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United States · Official source
3,423 records where Sen. Matsunaga, Spark M. [D-HI] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 1985
Amends the Major Crimes Act with respect to crimes in Indian country to include the crime of felonious sexual molestation of a minor.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 1985
Technology Literacy Act of 1985 - Defines "technology education" as a comprehensive educational process designed to develop a population that is knowledgeable about technology and its evolution, systems, techniques, utilization in industry and other fields, and social and cultural significance. Directs the Secretary of Education, subject to the availability of appropriations under this Act, to establish a program of grants to local educational agencies (LEAs), State educational agencies (SEAs), and institutions of higher education for demonstration programs in technology education for secondary schools. Sets forth grant application requirements. Directs the Secretary to consider equitable geographic distribution in making such grants. Permits such grants to be used to develop a model demonstration program for technology education with specified components. Includes among such components research and development of curriculum materials, an institute to develop teacher capabilities in technology education, and multidisciplinary teacher workshops for interfacing mathematics, science, and technology education. Limits the Federal share to 75 percent of the costs of programs or projects assisted under this Act. Directs the Secretary to disseminate the results of such programs or projects so as to improve the training of educational personnel. Authorizes appropriations to carry out this Act for FY 1987 and 1991.
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 1985
Polygraph Protection Act of 1985 - Prohibits any employer from using any lie detector test or examination in the work place, for both pre-employment testing and testing in the course of employment. Requires the Secretary of Labor to prepare and have printed notices setting forth this prohibition. Requires employers to post these notices. Provides for remedies for violations of this Act as found in the Fair Labor Standards Act. Exempts the following individuals from provisions of this Act: (1) Federal, State, and local employees; and (2) personnel of contractors of the Department of Defense with access to classified information
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 1985
Competitive America Trade Reform Act of 1985 - Declares that it is U.S. policy that: (1) the United States shall call for a multilateral conference to seek a new international monetary regime; (2) the United States shall try to use its foreign aid programs to aid the development of the private sectors in less developed countries; (3) rules of trade, dispute settlement procedures, and penalties for trade violations should be strengthened; (4) new policies are required to aid U.S. industries to improve their international competitiveness; and (5) a new program of transition aid for workers and firms is needed. Title I: International Monetary Reform - Creates a temporary National Commission on International Monetary Reform which shall prepare a report for the President and the Congress analyzing and evaluating: (1) proposed reforms of the international monetary system; (2) the effects of international capital flows on exchange rate volatility and proposals for restricting capital transactions; (3) proposed methods for coordinating monetary policies of major industrialized nations; (4) objectives for joint intervention in foreign exchange markets; and (5) a detailed working agenda to be presented to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a new "Bretton Woods" conference. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, within 45 days of the submission of the Commission's report, to submit legislation to the Congress implementing policy changes recommended by the Commission and authorizing submission of the agenda to the IMF. Provides for expedited consideration of such legislation. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, within 15 days of enactment of such legislation, to request the IMF to convene a working group to consider the agenda for a conference on monetary reform. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reinstate the 30 percent withholding tax on portfolio interest paid to foreign persons. Title II: Foreign Assistance and Investment - Amends the Agriculture Trade and Development and Assistance Act of 1954 (Public Law 480) to provide for a revived and expanded Cooley Loan Program. Authorizes the Secretary of State to: (1) develop a list of those less developed countries in which Cooley Loan Program activities may be conducted; and (2) negotiate and conclude agreements for the implementation of a Cooley Loan Program. Requires such agreements to provide for: (1) the sale of surplus U.S. commodities to be paid for by local currencies; (2) such currencies to be made available to designated accounts under the control of the Secretary of State; (3) spending no less than 50 percent of certain development funds for private sector development; and (4) specifying maximum local currency reserve levels in designated accounts, monetary growth targets in the host country, and termination conditions. Creates a Cabinet level Economic Security Council to advise the President on domestic and international economic matters and to develop and oversee U.S. economic policy. Directs the Council to develop an international bankruptcy procedure to guide U.S. banks and agencies in responding to impending defaults by debtor nations. Abolishes the Cabinet Council on Economic Affairs. Amends the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act to direct the Secretary of Commerce to develop a program for extending certain trade concessions to least developed developing countries that are designated by the Secretary of State. Directs the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to request a waiver of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) nondiscrimination standards in order to implement this program. Requires congressional ratification of any agreements incorporating trade concessions. Creates within the International Development Cooperation Agency the International Private Enterprise Institute which shall: (1) provide expertise and technical aid to less developed countries in attracting financial investment, developing indigenous industries, and promoting exports; and (2) serve as U.S. liaison for the World Bank Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency. Expresses the intent of the Congress that funds authorized: (1) for programs conducted by the Agency for International Development shall be used for government-to-government and official activities which foster economic growth and promote a favorable climate for development of the private sector in developing countries; and (2) for programs conducted by the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) shall be used to promote economic growth and stability through the direct involvement of U.S. private sectors. Grants OPIC the primary responsibility for developing and packaging aid provided through the International Development Cooperation Agency for private sector development in less developed countries. Creates four special offices within OPIC for program development. Authorizes OPIC to take partial equity interest in qualified development projects. Requires OPIC to administer the private sector development initiatives authorized by the Cooley Loan Program. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States shall call upon the IMF and the World Bank to convene a special meeting of the Group of Ten industrial nations and debtor nations for the purposes of formalizing growth-oriented conditionality guidelines to promote the creditworthiness of less developed countries, debt repayment flexibility, and trade liberalization. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to prepare a report for such conference. Title III: Trade Law Reform - Directs the USTR to notify the GATT of the U.S. request to join other contracting parties in ministerial sessions preparatory to a new GATT round which would seek to: (1) create or strengthen GATT articles on certain trade issues; (2) strengthen the GATT as an institution by means of certain administrative and rules changes; (3) tighten GATT enforcement mechanisms through reforms of the panel system; and (4) have consultations in dispute settlement cases take place under GATT participation. Expresses the intent of the Congress to: (1) establish overall structural reforms of U.S. trade laws; (2) redefine the trade roles of the President, the ITC, the Department of Commerce, and the USTR; and (3) clarify the standards and procedures which apply in trade remedy cases. Makes the ITC the primary factfinding agency for all determinations involving international trade. Requires the Commerce Department to be responsible for assessing the injurious effects of foreign trade on domestic industries. Declares that it is the primary function of the USTR to formulate and implement U.S. trade policy. Limits the President's discretion in unfair trade cases to the suspension of sanctions determined by the USTR. Sets forth the alternative bases for suspending sanctions. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to define and clarify references in existing U.S. trade laws to serious injury or the threat of serious injury to domestic industry. Requires the ITC to define and clarify references in U.S. trade laws to unfair trade practices. Directs the ITC to develop standard administrative procedures of factfinding and determinations for all unfairness cases. Exempts certain unfair trade practice cases brought under the Tariff Act of 1930 from the requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act. Directs the ITC to: (1) determine the extent to which foreign trade practices contribute to injury to domestic or emerging industry; (2) certify to the USTR that an injury has occurred or an unfairness threshold has been exceeded; and (3) recommend sanctions appropriate to the character and extent of unfairness found. Expresses the intent of the Congress that the mission of the ITC shall include the investigation of economic policies and practices in other countries which affect the market for American products and services in those countries, in third-party countries, and in the United states. Requires that injury determinations made by the Secretary of Commerce pursuant to import relief investigations shall take into account the extent to which the domestic industry is operated efficiently and economically. Makes grants of import relief conditional upon the existence of an industry modernization agreement. Requires injury to a domestic industry to be shown in an unfairness case. Requires the USTR to declare sanctions against countries that the ITC has found to have committed unfair trade practices within 15 days of such finding. Sets forth procedures and deadlines to be followed in unfairness cases. Authorizes the President to suspend sanctions in such cases for national security reasons or upon certification that such country has entered into good-faith negotiations to end the offending practice or to achieve compensatory trade liberalization measures. Sets forth sanctions that the USTR may invoke in the most severe cases of violations of the GATT or U.S. trade laws. Requires the USTR to take into account specified factors in determining appropriate sanctions against unfair foreign trade practices. Title IV: Enhancing International Competitiveness - Creates a National Commission on International Competitiveness which shall report annually to the Congress on key factors affecting the competitive posture of American industry and services. Requires the Commission to report periodically on the effects of foreign industrial policies on U.S. industry. Requires the Commission to grant or deny approval to industrial modernization agreements before the granting of import relief or the provision of trade adjustment assistance to firms. Amends the antitrust laws to require the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to take into consideration global competitive conditions when determining market concentration. Directs the Attorney General and the FTC to develop regulations for expedited procedures to consider applications for antitrust waivers for research and development consortia under guidelines established by the National Commission on International Competitiveness. Amends the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act to waive the provisions of that Act with respect to a country if the Attorney General certifies that such country has: (1) effective bribery or corruption statutes; and (2) an established record of aggressive enforcement of such statutes. Provides for sharing information with foreign countries to assist their prosecution of incidents of bribery. Requires the Commerce Department to develop a classification code for monitoring and reporting on international trade in services. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to report annually to the Congress on actual and potential U.S. services trade. Requires the United States to pursue bilateral services agreements pending development of a GATT article on services trade. Requires the U.S. Foreign and Commercial Service to expand commercial attache programs to cover developing countries now served by State Department personnel. Amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to require the Export-Import Bank to: (1) develop a program of coinsurance to expand small business exports; and (2) develop with the Agency for International Development a special fund to counter predatory, subsidized financing, and mixed credit programs of other countries. Provides for the enactment of the High Technology Morrill Act (S. 935 99th, Congress). (High Technology Morrill Act - Establishes the Technology Education Trust Fund in the Treasury. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to be the trustee of the Fund and to report to the Congress annually on the Fund's operation. Directs the Secretary to transfer from the Treasury's general fund to the Fund, for FY 1987 through 1991, three percent of the rents, royalties, and other sums paid to the United States under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, and any other Federal statute authorizing payments for mineral resource development designated by the Secretary for the purpose of this Act. Limits the amount of such transfers to $250,000,000 in any one fiscal year. Provides that amounts in the Fund shall be available for making payments in accordance with this Act as provided in advance by appropriation Acts, and without fiscal year limitation on availability unless specifically enacted. Prohibits the Secretary from making transfers to the Fund after FY 1991. Directs the Secretary to pay into the Treasury's general fund any amounts remaining in the Fund after FY 1993. (Authorizes the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) to make grants to educational institutions (including vocational schools), private for-profit business concerns, and State agencies making application jointly to pay the Federal share of the cost of technology education programs. Allows private nonprofit organizations and State agencies to submit applications jointly if the nonprofit private organization represents an educational institution and a for-profit business concern, or a group of such institutions and concerns. (Requires that such applications be consistent with State economic development and educational policies and with private sector priorities and educational institution needs. Requires the State and local public sources pay 30 percent, and for-profit businesses pay 20 percent, of total program costs. Sets forth other application requirements. (Allows grants made under this Act to be used for: (1) laboratory equipment and facilities in educational institutions; (2) improving science and mathematics education and computer literacy in elementary and secondary schools through teacher training, equipment improvement, and curricula development; (3) research/education centers for training new scientific, engineering, and technical employees while carrying out applied research or stimulating innovation, technology transfer, and the application of new technologies; (4) mathematics, science, and engineering faculty development through support for graduate students who enter teaching, faculty exchange with industry, teaching retraining, and other faculty retention programs; (5) lifelong learning and cooperative education activities for the scientific, engineering, and technical work force; (6) development of new educational methods and equipment such as computer-based educational aids and telecommunication instructional technologies; (7) expansion of technical training programs and initiation of programs at institutions of higher education (including postsecondary vocational education institutions) designed to retrain workers for jobs requiring more technical skills; (8) improving the access of women, minorities, and handicapped to technical, engineering, and scientific fields; and (9) cooperative programs between the humanities and the sciences. (Sets forth provisions for grant payments, distribution of funds, withholding, administration, and audit. (Authorizes the Secretary to establish advisory committees for purposes of this Act. (Directs the Secretary to consult with the Secretary of Defense to coordinate technical training programs supported by the Department of Defense and activities assisted under this Act. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to transfer Department of Defense funds for technical training programs to the Secretary to carry out programs under this Act. (Directs the Secretary to consult with the Secretaries of Commerce, Labor, and Education and the heads of other appropriate Federal agencies in carrying out this Act. (Directs the Secretary to report annually to the Congress on activities assisted by this Act.) Provides for the enactment of title II (relating to science, mathematics and foreign language education) of the American Defense Education Act (S. 177, 99th Congress). (Title II: Teacher Training and Postsecondary Programs - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to establish a program of grants to institutions of higher education for coordination between such institutions and local educational agencies in improving science and mathematics education, through precollege teacher training, development, and recruitment programs. (Sets forth requirements for grant proposals and priorities in grant selection. (Authorizes appropriations for FY 1987 through 1989 for such grants.) Provides for the enactment, with a modification, of the Japanese Technical Literature Act of 1985 (S. 1073, 99th Congress) (Foreign Technical Literature Act of 1985 - Amends the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 to direct the Secretary of Commerce, on a continuing basis and through the Director of the Office of Industrial Technology, to increase the availability of foreign science and engineering literature to U.S. businesses, scientists, and engineers through increased accessibility, monitoring, screening, translation, abstracting, indexing, dissemination, and marketing. (Authorizes the Secretary, in conducting such activity, to: (1) make grants to private for profit, nonprofit, and educational organizations (and, to the extent provided in advance in appropriations Acts, enter into contracts with such organizations); (2) provide funds to, and coordinate with, other Government organizations; and (3) utilize (for all or part of this effort) the directors, staff, and facilities of the National Bureau of Standards and the National Technical Information Service. (Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 through 1988.) (Directs the Secretary of State to implement a program of acquisition of foreign scientific and technological materials by U.S. embassy personnel. (Expresses the intent of the Congress to promote the commercialization of products and processes developed in Federal laboratories.) Provides for the enactment of the Federal Science and Technology Transfer Act of 1985 (H.R. 1572, 99th Congress) (Federal Science and Technology Transfer Act of 1985 - Amends the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 to authorize Federal agencies, subject to specified conditions, to permit the directors of their Government-operated Federal laboratories to enter into cooperative research and development agreements with other Federal agencies, State or local governments, industrial organizations, universities, or other persons. Authorizes Government-operated Federal laboratories, under such agreements and subject to specified conditions, to: (1) grant patent licenses or assignments, or options, in any subject invention made by a Federal employee, or made jointly by a Federal employee and an employee of the collaborating party, and to retain such rights as the laboratory deems appropriate; and (2) waive in advance any right of ownership which the Federal Government may have to any subject invention made by a collaborating party or such party's employee under the agreement. (Requires Federal agencies to establish certain plans to be followed in entering into such agreements. (Prohibits such agreements with: (1) any person who is not located in the United States, does not have a place of business located in the United States, or is subject to the control of a foreign government; or (2) any other entity which is owned or controlled by any such person. Prohibits such agreements if an authority of the Federal Government which is authorized by statute or executive order to conduct foreign intelligence or counterintelligence activities determines that ownership or licensing rights granted by the agreement must be restricted or eliminated in order to protect the security of such activities. Provides for an appeals procedure with respect to such determinations. (Provides that specified provisions of Federal law relating to patent rights in inventions made with Federal assistance shall apply to certain types of such agreements. (Provides that small businesses will be given preference in the making of certain types of such agreements. (Prohibits any person (or his or her assignee) who receives title or exclusive right or exclusive patent license to any subject invention from granting the exclusive right to use or sell, or from making exclusive use of, such invention unless the products embodying it or produced through its use will be manufactured substantially in the United States. Authorizes the Federal agency concerned to waive such prohibition on a case-by-case basis under specified conditions. (Directs each agency to maintain a record of all such agreements. (Establishes the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer in the National Science Foundation. Requires the Director of the Foundation to appoint an individual to manage the Consortium and authorizes such individual to appoint Consortium employees. (Sets forth Consortium duties relating to the commercial potential of new technologies generated by Federal laboratory research. (Requires the Director of the Foundation to report biennially to the President and to the appropriate authorization and appropriation committees of the Congress on Consortium and other specified activities. Requires other Federal agencies to: (1) cooperate in providing information for such reports; and (2) transfer a specified portion of their research and development budgets to the Foundation to carry out Consortium activities. (Sets forth rules and formulas for the distribution of royalties or other income received by Federal agencies from the licensing or assignment of inventions under such agreements under this Act, and from inventions licensed under provisions of Federal law relating to domestic and foreign protection of federally owned inventions, or under any other provision of law. Requires Federal agencies to report annually to the appropriate authorization and appropriation committees of the Congress detailing the amount of such royalties or other income received and expenditures made under such rules and formulas.) (Reauthorizes the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 for five years. Repeals the agency waiver provisions of such Act. (Makes the Federal Laboratory Consortium a permanent agency within the National Science Foundation which shall: (1) monitor technology transfer activities of Federal laboratories; (2) assess the resources and effectiveness of collaborative efforts among the laboratories, private industry, and academia; and (3) promote a national information network to foster private sector commercialization of Federal laboratory research and discoveries. Title V: Trade Adjustment Assistance - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to: (1) repeal the condition that all rights to unemployment insurance be exhausted before one is eligible for trade adjustment assistance; (2) make a worker who is separated from employment in an industry that qualifies for an industrial modernization agreement and trade adjustment benefits automatically eligible for trade adjustment assistance; (3) deem a worker ineligible for unemployment insurance benefits during the operative period of trade adjustment assistance if the worker's separation is found to be trade-induced; (4) require workers, before receiving trade adjustment assistance, to agree to repay certain amounts of such assistance; (5) provide a worker eligible for trade adjustment assistance with a voucher to defray the cost of specified training programs; and (6) require the establishment of a national retraining certification program. Makes assistance provided to firms under this title conditional upon the approval of an industrial modernization agreement by the National Commission on International Competitiveness. Establishes a trust fund in the Treasury to finance the provisions of this Act. Finances such fund through a one percent duty on all imports. Directs the USTR to undertake negotiations through the GATT to impose such duty.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 1985
Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to approve construction of a portion of Interstate Route H-3 in Hawaii from the Halawa interchange to the Halekou Interchange.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 1985
Designates the week of April 6 through April 12, 1986, as World Health Week and April 7, 1986, as World Health Day.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should begin talks with the Government of the Soviet Union aimed at creating a jointly administered U.S.-Soviet student exchange program. Sets forth certain aspects of such exchange program.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 1985
Designates November 30, 1985, as National Mark Twain Day.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 1985
Prohibits the President from issuing a letter of offer relating to proposed sales to Jordan of certain advanced weapons systems before the start of direct bilateral negotiations between Jordan and Israel. Prohibits delivery of any weapons if such a letter of offer is issued and accepted before enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 1985
Designates September 19, 1986, as National P.O.W./M.I.A. Recognition Day.
United States · United States Congress · 17 October 1985
Designates the week of November 3 through November 9, 1985, as National Humanities Week, 1985.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 1985
Dedicates the Cumberland terminus of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park to J. Glenn Beall, Sr., in recognition of his outstanding efforts to protect the canal and tow path from development. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to design, locate, erect, and maintain a memorial to J. Glenn Beall, Sr., within the exterior boundaries of the park. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 1985
Designates November 24, 1985, as National Day of Fasting to Raise Funds to Combat Hunger.
