the International Application of Antitrust Laws. Charges such Commission with examining the international aspects of United States antitrust laws and related statutes, court rules and administrative procedures, and with making recommendations to the President and to the Congress on the results of such study. Directs the President to appoint the 18 member Commission from the executive branch, the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the private sector. Sets forth the organization and compensation of members and the powers of the Commission. Stipulates that any formal recommendation made by the Commission to the President and to the Congress must have the majority vote of the Commission as present and voting. Requires the Commission to submit its final report within one year after its first meeting. Terminates the Commission 60 days after it submits the report to the Congress. Authorizes appropriations as may be necessary to carry out the activities of the Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1979
Authorizes and requests the President to designate the week of January 21 through January 27, 1979, as "Junior Achievement Week" in honor of the sixtieth anniversary of Junior Achievement, an organization dedicated to the American enterprise system and service to youth.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1979
Declares that Zimbabwe Rhodesia has: (1) demonstrated its willingness to negotiate in good faith at an all parties conference; and (2) approved through elections transferring power to a black majority government. Expresses the sense of Congress that the President: (1) should determine that Zimbabwe Rhodesia is in substantial compliance with the International Security Assistance Act of 1978; and (2) should not enforce sanctions against Zimbabwe Rhodesia.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 1979
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to permit the National Committee of American Airmen Rescued by General Mihailovich to construct a monument to General Mihailovich on Federal public land within the District of Columbia or its environs.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 1979
Amends the Federal law designating Benjamin Franklin National Memorial, Pennsylvania, to authorize appropriations for renovating such Memorial. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to enter into agreements to provide for the renovation, maintenance, and operation of such Memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 1979
Designates the year 1979 as the "Food for Peace Year" to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the enactment of the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 1979
Local Energy Management Act of 1979 - Title I: Findings, Declarations of Purpose, and Definitions - Declares that the purposes of this Act are: (1) to establish a demonstration grant program applicable to localities proposing to implement energy conservation and renewable energy resource development programs; (2) to establish a local energy reference center to disseminate information on such programs; and (3) to establish a technical assistance panels program to facilitate information sharing on such programs between localities. Title II: Program Administration - Directs the Secretary of Energy to carry out the provisions of this Act and to report annually to the Congress on activities of the programs established under this Act. Requires the Secretary to consult and cooperate with appropriate Federal and other public and private agencies to provide a coordinated approach to the programs established under this Act. Title III: Demonstration Grant Program - Authorizes the Secretary to make nonrenewable grants to localities for the development of management programs designed to promote energy conservation and the development of renewable resources. Sets forth application and other procedures for such grant program. Title IV: Local Energy Reference Center - Directs the Secretary to establish a local energy reference center to serve as a data bank and information center for localities. Title V: Technical Assistance Panels Program - Directs the Secretary to establish a technical assistance panels program to provide technical information and assistance to localities on energy conservation and development of renewable energy resources. Title VI: Authorization of Appropriations - Authorizes the appropriation of $8,000,000 for fiscal year 1980, $10,000,000 for fiscal year 1981, and $12,000,000 for fiscal year 1982 to carry out the purposes of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 1979
Amends the Rural Development Act of 1972 to extend the authorization of appropriations (at the current level, $20,000,000 per fiscal year) through fiscal year 1982 for rural development and small farm research and extension programs.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 1979
Federal Assistance Reform and Small Community Act of 1979 - Defines a "small community" as used in this Act as a local government which has a population of less than 50,000. Title I: Standardization of Requirements Generally Applicable to Federal Assistance - Adds a new title to the Intergovernmental Cooperation Act of 1968. Directs the President to designate Federal agencies to establish standardized requirements which condition Federal assistance in the areas of: (1) labor practices; (2) public employee standards; (3) equal employment opportunity; (4) equal services; (5) access to Government information; (6) citizen participation; (7) environmental protection; (8) relocation; (9) real property acquisition; and (10) procurement standards. Requires such requirements to be submitted for review by the President and published for comment in the Federal Register. Requires each designated agency to issue final requirements not later than one year following enactment of this title. Directs Federal departments and agencies to conform their program requirements with such standard requirements within 180 days after such standard requirements are issued. Requires that each designated agency: (1) secure compliance with such requirements by State and local governments; (2) monitor affected Federal agencies; and (3) report annually to the President and Congress on the standardization process. Directs the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (hereinafter referred to as the "Director") to oversee the administration of this title. Title II: Consolidation of Federal Assistance