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United States · Official source
4,936 records where Sen. Hollings, Ernest F. [D-SC] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
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
Amends the Federal criminal code with regard to the ban on mailing dangerous items to include martial arts weapons within the prohibition. Prohibits mail-order sales to States which have banned the manufacturing, selling, carrying, and possession of such weapons. Authorizes the Postal Service to prescribe regulations for mailing otherwise nonmailable martial arts weapons to certain military, State, or municipal procurement officers or employees, as well as certain bona fide manufacturers or dealers. Exempts knives, swords, and other ceremonial or collector weapons that are otherwise mailable under this section.
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 · 21 June 1985
Anti-Hijacking Act of 1985 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (the Secretary) to report to the Congress on the results of a study coordinated with the Secretary of State regarding the need for an expanded air marshal program on international flights of United States air carriers. Authorizes appropriations of funds if the two Secretaries find that such an expanded airmarshal program is necessary. Authorizes the Secretary (with the approval of the Attorney General and the Secretary of State) to permit air transportation security personnel to carry firearms and to make warrantless arrests if such personnel have reasonable grounds to believe a felony is being committed. Authorizes the Secretary to suspend any foreign air travel between the United States and a foreign airport if the Secretary determines that safe passage and the public interest requires an immediate suspension of services between the United States and such airport.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income distributions from an individual retirement account or annuity to be used for the purchase of a principal residence for the taxpayer. Limits the aggregate amount which may be excluded to $10,000. Reduces the basis of any principal residence by the amount of distribution used for the purchase. Treats as ordinary income any gain realized on the sale of a principal residence to the extent of any amount of such distribution used for the purchase.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 1985
Designates the month of March 1986 as National Hemophilia Month.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 1985
Designates the week of September 15 through September 21, 1985, as National Dental Hygiene Week.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1985
Health Care Financing Fraud and Abuse Amendments of 1985 - Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to consolidate provisions providing criminal penalties for acts involving Medicare and Medicaid abuses. Amends part A (General Provisions) of title XI of such Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to exclude from participation in Medicare and to direct States to exclude from participation in Medicaid, any individual or entity convicted of a criminal offense related to such individual's or entity's participation in the delivery of items or services under Medicare, Medicaid, or title V (Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant) of such Act. Authorizes the Secretary to exclude from Medicare participation and to direct State agencies to exclude from Medicaid participation any individual or entity: (1) convicted of any financial abuse or abuse of patients in connection with the delivery of health care items or services in any publicly operated or financed program; (2) convicted of unlawful manufacture or distribution of a controlled substance; (3) who has had his or her health care license revoked or suspended; (4) excluded under any Federal or State program involving the provision of health care; (5) committing certain acts prohibited under title XI; (6) owned or controlled by an individual convicted of health care related crimes, fined for health care abuses, or excluded from Medicare, Medicaid, or title V; (7) failing to supply certain information; (8) submitting claims, under Medicare or Medicaid, for excessive charges or unnecessary services; (9) failing to take corrective action recommended by a peer review organization; or (10) in default on Federal health education loan or scholarship obligations. Directs the Secretary to notify each appropriate State agency of the facts and circumstances of each exclusion. Authorizes the Secretary, for good cause, to waive an exclusion. Entitles an excluded individual or entity to a hearing. Revises title XI provisions providing for civil monetary penalties. Authorizes the Attorney General, at the Secretary's request, whenever the Secretary believes that a person may be subject to such a civil penalty to bring an action in the appropriate U.S. district court to enjoin such activity or to seek other appropriate relief. Requires, under title XI, the disclosure of certain information from any owner with an interest of five percent or more in a health care facility's mortgage. Provides, under title XI, for application to Medicaid of standards which are presently applicable to Medicare with respect to the obligations of providers to provide quality services economically. Prohibits Medicare or Medicaid payments for any