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 1985
Declares that the Congress calls upon the President to direct the Agency for International Development (AID) to work in a global effort to provide support toward achieving the goal of universal access to childhood immunization by the year 1990. Sets forth specified actions to be taken by AID, in conjunction with the World Health Organization and UNICEF, in reaching such goal. Urges the President to seek both private and public assistance in the United States to achieve universal access to childhood immunization.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 1985
Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to direct the President, in providing assistance to developing countries, to: (1) place a high priority on conservation and sustainable management of tropical forests; and (2) take certain steps (including engaging in dialogues on conserving forest resources and information exchanges with recipient countries, supporting projects and activities which offer alternatives to colonizing forests, supporting related training and research programs, helping to end destructive agricultural practices, and denying any assistance for certain activities harmful to the forests). Directs the President, whenever feasible, to accomplish the objectives of this Act through projects managed by private and voluntary and other nongovernmental organizations. Requires the annual report to the Congress on foreign aid programs to include a report on the implementation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 1985
Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize appropriations to help developing countries protect and maintain wildlife habitats and develop sound wildlife management and plant conservation programs. Requires each country development strategy statement or other country plan prepared by the Agency for International Development (AID) to include a detailed plan to assist that country in the conservation of biological diversity. States that, whenever feasible, such protection, maintenance, management, and conservation activities shall be accomplished through projects managed by private and voluntary organizations and other nongovernmental organizations. Directs AID to allocate at least a specified sum for projects managed by such organizations. Directs the Administrator of AID to take certain steps, including: (1) cooperating with appropriate organizations; (2) looking to the World Conservation Strategy as an overall guide; (3) engaging in dialogues and exchanges of information with recipient countries which stress the importance of conserving biological diversity; (4) supporting training and education which improve the capacity of recipient countries to prevent loss of biological diversity; and (5) the denial of any assistance for actions which invade or significantly degrade national parks or similar protected areas. Requires the annual report to the Congress on foreign aid programs to include a report on implementation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 1985
Declares that the Congress deplores the President's notification to the U.N. Secretary General that the United States is withdrawing from the compulsory jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice, and reaffirms its support for the international rule of law and the role of the Court.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 1985
Designates the week of January 19 through January 25, 1986, as National Jaycee Week.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 1985
Veterans' Job Training Amendments of 1985 - Amends the Emergency Veterans' Job Training Act of 1983 to decrease the amount paid by the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to the employer of a veteran under a job training program to 30 percent of such earned wage beginning with the fourth month of such employment period. (Currently, the Administrator pays 50 percent, regardless of the employment training period). Directs the Administrator and the Secretary of Labor to provide a program of counseling services for veterans participating in a job training program and to make such veterans and their employers aware of the availability of such services. Requires the Administrator to also make such veterans aware of other supportive services such as readjustment counseling. Provides for the appointment of a case manager to each veteran participating in a job training program. Authorizes appropriations under such Act through FY 1986 and extends through 1988 the availability of funds for such job training programs. Provides for payments to employers of veterans participating in job training programs in the event that funds are appropriated for FY 1986. Provides alternate dates for the payment of such assistance in FY 1986. Permits a veteran who is allowed a monthly training assistance allowance under a program of apprenticeship or other on-job training to elect to have such allowance paid to the employer. Requires the Administrator to make all participating veterans aware of the availability of such election. Directs the Administrator, not later than four months prior to the expiration of such provisions, to report to the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees on the implementation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 1985
Designates the week beginning on October 20, 1985, as Benign Essential Blepharospasm Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 1985
Designates the week of October 27 through November 2, 1985, as National Alopecia Areata Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 1985
Designates November 1, 1985, as National Philanthropy Day.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 1985
Commemorates the accomplishments of The Education of All Handicapped Children Act on its tenth anniversary.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 1985
Declares a named individual to have been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 1985
Authorizes the classification of a named individual as a child within the meaning of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 1985
Declares that the United States and the Soviet Union should initiate a joint effort to immunize all the children of the world by the year 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 1985
Fuel Cells Energy Utilization Act of 1985 - Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to redefine the term "cogeneration facility" to include facilities utilizing fuel cell systems. Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to redefine the term "domestic renewable energy industry" to include industries using fuel cell technology (thus bringing fuel cells systems technology within the ambit of Federal energy legislation). Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to prepare guidelines for cities and municipalities specifying environmental and safety standards for the use of fuel cell technology. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to report to the Congress regarding the export market potential for integrated systems of fuel cells with renewable power technologies.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 1985
Renewable Energy/Fuel Cell Systems Integration Act of 1985 - Directs the Secretary of Energy to implement a research program regarding: (1) fuel cell use of methane gas generated from biomass forms; (2) technologies using renewable energy sources (such as wind and solar energy) to produce hydrogen for fuel cell use; and (3) fuel cell technology for electric power production as backup spinning reserve components to renewable power systems in rural and isolated areas. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to, and enter into contracts with, private research laboratories. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress regarding the fuel cell research program. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 1985