Programs - Directs the President to: (1) examine Federal assistance programs; and (2) prepare and transmit to Congress a plan for consolidating functionally related programs upon determining that such consolidation would improve the administration or efficiency of such programs. Requires that such a plan: (1) designate one agency to administer a consolidated program; (2) expire no later than six years after becoming effective; and (3) be transmitted to Congress before December 31, 1984. States that any such plan shall become effective upon approval by the President of a congressional resolution approving such plan. Sets forth House and Senate procedure for considering such a resolution. Title III: Financial Management and Audit of Federal Assistance Programs - Requires the Director to establish standard accounting, auditing, and financial management procedures to be used by all Federal agencies in the administration of Federal assistance to State and local governments. Requires an independent audit of State and local governments receiving Federal assistance to be conducted at least once every two years to determine whether such governments are: (1) conducting their financial operations properly; and (2) using Federal funds for intended purposes. Stipulates that any such government which receives less than $50,000 per year in Federal assistance shall be subjected to such an audit at least once every five years but not more than once every three years. Permits such governments to assume responsibility for such audits. Makes the Federal Government responsible for other specified audits. Directs the Director to establish a quality review process to assure the proper performance of audits. Requires the Federal Government to reimburse State and local governments for the costs of conducting audits for the Federal Government. Title IV: Advance Appropriations - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, and the Budget and Accounting Act, 1921 to establish procedures for multi- year funding of Federal assistance programs. Title V: Advisory Committee on Intergovernmental Relations - Increases from 26 to 29 the membership of the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations. Stipulates that such additional members shall be three elected officials from small communities. Title VI: Set-Asides for Small Communities - States that at least ten percent of the funds available for making grants to local governments under Federal assistance programs shall be available only for making grants to small communities. Requires the head of each agency which makes grants to local governments to report to Congress the amount of such grants made to small communities. Title VII: Option for Small Communities to Receive Payments in lieu of Grants - Authorizes any small community which has received grants under Federal assistance programs for two fiscal years to elect to receive cash payments in lieu of such grants during a fiscal year. States that the payments shall be equal to 90 percent of such averaged grants, and shall be subject to the terms and conditions for payments under the State and Local Fiscal Assistance Act of 1972. Title VIII: Waiver of Regulations - Permits the Director, after consulting with the head of the affected agency, to waive any agency rule which conditions Federal assistance to State and local governments. Title IX: Authorizations of Appropriations - Authorizes the appropriation of such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 1979
Constitutional Amendment - Limits the increase of total budget outlays of the United States Government during any fiscal year to a percentage equal to the percentage increase in the gross national product during the previous calendar year. Stipulates that if the inflation rate exceeds three percent annually the increase in total outlays shall be reduced by one-fourth the difference between the inflation rate and three percent. Requires any surplus in total revenues received by the Government to be used to reduce the public debt. Allows the limit on total outlays to be changed by a three-quarters vote of both Houses of Congress, or to meet an emergency declared by the President. Continues Federal aid programs to States and local governments for a period of six years. Prohibits Congress from authorizing any United States agency to require that a State or local government engage in additional or expanded activities without compensation equal to the additional costs.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 1979
Export Trade Association Act of 1979 - Amends the Webb-Pomerene Act to exempt certified export trade associations from the antitrust laws. Authorizes Federal agencies to enforce only the provisions regarding such associations. Permits third parties to file petitions requesting enforcement action with the Secretary of Commerce. Limits the prohibition against unfair methods of competition to domestic competitors engaged in export trade. Sets forth the procedure for obtaining certification as an organization engaged solely in export trade. Provides for appeal of the Secretary's denial of certification. Requires the Secretary, the Attorney General, and the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission to publish guidelines for determining whether an association will meet the certification requirements. Requires certified associations to submit annual reports to the Secretary. Directs the Secretary to establish within the Department of Commerce an office to promote export trade associations. Provides for automatic certification of existing associations. Stipulates that all applications for certification be kept confidential with specified exceptions. Authorizes the Secretary to require an association to modify its operation to be consistent with international obligations of the United States. Directs the President to appoint, with the Senate's advice and consent, a task force seven years after enactment to examine the effect of this Act and to make recommendations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 1979
Emergency Highway Repair Act of 1979 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to enter into a contract with any State to allow such State to use a portion of its unobligated Federal-aid highway apportionments for fiscal year 1979 to repair Federal-aid highways in such State which were damaged as a result of the severe weather in the winter of 1978-1979.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 1979