item or service ordered by an excluded physician, unless it is an emergency item or service. Authorizes a provider to terminate an agreement upon notice to the Secretary. Authorizes the Secretary to refuse to enter into an agreement with or to terminate an agreement with a provider failing to comply substantially with applicable requirements. Permits the Secretary, under Medicare, in cases where a provider, individual, or entity no longer substantially complies with participation requirements but does not jeopardize the health and safety of its patients, in lieu of terminating an agreement or approval with provider, individual, or entity to notify the provider, individual, or entity of the deficiencies and the time within which such deficiences must be corrected. Permits a State, for good cause, to exclude an individual or entity under Medicare or Medicaid. Permits a State to allow a provider a certain time period within which to correct deficiencies, if the provider's deficiencies do not jeopardize the health and safety of its patients. Prohibits Medicaid payments to any individual or entity failing to supply to the Secretary required information. Permits the Secretary, under Medicaid, in cases where a skilled nursing facility or intermediate care facility no longer substantially meets applicable participation requirements but does not jeopardize the health and safety of its patients, in lieu of canceling certification of the facility, to notify the facility of the deficiencies and the time within which such deficiencies must be corrected. Requires a State's Medicaid plan to have in effect a system of reporting to the Secretary: (1) any final adverse action by any State authority against any provider; and (2) any loss or voluntary surrender of a provider's license during a formal proceeding by a State. Amends the Deficit Reduction Act of 1984 to repeal provisions which provide for an 18 month moratorium in the case of a State Medicaid plan which uses less restrictive income or resource standards than would otherwise be required for noncash Medicaid recipients.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1985
Institutional Aid Act of 1985 - Amends title III (Institutional Aid) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to revise institutional aid programs, especially in relation to the development needs of historically black colleges and universities and other institutions with large concentrations of minority, low-income students. Includes as eligible institutions, for purposes of the title III part A (Strengthening Institutions) grants program, any institution of higher education which meets specified requirements and which has an enrollment of which at least: (1) 20 percent are Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Cuban, or other Hispanic students, or combination thereof; (2) 60 percent American Indian, Alaska Native, or Aleut, or combination thereof; or (3) five percent Native Hawaiian, American Samoan, Micronesian, Guamian (Chamorro), or Northern Marianan, or any combination thereof. Establishes under title III part B, "Strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities" (which replaces the current part B, Aid to Institutions with Special Needs). Defines a "part B institution" as any historically black college or university that was established prior to 1964 and whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans. Sets forth authorized uses for grants allotted to institutions under the part B program. Directs the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) to make allotments to part B institutions according to formulas based on number of: (1) Pell grant recipients; (2) graduates; and (3) graduates in attendance at graduate or professional schools in degree programs in disciplines in which blacks are underrepresented. Sets forth a special rule regarding allotments to Howard University or the University of the District of Columbia. Sets forth provisions for applications for part B grant allotments. Sets forth provisions for part B program grants to professional and graduate institutions. Directs the Secretary, subject to the availability of appropriations for such purpose, to award such grants to each of listed postgraduate institutions that the Secretary determines to be making a substantial contribution to the legal, medical, dental, veterinary, or other graduate education opportunities for black Americans. Prohibits any such grant in excess of $500,000 unless the postgraduate institution assures that 50 percent of the cost of the purposes for which the grant is made will be paid from non-Federal sources. Limits the duration of any such grant to five years. Provides that any one undergraduate or postgraduate institution may receive no more than two such five-year grants. Allows use of such grants for: (1) any of the authorized uses of part B allotment grants; (2) contribution development offices; and (3) institutional endowments. Sets forth application requirements. Provides that independent professional or graduate institutions eligible for such grants include: (1) Morehouse School of Medicine; (2) Meharry Medical School; (3) Charles R. Drew Postgraduate Medical School; (4) Atlanta University; and (5) Tuskegee Institute School of Veterinary Medicine. Sets forth reporting and audit requirements and penalties for misuse of funds. Revises title III part C (Challenge Grants for Institutions Eligible for