United States · United States Congress · 26 May 1983
Veterans' Disability Compensation and Survivors' Benefits Amendments of 1983 - Title I: Compensation Rate Increases - Increases the rates of veterans' disability compensation. Permits the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to adjust the rates of disability compensation for other specified persons. Increases the rates of additional compensation for dependents. Increases the clothing allowance for certain disabled veterans. Title II: Dependency and Indemnity Compensation Rate Increases - Increases the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses according to a specified table. Increases the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for children. Increases the rates of supplemental dependency and indemnity compensation for children. Title III: Effective Date - Sets forth the effective date for this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 1983
Expresses the sense of the Congress that it supports the reduction of child mortality and morbidity throughout the world. Urges the President to promote and undertake activities to further the objectives of the child health revolution. Directs appropriate Government agencies to support UNICEF and other specified international agencies and public and private organizations in fostering the child health revolution.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1983
Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of the Congress, a specially struck gold medal to the widow of Roy Wilkins. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to coin and sell bronze duplicates of such medal. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 1983
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws should develop a model State act (and interstate recognition and enforcement procedures) providing grandparents with adequate rights to petition in State courts for privileges to visit their grandchildren after a dissolution of the parents' marriage; (2) States should adopt such model State act; and (3) the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the National Center for Child Abuse and Neglect, should provide technical assistance to States in developing guidelines which help determine the best interests of the child in such cases and which take into account the ability of grandparents to help satisfy such child's need for continuity of care.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1983
Renewable Energy Tax Incentive Act of 1983 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the residential energy income tax credit for renewable energy sources for five years from 1985 to 1990. Increases from 15 percent to 25 percent the investment tax credit for solar, wind, geothermal, and ocean thermal property. Extends such credits for five years from 1985 to 1990. Extends such credits for hydroelectric generating property and biomass property for five years from 1985 to 1990. Reestablishes the credit for congeneration property until 1990. Qualifies until 1995 affirmative commitments for solar, wind, geothermal, ocean thermal, biomass, and cogeneration projects begun by December 31, 1990. Eliminates the 20 percent limitation for oil and natural gas used in cogeneration facilities. Allows the regular investment tax credit percentage with respect to certain energy property even if such property is a structural component of a building. Qualifies as biomass property methane-containing gas produced by anaerobic digestion from nonfossil waste materials. Revises the definition of geothermal deposit to lower the required temperature to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. (Present regulations require a temperature of 122 degrees Fahrenheit.)
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1983
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to repeal provisions requiring the purchase rather than rental of durable medical equipment if it appears that purchasing such equipment would be less costly and more practical than renting.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1983
Expresses the support of the Senate for Lebanon's and Israel's agreement on arrangements for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon. Calls upon other nations to work toward the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon. Emphasizes the need of all nations to recognize the sovereignty of Lebanon. Urges Syria and the Palestine Liberation Organization to agree to the arrangements for the withdrawal of their forces from Lebanon.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1983
Education for Economic Security Act - Title I: National Science Foundation Mathematics and Science Programs - Part A: Teacher Institutes - Authorizes the National Science Foundation (the Foundation) to make grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) and institutions of higher education, applying jointly, for teacher institutes to enhance the subject matter skills of public and private elementary and secondary school teachers of mathematics and physical and life sciences. Sets forth application requirements for such grants. Directs the Director of the Foundation: (1) to assure an equitable distribution of such institutes among and within States; and (2) award at least one institute in each State. Limits any such grant to a single applicant to $200,000 in any fiscal year. Permits such institutes to involve the cooperation of advance technology and other businesses able to assist in mathematics and science teaching. Directs the Foundation to ensure that consideration is given to applications designed to meet the needs of underrepresented and underserved populations. Part B: Mathematics and Science Education