United States · United States Congress · 1 February 1984
Commends the President for his support for specified confidence building measures between the United States and the Soviet Union. Urges the President to pursue negotiations with the Soviet Union concerning such measures, adding to such negotiations the establishment of nuclear risk reduction centers in both countries.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1984
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow married individuals to compute the amount of their income tax deduction for contributions to retirement savings accounts on the basis of the earned income of their spouses. Treats alimony payments as compensation for purposes of this deduction.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 1983
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President should: (1) continue to express U.S. opposition to the exile of Igor Ogurtsov; and (2) urge the Soviet Union to provide Igor Ogurtsov with medical care, grant his release from exile, and accept his application for an exit visa and allow him to emigrate without forcing him to renounce his views (in accordance with a specified international treaty).
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 1983
Designates 1984 as the Year of Water. Requests the President to welcome the delegates of the International Congress on Irrigation and Drainage in Fort Collins, Colorado.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 1983
Amends the Social Security Amendments of 1983 to delay until after December 31, 1985, mandatory coverage under the Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance program for employees of tax-exempt religious or apostolic organizations which do not have in effect on January 1, 1984, a waiver certificate (which waives such an organization's exemption from taxation for purposes of the Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance program).
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 1983
States that the Congress: (1) holds Iran responsible for upholding the rights of the Baha'is; (2) condemns Iran's decision to destroy the Baha'i faith; and (3) calls upon the President to work with appropriate foreign governments to form an appeal to Iran concerning the Baha'is, to cooperate with the United Nations in its efforts on behalf of the Baha'is, and to provide humanitarian assistance for Baha'is who flee Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 11 November 1983
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a taxpayer engaged in the trade or business of publishing books or other published material to value excess inventory at its net realizable value. Defines "excess inventory" as that part of inventory of books or other published material which the taxpayer reasonably expects will be disposed of at less than full realization of cost.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 1983
Great Lakes Water Diversion Act - Provides that Great Lakes water shall not be diverted for use outside a Great Lakes State unless such diversion is approved by all eight Great Lakes States (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Wisconsin) and the International Joint Commission. Prohibits any Federal study of Great Lakes water diversion unless such study is undertaken by the Corps of Engineers under the direction of the International Joint Commission in accordance with the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 1983
Missing Children's Assistance Act of 1983 - Amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to require the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to establish and maintain a national toll-free telephone line for reporting information regarding the location of missing children. Directs the Administrator to establish a national resource center and clearinghouse to: (1) provide technical assistance to State and local governments and agencies in locating missing children; (2) coordinate public and private efforts to recover missing children; and (3) disseminate information on innovative missing childrens' programs, services, and legislation. Requires the Administrator to publish an annual summary of research on missing children and prepare a comprehensive plan for coordinating activities of all agencies and organizations responsible for missing children. Authorizes the Administrator, in consultation with the Advisory Board on Missing Children, to make grants for research or demonstration or service programs designed to: (1) educate parents and community agencies on ways to prevent the abduction of children; (2) assist in the recovery or tracking of missing children; (3) aid communities in collecting material to assist parents in the identification of their children; (4) demonstrate the psychological consequences of a child's abduction; and (5) collect data on investigative practices utilized by law enforcement agencies. Requires the Administrator to appoint an Advisory Board on Missing Children to assist the Administrator in coordinating programs and activities relating to missing children. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 through 1988.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 1983
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the United States should fulfill its obligations to promote respect for human rights and freedoms in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania (Baltic States); and (2) the President, acting through specified officials, should take the necessary steps to bring the question of self-determination of the Baltic States before appropriate forums of the United Nations. Suggests that such forums discuss a specified list of topics, including human rights violations in the Baltic States and the withdrawal of Soviet troops.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 1983
