United States · United States Congress · 7 June 1985
National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Amendments of 1985 - Amends the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act of 1965 to raise the maximum monetary amount which a grant application may involve for purposes of certain unilateral grant approval action which the Chairman of the National Council on the Arts may take pursuant to a delegation of authority from the Council. Revises provisions relating to administration of humanities grants in cases where a State Governor does not submit an application with a State plan for such administration. Raises from four to six the number of members of the governing body of a grant recipient who must be appointed by an appropriate State officer or agency in such cases. Raises from 20 to 25 percent the maximum percentage of the total membership which the number of such members may equal. Adds to provisions for the selection of members of the National Council on the Humanities the requirement that they be U.S. citizens who are recognized for their broad knowledge of, or expertise in, the humanities. Authorizes appropriations for specified purposes in FY 1986 through 1990 for: (1) the National Endowment for the Arts; and (2) the National Endowment for the Humanities. Limits, for FY 1986 through 1988, the amounts of such appropriations for specified purposes, as well as the total amounts of appropriations to carry on the activities of the Endowments. Deletes provisions relating to specified studies and reports which have been submitted. Amends the Museum Services Act to authorize appropriations for FY 1986 through 1990 for grants by the Institute of Museum Services to museums to increase and improve their services. Amends the Art and Artifacts Indemnity Act to provide that, for purposes of such Act, the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, the Director of the National Gallery of Art, the member designated by the Chairman of the Senate Commission on Art and Antiquities, and the member designated by the Speaker of the House shall not serve as members of the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. Increases the aggregate of loss or damage covered at any one time by indemnity agreements made under such Act. Appropriates up to $1,000,000 annually to pay certified claims of up to $100,000 each under such Act (in addition to amounts authorized to be appropriated to pay certified claims under such Act).
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 · 5 June 1985
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to include services provided by a clinical psychologist within the definition of the term "rural health clinic services."
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 1985
Improved Standards for Laboratory Animals Act - Amends the Animal Welfare Act to revise the humane standards for animals transported in commerce. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to promulgate standards to govern the humane handling, care, treatment, and transportation of animals by dealers, research facilities, and exhibitors. Requires each research facility to establish an institutional animal committee with sufficient expertise to assess the appropriateness of animal care and treatment in experimental research. Requires the committee at each facility to: (1) inspect at least semiannually all animal study areas and animal facilities at the research facility; (2) file an inspection certification report of each inspection at the research facility; (3) notify the administrative representative of the research facility of any deficiencies; and (4) notify the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the funding Federal agency if such deficiencies remain uncorrected. Requires each research facility to provide for annual training in the humane treatment of animals for scientists, animal technicians, and other personnel involved with animal care and treatment in such facility. Directs the Secretary to establish an information service at the National Agricultural Library to provide information on improved methods of animal experimentation, including: (1) employee training; (2) preventing unnecessary duplication of animal experimentation; (3) reducing or replacing animal use; and (4) minimizing pain and distress. Requires a funding Federal agency to suspend or revoke Federal Support for a project if it is determined that conditions of animal care, treatment, or practice in a particular project have not been in compliance with standards promulgated under this Act. Requires the Secretary to inspect each research facility at least once each year. Requires such follow-up inspections as may be necessary until all deficiencies which may be found are corrected. Imposes penalties for the release of any confidential information or trade secrets by any member of an Institutional Animal Committee. Increases penalties for violations of the Animal Welfare Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 1985
Confers jurisdiction upon the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii to hear, determine, and render judgment on the claim of a named individual against the United States arising out of the alleged negligence of medical personnel at a medical center in Hawaii.
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
Renewable Energy and Conservation Transition Act of 1985 - Title I: Extension of Business Energy Credits - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the energy investment tax credit for solar energy property from 1985 to 1990. Sets the amount of such credit during such period at 15 percent for low temperature solar property and 25 percent for all other solar property. Extends the energy investment tax credit for wind property from 1985 to 1988. Sets the amount of such credit at: (1) ten percent during 1986 and 1987; and (2) five percent during 1988. Extends the energy investment tax credit for geothermal property and biomass property from 1985 to 1988. Extends the energy investment tax credit for ocean thermal property from 1985 to 1990. Revises the definition of "solar property" for purposes of such tax credit. Sets forth special rules for geothermal equipment to qualify for such credit. Title II: Affirmative Commitment Rule to Extend the Business Credit for Certain Long-Term Projects - Extends the time period during which an affirmative commitment must be made in order for long-term energy projects to be eligible for the energy investment tax credit. Allows such an extension: (1) from 1990 to 1993 for solar energy property; (2) from 1988 to 1990 for geothermal energy property; and (3) from 1985 to 1990 for hydroelectric generating property. Title III: Extension of Residential Energy Credits - Extends the residential energy income tax credit for solar renewable energy property from 1985 to 1990. Phases out such credit over such period of time. Provides that solar hot water systems and active space heating systems must meet certain additional standards in order to qualify for such credit. Extends the residential energy income tax credit for wind renewable energy property from 1985 to 1988. Phases out such credit over such period of time. Extends the residential energy income tax credit for geothermal renewable energy property from 1985 to 1988. Phases out such credit over such period of time. Revises the definition of geothermal deposits for purposes of such credit. Revises the definition of energy conservation expenditures for purposes of the residential energy income tax credit to limit the amounts taken into account to $700. Limits the energy conservation income tax credit to taxpayers with an adjusted gross income of less than $30,000. Title IV: Effective Date - Sets forth the effective date of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1985