Assistance Under Part A or Part B) to rename the "endowment grants" under such part "challenge grants." Makes technical and conforming amendments to eligibility requirements under such part. Reduces the maximum amount of any such part C challenge grant for FY 1985 through 1987. (Retains the current maximum for FY 1988 and succeeding fiscal years.) Establishes under title III a new part D, "Reservation for Hispanic, Native American, and Pacific Basin Institutions." (Redesignates the current part D as part E.) Directs the Secretary, from part A appropriations, to make available for use for the purpose of such part the greater of specified amounts or the following portions of such funds: (1) 20 percent for Hispanic institutions; (2) five percent for Native American, Native Alaskan, or Aleut institutions; and (3) five percent for institutions serving Native American Pacific Islanders, including Native Hawaiians residing in the Pacific Basin, including the State of Hawaii. Sets forth authorized uses of such part A funds which are reserved under the new part C. Revises the redesignated part E (General Provisions) under title III. Directs the Secretary to publish in the Federal Register all policies and procedures required to exercise the authority to approve applications for title III assistance. Prohibits any other criteria, policies, or procedure from being applicable for such purpose. Directs the Secretary to: (1) use the most recent and relevant data concerning the number and percentage of students receiving need-based assistance under title IV (Student Assistance) of HEA in making eligibility determinations under part A of title III; and (2) advance the base-year forward following each annual grant cycle. Requires the Secretary to waive specified part A institutional eligibility requirements (involving an institution's having a relatively high percentage of students receiving need-based assistance under title IV of HEA) in the case of an institution which is: (1) extensively subsidized by the State in which it is located and charges low or no tuition; (2) serving a substantial number of low- and middle-income students as a percentage of its total student population; (3) contributing substantially to increasing higher education opportunities for black Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Native American Pacific Islanders, including Native Hawaiians, who are low-income individuals; or (4) substantially increasing higher educational opportunities for individuals in rural or other isolated areas unserved by postsecondary institutions. Includes Hispanic, Native American, or Pacific Basin institutions which have been determined eligible under part D (although not satisfying a specified eligibility criterion involving an institution's having relatively low and general expenditures) among those institutions which must be included in an annual report of the Secretary to the Congress. Includes among those reasons for which the Secretary may grant a waiver of specified eligibility requirements (involving an institution's being accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency and its being authorized to offer bachelor's or junior or community college degrees) a determination that such waiver will substantially increase higher education opportunities appropriate to the needs of Hispanic Americans or Native American Pacific Islanders, including Native Hawaiians. Directs the Secretary to take care to assure that representatives of historically black colleges, Hispanic institutions, Native American institutions, and Native American Pacific Islanders, including Native Hawaiians, are included as readers on title III application review panels. Revises provisions for grants to encourage cooperative arrangements to include such arrangements between title III aid recipients and institutions not receiving such assistance. Includes benefit to the applicant institutions as a priority criterion in making such grants. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1987 through 1991 for the following title III programs: (1) part A, Strengthening Institutions; (2) part B, Strengthening Historically Black College and Universities (with a separate authorization for part B provisions for Professional and Graduate Institutions); and (3) part C, Challenge Grants for Institutions Eligible for Assistance Under Part A or Part B. Directs the Secretary to make available part A funds for any fiscal year to eligible institutions as follows: (1) at least 30 percent to junior or community colleges; (2) at least 20 percent (or a specified minimum amount, if that is greater) for Hispanic institutions; (3) at least five percent (or a specified minimum amount, if that is greater) for Native American, Alaskan, or Aleut institutions; (4) at least five percent (or a specified minimum amount if that is greater) for Pacific Basin institutions; and (5) the remainder to institutions that plan to award a bachelor's degree during that year.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 1985