Hydrogen Research and Development Act - Title I: Hydrogen Production and Utilization - Directs the Secretary of Energy to prepare and submit to specified congressional committees a comprehensive program management plan for a research and development program designed to permit the development of a domestic hydrogen fuel production capability within the shortest practicable time. Requires the Secretary to send the Congress annual reports which include any necessary plan modifications. Directs the Secretary to establish such program within the Department of Energy. Requires that the areas to be addressed in such program include production, liquefaction, transmission, distribution, storage, and utilization. Requires priority to be given to production techniques that use renewable energy sources as their primary energy sources. Directs the Secretary to conduct demonstrations to evaluate technical and nontechnical parameters to determine commercial applicability of hydrogen technology and to prepare a comprehensive large-scale hydrogen demonstration plan. Requires the Secretary to prepare a comprehensive technology application plan which shall include: (1) the potential applications for the use of hydrogen; (2) technical market and economic readiness assessments for such potential applications; (3) an assessment of Government actions needed to develop such application; and (4) an analysis of the impact of such applications on domestic energy supplies. Requires the Secretary to consult with other Federal agencies and departments in carrying out this program. Requires the establishment of a Hydrogen Technical Advisory Panel to advise the Secretary on the conduct of the hydrogen program. Requires the Panel to submit an annual report on the program to the Energy Research Advisory Board which shall subsequently report to the Secretary. Authorizes appropriations to carry out this title. Title II: Hydrogen-Fueled Aircraft Research and Development - Directs the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to prepare and submit to specified congressional committees a comprehensive program management plan for a research and development program for the development of a domestic hydrogen-fueled aircraft capability within the shortest practicable time. Requires the Administrator to transmit to Congress annual reports which include any necessary modifications with respect to the plan. Requires the Administrator to establish such program within NASA and to prepare and transmit to the Congress a comprehensive flight demonstration plan which shall confirm the technical feasibility, economic viability, and safety of liquid hydrogen as a fuel for commercial transport aircraft. Provides that the research and development program under this title shall include, at a minimum, the development of the systems associated with the production, transportation, storage, and handling of liquid hydrogen for commercial aircraft application. Provides that the Administrator shall consult with other Federal agencies and departments in carrying out the program. Establishes a Hydrogen-Fueled Aircraft Advisory Committee to advise the Administrator on the programs established by this title. Requires the Committee to report annually to the Administrator on its activities and on the status of such programs. Authorizes appropriations to carry out this title.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 1985
Designates March 21, 1986, as National Energy Education Day.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 1985
School Excellence and Reform Act - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1987 through 1991 to make payments for programs of: (1) general improvement and excellence in education; and (2) reform and equity in education. Provides that no funds are authorized to carry out this Act for any fiscal year in which the amount appropriated to carry out each of the following provisions of law does not equal or exceed the amount appropriated for such purpose in the preceding fiscal year: (1) chapter 1 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981; (2) chapter 2 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981; (3) title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, relating to bilingual education; (4) the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act; and (5) the Education of the Handicapped Act. Sets forth (after reserving specified amounts for certain U.S. territories and possessions) formulas for State and local allocation of payments for general improvement and excellence in education. Provides, under such local allocation formula, for certain increases in the amount of such payments on the basis of numbers of children eligible to be counted for purposes of special needs funding under specified provisions of subpart 1 (Basic Grants) part A (Programs Operated by Local Educational Agencies) of title I (Financial Assistance to Meet Special Educational Needs of Children) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). Sets forth (after reserving specified amounts for payments to certain U.S. territories and possessions) formulas for State and local allocation for reform and equity in education. Provides, under such State allocation formula, for certain increases in payments based on numbers of children eligible to be counted under the aforementioned ESEA provisions for special educational needs funding. Authorizes the State educational agency to establish the relative weights of factors under such local allocation formula, but requires that such formula be composed of only the following factors: (1) the number of children aged five to 17, inclusive, who are eligible to be counted under the aforementioned ESEA provisions for special educations needs funding; (2) the graduation rate; (3) the absentee rate; and (4) the number of low-achieving students. Permits those general improvement and excellence funds which are allocated to local educational agencies to be used for: (1) pursuit of general educational excellence and improvement of instruction in mathematics, the sciences, communications skills, foreign languages, and technology; and (2) where necessary, for guidance and counseling. Permits those reform and equity funds which are retained by a State under specified provisions of this Act to be used to administer and carry out categorical programs and projects. Permits those reform and equity funds which are allocated to local educational agencies to be used for the development, expansion, or improvement of any of the following categorical programs and projects: (1) early childhood education; (2) school day care; (3) in-service teacher training; (4) dropout prevention; (5) effective schools; and (6) improvement of secondary schools basic skills instruction. Requires State applications for allocations of general improvement and excellence payments and reform and equity payments for any fiscal year under this Act to: (1) meet specified requirements under the General Education Provisions Act; and (2) in the case of reform and equity payment allocations, describe the intended use of funds to be retained by the State to enhance State reform efforts. Allows a local educational agency, in any fiscal year, to submit a single application for an allocation of general improvement and excellence funds or an allocation of reform and equity funds, or both. Permits two or more local educational agencies that propose to conduct joint programs and projects from funds for general improvement and excellence to file such application as a consortium or other combination. Prohibits a local educational agency from applying for an allocation of reform and equity funds unless the total number of children age five to 17, inclusive, in the schools of such agency who are eligible to be counted under the aforementioned ESEA provisions for special educational needs funding exceeds the lesser of 5,000 or 20 percent of the