Amends the GI Bill Improvement Act of 1977 to: (1) eliminate the requirement that States have a program of matching the Federal amounts of veterans' accelerated educational assistance payments in order for a veteran to receive such accelerated payments; (2) revise application filing deadlines for such accelerated payments; and (3) increase from 33 1/3 percent to 66 2/3 percent the maximum rate at which such accelerated payments may be reimbursed by the Federal Government.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 1979
Eliminates restrictions and conditions on the appointment of female pages in the Senate that require Senators to be responsible for: (1) the safe transportation of the female page between the Senate and the page's place of local abode; and (2) the safety, well- being, and strict supervision of such page while she is in her place of local abode.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 1979
Agricultural Land Protection Act - Title I: Federal Agency Compliance - Requires the interpretation and administration of the policies, regulations, and public laws of the United States in accordance with a recognition of the rights and responsibilities of private landholders in making land use decisions, and the rights and responsibilities of State and local governments in developing public policies regarding non-Federal land use. Directs Federal agencies to consider the retention of agricultural land for agricultural purposes when they make decisions which impact directly or indirectly on private, and State and local government public land, as well as on Federal land. Requires all such Federal agencies to review their administrative procedures, especially those regarding land acquisition and management, in order to bring them into conformity with the policies and purposes of this title. Title II: Farmland Review Study - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to study: (1) agricultural land in the United States; (2) the effects of industrial development, climate, and other factors on the productivity of such land; (3) the acquisition of such land by persons not engaged in agricultural activities; and (4) methods of protecting and improving such land, and of reducing the amount being converted to nonagricultural uses. Requires a final report of findings, conclusions, and recommendations to the President and to Congress within 42 months after the effective date of this Act. Title III: Research Program - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture, during a three-year period, to provide financial and technical assistance to States and local governments for the development, demonstration, and testing of methods of reducing the quantity of agricultural land (including such land in and around urban areas) being converted from agricultural uses to nonagricultural uses. Limits such financial assistance to not more than 25 percent of the cost of preparing, establishing, demonstrating, conducting, and testing three such reduction projects. Title IV: Technical Assistance Program - Directs the Secretary, through the Soil Conservation Service, to provide State and local governments with: (1) technical assistance concerning methods of protecting agricultural land and reducing its conversion to nonagricultural uses; and (2) financial assistance (not to exceed 25 percent of costs) to enable such governments to develop plans to implement such methods. Title V: General Provisions - Authorizes specified appropriations for fiscal years 1980 through 1983.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1979
Export Administration Act of 1979 - Authorizes the President to prohibit or curtail the export of goods and technology to the extent necessary. Stipulates that U.S. policy concerning the administration of export controls for national security purposes shall not be based exclusively on a country's Communist or non-Communist status, but shall take into account various factors. Directs the President to review annually U.S. policy towards individual countries and to report the results to Congress. Authorizes export controls on goods and technology which would make a significant contribution to the military potential of any nation threatening U.S. national security. Directs the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, to review such controls annually to insure that export controls are limited to militarily critical goods and technologies. Sets forth the factors to be taken into consideration by the President before imposing export controls. Requires the President to report to Congress concerning the imposition or extension of export controls. Prohibits export controls of goods and technology available outside the United States, unless the absence of such controls would be detrimental to U.S. foreign policy or national security. Directs the President to take steps to negotiate with the appropriate foreign countries to eliminate such availability. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to reorganize the Department of Commerce as necessary. Requires the Secretary to maintain and review a list of goods and technology subject to export controls. Requires the Secretary to establish an Office of Foreign Product and Technology Assessment to gather information on the foreign availability of such goods. Requires the Secretary to keep the public informed of export control policy and procedures. Directs the Secretary to establish validated, qualified general, and general licenses. Sets forth procedures for export license applications. Establishes an Export Administration Board and an Export Administration Review Council composed of the Secretaries of Commerce, Defense, and State and their designated representatives to review export license applications. Provides for review of proposed exports by the appropriate department or agency. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to monitor the export of goods which may contribute to an increase in domestic prices or a domestic shortage. Authorizes the President to impose export license fees in order to protect the domestic economy. Prohibits the exporting of domestically produced crude oil unless specified requirements are met. Prohibits controlling the exports of agricultural commodities without the approval of the Secretary of Agriculture. Directs the President to prohibit compliance with or support of any foreign boycott against a country which is friendly to the United States, with specified exceptions. Requires people receiving a request for compliance with such a boycott to report such request to the Secretary of Commerce. Permits domestic manufacturers or business operators to petition the Secretary of Commerce for an exemption from export controls to alleviate any unique hardship. Sets forth the procedure for such petitions. Directs departments and agencies making determinations as to export controls to consult and cooperate with other departments. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to appoint technical advisory committees to assist in evaluating certain goods and technology which are subject to export controls because of their significance to U.S. national security. Provides criminal and civil penalties for violations of this Act. Authorizes the head of any department or agency exercising any function under this Act or the Export Control Act of 1949 to make such investigations as are necessary. Prohibits the disclosure of confidential information. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to review and report to Congress concerning the simplification of rules and regulations issued under this Act. Exempts this Act from specified provisions concerning administrative procedure and judicial review. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to report annually to Congress concerning the administration of this Act. Authorizes appropriations through fiscal year 1980. Stipulates that this Act shall become effective on the expiration of the Export Administration Act of 1969. Provides for the continuation of rules and other administrative action under such Act to remain effective.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1979
Requires States under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to establish mechanized claims processing and information retrieval systems in order to increase the efficiency of the administration of a State's medicaid plan and prevent medicaid fraud and abuse. Penalizes States which do not establish such systems by reducing specified medicaid payments. Waives the provisions of this Act with respect to States which would not significantly benefit from the implementation of such system.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 1979
Regional Energy Development Act of 1979 - Chapter I: Introductory - Declares that energy shortages and the high cost of energy have created economic hardships in the Northeastern States, which would especially benefit from regional cooperation with the United States through an entity capable of financing and otherwise promoting increased energy supply and energy conservation. Defines "Northeastern States" as Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. Chapter II: Organization, Management, Powers - Authorizes the creation of a corporation for profit, not an agency or establishment of the United States, to be known as the Energy Corporation of the Northeast. Directs the President to appoint incorporators who reside in the Northeastern States to serve as the initial Board of Directors of the Corporation, and to take whatever actions are necessary to establish the Corporation. Stipulates that a Northeastern State shall become a member of the Corporation when such State subscribes for State stock, contributes initial capital in the amount of $1 per capita, and enacts supporting legislation. Allows the Corporation to become operational if at least three States become members before December 31, 1978. Authorizes States that are contiguous to members to join the Corporation in the same manner. Authorizes the Corporation to participate in joint ventures with public or private groups and to operate through subsidiaries. Requires the Corporation to submit annual reports and audits to the President, Congress, Governors and legislatures of Member States. Directs the Governors, on a rotating basis, to designate independent persons to evaluate the performance of the Corporation every two years. Chapter III: Projects and Programs of the Corporation - Authorizes the Corporation to participate in financing any project related to solving the energy needs of the Northeast. Allows the Corporation to assist projects by providing capital, in the form of equity, debt, grant, or otherwise. Stipulates that before any financial assistance is provided, the Board of Directors of the Corporation must find that: (1) the project is expected to have a beneficial impact on the energy problems of the region; (2) the investment together with other Corporation activities will not materially impair the credit of the Corporation; (3) private capital is unavailable or insufficient; and (4) unless this limitation is specially waived, the Corporation will not operate the project on a continuing basis or invest more than 50 percent of the total cost. Authorizes rejection of each project by the Governor of the Member State in which it is located. Charges the Board with reviewing periodically the allocation of Corporation resources among the Member States to assure a measure of equity in the distribution of benefits. Limits the Corporation's investment in any one project to the greater of ten percent of its borrowing authority or $200,000,000. Chapter IV: Financing - Stipulates that capital subscriptions from the States ($1 per capita initial contribution) and private investors shall determine the borrowing authority of the Corporation according to a formula of $15 borrowing backed by Federal guarantees for each $1 capital contribution. Authorizes the contribution of additional capital by the States after the initial subscription. Authorizes the issuance of capital securities to States and private investors in a form determined by the Board. Permits the Corporation to issue its own obligations which shall be general obligations payable out of any revenues. Prohibits the Corporation from pledging the credit of the United States or the credit of Member States. Chapter V: Guarantee of Obligations - Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to guarantee obligations of the Corporation. Stipulates that such obligations are not tax exempt. Prohibits purchase of such obligations by the United States. Establishes an administrative expense fund in the U.S. Treasury to provide for the administrative expense payments with respect to guaranteed obligations. Chapter VI: State Legislation - Requires Member States, upon joining the Corporation, to enact legislation: (1) assuring decisions within 90 days of application on request for permits required for Corporation projects; (2) exempting the property, income, and operations of the Corporation from State and local taxation; and (3) specifying that insofar as the provisions of any State, general, special, or local law may be inconsistent with this Act, the provisions of this Act and the legislation enacted under this Chapter are controlling. Chapter VII: Miscellaneous - Specifies terms of construction and separability of the provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1979