Medicare and Medicaid Second Opinion Act of 1985 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prohibit payment for a surgical procedure listed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services unless a second opinion regarding such surgery is obtained. Provides that the second opinion need not agree with the first opinion in order for payment to be made. Directs the Secretary to establish a list of at least ten surgical procedures to which the second opinion requirement applies. Directs the Secretary to enter into contracts with utilization and quality control peer review organizations under which such organizations serve as referral centers for the second opinions required by the Act. Permits the patient to choose any qualified physician to provide the second opinion. Provides that a second opinion need not be obtained: (1) if to delay surgery would be a risk to the patient; (2) if no physician is available, within reasonable limits, to provide the second opinion; and (3) if the surgery is to be performed on a patient who is a member of a health maintenance organization or competitive medical plan having a risk sharing contract with the Secretary. Requires physicians, hospitals, and ambulatory surgical centers to notify patients of the second opinion requirement. Sets forth sanctions for noncompliance. Directs the Secretary to notify physicians, hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, and Medicare beneficiaries of the requirements of this Act. Waives the deductible and copayments with respect to the second opinion. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Act to require second opinions. Provides for the application of the Medicare second opinion requirements to Medicaid. Sets forth effective date, regulations, and study provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 1985
Clean Campaign Act of 1985 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to provide that if a legally qualified candidate for Federal elective office uses a broadcast station to refer to another candidate for that office: (1) such reference shall be made in person by such candidate; or (2) the station licensee must provide the candidate to whom the reference was made the opportunity to use the same amount of broadcast time, during the same period of the day, without charge. Requires any station licensee which allows a person to broadcast material endorsing or opposing a candidate, to provide to the candidate opposing the endorsed candidate or to the candidate opposed by the material the opportunity to use the same amount of broadcasting time, during the same period of the day, without charge.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 1985
Computer Pornography and Child Exploitation Prevention Act of 1985 - Amends the Federal criminal code with regard to the importation or transportation of obscene material. Makes it a Federal offense to enter, store, or transmit any obscene, lewd, or lascivious writing, description, or picture. Prohibits any person from knowingly entering or transmitting by means of a computer, or publishing or reproducing by other means, any notice, or advertisement, or any minor's name or other identifying information for purposes of: (1) encouraging sexually explicit conduct (or the visual depiction of such conduct) with any minor; or (2) disseminating any visual depiction if such conduct involves the use of a minor engaging in sexually explict conduct.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 1985
Designates a calendar week in 1985 as National Infection Control Week.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 1985
Designates August 1985 as Polish American Heritage Month.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 1985
Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to include in the definition of "subsidy" (for countervailing duty purposes) any resource input subsidy as provided for under the provisions of this Act. States that a "resource input subsidy" is found to exist if: (1)(a) a product is provided or sold by a government-regulated or controlled entity within a country for input use within such country at a domestic price that is lower than the fair market value of the input product and is not freely available to U.S. producers; and (b) a product would, if sold at the fair market value, constitute a significant portion of the total cost of the manufacture or production of the merchandise in or for which the input product is used; or (2) under specified circumstances, the right to remove or extract such product is provided or sold by a government or a government-regulated or controlled entity within a country. Sets forth the method of calculation for the amount of a resource input subsidy. Defines "fair market value" and "input use" for purposes of this Act. Requires injury determinations by the U.S. International Trade Commission to be made in all countervailing duty investigations relating to the existence of resource input subsidies.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 1985
Designates the month of November 1985 as National Diabetes Month.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 1985