Development Programs - Authorizes the Foundation to enter into agreements with institutions of higher education or LEAs for programs and materials for: (1) training, retraining, and inservice training of elementary and secondary school teachers in the fields of mathematics and science, including physical and life sciences; and (2) elementary and secondary school courses of study in such fields. Sets forth application requirements for grants and cooperative agreements under this part. Directs the Foundation to ensure that consideration is given to applications designed to meet the needs of underrepresented and underserved populations. Part C: Science and Mathematics Excellence in Teaching Awards - Authorizes the Foundation to make excellence in teaching mathematics and science awards of $5,000 each to elementary and secondary school teachers. Directs the Foundation to adopt selection procedures designed to assure that such awards will be equitably distributed among the States. Sets forth application requirements for such awards. Part D: Congressional Merit Scholarships - Congressional Merit Scholarships in Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Education - Authorizes the Foundation to award scholarships to individuals enrolled at institutions of higher education who demonstrate outstanding potential for, and who plan to pursue, careers in teaching mathematics or science in elementary or secondary schools. Limits the period of such a scholarship to: (1) four academic years at any institution of higher education offering educational activities designed to prepare individuals for such careers; and (2) periods of study commencing not sooner than the third undergraduate year. Requires such individuals to concentrate, at the undergraduate level, in: (1) mathematics or science, and indicate a serious intent to teach such subject at the elementary or secondary school level; or (2) engineering, and indicate a serious intent to teach such subject at the postsecondary level, in an engineering discipline which the Foundation has determined a shortage of qualified teachers. Authorizes the Foundation to establish criteria for the selection of merit scholars. Limits the number of scholars selected to two times the number of Members of Congress from each State (and ten individuals in the case of the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico). Requires each merit scholarship recipient to agree to pursue such a teaching career for at least two years for each academic year in which the scholarship is received. Sets each merit scholarship award at $5,000 for each academic year of study. Conditions scholarship payment upon the student's maintaining satisfactory progress and full-time study. Authorizes the Foundation to require reports on student progress. Part E: Discretionary Funds of the Director - Authorizes the Director of the Foundation, from funds available for this part, to make grants to, and enter into contracts with, any public agency or any private organization to carry out any activity authorized by this title. Authorizes the Director to conduct directly or by grant or contract: (1) a faculty exchange program between institutions of higher education (particularly institutions having established and nationally recognized research facilities) and eligible institutions; and (2) programs of national significance promoting the improvement of instruction in the fields of mathematics, science, and engineering. (Defines "eligible institutions," for such purposes, as institutions of higher education which demonstrate a commitment to meet the special educational needs of students who are members of a minority group or who are economically or educationally disadvantaged and which: (1) have an enrollment which includes a substantial percentage of such students; or (2) are located in a community that is not within commuting distance of a major institution of higher education.) Part F: General Provisions - Sets forth administrative provisions granting the Foundation specified powers to carry out this title. Directs the Foundation to report annually to the President and the Congress on its operations under this title. Makes specified provisions under title II of this Act relating to participation of children and teachers from private schools applicable to payments under this title. Applies to programs under this part specified provisions of the General Education Provisions Act prohibiting Federal control of education. Authorizes appropriations to carry out: (1) part A for FY 1984 and 1985; (2) part B for FY 1985; (3) part D for FY 1984 and 1985; (4) parts C and E for FY 1985; and (5) the graduate fellowship program under the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 for FY 1984 and 1985. Title II: Education for Economic Security - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make grants to States and discretionary grants to strengthen teacher skills and instruction in mathematics, science, computer learning, and foreign languages. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 and 1985 to carry out this title. Directs the Secretary to reserve ten percent of such appropriations for discretionary grants of national significance. Directs the Secretary to allot to each State from 90 percent of such appropriations for each fiscal year an amount based on the relative number of children aged five through 17 in such State. Provides that no State shall receive less than one-half of one percent of the funds appropriated for any fiscal year. Provides for reallotments, based on the Secretary's estimates, of sums exceeding a State's needs. Authorizes additional appropriations for allotment to: (1) Guam, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands; and (2) the Secretary of the Interior for programs in schools operated for Indian children. Apportions 70 percent of each State's allotment to elementary and secondary education programs and 30 percent to higher education programs. Sets forth requirements for the State education agency (SEA) distribution of such funds for elementary and secondary education programs to local education agencies (LEAs) based on public and private school enrollment and on public school enrollment of children from families below the poverty level. Sets forth the uses for which specified portions of such elementary funds are to be put, including: (1) inservice training of teachers, including vocational educational teachers, and other appropriate school personnel in the fields of mathematics and science; (2) computer learning and instruction, foreign language instruction, and instructional materials and equipment related to mathematics and science instruction; (3) purchase of computer and computer-related instructional equipment; (4) strengthening instruction in foreign languages; (5) SEA demonstration and exemplary programs, including special projects for historically underrepresented and underserved populations (females, minorities, handicapped individuals, individuals with limited English proficiency, and migrant students) and for gifted and talented students (including magnet schools for such students); (6) SEA technical assistance to LEAs, institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations, including museums, libraries, and educational television stations in conducting programs for mathematics, science, languages, and computer learning; and (7) State assessment and administrative costs. Sets forth requirements for distribution of funds for higher education programs by State agencies for higher education. Requires that at least 75 percent of such funds be used for grants to private and public institutions of higher education for: (1) traineeship programs for new teachers who will specialize in teaching secondary school mathematics and science; (2) retraining secondary school teachers with other specialties to specialize in teaching mathematics, science, or computer learning (including providing stipends for participation in institutes under title I); and (3) inservice training for elementary, secondary, and vocational school teachers, and other appropriate school personnel to improve teaching skills in mathematics, science, and computer learning (including providing stipends for participation in institutes under title I). Requires each grant recipient to: (1) consider the needs of historically underrepresented and underserved groups and the gifted and talented; and (2) enter into an agreement with an LEA or LEA consortium to provide inservice training and retraining for elementary and secondary school teachers in the public and private schools of the LEA school district. Requires that the State agency for higher education use at least 20 percent of such funds for cooperative programs among institutions of higher education, LEAs, SEAs, private industry, and private nonprofit organizations, including museums, libraries, educational television stations, and professional mathematics, science, and engineering societies, for projects to improve student understanding and performance in science, mathematics, and critical foreign languages. Permits the State agency for higher education to use up to five percent of such funds for State assessment and administrative costs. Requires each State desiring to receive grants under this title to submit to the Secretary, within the first year for which such funds are available, an assessment of the status of mathematics, science, foreign language, and computer learning within the State. Sets forth requirements relating to such assessments. Sets forth requirements for State applications for funds under this title. Sets forth requirements for assessments by LEAs. Sets forth provisions for participation of children and teachers from private schools in programs under this title. Sets forth requirements for the use of the ten percent of appropriations for this title reserved in the Secretary's discretionary fund for programs of national significance. Directs the Secretary, from 75 percent of such funds, to make to SEAs and LEAs, institutions of higher education, and private nonprofit organizations for programs of national significance in mathematics and science instruction, computer learning, and foreign language instruction in critical languages. Directs the Secretary to give special consideration to assistance for: (1) magnet schools for gifted and talented students; and (2) special services to historically underserved and underrepresented populations in the fields of mathematics and science. Directs the Secretary to reserve a specified amount from such grant funds for the Director of the National Institute of Education to conduct evaluation and research. Directs the Secretary, from 25 percent of such funds, to make grants to institutions of higher education for instruction in critical foreign languages. Directs the Secretary to: (1) consult with the Secretaries of State, Defense, and Health and Human Services, and the Director of the National Science Foundation in determining which languages are critical to national security, economic, and scientific needs; and (2) publish a list of such languages in the Federal Register. Sets forth provisions for payments for programs under this title. Title III: National Science Foundation Program for Partnerships in Education for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering - Partnerships in Education for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Act - Authorizes the National Science Foundation to make grants to States to pay the Federal share of the costs of specified higher education programs and activities. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 and 1985 to carry out this title. Sets forth authorized activities for which States may use partnership in education program grants. Includes among authorized higher education partnership programs: (1) improvement of postsecondary instruction in mathematics, science, computer science, and engineering; (2) scholarships for students in such fields; (3) faculty exchange programs by institutions of higher education and businesses within the State; (4) research in such fields; (5) instructional equipment for such fields; and (6) promotion of public understanding of science, mathematics, and computer science. Includes among authorized elementary and secondary school partnership programs (to be carried out by LEAs): (1) exchange programs between teachers of mathematics, science, or computer science and personnel of local businesses; (2) training and retraining of teachers in such fields under cooperative arrangements between State or LEAs and appropriate businesses; and (3) secondary school student observation, participation, and work in local businesses. Permits both higher education and elementary and secondary school partnerships to include institutions of higher education, businesses, nonprofit private organizations, local educational agencies, professional mathematics and scientific associations, museums, libraries, educational television stations, and States. Sets forth requirements for State applications for grants under this title. Permits two or more States or a regional consortium of States to file a joint application. Sets forth requirements for applications by institutions of higher education and local educational agencies. Directs the Foundations to adopt approval procedures designed to assure equitable distribution of grants among the States. Makes specified provisions of title II of this Act relating to participation of children and teachers in private schools applicable to payments under this title. Sets the Federal share of the cost of programs under this title at 50 percent. Permits the non-Federal share of such costs to be in cash or inkind. Limits to 15 percent that portion of funds appropriated under this title in any fiscal year which may be paid to any single State. Title IV: Presidential Awards for Teaching Excellence in Mathematics and Science - Authorizes the President to make Presidential Awards for Teaching Excellence in Mathematics and Science to secondary school teachers. Authorizes the making of 100 such awards annually. Directs the President to: (1) select for such awards at least one secondary school teacher from each of the several States, the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and (2) carry out this title, including the establishment of selection procedures, after consultation with the Secretary of Education, the Director of the National Science Foundation, and other appropriate officials of Federal agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1983
Disapproves the proposal of the Study Group on Senate Practices and Procedures to abolish the Committee on Veterans' Affairs by merging it with the Committee on Armed Services.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 1983
Senior Citizens Independent Community Care Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to authorize any State to establish a statewide prepaid capitation program for providing acute and long-term care services for individuals aged 65 or older who require long-term care by reason of impairments which restrict daily living activities. Limits to four the number of States which may establish such a program during the four years following enactment. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services in subsequent years to limit the number of additional States which may establish such a program in order to insure that additional programs will not require payments from the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund in excess of the amounts available in the Trust Fund. Provides that each eligible individual shall be entitled to the following benefits: (1) all services to which such individual would be entitled under title XVIII; (2) homemaker-home health aide services; (3) adult day services; (4) respite care services for up to 14 days or 336 hours annually; (5) service coordination; (6) preadmission screening and assessment; (7) intermediate care facility services for up to 20 days annually; and (8) such other services as the Secretary may determine. States that services provided under the program shall be in lieu of any payments or services to which an individual would otherwise be entitled under title XVIII or under any other Federally funded program. Makes any individual eligible who: (1) is entitled to benefits under part A(Hospital Insurance) of title XVIII and enrolled under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII; (2) has attained age 65; (3) resides in a State with a program; (4) agrees to participate in the program; (5) is not in an institution; (6) is certified by a preadmission assessment and screening team (PAT) to have an unmet need for certain services; and (7) has certain physical or mental impairments which interfere with the activities of daily living. Requires a PAT to evaluate each eligible individual's health status, functional capabilities, and home and environment in order to assess and develop a plan of care for the individual before the individual can receive any benefits under the program. Requires an individual's status to be assessed on an ongoing basis, and the plan of care to be appropriately updated. Directs the Governor