Authorizes the Black Revolutionary War Patriots Foundation to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia to honor the courageous slaves and free black persons of the American Revolution. Directs the Secretary of the Interior, with the approval of the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission, to select the site, approve the design and plans, and provide for maintenance. Prohibits the use of any Federal funds for the memorial's construction. Terminates the Foundation's authority to establish such memorial five years from the date of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1985
Calls for a celebration of the bicentenary of the Northwest Ordinance. Expresses congressional approval of the efforts of the Northwest Ordinance Bicentennial Planning Committee to encourage commemorative activities.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 1985
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Congress should oppose the Social Security Administration's "Draft Service Delivery Methodology" proposal which, if implemented, would result in the closing or downgrading of specified Social Security Administration offices.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 1985
Home and Community Based Services for the Elderly Act of 1985 - Amends title XIX (Block Grants) of the Public Health Service Act to authorize a block grant program for home and community based services for the elderly. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 through 1988. Allots State funding based on a State's elderly population as compared with the elderly population of the United States. Makes Indian tribes and tribal organizations eligible grant recipients. States that grants may be used to: (1) identify elderly individuals who are eligible for services; (2) plan and manage services to be provided; (3) educate the public and medical and social professionals concerning the availability of services; (4) encourage the participation of families and voluntary organizations; (5) train personnel; and (6) coordinate long-term care services. Permits States to provide services for the elderly through grants to eligible organizations. Prohibits the use of funds for: (1) inpatient services; (2) cash payments to intended recipients; (3) land purchase or construction; (4) purchases of major medical equipment; or (5) satisfying any requirement for the expenditure of non-Federal funds. Set forth State application provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 1985
Economic Equity Act of 1985 - Title I: Retirement - Pension Vesting, Integration, and Portability Act of 1985 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to revise provisions relating to maximum age conditions under pension plans to provide for continued coverage for certain workers over the normal retirement age. Provides that pension plans may only exclude from participation, on the basis of age, an employee who has attained the normal retirement age under the plan if: (1) the plan is a defined benefit plan or a target benefit plan (as under current law); and (2) the employee's accrued benefit under the plan is greater than the normal retirement benefit to which the employee would be entitled at the normal retirement age if the employee commenced participation at the earliest possible entry age under the plan and served continuously until attaining the normal retirement age under the plan. Revises provisions relating to minimum vesting standards to reduce, from ten years to five years, the number of years of service which a pension plan participant must complete in order to earn a nonforfeitable right to 100 percent of the participant's accrued benefit derived from employer contributions. Permits multiemployer pension plans to retain the ten-year minimum vesting standard if such plans meet certain conditions, including complete reciprocity for workers who move from one regional pension plan to another within the same industry. Repeals a certain "class year plan" rule. Permits participants with three (currently five) years of service to elect within a specified period to have their nonforfeitable percentage computed under the plan without regard to any plan amendment changing the vesting schedule. Revises minimum participation standards, minimum vesting standards, and benefit accrual requirements to provide for pension plan coverage of part-time workers. Revises the definition of "year of service," for purposes of minimum participation and vesting standards, to treat 500 to 1,000 hours of service per year by a part-time employee as one-half of a year of service. Provides that the date on which such employee completes such one-half of one year of service shall be the latest date until which the plan participation of such employee may be delayed. Includes service of at least 500 (currently 1,000) hours in determinations of years of plan participation, for purposes of benefit accrual requirements. Establishes minimum benefit rules for integrated pension plans. Requires such plans to offer a minimum benefit without taking into account contributions or benefits under specified provisions of the Social Security Act, the Internal Revenue Code, or any other Federal or State law. Sets forth formulas, based on specified percentages of employee compensation, for determining such minimum benefit in the case of: (1) an integrated defined benefit plan; and (2) an integrated defined contribution plan or an integrated simplified employee pension. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe necessary or appropriate regulations to carry out the purposes of such minimum benefit rules for integrated plans in any case in which the employer has two or more plans. Provides for distributions of accrued benefits of less than $7,000 to portable pension accounts (individual retirement accounts or individual retirement annuities). Requires a pension plan to distribute a participant's nonforfeitable benefit to a portable pension account if: (1) the plan is a defined benefit plan, or an individual account plan subject to specified funding standards; (2) the present value, as of the date of separation from service, of such benefit is less than $7,000; and (3) the participant elects in writing, after receiving a required notice, to have such benefit distributed to such portable pension account in a distribution which is excluded from gross income under specified Internal Revenue Code provisions. Directs the Secretary of Labor to prescribe by regulation the manner and form in which such election is to be made. Requires the plan administrator, upon being informed by a participant that the participant wishes to make an election pursuant to these provisions, to provide notice to the participant of: (1) the present value, as of the date of separation, of the participant's nonforfeitable benefit (with such present value to be deemed equal to the actuarial equivalent, as of such date, of the normal form of benefit under the plan); (2) the amount of the participant's benefit on the date of the participant's retirement payable under the pension plan at normal retirement age expressed in the form of a single life annuity under a defined benefit plan or in the normal form of payment under an individual account plan; and (3) the additional tax (under specified Internal Revenue Code provisions as revised by this Act) on distributions from, or disqualification, of the portable pension account before the date on which the participant attains age 59 1/2. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise provisions relating to pension plans. Makes such revisions similar to those made to ERISA by title I of this Act with respect to: (1) continued coverage for certain workers over the normal retirement age; (2) a minimum vesting standard of five years of service (reduced from ten years), with the exception of multiemployer plans meeting certain conditions (including reciprocity); (3) repeal of the class year plan rule; (4) protection from changes in the vesting schedule for participants with three years of service; (5) coverage for part-time workers under minimum participation standards, minimum vesting standards, and benefit accrual requirements; (6) establishment of minimum benefit rules for integrated plans; and (7) distributions of accrued benefits to portable pension accounts. Revises provisions relating to additional tax on certain amounts included in gross income before age 59 1/2. Requires, in cases of early distributions or disqualification involving portable pension accounts to which accrued benefits from a pension plan have been distributed as provided under this Act, that the additional tax (for the taxable year in which the early distribution is received or the disqualification occurs) shall be equal to the amount of the early distribution, or of the disqualification, which is includible in gross income for such taxable year. Directs the Secretary of Labor to: (1) conduct a study of the feasibility and ramifications of requiring private employee pension benefit plans to provide cost-of-living adjustments to benefits payable under such plans; (2) compile data and analyze the effect inflation is having and may be expected to have on retirement benefits provided under such plans; and (3) submit study results, with recommendations, within two years after enactment of this Act. Social Security Modernization Act - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to provide that the combined earnings of a married couple which are attributable to the period of their marriage shall be shared equally between them for purposes of determining the eligibility for and amount of OASDI benefits to which each spouse is or may become separately entitled. Credits the survivor of the marriage with 100 percent of the combined total wages for the period of the marriage. Provides that this Act shall not apply in specified cases where it would result in a reduction of OASDI benefits. Provides full benefits for disabled widows and widowers without regard to age. Enables an insured individual's spouse who has attained the age of 50 and is not entitled to any other monthly benefits to obtain a transition benefit for four months upon the death of the insured individual. Establishes the amount of such transition benefit at 71.5 percent of the primary insurance amount of the insured individual or, if it is higher, 71.5 percent of the primary insurance amount of the spouse. Repeals the separate definition of disability applicable to widows and widowers. Permits the months of a widow's or widower's entitlement to Supplemental Security Income benefits (title XVI of the Social Security Act) on the basis of a disability to be counted towards the 24 months needed to become entitled to hospital insurance benefits under Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) on that basis. Uniformed Services Former Spouses' Equity Act - Provides that a former spouse of a member of the uniformed services shall be entitled, unless expressly provided by a spousal agreement or court order, to an annuity: (1) equal to 50 percent of the retired or retainer pay of the member if married to the member throughout the creditable service of the member; or (2) equal to a pro rata share of 50 percent of such pay if not married to the member throughout the entire creditable service of the member. Requires that an election by a member not to participate, or to participate at a reduced level, in the Survivor Benefit Plan or to provide an annuity for a dependent child only must be made jointly with the member's spouse. Provides that such an election must be in writing. Allows a member who has a former spouse to jointly elect a spousal agreement with such former spouse or as provided under a court order to provide a survivor to the former spouse or to waive such an annuity. Treats a former spouse as a spouse for purposes of eligibility as a beneficiary, computation of annuities, and reductions in retired or retainer pay under the Survivor Benefit Plan if the member elects such treatment. (Present law treats a former spouse as a person with an "insurable interest" subject to certain restrictions and requiring larger reductions in retired or retainer pay.) Establishes a 24 month period during which members who were already divorced before the effective date of this Act may elect to have a former spouse covered under the Survivor Benefit Plan. Provides that a former spouse's share of retired or retainer pay shall be based on the gross amount of such pay. (Present law bases such share on the net amount of such pay after specified deductions.) Title II: Dependent Care - Social Services and Child Care Assistance Act of 1985 - Amends title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services) of the Social Security Act to set allotment amounts for FY 1984, 1985, and 1986 and each succeeding fiscal year. Allocates from the allotment set for FY 1986 and available for any fiscal year, specified amounts for: (1) funding for a National Resource Center on Family Day Care; (2) grants to States for training and child care services. Specifies amounts shall be used: (1) for the training and retraining of human services personnel; (2) for the training and retraining in the prevention of child abuse of licensed child care operations; and (3) for the provision of child day care services to children who are abused or neglected, who are members of families receiving aid under title IV (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) of such Act, or children who are members of specified low-income groups. Amends title XX (Block Grants to States for Services) of the Social Security Act to require the Governor of each State, as a condition of the State's eligibility for receiving title XX Federal payments, to establish or designate a State Advisory Committee on Child-Care Standards which shall: (1) examine, investigate, and study the State's laws, regulations, and procedures for licensing, regulating, and monitoring child-care services and programs within the State; and (2) prepare a report outlining the committee's findings and recommendations, including a description of the current status of child-care licensing, regulating, or monitoring within the State to be submitted to each State's Governor for transmittal, along with the Governor's comments, to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Establishes a National Advisory Committee on Child-Care Standards in order to assist and provide guidance to the States in improving the quality of child-care services. Requires each State Advisory Committee and the National Advisory Committee to review the options for child-care standards published by the Department of Health and Human Services in January 1985 and the final 1980 HEW Day Care Regulations. Directs the National Advisory Committee to issue recommended standards for child-care programs, after first publishing proposed standards and receiving comments. Terminates the National Advisory Committee 90 days after the publication of the final recommended standards. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 through 1988 for grants to States to carry out their plans for correcting the deficiencies in or improving the licensing, regulating, or monitoring of child-care programs. Requires each State, in order to receive a grant, to submit a plan to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out the recommendations contained in its report. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize appropriations for FY 1986 through 1990 for grants to institutions of higher education for: (1) construction, reconstruction, and renovation of facilities, located at such institutions, to be used to provide child care services (free for students from families with incomes less than 150 percent of the poverty level, and with a sliding-scale of fees based on income for other students participating); (2) child care services through vouchers for disadvantaged college students (with two-thirds of the participants to be low-income students who are first generation college students, and the remainder to be either low-income or first generation college students); and (3) child care personnel work-experience programs (which provide experience for students by arranging part-time employment for them in licensed child care programs). Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to provide grants to public housing authorities to assist them in providing child care services for lower income families. Requires a program report to the Congress within two years. Authorizes FY 1986 through 1988 appropriations. Title III: Insurance - Nondiscrimination in Insurance Act - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in the consideration of applications for, or the granting of, insurance policies and the terms of such policies. Permits insurers who regularly provide insurance solely to persons of a single religious affiliation to continue to do so. Prohibits any insurer from establishing auto insurance rates for women or any particular group of women which are higher or lower in relation to the rates offered men or any similarly situated group of men, except for non-gender related risk-based reasons. Grants to States having insurance discrimination laws the primary opportunity to enforce the prohibitions of this Act. Permits an aggrieved person to file a civil action in State or Federal court against an insurer, if a State which has received notice of a complaint fails to act within 60 days (120 days in certain circumstances) or has terminated all proceedings under State law without any final resolution. Authorizes the Attorney General to bring a civil action in district court when there is reasonable cause to believe that a person or group is engaged in a pattern or practice of resistance to the rights granted by this Act and that such denial raises an issue of general public importance. Authorizes the Court to: (1) order the defendant to amend any relevant contract to comply with the provisions of this Act (no premium payment may be increased and no benefits may be reduced); (2) require the defendant to pay punitive damages in addition to actual damages; and (3) award the aggrieved person reasonable attorneys' fees. Continued Access to Group Health Insurance Act of 1985 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to require continuation coverage under group health plans for certain spouses, former spouses, and dependent children of employees insured under such plans. Makes such continuation coverage a requirement for the allowance of a tax deduction for employer contributions to group health plans. Provides that the spouse and dependent children of an insured employee may be entitled to five years of continuation coverage under a group health plan if the insured employee: (1) dies; (2) becomes separated or divorced from his or her spouse; or (3) becomes entitled to Medicare. Makes such coverage available only if it is elected within a specified period by or on behalf of the spouse or child to be covered. Sets forth notification requirements. Sets forth a special rule relating to collective bargaining agreements. Title IV: Employment - Establishes the Commission on Compensation Equity to provide, by contract with a consultant, for a report on whether executive agencies are in compliance with laws and regulations prohibiting sex-based wage discrimination. Requires submission of the results of such study to the appropriate congressional committees and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management within 18 months after the effective date of this Act. Requires the Director to submit to such committees and the Commission, 90 days after receipt of such report, a response specifying plans for carrying out the report's recommendations and reasons for not carrying out any recommendation. Allows the Commission to comment on the Director's response. Terminates the Commission 90 days after submission of its comment. Directs the Comptroller General to submit a list of at least five consultants to the Commission from which the Commission shall make its selection. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to limit the rights or remedies provided under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, or the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, or any other provision of law relating to discrimination. Provides funding for the Commission from sums appropriated to the Office of Personnel Management for general operating expenses for FY 1986 and 1987. Amends part A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) of title IV of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to States to assist in carrying out programs which: (1) prevent long-term dependency upon AFDC; (2) permit pregnant teenagers and teenage mothers to remain in school; (3) provide job counseling, employment readiness, job placement, and academic and vocational education services to pregnant teenagers and teenage mothers; and (4) integrate and coordinate services otherwise available to pregnant teenagers and teenage mothers. Sets forth: (1) requirements a State must meet in order to receive a grant; and (2) reporting requirements. Directs the Secretary to establish a systematic reporting system capable of yielding comprehensive