National Aeronautics and Space Administration Act, 1986 - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for specified activities relating to: (1) research and development; (2) space flight, control, and data communications; (3) construction of facilities; and (4) research and program management (including additional or supplemental amounts to cover any increases in salary, pay, retirement, or other employee benefits authorized by law). Permits appropriations for research and development and for space flight, control and data communications to be used for any items of a capital nature (other than acquisition of land) which may be required at locations other than NASA installations for the performance of research and development contracts, and for grants to nonprofit institutions of higher education, or to nonprofit organizations whose primary purpose is the conduct of scientific research, for purchase or construction of additional research facilities. Requires the Administrator of NASA (the Administrator) to notify specified congressional officers and committees whenever the cost of a facility exceeds a specified amount. Permits funds appropriated for research and development, for space flight, control and data communications, or for construction of facilities to remain available without fiscal year limitation. Permits appropriations for research and program management to be used for scientific consultations or extraordinary expenses upon the approval of the Administrator. Provides for a $10,000 reduction in the total amount authorized under this Act under the heading of construction facilities. Permits, after such reduction is made in the sum total of funds for the individual projects authorized under such heading, such funds for construction of any specified facilities: (1) in the discretion of the Administrator, to be varied upward ten percent; or (2) following a report by the Administrator to specified congressional committees, to be varied upward 25 percent to meet unusual cost variations. Permits one-half of one percent of the funds appropriated for research and development or for space flight, control and data communications to be transferred to the appropriation for construction of facilities. Authorizes the expenditure of such transferred funds, together with a specified amount of the funds appropriated for construction of facilities, to construct, expand, or modify laboratories and other installations. Requires the Administrator, 30 days before expending such funds, to notify specified congressional officers and committees of the nature, cost, and necessity of such construction. Prohibits, until 30 days pass after congressional receipt of a full explanation by the Administrator, the use of funds appropriated pursuant to this Act for any program: (1) deleted by the Congress; (2) in excess of the amount actually authorized for the particular program under provisions for research and development, space flight, control and data communications, and research and program management; or (3) which has not been presented to either of the specified congressional committees. Declares that it is the sense of the Congress that it is in the national interest that consideration be given to geographical distribution of Federal research funds whenever feasible, and that NASA should explore ways of doing so. Prohibits any civil space station authorized under specified provisions of this Act from being used to: (1) carry or place in orbit any nuclear weapon or any other weapon of mass destruction; (2) install any such weapon on any celestial body; or (3) station any such weapon in space in any other manner. Allows such civil space station to be used only for peaceful purposes. Prohibits any space shuttle pricing policy for the Space Transportation System (STS) for commercial and foreign users from being established and implemented for FY 1989 through 1991 until 30 days have passed after the President or the Administrator (or the Administrator's designee) has transmitted to specified congressional officers and committees a written report setting forth such policy. Requires such congressional committees to review such report and, if they determine it necessary or appropriate, recommended legislation to the Congress to establish a pricing policy for the STS which is in the best interest of the Nation and more completely achieves the goals and objectives of the Nation's civil space program. Authorizes the Inspector General of NASA to administer to or take from any person an oath, affirmation, or affidavit whenever necessary in performing functions assigned by the Inspector General Act of 1978, and to designate investigators or other employees to do so. Amends the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act, 1985, to extend by six months the deadline for submission, to the President and specified committees by the National Commission on Space, of a long range plan for U.S. civilian space activity. Directs NASA during FY 1986 to defer payment to the Federal Financing Bank of the amount attributable to principal for which NASA is obligated during such fiscal year as a result of a specified contract regarding track and data relay satellite services (which was entered into under specified provisions of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act, 1978). Requires the amount of any such deferred payment to be added to the amount of principal for which NASA is obligated during FY 1993 as a result of such contract. Authorizes NASA to defer until FY 1994 any portion of the total amount for which it is obligated for FY 1993 which is in excess of the total amount for which it was obligated during FY 1992. Authorizes the Administrator to renegotiate such contract upon determination that such renegotiation is necessary to enable NASA to defer payments as provided under this Act. Amends the Commercial Space Launch Act to authorize appropriations for FY 1986 to the Secretary of Transportation to carry out such Act (which provides for licensing and liability insurance requirements for commercial space launches).