of each State having a program to designate the State agency or agencies which shall administer the program. Directs such agency or agencies to coordinate the designation of entities which shall provide services under the program. Directs such entities to be responsible for establishing PATs and providing services under the program. Requires each PAT to consist of at least one physician and one social worker. Directs the Secretary to pay a fixed per capita fee to each designated entity for which payment may be made under the program. Prohibits such fee from exceeding an amount equal to 60 percent of the average monthly rate in such State for services provided in free-standing skilled nursing facilities. Requires an individual receiving services under the program which are otherwise covered services under parts A or B of title XVIII to pay the entity providing the services a copayment equal to the amount which such individual would be required to pay under parts A or B for the same services. Requires an individual receiving homemaker-home health aide services, adult day services, respite care services, or a preadmission screening and assessment to pay a copayment equal to 20 percent of the reasonable charge for such services. Prohibits an eligible individual from being required to make yearly copayments which exceed a specified percent of the individual's income for the preceding year. Provides any individual the right to reasonable notice and opportunity for a hearing with respect to determinations made by the Secretary under the program in the same manner as under part A of title XVIII. Sets forth the effective date. Directs the Secretary to monitor the effect of the program and submit reports to Congress. Requires the reports to include a recommended strategy for implementing the program on a national basis. Directs the Office of Management and Budget to prepare an analysis of the budgetary impact of the implementation of the program on a national basis and to report to Congress with respect to such report. Requires payments under this program to be made from the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund. Requires payments related to services provided under this program which are not covered services under part A or B to be made from the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study of the feasibility and desirability of establishing a program under which State Medicaid programs would provide prepaid capitation plans for providing Medicare and Medicaid (title XIX of the Act) services to those individuals eligible for both and to report the results of the study to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 1983
Federal Alien Incarceration Responsibility Act - Directs the Attorney General to reimburse State governments for the cost of imprisoning certain aliens who commit felonies. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 1983
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt from the excise tax on sales of heavy trucks and trailers piggyback trailers or semitrailers designed for use principally in connection with trailer-on-flatcar service by rail.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 1983
Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1983 - Enacts into law the short titles "Civil Rights Act of 1968" and "Fair Housing Act". Amends the Fair Housing Act to expand the definition of "discriminatory housing practice" to include any violation under such Act (thus codifying case law which holds that the obligation of Federal agencies to administer programs affirmatively to further the purposes of fair housing and the prohibition against interference with rights under the Act are separately actionable). Adds new definitions of "handicap", "aggrieved person" and "familial status." Excludes from the meaning of "handicap" any impairment consisting of alcohol or drug abuse or which would be a direct threat to the property or safety of others. Defines "familial status" as one or more minors being domiciled with their parent or guardian. Retains the two current exemptions from the prohibition against the discriminatory sale or rental of housing which are given to: (1) an owner of three or less single-family houses; and (2) the owner of a dwelling consisting of four or fewer family units who also resides in such dwelling (the "Mrs. Murphy" exemption). Makes it unlawful to: (1) refuse to sell or rent to a handicapped person unless such handicap would prevent a prospective occupant from conforming to specified non-discrimination rules and practices; and (2) discriminate against a handicapped person in the conditions of sale or rental, or in the provision of related services or facilities. Includes within such discrimination a refusal to: (1) permit reasonable modifications to permit access to the premises (but only if a renter agrees to restore the premises to their original condition); and (2) make reasonable accommodations in policies, services, or facilities to afford handicapped persons equal enjoyment of the premises. States that such discrimination shall not include a refusal to: (1) make alterations at the expense of sellers, landlords, owners, or persons acting on their behalf; (2) make modifications which would unreasonably inconvenience others; and (3) allow architectural modifications which materially decrease the value of a building or alter its intended use. Prohibits discrimination against families with children. Makes it unlawful for an insurer to discriminate in the provision or terms of insurance against hazards to a dwelling because of the race, color, religion, sex, handicap, national origin or familial status of persons owning or residing in or near the dwelling. Adds handicapped persons as a protected