Amends title VII of the Public Health Service Act (Health Research and Teaching Facilities and Training of Professional Health Personnel) to authorize the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to make grants to schools of medicine and osteopathy for the establishment and operation of educational programs in geriatrics.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 1979
States that the total funds which the executive branch may obligate for the travel and transportation expenses of its officers and employees during fiscal year 1980 shall not exceed an amount which is $500,000,000 less than the amount proposed therefor in the Budget of the United States for such fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 1979
Rural Development Policy and Coordination Act of 1979 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish and maintain a rural development policy management process involving local and State governments and all executive branch departments and agencies and major private sector institutions having policies and programs affecting the quality of life in rural areas. Requires such process to include information collection and long-range and short-range goal and strategy formulation. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress, beginning in 1981 and every five years thereafter, an appraisal of rural conditions, needs, problems and opportunities in the United States. Requires a biennial report to Congress on progress toward attaining national rural development goals. Authorizes annual appropriations not to exceed $3,000,000 to develop such policy management process. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants, not to exceed $20,000,000 annually, to State planning bodies to assist in establishing and maintaining such process.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1979
Excludes civilian personnel engaged in industrially funded activities from the computation of the authorized end strength for civilian personnel within the Department of Defense.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1979
Amends the Health Programs Extension Act of 1973 to prohibit any entity which receives financial assistance under the Public Health Service Act, the Community Mental Health Centers Act, or the Developmental Disabilities Services and Facilities Construction Act from discriminating against any applicant for training or study because of such applicant's reluctance or unwillingness to counsel, assist, or in any way participate in the performance of abortions or sterilizations contrary to his or her religious beliefs or moral convictions.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1979
Expresses the gratitude of the Senate upon the retirement of the Honorable Clarence M. Mitchell, Junior, as chief legislative spokesman for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and for his contributions to the establishment of justice and equality in America.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1979
Prohibits the procurement with Federal funds of materials or articles from: (1) foreign countries which are not parties to international agreements prescribing a code for procurement by governments; or (2) countries in violation of such code.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 1979
Jobs Creation Act of 1979 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit depreciation of tangible personal property with a basis of less than $100,000 on a 36 month basis under the straight line method.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 1979
Amends title II of the Mental Retardation Facilities and Community Mental Health Centers Construction Act of 1963 (Community Mental Health Centers) to direct the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, acting through the National Center for the Prevention and Control of Rape, to provide financial and technical assistance to State and local government agencies and nonprofit organizations for rape prevention and treatment services, including training programs in counseling techniques, direct treatment, community education, transportation costs, self-help programs, telephone systems, emergency shelter programs, and demonstration projects.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 1979
Elderly and Handicapped Housing Act of 1979 - Amends the Housing Act of 1959 to increase the debt limitation to $5,760,000,000 by October 1, 1981, on obligations issued by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in order to finance the loan program for housing and related facilities for the elderly and handicapped. Authorizes the Secretary to consider, in reviewing loan applications under such Act, the extent to which a project will: (1) stabilize or revitalize a community; (2) serve as relocation housing for displaced elderly and handicapped families; and (3) economically rehabilitate structures with architectural, historical, or cultural significance. Directs the Secretary to provide technical assistance to inexperienced applicants, particularly members of minorities, in order to enable them to more fully participate in the loan program. Requires the Secretary to adjust the amount of monthly assistance payments, authorized by the United States Housing Act of 1937, extended to a project receiving a loan, to reflect any change in the interest rate between the date such assistance was reserved and the date of settlement on permanent financing for the project. Requires the Secretary to transmit a report to the Congress on means to reduce the costs of the loan program without unduly burdening sponsors or reducing its effectiveness.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 1979