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 1985
Fair Insurance Coverage Act - Prohibits any insurer from discriminating in an insurance contract against any person because of blindness. Includes within the prohibition refusing to make or negotiate a contract for insurance or giving different treatment with respect to terms, conditions, rates, or benefits because of blindness. Establishes a preference for State actions prior to judicial enforcement under this Act. Authorizes any aggrieved person, in the absence of State actions or jurisdiction, to bring an action under this Act for individual relief. Authorizes the Attorney General of the United States to bring an action for injunctive relief whenever there is reasonable cause to believe a person is engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination or when an individual is aggrieved and an issue of general public importance is raised. Grants the Federal district courts jurisdiction of such actions regardless of the amount in controversy. Allows a court to order monetary, equitable, or other appropriate relief, including punitive damages.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1985
Entitles individuals who performed service as National Guard technicians before January 1, 1969, to credit for such service when determining length of service for purposes of civil service retirement, leave, employee death and disability compensation, group life and health insurance, severance pay, tenure, and status.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 1985
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 · 6 June 1985
Home Respiratory Care Act of 1985 - Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) to provide coverage for respiratory care furnished as part of extended care services and as part of home health services for an individual who is medically dependent on a ventilator for life support for at least six hours a day and who meets certain other requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 1985
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration should retain the current corporate average fuel economy standard for passenger automobiles.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 1985
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the United States: (1) should not sell advanced weapons to Jordan; (2) should ensure that Israel retains its qualitative military edge in the Middle East; and (3) should focus its efforts on bringing Jordan into direct peace negotiations with Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1985
Korean War Veterans Memorial Act of 1985 - Authorizes the American Battle Monuments Commission to erect a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia or its environs to honor members of the U.S. Armed Forces who served in the Korean war. Subjects the selected site, design, and plans for the construction of such memorial to the approval of the National Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission. Directs that, upon its completion, the memorial shall be turned over to the Department of the Interior which shall then be solely responsible for its maintenance. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1985
Softwood Lumber Stabilization Act of 1985 - Limits imports of softwood lumber during any calendar quarter to an amount equal to the product of the historical percentage of imports for such quarter multiplied by the total quantity of softwood lumber that the Secretary of Commerce (the Secretary) estimates will be consumed in the United States during such quarter. Directs the Secretary to allocate the limitation among foreign countries. Sets forth factors to be considered in making such allocation. Requires the Secretary to publish in the Federal Register every quarter specified information relating to such limitation. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of the Treasury to take the actions necessary to enforce this Act. Authorizes the President during the five years following enactment of this Act to enter into trade agreements providing for limitations on imports of softwood lumber into the United States.
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
National Commission to Prevent Infant Mortality - Establishes the National Commission to Prevent Infant Mortality (Commission). States the duties of the Commission, which include: (1) identifying and examining Federal, State, local, and private resources which affect infant mortality; (2) identifying barriers to the health care needed to prevent high infant mortality; and (3) reviewing and carrying forward appropriate recommendations that promote the health status of childbearing women and their infants. Directs the Commission to: (1) recommend a national policy designed to improve the current approach to preventing infant mortality; (2) recommend specific changes needed in Federal laws and programs; and (3) present such recommendations to the President, the Speaker of the House, and the majority leader of the Senate within one year of enactment of this Act. Sets forth the powers of the Commission. States that the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act shall not apply to the Commission. Provides for the termination of the Commission. Authorizes appropriations.