Expresses the sense of the Congress that, in order to reduce high unemployment and to foster the recovery of the U.S. automobile industry and to avoid the further deterioration of U.S. trade, the President should urge the Japanese to extend beyond March 31, 1984, the present automobile export restraints.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 1983
Retirement Equity Act of 1983 - Title I: Amendments Relating to the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to lower the age requirement for participation in a tax- deferred retirement plan from 25 to 21. Lowers the minimum age at which years of employment begin to be credited for retirement plan vesting purposes from 22 to 18. Provides that nonvested participants in a retirement plan with a break in service of up to five years will not lose credit for pre-break periods of service. Permits limited breaks in service for paternity or maternity leave without loss of vesting credits. Requires tax-deferred retirement plans to offer survivor benefits to plan participants who have attained age 45 and have ten years of creditable service. Requires spousal consent in order for a retirement plan participant to elect not to take a joint and survivor annuity. Requires that such consent must be in writing and must be witnessed by either a plan representative or a notary public. Allows the assignment of the benefits of a retirement plan in the case of a judgment, decree or order relating to child support, alimony payments, or marital property rights pursuant to a State's domestic relations law. Sets forth rules for the tax treatment of retirement plan distributions pursuant to a divorce decree. Increases the amount of allowable mandatory distributions from a retirement plan from $1,750 to $3,500. Requires that a plan participant must be notified that benefits under the plan may be forfeited if the participant dies before a certain date. Title II: Amendments Relating to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to incorporate into such Act the changes made by Title I of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 1983
Criminal Fine Collection Act of 1983 - Amends the Federal criminal code with respect to the imposition, payment, and collection of fines. Lists factors that the court must consider in determining whether to impose a fine, including: (1) the ability of the defendant to pay; (2) the burden that payment will impose on the defendant; and (3) any restitution or reparation made by the defendant. States that payment of a fine is due immediately unless the court requires payment by installment or by any date certain. Permits a sentence to pay a fine to be stayed while an appeal is taken. Makes a fine delinquent if any portion of such fine is not paid within 30 days of when it is due. Provides that a fine is in default if it is more than 90 days delinquent. Allows for the modification or remission of a sentence to pay a fine. Requires the clerk to forward each fine payment to the U.S. Treasury and notify the Attorney General of its receipt. Requires the court to certify to the Attorney General when a fine exceeding $100 is imposed, modified, or remitted. Makes the Attorney General responsible for the collection of any unpaid fine for which certification has been issued. Allows the court to impose interest and monetary penalties for any willful nonpayment. Establishes civil remedies for the satisfication of an unpaid fine. Provides that a judgment imposing a fine may be enforced by execution against the property of the person fined as are judgments in civil cases. Allows the court to resentence a person upon willful failure to pay a fine to any sentence which might originally have been imposed. Provides for a statute of limitations on the liability to pay a fine of 20 years or upon death of the person fined. Provides penalties for criminal default of a fine. Makes payment of a fine a condition of probation or parole in certain circumstances. Requires the Attorney General to include in the annual crime report steps taken to implement this Act and any progress achieved in criminal fine collection.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 1983
Prohibits the sale of alcoholic beverages to persons under the age of 21 if the beverage has traveled in interstate commerce or if the sale or offer of sale is made in an establishment which is in or affects interstate commerce. Subjects violators to a maximum civil penalty of $5,000. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to assess such penalty by an order made on the record after opportunity for a hearing in accordance with specified law. Prescribes due process procedures for assessing such penalties. Authorizes the Secretary to compromise or modify such penalties. Authorizes judicial review for persons aggrieved by civil penalty assessments. Restricts petitions for such judicial review to a specified time period. Directs the Attorney General to recover penalties in arrears in a civil action in Federal district court. Authorizes citizens' civil actions to enjoin alleged violators of the alcoholic beverage proscription under this statute. Prescribes procedure and appropriate venue for such civil actions. Confers jurisdiction upon Federal district courts over such suits, without regard to amount in controversy or citizenship of the parties. Authorizes the court to award the plaintiff attorney's fees, court costs, and expert witness fees.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 1983
Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of Congress, a gold medal to Lady Bird Johnson in recognition of her humanitarian efforts and contributions to the beautification of America. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to provide for the striking of such medal and bronze duplication for sale to the public. Declares such medals to be national medals. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 1983
Declares that it should be U.S. policy to: (1) support the people of Afghanistan in their struggle to be free from foreign domination; (2) provide the Afghans, upon request, with material assistance; and (3) pursue a negotiated settlement of the war in Afghanistan based on the total withdrawal of Soviet troops and the recognition of the right of the Afghans to choose their own destiny.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 1983
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should: (1) urge the Council of European Community Ministers to reject their Commission's proposals that seek to shift to other countries the financial burden of disposing of their agricultural surpluses; and (2) continue to oppose proposed Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) modifications that would adversely affect the access of U.S. agricultural exports to European Community markets. States, also, that if the European Community adopts such proposed CAP modifiestions, then it is the House's sense that measures should be implemented to protect U.S. trade interests.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 1983
Condemns the Soviet Union's systematic disregard for human life and liberties and urges the President to: (1) proclaim May 28, 1984, as a day to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the introduction of the original resolution on the Ukrainian famine in the House of Representatives; (2) call the attention of the world to the Soviet policies which caused Ukrainian deaths by famine during 1932 through 1933; and (3) urge the Soviet Union to remove restrictions on the shipment of food and other necessities to Soviet citizens by private individuals and charitable organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 1983
Amends the Natural Gas Act to direct the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to suspend the authorization to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Algeria by Trunkline LNG Company. Authorizes the Commission to lift the suspension after 18 months if the Commission finds that the resumption of imports of this LNG will be consistent with the public interest.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 1983
Expresses Congress' outrage over the assassination of Benigno Aquino and conveys its sympathy to the Aquino family and Philippine people. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the restoration of democracy and human rights in the Philippines would be the most fitting memorial to Benigno Aquino and urges the United States to support Filipinos who share his commitment to peaceful change; and (2) the President should not visit the Philippines until there has been an accounting of the Aquino assassination and until his security can be guaranteed.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 1983
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow income tax deductions for contributions to private foundations on the same basis as contributions to public charities (deductible up to 50 percent of the taxpayer's adjusted gross income). Redefines "lineal descendants" to include only children and grandchildren, for purposes of private foundation penalty tax rules dealing with substantial contributors. Provides that private foundation gifts to public charities do not forfeit their tax deductibility due to the disqualification of the charity's tax exemption if: (1) the gift is made before the Secretary of the Treasury publishes a notice of disqualification or before the foundation receives actual notice of disqualification; (2) and the foundation was not responsible or aware of the charity's change in status. Exempts a private foundation from expenditure responsibility requirements if such foundation and all related foundations contribute no more than $25,000 in grants during a taxable year. Permits the Secretary to abate first tier penalty taxes on private foundations if it is determined that a violation of private foundation rules was due to a reasonable cause and not to intentional disregard to rules and regulations, and was corrected within the statutory correction period.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 1983
Title I: Short Title - Declares that this Act may be cited as the National Productivity and Innovation Act of 1983. Title II: Joint Research and Development Ventures - Provides that no joint research and development program shall be deemed illegal per se in any action under the antitrust laws. Limits to actual damages, interest thereon, and the cost of suit the amount that any person or State may recover in an antitrust action based on conduct that is part of such a program and that has been disclosed to the Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission. Authorizes any individual participating in such a program to file with the Attorney General and the Commission a notification describing the program and specifying conduct to be performed under the program. Directs the Commission to publish in the Federal Register a notice of each such notification, including a description of the participants, the program, and its objectives. Declares that material submitted as part of such notification shall be available to the public upon request, unless the Attorney General or the Commission determines that the individual who submitted the notification shows good cause for not disclosing certain material. Allows an individual to withdraw a filed notification before it is published and accompanying material is made publicly available. Exempts actions and determinations