class under other existing prohibitions on discriminatory activities. Modifies the housing financing discrimination provision to prescribe all conduct which denies or "otherwise makes unavailable" financial assistance because of race, color, religion, handicap, national origin, or familial status. Includes with such prohibition persons in the business of selling, brokering, or appraising real property. States that nothing in this Act is to be construed to defeat any reasonable local, State or Federal restrictions on the maximum number of persons permitted to occupy a dwelling unit. Provides that familial status does not apply to any State or Federal programs aimed at assisting elderly persons. Establishes the Fair Housing Review Commission, composed of three members appointed by the President for staggered six-year terms. Stipulates that no more than two members may be of the same political party. Directs the Commission to: (1) appoint administrative law judges and other employees as necessary to carry out its functions; (2) promulgate a code of ethics to assure the independence of such judges; (3) promulgate rules of discovery for its proceedings consistent insofar as practicable with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure; and (4) consider appeals from the proposed orders of the administrative law judges upon application of a party. Includes Federal agencies having regulatory authority over financial institutions within the executive departments and agencies which are currently required to administer their housing programs in an affirmative manner. Authorizes the Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide financial as well as technical assistance to public and private organizations seeking to remedy housing discrimination. Establishes a new administrative enforcement procedure within the Department of Housing and Urban Development in addition to the current enforcement provisions of title VIII (allowing civil actions by private parties and the Attorney General). Directs the Secretary to make an investigation of all alleged discriminatory housing practice on his or her own initiative or upon the filing of a charge by an aggrieved person within one year of the alleged discrimination. Requires the Secretary to attempt to correct the discriminatory practice by informal methods of conciliation. Requires the Secretary, if the aggrieved person and respondent consent to binding arbitration, to refer the charge to an arbitrator made available by the Community Relations Service of the Department of Justice. Continues the current authority of the Secretary to utilize discovery measures. Retains the current penalty for failing to produce information (up to a $1,000 fine and/or one year's imprisonment). Makes certain changes in the current requirements for referring charges to State or local agencies for investigation and enforcement. Specifies, with respect to the rights and remedies provided by such agencies, the elements of "substantial equivalency which permit certification and referrals of discrimination charges. Eliminates the Secretary's authority to recall referrals in the interest of justice or to protect the rights of the parties. Prohibits further action by the Secretary unless the agency fails to act in a timely fashion (current law gives the agency 30 days to commence proceedings). Requires the Secretary and other Federal agencies to cooperate to avoid duplication of their housing discrimination authority. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements to permit other agencies to carry out such responsibilities within their jurisdictions. Directs the Secretary to enter into agreements with specified Federal agencies for such purpose with respect to depository institutions. Permits an action for temporary or preliminary relief to be brought on behalf of the Secretary in accordance with rule 65 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure when the Secretary establishes that voluntary compliance is unobtainable and prompt judicial action is necessary. Permits the Secretary to file an administrative complaint or refer the matter to the Attorney General for civil action if the investigation supports a finding of reasonable cause, except with respect to matters involving land use controls, which must be referred. Specifies the hearing procedures to be utilized if an administrative complaint is issued. Permits the administrative law judge to award appropriate relief and a civil penalty of up to $10,000. Permits the filing of a position for judicial review of a final order in an appropriate court of appeals within 60 days after entry of such order. Provides that the findings of fact shall be conclusive if supported by substantial evidence in the record considered as a whole. Authorizes the administrative law judge to assess civil penalties for noncompliance with a final administrative order. Makes certain revisions in the private right of action for aggrieved persons under the Fair Housing Act. Extends the statute of limitations from 180 days to two years. Disallows simultaneous administrative and judicial proceedings involving the same charge. Permits the Attorney General to intervene upon certification that the civil action is of general public importance. Continues the current provision permitting the appointment of counsel. Removes the existing $1,000 limit on punitive damages for willful violations. Continues the authority of the Attorney General to initiate civil actions where there is reasonable cause to believe that a pattern or practice of resistance to title VIII rights has occurred. Permits the intervention of aggrieved persons in such actions. Permits the award of costs, including reasonable attorney's fees, to prevailing parties in court and administrative proceedings (current law permits an award of attorney's fees only to prevailing parties who are financially unable to assume them). Authorizes appropriations for this Act, effective October 1, 1983.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 1983