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 · 23 May 1985
Designates the week beginning May 18, 1986, as National Tourism Week.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 1985
Declares that the week of June 2 through June 8, 1985, shall be proclaimed as National Theatre Week.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1985
Designates the week of June 2 through June 8, 1985, as National Intelligence Community Week.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1985
Expresses the sense of the Senate recognizing the centennial anniversary of the Holstein-Friesian Association of America.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1985
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide Medicare coverage for anesthesia services and related care provided by a registered nurse anesthetist.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1985
Designates the week of December 15 through December 21, 1985, as National Drunk and Drugged Driving Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1985
Orphan Drug Amendments of 1985 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to repeal the requirement that exclusive marketing rights may only be granted to an orphan drug (a drug used in the treatment of a rare disease or condition) if the drug is not patentable. Establishes a National Commission on Orphan Diseases. Requires the Commission to assess the activities of the National Institutes of Health, the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration, the Food and Drug Administration, other public agencies, and private entities in connection with: (1) basic research relating to rare diseases; (2) the use in research on rare diseases of knowledge developed in other research; (3) applied and clinical research relating to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of rare diseases; and (4) the dissemination of knowledge developed in research relating to rare diseases. Requires the Commission to submit a report by September 30, 1987, to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and to each House of the Congress containing the Commission's findings, conclusions, and recommendations. Makes funds available to the Commission. Terminates the Commission 90 days after the date of such report. Amends the Orphan Drug Act to allow Federal grants and contracts for preclinical and human clinical testing of orphan drugs. Authorizes appropriations for such grants and contracts for FY 1986 through 1988. Makes technical corrections to the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Appropriation Act, 1985 in order to allow the expenditure of funds for personnel training under the Education of the Handicapped Act until September 30, 1985.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 1985
Authorizes and requests the President to: (1) designate the week beginning on April 13, 1986, as National Garden Week; and (2) urge the wearing of garden flowers as a symbol of our appreciation for the contributions of our gardeners.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 1985
Designates the week of June 16 through June 22, 1985, as National Safety in the Workplace Week.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1985
Amends a specified Federal Law to increase the authorization of appropriations for FY 1986 through 1991 in order to provide: (1) financial assistance in support of cooperative agreements made with the Bethune Museum and Archives for the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House national historic site; and (2) grants to such Archives. Replaces the term "National Council of Negro Women" with "the Bethune Museum and Archives" in certain sections of such law.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1985
Authorizes the Society of the Third Infantry Division to erect a memorial on public grounds in the District of Columbia or its environs in honor of the men of the "Rock of the Marne" of the Third Infantry Division who served in both World Wars, Korea, and maintaining peace. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to select a site for the memorial subject to the approval of the National Commission of Fine Arts, the National Capital Planning Commission, and, under certain circumstances, the Mayor of the District of Columbia. Subjects the design and plans for the memorial to the approval of the Secretary, the National Commission of Fine Arts, and the National Capital Planning Commission. Directs that the maintenance and care of the memorial shall be the Secretary's responsibility unless the memorial is on public grounds under the jurisdiction of the District of Columbia in which case these duties fall on the District of Columbia. Provides that funds of the United States or the District of Columbia may not be used to erect the memorial. Directs that the authority to establish the memorial is contingent upon its erection beginning within five years with funds sufficient to ensure its completion.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1985
Directs the Secretary of Transportation to make grants for FY 1986 to the Washington Metropolitan Airports for: (1) development of a mid-field terminal at the Washington Dulles International Airport; and (2) improvements at the Washington National Airport (including new roads and additional parking and terminal space).
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1985
Agricultural Patent Reform Act of 1984 - Amends the patent laws to extend the terms of patents which encompass specified products or methods for using a product, including methods of manufacturing which primarily use recombinant DNA technology, any of which are subject to certain nonpatent regulatory review periods. Sets forth the terms and conditions of such extension, including a five-year limitation on the extension and a 25-year maximum patent term for the earliest filing. Directs the Commissioner of Patents to notify the appropriate Federal agency upon receipt from the product sponsor of a notice of extension to determine the applicable regulatory review period and whether, within that period, the sponsor acted with due diligence. Provides for notice and informal hearings for persons interested in such determinations. Permits the setting of fees to cover the costs of review. Directs the Commissioner, upon a final determination of the applicable regulatory review period, to issue to the owner of record of a patent a certificate of extension stating the fact and length of the extension and identifying the product and the use and the claim to which such extension is applicable. Makes such certificate a part of the original patent. Limits the application of such patent term extension to patents for: (1) any new animal drug or antibiotic subject to regulation under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act; (2) any veterinary biological product subject to regulation under the Virus-Serum-Toxin Act; (3) any pesticide subject to regulation under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act; and (4) any chemical substance or mixture subject to regulation under the Toxic Substances Control Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 1985
Designates May 25, 1985, as National Holstein Day.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 1985
Authorizes appropriations for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration for FY 1986 and 1987. Earmarks a specified amount each year for international activities.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 1985
Designates October 1985 as National Head Injury Awareness Month.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1985
Designates the week beginning on November 10, 1985, as National Blood Pressure Awareness Week.