Congressional Anti-Gerrymandering Act of 1979 - Specifies that each State entitled to more than one Representative in the 98th or any subsequent Congress shall establish a five-member redistricting commission. Directs such commission to establish a number of districts equal to the number of Representatives to which that State is entitled. Declares that no district shall differ by more than two percent from the quotient obtained by dividing the population of a State by the number of Representatives to which such State is entitled. Prohibits the drawing of district boundaries for the purpose of diluting the voting strength of any language minority group or of any racial minority group. Requires such commission to conduct public hearings with respect to the boundaries of districts and prepare and submit to the Federal Election Commission a plan for redistricting to be published in the Federal Register. Sets forth judicial procedures to insure compliance with this Act. Authorizes the Federal Election Commission to administer and distribute funds to each State for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 1979
Farm Entry Assistance Act - Title I: States the findings of Congress, and the purposes of this Act. Title II: Establishment of Farm Entry Assistance Program - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a program to provide financial assistance to individuals who are seeking to establish and operate full-time family farms. Prescribes the general criteria for State programs. Title III: Application for the Program - Limits qualification for such assistance to applicants who: (1) are seeking to operate a family farm; (2) are entering farming on a full-time basis for the first time during the ten years prior to the date of application; (3) have been denied credit on reasonable terms from a commercial source and the Farmers Home Administration, and could not obtain credit without the program's assistance; (4) demonstrate they are qualified to operate a family farm on a full-time basis; and (5) have net worths of less than $75,000 in 1979 dollars. Title IV: Federal Assistance to Applicants through State Agencies - Directs the Secretary to make available to qualified applicants guarantees of not more than 90 percent of the principal and interest of certain loans, not more than 90 percent of payments due under certain leases or contracts. Subjects to the specified guidelines of this program: (1) loans for the purchase of farmland, for operating purposes, or for both; (2) payments on a land purchase contract with a ten-year repayment period; and (3) payments on leases of not more than ten years. Requires the availability of guarantees for other State programs consistent with specified requirements. Prescribes the general procedures the Secretary is to follow in the event of defaults by any beneficiary on such guaranteed loans, contract obligations, or leases. Title V: Funding - Directs the Secretary to make available not more than $400,000,000 in guarantees for each of the four fiscal years following the first fiscal year commencing at least one year after enactment. Prescribes a general allocation formula for distribution of such guarantees among participating States. Creates a Farm Entry Assistance Fund for the discharge of the obligations of the Secretary under contracts guaranteeing loans or leases under this Act. Title VI: Reports - Requires the Secretary to report annually on the operation of the program to the appropriate committees of Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1979
Declares the sense of Congress that the President shall take steps to: (1) call upon the Soviet Union to permit the resurrection of the Ukrainian Orthodox and Catholic Churches; (2) contact the officials of the Soviet Union to secure freedom of worship in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe; and (3) raise the question of Stalin's liquidation of such churches with national and international religious councils.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1979
Buy American Act of 1979 - Establishes a preference for domestic goods in government procurement. Requires that domestic articles and materials be purchased for: (1) procurements by Federal agencies and procurements funded at least 50 percent by Federal funds; and (2) the construction of any public building or public work which is financed at least 50 percent by Federal funds. (Defines "domestic article" for purposes of this Act to be any article of which 75 percent of the delivered price is attributable to U.S. sources.) Allows for exceptions to such preference if the domestic product can not be obtained in sufficient quantity or quality, or if the cost of such product is excessive. Extends the preference for domestic goods to subcontracts which form ten percent or more of the total delivered price of the procured product. Stipulates that the procurement preferences provided for in this Act shall not apply to the procurement of goods to be used outside the United States, or for purchases inconsistent with the public interest. Requires the Administrator of Federal Procurement Policy to issue regulations which state that the cost of domestic products is excessive if such cost exceeds the cost of similar foreign products plus a differential reflecting the economic benefits to the United States of purchasing domestic products. Requires a contractor supplying foreign products for government procurements to certify that he has written assurance from any foreign supplier that such foreign products are not being supplied at below the production cost, and that such foreign supplier is not in violation of United States antitrust laws. Provides that a contractor falsely certifying shall be barred from participating in any government procurements for three years. Prohibits awarding a Federal contract to a person whose bid includes the procurement of foreign products: (1) unless specified procedures are followed to enable a domestic product supplier to challenge such bid; and (2) if such person is found to have violated specified provisions if the Anti-dumping Act, the Tariff Act of 1930, or the Trade Act of 1974.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1979
Product Liability Partial Self-Insurance Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a deduction to any business enterprise engaged in the manufacture, importation, distribution, lease, or sale of any product for contributions to its product liability trust account and for amounts paid to a captive insurer (wholly or partially-owned by the taxpayer) for product liability insurance. Specifies the amount a taxpayer may deduct, based upon the ability of such taxpayer to obtain insurance through conventional channels. Disallows any deductions for product liability losses which do not exceed the sum of the total trust funds in the taxpayer's account at the beginning of the taxable year plus the amount of deductible payments made by the taxpayer to the account during such year. Imposes penalties for the improper use of product liability reserve funds. Treats amounts accumulated in the taxpayer's product liability trust account as amounts accumulated for reasonably anticipated business needs, for purposes of avoiding the accumulated earnings tax.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 1979
Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to require the administering authority to include within any investigation of bounties or grants being paid or bestowed on exports into the United States any newly discovered evidence of other such bounties or grants. Requires the administering authority to make a final determination as to bounties or grants within six months (instead of 12 months). Directs the administering authority to suspend liquidation of imported goods when there has been a preliminary determination of bounties or grants pending the final determination. Requires the International Trade Commission to determine within four months whether bounties or grants which are being paid or bestowed on duty-free goods are harmful to U.S. industry. Sets forth criteria to guide the Commission in making such determination. Stipulates that any countervailing duties imposed shall be equal to the amount of the bounty or grant (instead of the net amount). Directs the administering authority to determine the amount of bounties or grants paid or bestowed in connection with start-up or expansion activities based on the foreign amortization period. Requires the administering authority to publish the reasons for and verification of any determination concerning bounties or grants. Requires the administering authority to make semi-annual reports on foreign practices which may constitute a bounty or grant. Gives interested parties to bounty or grant investigations access to otherwise confidential information. Directs the Commission to review a prior affirmative determination of injury, upon application by an importer, and determine whether such injury is likely to recur. Permits labor organizations and trade associations (in addition to manufacturers, producers, and wholesalers as currently provided), to petition the administering authority concerning import duties. Allows interested parties to contest the amount of duties to be assessed. Revises the time periods for publication and judicial review. Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to direct the Special Representative for Trade Negotiations, upon receiving information that a foreign country or instrumentality is engaged in an unfair trade practice with respect to certain goods to: (1) inquire into such practice; and (2) investigate such practice if good cause exists. Requires the Special Representative to provide for appropriate public hearings and to make public any final recommendation concerning the need for action against unfair trade practices. Requires the President to take the recommended action unless such action is contrary to U.S. interests. Permits interested parties to request information from the government concerning foreign subsidy practices.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 1979
Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1979 - Amends Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (the Fair Housing Act) to exempt only the renting of space within a single family dwelling unit by the occupant of such unit to any other person from the prohibitions against discrimination in the sale or rental of housing. Prohibits insurers against hazards from discriminating in housing insurance contracts. Includes the handicapped within the groups that may not be discriminated against in housing. Prohibits discrimination in housing finance because of the national origins of people residing in the vicinity of the dwelling involved. Prohibits discrimination in the buying of debts secured by real property. Includes Federal agencies having regulatory authority over financial institutions within the administrative authority of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Revises the procedures for enforcing the fair housing antidiscrimination provisions of the Act. Permits the Secretary of enforce the provisions upon receiving a charge filed by an aggrieved party within one year after the alleged discrimination occurred or upon the Secretary's initiative. Permits the Secretary to refer charges to certified State or local agencies for action. Directs the Secretary and other Federal agencies to cooperate and avoid duplication of their efforts. Authorizes the Secretary to order preliminary relief in certain circumstances. Sets forth the procedures to be followed when the Secretary has an administrative hearing on a complaint. Permits aggrieved individuals to commence civil actions within three years of the alleged discriminatory practice. Prohibits proceedings by both the Secretary and the aggrieved individual. Authorizes the Attorney General (1) to intervene in an aggrieved individual's civil action and (2) to commence a civil action (A) against a person engaged in a pattern or practice of resistance to these provisions or (B) to enforce the Secretary's findings or orders. Permits the aggrieved individual to intervene in an action commenced by the Attorney General. Allows prevailing parties reasonable attorney fees. Grants exclusive jurisdiction to the court of appeals to determine the validity of the Secretary's final orders under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 1979
Amends title XI (General Provisions and Professional Standards Review) of the Social Security Act to require that the Administrator of the Health Care Financing Administration be appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 1979