of the Attorney General or the Commission concerning such notifications or antitrust actions or investigations from judicial review. Title III: Intellectual Property Licensing Under the Antitrust Laws - Amends the Clayton Act to provide that agreements to convey rights to use, practice, or sublicense patented inventions, copyrights, trade secrets, trademarks, know-how, or other intellectual property shall not be deemed illegal per se in actions under the antitrust laws. Limits to actual damages, interest thereon, and the cost of suit the amount that any person or State may recover in an antitrust action based on such an agreement. Title IV: Patent and Copyright Misuse - Prohibits a patent or copyright owner who is entitled to relief for patent or copyright infringement from being denied relief or being deemed guilty of misuse or illegal extension of the patent right or copyright by reason of doing any of the following, unless such conduct violates the antitrust laws: (1) licensing the patent or copyright under terms that affect commerce outside the scope of its claims; (2) restricting a licensee in the sale of a patented or copyrighted product; (3) obligating a licensee to pay excessive royalties, royalties that differ from those paid by other licensees, or royalties not related to a licensee's sale of the patented or copyrighted product; (4) refusing to license a patent or copyright to any person; or (5) otherwise using the patent or copyright allegedly to suppress competition. Title V: Process Patents - Requires a process patent to grant the patentee the right to exclude others from using or selling products produced by that process. Includes as patent infringement the unauthorized use or sale of a product of a patented process. Places the burden of proving that a product was not produced by the patented process on the defendant in a patent infringement action if the court finds that: (1) a substantial likelihood exists that the product was produced by that process; and (2) the claimant has exhausted all reasonable means of determining the process used and was unable to make such determination.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 1983
States that the United States: (1) condemns the Soviet destruction of Korean Air Lines Flight 7 and calls for an explanation from the Soviets; (2) extends its sympathies to the families who lost loved ones and supports their rights to obtain compensation from the Soviets; (3) calls on the Soviets to assist in the recovery of the remains of the victims; (4) reaffirms the actions against Aeroflot and calls for an international investigation by the International Civil Aviation Organization; (5) urges the international community to demand that the Soviets modify its air defense procedures to assure the safety of commercial airliners; (6) urges other nations to join the United States in applying sanctions against Soviet civil aviation; (7) notes that Soviet refusal of responsibility raises doubts among the world community over the Soviet's willingness to behave as a responsible member of the international community; and (8) urges our allies to cooperate with the United States in implementing additional sanctions against the Soviet's until certain conditions are met.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1983
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the United States should seek to: (1) urge other governments to conduct their own investigations of suspected chemical warfare; (2) help the United Nations gain access for U.N. investigators to areas where chemical and toxin weapons use is suspected; and (3) negotiate with the Soviet Union on strengthening existing agreements on chemical, biological, and toxin weapons.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 1983
State and Local River Conservation Act of 1983 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to make grants to States for: (1) the establishment of State and local programs to conserve the natural environmental values of rivers; (2) conservation by the States, local governments, or private organizations of lands near rivers which are included in State, local, or Federal river programs; (3) the development of river management plans, technical assistance documents, or river regulations; and (4) projects demonstrating river conservation methods. Specifies restrictions on the use of such grants. Sets forth grant allocation requirements. Authorizes appropriations for the grants and for the administration of this Act. Conditions such grants upon the establishment of a State river conservation program or upon the development of an assessment of the river related resources of the State. Directs the Secretary to make grants to States for the development of such assessments. Specifies restrictions on such grants. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to encourage volunteers and volunteer organizations to conserve, maintain, and manage rivers throughout the United States. Requires each State with a river conservation program to establish review procedures in connection with applications for a Federal permit or license to conduct activities affecting land or water uses near any river included in the State program. Requires State concurrence with the granting of any such licenses by the Federal agencies with licensing authority. Authorizes landowners to make contributions of real property interests to tax-exempt organizations in order to conserve or enhance the values of rivers included in State, local, or Federal river programs. Requires that the agency responsible for the management or supervision of the river involved to concur in the donation.
![Official portrait of Sen. Lugar, Richard G. [R-IN]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/l000504_200.jpg)