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 · 1 May 1985
Former Presidents Facilities and Services Reform Act of 1985 - Title I: Presidential Libraries - Authorizes the Archivist of the United States to accept gifts offered to make physical or material changes or additions to presidential archival depositories. Directs the Archivist to promulgate architectural and design standards for such depositories. Requires the Archivist to report to the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House prior to accepting title to any land, facility, or equipment for a presidential depository, and prior to accepting any gifts to make changes to such depositories. Authorizes the Archivist to solicit gifts and bequests of money or other property to maintain a depository. Directs the Archivist to establish in the National Archives Trust Fund separate endowments to maintain each presidential depository. Prohibits the Archivist from accepting or taking title to land, facilities, or equipment to create a depository, or from accepting gifts to change a depository, unless there is an endowment sufficient to maintain such land, facility, or equipment. Makes such prohibitions effective for any President who takes the oath of office after May 9, 1984. Title II: Former Presidents - Changes the amount of the annual allowance to which the spouse of a deceased former President is entitled from $20,000 to two-thirds of the allowance to which a former President is entitled. Repeals the requirement that the spouse must waive the right to any other Government annuity or pension to qualify for such allowance. Authorizes the Administrator to provide to each former President, upon request: (1) one office; (2) compensation, without an aggregate ceiling, for members of an office staff who shall be subject to certain provisions of civil service laws; (3) payment for the travel and subsistence allowances for specified office employees; (4) communications services; (5) printing and binding expenses; and (6) appropriate equipment for such office. Allows any Federal employee to be detailed to the office staff of a former President with the consent of the employee's agency head. Declares that the cost of providing transportation by Government aircraft to former Presidents shall be paid from appropriations for such purpose. Authorizes the Administrator to provide a former Vice President with necessary services and facilities for concluding his or her office affairs which are similar to the services and facilities provided to a former President under this title. Prohibits the use of funds provided for necessary services and facilities of a former President or Vice President for partisan political activities or income generating activities. Permits a former President to use such funds to prepare his or her memoirs if the former President signs an agreement providing that the Public Printer will print and distribute such memoirs. Prohibits the expenditure of such funds for a former President any time beyond 90 days after the former President dies. Requires each former President to submit to Congress an annual report concerning activities carried out with the assistance of such funds. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the provisions of this title concerning the services and facilities to be provided for former Presidents and Vice Presidents. Repeals specified provisions of the Presidential Transition Act of 1963. Title III: Protection of Former Presidents, Former Vice Presidents, and Their Families - Prohibits the United States Secret Service from protecting a former President, former Vice President, or the spouse, widow, widower, or minor child of a former President, except as authorized under this title. Authorizes the Secret Service to protect: (1) a former President for five years after the individual becomes a former President; (2) the spouse or minor child of a former President to the extent that such protection is incidental to the protection of the former President; and (3) the widow or widower of a former President for six months after the former President dies. Permits the Secretary of the Treasury to reinstate the Secret Service protection of a former President for one year and of a spouse or minor child for six months after the original protection has been terminated upon finding that a serious threat warranting such protection exists. Authorizes additional extensions of such periods of protection if the Secretary has submitted a request for an extension to the Congress and 60 days of continuous session have expired after the date of such request. Authorizes the President to direct the Secret Service to protect a former President, or a spouse or child of a former President, if a threat warrants emergency action. Permits the Secretary to authorize Secret Service protection for a former Vice President for a period beginning on the last day of the individual's term and ending on the last day of the fiscal year in which the term expires, and upon finding that a threat exists which warrants such protection.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 1985
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Congress supports Solidarity Sunday for Soviet Jewry.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1985
Designates May 7, 1985, as Vietnam Veterans Recognition Day.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should: (1) ensure that U.S. officials carry out the pledge to resolve the issue of the Americans still missing and unaccounted for in Indochina; (2) work for the immediate release of any Americans still held captive and the return of the remains of those who died in Southeast Asia; and (3) make every effort to secure the further cooperation of Laos and Vietnam in resolving this issue.