data on which service figures and program evaluations shall be based. Requires the Secretary to report annually to Congress. Authorizes appropriations. Women's Business Ownership Act of 1985 - Establishes the National Commission on Women's Business Ownership to review: (1) the status of women owned small businesses nationwide; (2) the role of the Federal Government in aid to and the promotion of women owned small businesses; (3) data collection procedures and the availability of data relating to women owned businesses, women owned small businesses, and small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged women; (4) other Federal initiatives relating to women owned small businesses, including those relating to Federal procurements; and (5) special impediments suffered by small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged women. Directs the Commission to recommend: (1) new private sector initiatives which would provide management and technical assistance to women owned small businesses; (2) ways to promote greater access to financing and procurement opportunities for such businesses; and (3) other measures relating to small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged women. Terminates the Commission on the date that it transmits its final report to the President and to each House of the Congress. Authorizes appropriations. Title V: Tax Reform - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that the zero bracket amount for heads of households shall be the same as the zero bracket amount for joint returns and surviving spouses. Increases the amount of the earned income tax credit from 11 percent to 16 percent of the first $5,000 of earned income. Provides for a phaseout of such credit for taxpayers with adjusted gross incomes between $11,000 and $16,000. Provides that governmental payments shall be disregarded for purposes of determining support and maintenance of a household. Provides that any refund of Federal income taxes or advance payment made to an individual by reason of the earned income credit shall not be taken into account as income for purposes of determining eligibility for benefits or assistance under any Federal program or any State or local program financed in whole or part with Federal funds. Provides for cost-of-living adjustments for the amount of the earned income credit and the phase-out thresholds of such credit beginning in 1987. Allows a refundable income tax credit for: (1) employment related dependent care expenses, plus (2) expenses for the respite care of a dependent. Sets the amount of such credit at 50 percent of the sum of such expenses. Reduces such percentage (but not below 20 percent) by one percent for each full $1,000 amount by which the taxpayer's adjusted gross income exceeds $11,000. Provides for cost-of-living adjustments to such adjusted gross income amount. Limits the amount of employment-related expenses and respite care expenses which may be taken into account for purposes of such credit. Allows such credit for expenses incurred for the care of: (1) a dependent of the taxpayer who is under the age of 15; (2) a dependent of the taxpayer who is physically or mentally incapable of caring for himself; or (3) a spouse who is incapable of caring for himself. Repeals present provisions relating to the income tax credit for dependent care expenses necessary for gainful employment. Increases the amount individuals may contribute on behalf of their spouses for purposes of the deduction for retirement savings. Provides that no deduction from gross income shall be allowed to a taxpayer for entertainment expenses for food, beverages, lodging, or entertainment incurred in connection with a facility which discriminates on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Exempts facilities operated by a religious organization where access is limited to members of a particular religion. Treats dues and fees paid to discriminatory facilities as nondeductible expenses. Requires the submission of a statement to the Secretary of the Treasury that a facility not open to the public does not discriminate in order for amounts paid to such facility to qualify for the entertainment expense deduction. Requires the posting of a public notice in the facility stating the nondiscriminatory policy. Permits the Secretary to revoke the acceptance of the statement of nondiscrimination. Requires the taxpayer to report on his or her income tax return any amounts paid or incurred for food, beverages, lodging, or entertainment in any facility which is not open to the public or does not serve the public in order to deduct such amounts from gross income.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1985
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 · 15 May 1985
Program Fraud Civil Penalties Act of 1985 - Establishes penalties and assessments to be imposed against any person who knowingly makes a false claim or statement to: (1) an authority of the United States; (2) a recipient of property, services, or money from such authority; or (3) a party to a contract with such authority. Declares that such penalties and assessments are in addition to criminal and civil penalties and assessments provided by other laws. Directs the investigating official of a Federal authority to investigate allegations that a person made a false claim or statement and to report findings to the reviewing official designated for that authority. Directs the reviewing official to refer such allegations to a hearing examiner for that authority upon determining there is probable cause to believe that the person is liable for a penalty or assessment. Requires the reviewing official, prior to notifying the hearing examiner, to notify the Attorney General of any intention to initiate a hearing. Allows the reviewing official to refer such allegations to a hearing examiner if the Attorney General approves the referral or does not disapprove it within 90 days. Prohibits the referral of allegations to a hearing examiner if the Attorney General transmits a statement to such effect. Authorizes the Attorney General, by written statement, to stay any hearing already in progress if such hearing adversely affects a pending or potential civil action related to a fraudulent claim. Prohibits the referral of allegations to a hearing examiner when a fraudulent claim exceeds $100,000. Specifies the authority of the investigating official and the official conducting the hearing, and the procedure for judicial review of the determination reached in the hearing. Authorizes the Attorney General to commence a civil action to recover a penalty or assessment determined by such a hearing. Authorizes the authority head to settle a final penalty or assessment determined by hearing. Grants the Attorney General exclusive authority to settle a claim subject to judicial review or collection procedures. Specifies time limitations for commencing a hearing concerning a false statement or claim and for commencing an action to recover any penalty or assessment. Requires each investigating official to report annually to the authority head on actions taken under this Act during the most recent 12-month period ending September 30. Requires the transmission of such reports to the appropriate congressional committees.