total enrollment of such schools. Requires local educational agencies, in order to receive either general improvement and excellence or reform and equity allocations, to have on file with the State educational agency an application which includes a description of the programs and projects to be funded and a plan for the improvement of the selected educational areas covered by such programs and projects. Requires such local educational agency or consortium applications, or application renewals, to also contain assurances that: (1) the programs and project are designed and implemented in consultation with the parents and classroom teachers of the children to be served; (2) the funds received under this Act will supplement and not supplant non-Federal funding; and (3) the local educational agency will comply with specified maintenance of effort requirements which the State educational agency must enforce. Requires each local educational agency receiving an allocation under this Act for any fiscal year to submit to the State educational agency evidence of progress in particular areas for which funds were expended or evidence of general improvement in the educational system, such as: (1) reductions in, or maintenance of acceptable levels of, absenteeism, discipline problems, and dropouts at the secondary level; (2) more instructional time; and (3) smaller class size. Authorizes the State educational agency, at the State's discretion, to conduct audits on a sampling basis to verify the accuracy of such submissions. Terminates a local educational agency's eligibility to obtain an allocation under this Act for more than three fiscal years, unless the evidence submitted demonstrates progress as verified by the State. Authorizes the Secretary, from specified amounts reserved from reform and equity funds, to make business involvement matching grants to local educational agencies. Sets the maximum amount of any such grant at 50 percent of the fair market value of any donation by local business concerns to the local educational agency for the conduct of programs and projects under this Act. Allows such donations to be in cash or in kind, and may consist of equipment, the services of business personnel, or training provided to the local educational agency.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 1985
Grants a Federal charter to the Confederate Memorial Association.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 1985
Designates November 1985 as American Liver Foundation National Liver Awareness Month.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 1985
Designates November 6, 1985, as Ignacy Jan Paderewski Day.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 1985
Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Amendments of 1985 - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to declare that acts of importation into, or sale in, the United States of articles that infringe a valid U.S. patent, copyright, or trademark are unfair and have the effect of destroying or substantially injuring a U.S. industry or impairing the establishment of such industry. Permits any person to petition the International Trade Commission (ITC) for the issuance of an order to exclude such articles, during its investigation, from entry into the United States. Sets forth: (1) civil penalties for violations under this Act; and (2) procedures for the modification or rescission of an ITC order under this Act. Repeals a specified section of the Tariff Act of 1930 relating to the importation of products produced under a process covered by claims of an unexpired patent.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 1985
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide coverage for services performed by a physician assistant under the supervision of a physician.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 1985
Designates the week of October 6 through October 13, 1985, as National Housing Week.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 1985
Native American Culture and Art Development Act - Establishes a corporation to be known as the Institute of Native American Culture and Arts Development, with a board of trustees including Native Americans from the private sector, appointed by the President, and Members of Congress. Identifies the Institute's primary functions as: (1) scholarly study and instruction in Native American arts and culture; and (2) the establishment of degree-awarding programs in Native American art and culture. Establishes within the Institute: (1) a Center for Culture and Art Studies; and (2) a Center for Research and Cultural Exchange. Establishes the Institute as a nonprofit and tax-exempt organization. Prohibits the Institute from engaging in any political activity regarding elective public office. Transfers to the Institute the functions of the Institute of American Indian Arts. Directs the President of the Institute to submit an annual report to the Congress and the Board. Establishes the Institute of American Indian Arts, at Santa Fe, New Mexico, as the site of the Institute of Native American Culture and Arts Development. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 1985
Designates September 22, 1986, as American Business Women's Day.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 1985
Designates the week of October 20 through October 26, 1985, as National Temporary Services Week.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1985
Improved Public Health Through Nutrition Monitoring Act of 1985 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to prepare the Comprehensive Health Promotion and Nutrition Monitoring Plan (comprehensive plan) to specify the manner in which the National Health Promotion and Nutrition Monitoring Program (coordinated program) will be implemented. Specifies the requirements of the comprehensive plan. Requires the Secretary to submit a draft of the comprehensive plan to the Congress and publish such plan, with a request for public comment, in the Federal Register within one year of enactment of this Act. Requires the Secretary to submit a final comprehensive plan to the President and the Congress within 60 days after the end of the period for public comment. Requires the Secretary to implement the comprehensive final plan. Grants specified congressional committees oversight responsibilities. Establishes a ten-year National Health Promotion and Nutrition Monitoring Program. States that such program shall include: (1) the assessment, collection, analysis, and reporting of information on health, dietary, and nutritional trends in the U.S.; (2) the assessment, analysis, and reporting of the effects on health status of food assistance programs; (3) sponsoring and conducting research; (4) maintaining, coordinating, implementing, and completing health, nutrition, and dietary surveys; (5) developing and maintaining health, nutrition, and dietary data bases; (6) coordinating Federal, State, local, and private activities; (7) providing scientific and technical assistance; and (8) providing grants to be carried out through the National Science Foundation and the Director of the Centers for Disease Control. Directs the Secretary to: (1) update and integrate into the coordinated program the Joint Implementation Plan for a Comprehensive National Nutrition Monitoring System; (2) provide for and coordinate Federal research; (3) enter into a contract for the interpretation of available data; (4) foster cost recovery management techniques; and (5) prepare annual reports. Authorizes the Secretary to appoint a Coordinator for Health Promotion and Nutrition Monitoring. Establishes the Interagency Health Promotion and Nutrition Monitoring Board to assist the Secretary. Establishes the Advisory Council on Health Promotion and Nutrition Monitoring to: (1) provide scientific and technical advice; (2) evaluate the quality and effectiveness of the implementation of the coordinated program; and (3) evaluate the coordinated program, the comprehensive plan, and the budget. Sets forth budget request procedures. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1985