Medicare Home Health Amendments of 1979 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to remove the 100 visit limitation presently applicable to home health services under such title. Includes occupational therapy as a home health service. Permits a physician's assistant or nurse practitioner, who is supervised by a physician, to establish a plan of care for a home health patient living in a rural area. Eliminates prior hospitalization as a condition for receiving home health services. Requires home health aides to complete a training program developed by the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. Requires each home health agency to submit a bimonthly bill which lists all services provided each individual receiving services from such agency. Directs the Secretary to: (1) designate regional agencies to monitor home health agency costs; (2) establish guidelines to be used in determining the reasonable cost of home health services; (3) monitor the costs of home health services; (4) report to Congress on the frequency of use of home health services by individuals eligible for Medicare benefits; and (5) establish demonstration projects to test the effectiveness of agency or multiagency utilization review committees in ensuring the medical necessity, cost efficiency, and appropriate use of home health services.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 1979
Diabetes Research and Training Amendments and National Diabetes Advisory Board Extension Act of 1979 - Amends title IV of the Public Health Service Act (National Research Institutes) to redesignate the National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism, and Digestive Diseases and the Advisory Council to such Institute as the National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism, Diabetes, and Digestive Diseases and the National Arthritis, Metabolism, Diabetes, and Digestive Diseases Advisory Council. Establishes within the Advisory Council separate subcommittees on diabetes, arthritis, digestive diseases, and kidney diseases. Directs these subcommittees to: (1) review applications made to the Director of the Institute for research projects relating to such diseases and make recommendations to the Advisory Council; and (2) review and evaluate programs directed at such diseases. Establishes within the Institute the position of Associate Director for Diabetes. Sets forth the duties of the Associate Director, including: (1) having primary responsibility for all diabetes-mellitus-related activities supported or conducted by the National Institutes of Health; (2) providing information to public and private agencies with respect to such activities; and (3) reporting and making recommendations to the Director of the National Institutes of Health with respect to other enumerated functions. Extends the authorization of appropriations for diabetes research and training centers in the following amounts: $14,000,000 for fiscal year 1981, $17,000,000 for fiscal year 1982, and $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1983 through 1985. Directs the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to provide from such amounts up to ten training stipends through each center in any fiscal year. Eliminates as an ex officio member of the National Diabetes Advisory Board the Secretary of Defense or his designee; and adds as such a member the Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development or his designee. Revises the terms of appointed members of the Board. Directs the Board to amend the Diabetes Plan (formulated by the National Commission on Diabetes under the National Diabetes Mellitus Research and Education Act) as is necessary to insure its continuing relevance. Extends the current level of authorizations for the purposes of the Board ($300,000 per fiscal year) through fiscal year 1985. Extends the expiration date of the Board from September 30, 1980, to September 30. 1985.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 1979
Equal Employment Opportunity for the Handicapped Act of 1979 - Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include discrimination of the handicapped as an unlawful employment practice. Permits such discrimination pursuant to a bona fide seniority or merit system or as a bona fide occupational qualification. Authorizes courts to order the hiring or reinstatement or paying of back pay to anyone discriminated against on the basis of their handicap. Prohibits discrimination in Federal employment of the handicapped. Authorizes civil actions for such discrimination.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 1979
Regulatory Reform Act - Requires the President to submit to Congress a plan recommending reforms with respect to the regulation of: (1) energy, the environment, housing, and occupational health and safety by specified Federal agencies by April 30, 1981; (2) transportation and communications by specified Federal agencies by April 30, 1983; (3) banking and finance, international trade, and Government procurement by specified Federal agencies by April 30, 1985; and (4) food, consumer health and safety, economic trade practices, and labor-management concerns by specified Federal agencies by April 30, 1987. States that each such plan shall include recommendations for reform of such specified agencies and shall report on the cumulative impact of all Government regulatory activity reviewed, up to that date, on specific industry groupings. States that if the President fails to submit such plans by the specified dates, the House Committee on Government Operations or the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs in cooperation with the committees of Congress which have legislative jurisdiction over such areas, shall draft their own plans to be submitted to Congress for action. Requires the Comptroller General and the Congressional Budget Office, contemporaneously with the development of the President's plan, to submit a report assessing the purpose, effects, efficiency, and cost effectiveness of each agency included in the plans submitted by the President. States that if no comprehensive regulatory reform legislation is enacted by August 1 of the year following the year in which a comprehensive plan has been submitted by the President, then all agencies affected thereby shall have no authority to issue any new rules not essential for preserving the public health and safety; if such reform is not enacted by October 1 of such year, such agency shall have no authority to enforce any rule not essential for preserving the public health and safety; if no such reform is enacted by December 31 of such year, such agency shall be terminated on such date. States that all rules of such terminated agency essential for preserving the public health and safety shall remain effective and shall be enforced by the Department of Justice. Requires the President to submit subsequent plans in the manner and in the order and frequency set forth by this Act every ten years.
![Official portrait of Sen. Heinz, John [R-PA]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/h000456_200.jpg)