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
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President and the Secretary of the Treasury should exclude from any tax reform plan any proposal to impose a tax on the annual increase in the value of permanent life insurance.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 1985
Space Tax Investment Equity Act of 1985 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an investment tax credit for any tangible property which is predominantly used or operated in space and which is either a qualified spacecraft (a craft predominantly used or operated in space and controlled from locations within the United States) or is used or operated upon such a spacecraft. Treats any tangible property used in space as five-year depreciable property for purposes of the accelerated cost recovery system (ACRS). Allows an income tax credit for increasing research activities for research conducted in space. Treats income derived from commercial activity in space aboard a qualified spacecraft as income derived from sources within the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1985
Geriatric Research, Education, and Training Act of 1985 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations for grants to schools of medicine, osteopathy, and dentistry for FY 1986 through 1988. Sets aside specified amounts to be available for grants and contracts for programs, traineeships, and fellowships which provide specialized education and training in geriatric medicine and geriatric dentistry. Authorizes appropriations for the planning, development, and operation of area health education center programs for FY 1986 through 1988. Sets aside specified amounts for grants and contracts for specialized education and training in geriatrics. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to and enter into contracts with schools of medicine, dentistry, osteopathy, pharmacy, optometry, podiatry, public health, chiropractic, and allied health, graduate programs in health administration and clinical psychology, programs for the training of physician assistants, and other appropriate public or private nonprofit entities to assist in meeting the costs of such schools, programs, or entities in providing projects to: (1) improve the training of health professionals in geriatrics; (2) develop curricula relating to treatment of the elderly; (3) expand instruction in methods of such treatment; (4) train faculty; (5) support continuing education programs in geriatrics; and (6) establish new affiliations with nursing homes, chronic and acute disease hospitals, ambulatory care centers, and senior centers to provide students with clinical training in geriatric medicine. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 through 1988 for the above and for conversion and curriculum grants and contracts. Sets aside specified amounts to carry the provisions of the first sentence of this paragraph. Defines the terms: (1) "school of chiropractic"; (2) "allied health professional"; and (3) "graduate program in clinical psychology." Redefines the term "program for the training of physician assistants." Authorizes appropriations for grants and contracts for advanced nurse training programs and nurse practitioners programs for FY 1986 through 1988. Sets aside specified amounts for grants and contracts relating to geriatrics. Authorizes appropriations for grants and contracts for training programs for paraprofessionals to provide home health services for FY 1986 through 1988. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the National Advisory Council on Aging, to develop a plan for a comprehensive research program on aging. Authorizes appropriations for education and training activities and to support traineeships and fellowships through the National Institute on Aging for FY 1986 through 1988. Authorizes appropriations for training, instruction, and traineeships relating to mental health conditions, problems, and illnesses of the elderly and the care, treatment, and rehabilitation of elderly individuals with mental health problems for FY 1986 through 1988. Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to authorize appropriations for FY 1986 through 1988 for training, research, and discretionary projects and programs. Sets aside specified amounts for training and instruction activities. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish an interdepartmental committee to ensure that the planning, development, and evaluation of education and training activities in geriatrics and gerontology are conducted in a coordinated manner; and (2) report to the Congress concerning the committee's activities.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 1985
Directs the Secretary of Energy to establish a jointly funded cooperative research program in ocean energy and technology with the Pacific International Center for High Technology Research in Hawaii. Declares that the purpose of such program is to apply data design methods developed by the Department of Energy (and other international research organizations) to the development of a 200 kilowatt integrated open cycle ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) experimental system at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 through 1990. Provides for such authorizations to be matched dollar for dollar by the State of Hawaii, the private sector, and other partners.
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
Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to authorize appropriations for FY 1986 through 1988 to be used by the Secretary of Commerce to assist in the planning and construction of public telecommunications facilities. Repeals a provision that requires 75 percent of the funds appropriated for such purposes in a fiscal year to be available to extend delivery of public telecommunications services to areas not receiving such services. Authorizes appropriations, to match up to a specified amount of non-Federal contributions to public broadcasting entities, for the Public Broadcasting Fund for FY 1987 through 1990. Repeals a provision that requires that a specified portion of the amount made available to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting from the Fund be earmarked for expenses of research, training, technical assistance, engineering, instructional support, and the payment of interest on indebtedness. Repeals provisions requiring a public telecommunications entity to refund to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting an amount of Federal funds equal to the amount of any unrelated business income tax paid by such entity.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 1985
Immigrant Repatriation Study Act - Directs the Attorney General to study the problem of indigent, elderly immigrants who wish to return to their home countries but cannot afford the transportation costs to do so. Requires a report to the Congress within 12 months.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1985
Expresses, on the 40th anniversary of V-E Day, the Nation's deep gratitude and recognizes the enormous debt owed to the American servicemen who fought in World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1985
Title I: Recognition of Injustice and an Apology on Behalf of the Nation - States that the Congress accepts the findings of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians and recognizes that a grave injustice was done to both citizens and resident aliens of Japanese ancestry by the evacuation, relocation, and internment of civilians during World War II. Title II: United States Citizens of Japanese Ancestry and Resident Japanese Aliens - Requests the President to offer pardons to those convicted of violating laws during the internment period whose conduct was based on a refusal to accept racially or ethnically discriminatory treatment. Provides that Federal departments and agencies that review applications for restitution of positions, status, or entitlement lost during the internment period shall review such applications giving full consideration to the findings of the Commission. Establishes within the Treasury a Civil Liberties Public Education Fund. Authorizes appropriations for the Fund. Requires the Attorney General to pay $20,000 from the Fund in compensation to each surviving internee. Establishes a Board of Directors which shall be responsible for making disbursements from the Fund. Provides that disbursements from the Fund shall be used to: (1) sponsor research and public educational activities dealing with the internment; (2) fund studies of similar civil liberties abuses; (3) prepare and distribute hearings and findings of the Commission; and (4) promote the general welfare of the ethnic Japanese community in the United States. Title III: Aleutian and Pribilof Islands Restitution - Aleutian and Pribilof Islands Restitution Act - Establishes within the Treasury the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands Restitution Fund. Directs the Administrator of the Fund (the Aleutian/Pribilof Islands Association) to make restitution for certain Aleut losses sustained in World War II. Requires the Administrator to establish a trust of $5,000,000 and to distribute the interest of such trust for: (1) the benefit of the elderly, disabled, or seriously ill; (2) students in need of scholarship assistance; (3) preservation of Aleut cultural heritage and historical records (4) the improvement of community centers of affected Aleut villages; and (5) other purposes to improve Aleut life. Authorizes the Administrator to rebuild and restore churches and church property damaged or destroyed in Aleut villages during World War II. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to make payments of $12,000 from the fund to eligible Aleuts for any uncompensated personal property losses. Provides that such payments shall not be considered income or receipts for purposes of Federal taxes or determining eligibility for Federal benefits or assistance. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Secretary of the Army to implement a program for the removal and disposal of live ammunition, obsolete buildings, abandoned machinery, and other hazardous debris remaining in populated areas of the lower Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands. States that the authority contained in this Act shall be supplemental to the authority of the Secretary of Defense in administering the Environmental Restoration Defense Account and shall be exercised only in the event that such account is inadequate to eliminate hazardous military debris from populated areas of the Lower Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands. Authorizes appropriations. Provides that bidding rights for surplus Federal property might be exercised by the Aleut Corporation in lieu of conveyance of Attu Island to the Aleut people, such island having been designated as wilderness. States that the bidding rights shall be exercised by the Aleut Corporation without any preference over any other bidder. Provides that an amount equal to $500 for each acre traditionally occupied by the Aleut people on Attu Island shall be transferred to the Corporation account established by this Act and made available to the Corporation for such bidding.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1985
National Diffusion Network Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to carry out a program to promote the use of exemplary educational programs, products, and practices to interested elementary and secondary schools. Requires the Secretary to provide information, materials, training, technical assistance, and evaluations. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to, and contracts with, public and nonprofit private educational institutions and organizations to carry out such program. Declares that such program shall be deemed to be a continuation of the National Diffusion Network for which provision is made under the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981. Directs the Secretary to allocate funds available under such Act to such program. Authorizes additional appropriations, if necessary, to carry out such program in FY 1986 through 1989.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 1985
Amends the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 to prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from issuing a permit authorizing the incineration of hazardous waste at sea before the Congress receives a hazardous waste reduction and management feasibility report and plan and recommendations from the Administrator to assure that responsible parties are held liable and pay cleanup costs and damages, and the Administrator issues final permit regulations based upon such report and plan and public comments. Directs the Administrator to contract with the Office of Technology Assessment to prepare within three years of this Act's enactment a hazardous waste reduction and managment feasibility report which includes: (1) descriptive surveys of location and types of hazardous wastes and hazardous waste streams; (2) alternative storage and land-based technologies; (3) an assessment of wastes released into the environment and the impact of at sea incineration on human health and the marine environment; (4) epidemiological studies; and (5) an analysis of the transportation impacts for the land or barge transport of the hazardous wastes to the loading site for ocean incineration. Directs the Administrator to submit to the Congress within three years of the report a hazardous waste reduction and management plan which includes: (1) a comprehensive waste management plan; (2) coordination with Federal agencies for major spills of hazardous waste in port, in transit, and during incineration at sea; and (3) legislation which encourages the development of environmentally sound hazardous waste reduction and treatment technologies. Requires the Administrator to involve the public in formulating this plan through hearings and comment. Directs the Administrator to submit to the Congress transcripts of public hearings together with EPA's written response. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1985
Veterans' Career Development Training and Job Bank Act of 1985 - Amends the Emergency Veterans' Job Training Act of 1983 to change the title of such Act to the "Veterans' Career Development and Training Act" and to restate and revise the purposes of such Act. Revises eligibility requirements for participation in a job training program to provide that a veteran must be a Korean conflict or Vietnam-era veteran: (1) whose employment has been terminated or who has been laid off from employment, is eligible for unemployment compensation, and is unlikely to return to work in the same occupation; (2) whose employment has been terminated due to permanent closure of a plant or facility; (3) who is unemployed in the same occupation or area in which the veteran resides; (4) who in underemployed and has a service-connected disability; (5) who served in Indochina and is underemployed and whose personal income is below the lower living standard income level; or (6) whose income and employment status is significantly below the level that would be reasonably expected of such a veteran. Revises requirements for employment counseling services and other assistance. Requires the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to provide such resources and personnel as may be necessary to carry out the counseling assessment and jobs matching functions authorized under the veterans' job bank and job matching program. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 through 1988. Authorizes not more than ten percent of the funds appropriated for FY 1986 and not more than five percent of the funds appropriated for FY 1987 and 1988 to be used by the Administrator to provide counseling, job matching, or supportive services or to pay outreach or necessary and appropriate administrative expenses directly related to the implementation of this Act. Authorizes the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans' Employment to establish and carry out a nationwide computerized job bank and job matching program. Sets forth requirements for such job bank program. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 to carry out such program. Increases to GS-11 the level to which veterans may be appointed for veterans readjustment appointments and career-conditional appointments (currently to GS-9). Eliminates the disability requirement as a condition for appointments of Vietnam-era veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1985
Critical Trends Assessment Act - Establishes the Office of Critical Trends Analysis (OCTA) in the Executive Office of the President. Authorizes appropriations. Directs OCTA to prepare for publication an Executive Branch Report on Critical Trends and Alternative Futures every four years beginning in 1990. Lists the contents of such report, including: (1) an identification and analysis of critical trends and alternative futures for the next 20 years; and (2) an evaluation of the effects of Government policies on such trends. Requires the Director of OCTA to make draft copies of the report available to interested persons for review and comment. Directs the President to submit such report to the Congress. Requires that such report be made available as a public document. Makes OCTA responsible for advising the President of the potential effects of Government policies on critical trends and alternative futures. Requires OCTA to: (1) insure that the Government agencies responsible for areas of policy being considered are provided an opportunity to comment on such effects; and (2) include such comments in any reports provided to the President. Directs OCTA to establish an Advisory Commission on Critical Trends Analysis to advise OCTA and to promote the public discussion of critical trends and the use of analyses of such trends to create alternative futures. Requires the Joint Economic Committee, by the end of 1989 and each second year thereafter, to prepare for publication a Legislative Branch Report on Critical Trends and Alternative Futures. Directs certain legislative agencies to provide any necessary information. Requires that such report: (1) be submitted to each House of the Congress after being approved by the Committee; and (2) be made available as a public document.