Comprehensive Smokeless Tobacco and Health Education Act of 1985 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop educational programs and materials and public service announcements respecting the dangers to human health from the use of smokeless tobacco, and to make such programs, materials, and announcements available to States, local governments, and school systems. Requires the Secretary to report annually to the Congress on the activities undertaken in this regard. Requires specified warning labels on all smokeless tobacco products and advertisements. Declares that failure to comply with provisions of this Act shall be a misdemeanor. Grants district courts of the United States jurisdiction and injunctive power to prevent and restrain violations of this Act. Directs the Federal Trade Commission to promulgate regulations to implement this Act based on the findings and conclusions of the Advisory Committee on the Health Consequences of Using Smokeless Tobacco.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1985
Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1985 - Amends the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act to confer responsibility upon: (1) each State for the disposal of specified low-level radioactive waste either by itself or in cooperation with other States; and (2) the Federal Government for ensuring the safe disposal of specified high-level and low-level radioactive waste materials. Directs the Secretary of Energy to submit to the Congress a comprehensive report regarding the safe disposal of certain radioactive waste. Authorizes the States to enter into regional compacts to establish and operate regional low-level radioactive waste disposal facilities. Declares such compacts and regional activities inapplicable to: (1) low-level radioactive waste activities generated by the Secretary; or (2) low-level radioactive waste disposal facilities operated exclusively for federally produced waste. Subjects low-level radioactive waste generated by the Federal Government to the same conditions as any such waste which is not generated by Federal activities. Requires each compact to provide that every five years the Congress may by law withdraw its consent. Requires each State in which a regional disposal facility is located to make disposal capacity available for low-level radioactive waste generated by certain commercial nuclear power reactors. Requires the States of South Carolina, Washington, and Nevada to enter into an agreement with each other to establish which disposal facility shall accept low-level radioactive waste from which generators of such waste. Sets limitations upon: (1) the availability of disposal capacity for low-level radioactive waste from specified sources; and (2) the allocations of disposal capacity for certain commercial nuclear power reactors. Sets requirements for access to regional disposal facilities by non-sited compact regions or by non-compact member States that do not have an operating regional disposal facility. Authorizes the suspension or denial of access to regional disposal facilities if such requirements are not met. Specifies disposal capacity allocations during a three-year licensing and construction period for low-level radioactive waste generators located within a non-sited compact region, or within a State that is not a member of a compact region. Sets guidelines for the assignment of disposal capacity allocations among eligible commercial nuclear power reactors. Directs the States of South Carolina, Washington, and Nevada to enter into an agreement with each other for the allocation of additional disposal capacity among commercial nuclear power reactors whose allocations have been inadequate for specified reasons. Sets forth guidelines under which low-level radioactive waste disposal limitations or requirements are suspended due to emergency conditions. Authorizes the State in which a regional disposal facility is located to impose a surcharge upon low-level radioactive waste disposal. Directs the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and each agreement State to ensure that low-level radioactive waste disposal facilities licensed by the Commission or agreement State are bonded or covered by other financial assurance for a safe and environmentally sound radioactive waste disposal operation. Requires the Secretary of Energy to furnish technical and financial assistance to compact regions and to States seeking assistance under this Act. Requires the Secretary to submit a comprehensive report to the Congress regarding the operation of the national system for the management and disposal of low-level radioactive waste. Directs the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to promulgate criteria for: (1) the licensing of low-level radioactive waste disposal facilities that use disposal methods other than shallow land burial; and (2) the disposal of certain material classified as low-level radioactive waste.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1985
Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to exclude the employees of States and local governments from the provisions of that Act relating to maximum hours. Revises the definition of "employee" under that Act to exclude any volunteer for a State, local, or interstate public agency, even if such volunteer is paid expenses or a nominal fee to perform the voluntary services.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1985
Amends the District of Columbia Stadium Act of 1957 to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey without consideration to the government of the District of Columbia all right, title, and interest of the United States to the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium. Requires the terms and conditions of such conveyance to insure that the property will be used only: (1) for stadium purposes; (2) for providing recreational facilities, open space, or public outdoor recreation opportunities; and (3) for such other public purposes for which the property was used prior to June 1, 1985. States that the instrument of conveyance to the District of Columbia shall revert back to the United States if such conditions have not been complied with and such noncompliance has not been corrected within 90 days after written notice has been received by the Mayor. Prohibits the bringing of an action for use violation before 90 days after notice to the mayor of the alleged violation and the intent to bring such action. Includes certain parking sections as part of the schematic design of the Map to Designate Transfer of Stadium and Parking Lots to The District.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1985
Designates July 6, 1986, as National Air Traffic Control Day.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1985
Designates the week beginning January 12, 1986, as National Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Awareness Week.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1985
Designates the week of September 23 through September 29, 1985, as National Historically Black Colleges Week.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1985
Designates October 1985 as Learning Disabilities Awareness Month.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1985
Expresses the sense of the Senate that no recess appointments should be made when the Senate stands adjourned or recessed within a session for a period of less than 30 days. Expresses the sense of the Senate that no recess appointments should be made of any person if: (1) such person has been nominated during the present presidential term; (2) the Senate has voted not to give its advice and consent; or (3) the appropriate committee has voted not to report such nomination to the Senate.