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.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1985
Continental Scientific Drilling and Exploration Act - Directs the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of the Interior through the the United States Geological Survey, and the Director of the National Science Foundation to implement the policies of the proposed Continental Scientific Drilling Program of the United States relating to earth science research and technological development. Prescribes guidelines for such implementation, including: (1) taking action to assure an effective cooperative effort in furtherance of the Program; (2) taking administrative and financial measures to assure the effective functioning of the Interagency Accord on Continental Scientific Drilling; (3) assuring the continuing operation of the Interagency Coordinating Group; and (4) assuring that the Interagency Coordinating Group receives appropriate Federal agency cooperation. Requires a report to the Congress within 180 days of enactment which describes: (1) policy objectives; (2) projected schedules of scientific and engineering events that would advance Program objectives; (3) resources and funding levels needed for projected schedules of events and Program policy objectives; and (4) cooperation with the international community.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the United States should pay honor to the memories of the innocent civilians and American and Allied soldiers who died at the hands of the Nazis; (2) it is fitting and appropriate for the President, in a gesture of reconciliation, to visit the Federal Republic of Germany; (3) the President should recognize the importance of the relationship between the two countries; and (4) the President should reassess his planned itinerary for his forthcoming trip to the Federal Republic of Germany.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 1985
Protection and Advocacy for Mentally Ill Persons Act of 1985 - Expresses the sense of the Congress that each State should review and revise its law to ensure that mental health patients receive the protection and services they require. Declares that States should consider the recommendations of the President's Commission on Mental Health in making such revisions. Sets forth a bill of rights for mental health patients which includes the right to: (1) appropriate treatment; (2) an individualized treatment plan; (3) freedom from restraint or seclusion; (4) confidentiality of and access to records; and (5) privacy. Declares that a patient's attorney or legal representative shall have access to: (1) the patient; (2) the facility; and (3) subject to the patient's written authorization, the records. Permits States to apply for an allotment to establish a system to protect the rights of the mentally ill. Requires such a system to include the establishment of an advisory board to advocate the rights of the mentally ill. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to prescribe a formula for making such allotments. Directs the Secretary to report on the activities, accomplishments, and expenditures of such systems. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 and 1987. Repeals title V (Mental Health Rights and Advocacy) of the Mental Health Systems Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise the method of calculating the alternative minimum tax on corporations. Sets the rate of such tax at 15 percent of the corporate alternative minimum taxable income exceeding $100,000. Provides that such tax shall be imposed only if the amount of such tax is greater than regular tax liability and shall be in lieu of regular tax. Defines "corporate alternative minimum taxable income" as taxable income: (1) reduced by the corporate alternative minimum tax net operating loss deduction; and (2) increased by the amount of alternative minimum tax preference items. Specifies the tax preference items for purposes of the alternative minimum tax on corporations as: (1) accelerated depreciation of real property; (2) mining exploration and development costs; (3) reserves for losses on bad debts of financial institutions; (4) depletion; (5) intangible drilling costs; (6) accelerated cost recovery deductions; (7) amortization of pollution control facilities; (8) certain research and experimental expenditures; (9) construction period carrying charges; (10) trade name and trademark expenditures; (11) circulation expenditures; (12) certain organizational expenditures; (13) completed contract method of accounting; (14) certain interest expenses; (15) exempt foreign trade income; (16) certain life insurance company deductions; and (17) certain shipping income. Revises the method of calculating the minimum tax net operating loss deduction. Disallows any income tax credits to be taken against the corporate alternative minimum tax except the foreign tax credit. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe corporate tax rates designed to reduce regular tax rates by an amount equal to revenues raised by the alternative minimum tax on corporations.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1985
Authorizes the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. Subjects the Fraternity's design and plans for the memorial to the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, the Commission of Fine Arts, and the National Capital Planning Commission. Directs the Secretary to: (1) select a site for the memorial with the approval of the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission; (2) prohibit its construction unless sufficient funds are available for its completion; (3) provide for the maintenance of the memorial upon its completion. Provides that U.S. funds may not be used to establish the memorial. Directs that the authority to establish the memorial is contingent upon its construction beginning within five years.
![Official portrait of Sen. Matsunaga, Spark M. [D-HI]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m000250_200.jpg)