Amends titles II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) and XVI (Supplemental Security Income) of the Social Security Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to assure that administrative law judges engaged in reviewing disability determinations are permitted to perform their functions without interference from the Department of Health and Human Services. Requires the Secretary to guarantee that such judges are not rated or evaluated on the basis of the number of cases which they decide in favor of or against the claimant.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1983
States that: (1) Congress rejects President Reagan's proposals for Medicare cuts in his 1984 budget because they put an unfair burden on beneficiaries; and (2) the appropriate committees in both the Senate and House of Representatives should study and make recommendations concerning how the solvency of the Medicare program can be assured by constraining medical care costs and making other changes affecting the program.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 1983
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that indebtedness incurred by certain educational organizations or deferred compensation plans in acquiring or improving real property shall not be treated as acquisition indebtedness for purposes of the tax on unrelated business income.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 1983
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that the fact that a motor vehicle operating agreement contains a terminal rental adjustment clause shall not be taken into account in determining whether such agreement is a lease. Defines "motor vehicle operating agreement" to mean any agreement with respect to a motor vehicle under which the lessor (1) is personally liable for the repayment of, or (2) has pledged property, other than property subject to the agreement or property directly or indirectly financed by indebtedness secured by property subject to the agreement, as security for all amounts borrowed to finance the acquisition of property subject to the agreement. Defines "terminal rental adjustment clause" to mean a provision of an agreement which permits or requires the rental price to be adjusted upward or downward by reference to the amount realized by the lessor under the agreement upon sale or other disposition of such property.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 1983
Health Care for Unemployed Workers Act of 1983 - Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to States to provide health insurance or health care benefits to eligible unemployed workers. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1983 through 1986. Bases State allotments on specified categories of unemployed persons. Permits reallotment of unused funds among States. Permits States to charge participants (premiums and deductibles) up to five percent of their unemployment compensation. Requires participating States to submit an annual application, with required public hearings on funds use and distribution after the first year of participation. Permits States to design such health programs but specifies certain program requirements. Requires an annual report to the Secretary. Provides grants to hospitals and health care facilities serving medically underserved populations or areas of high unemployment. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 through 1986. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress regarding participating facilities by December 31, 1984. Requires private and public employer-provided health plans to contain an open enrollment period of at least 30 days for spouses of unemployed workers. Exempts from such requirement plans of employers who employ less than 25 employees. Provides civil penalties for noncompliance and specified PHSA fund-cutoffs for State noncompliance.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1983
Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise: (1) the criteria under the category "Mental Disorders" in the "Listing of Impairments" in effect under part 404 of title 20 of the Code of Federal Regulations which are used to make individualized determinations of disability for purposes of determining eligibility for disability benefits under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act; and (2) the methods and procedures for assessing the residual functional capacity of individuals having mental impairments. Requires the Secretary to appoint a panel of outside experts to make recommendations with respect to such revisions. Prohibits the Social Security Administration from carrying out continuing eligibility reviews with respect to individuals previously determined to be under a disability due to mental impairment until such revisions have been established by final regulation. Makes such prohibition inapplicable in any case involving fraud or where an individual is engaged in substantial gainful activity. Sets forth requirements for the redetermination of disability determinations made after the enactment of this Act and before the date on which the Secretary's revisions are established by final regulation. Amends titles II and XVI (Supplemental Security Income) of the Social Security Act to require that a qualified psychiatrist or psychologist complete the medical portion of the sequential evaluation and residual functional capacity assessment in cases where an individual alleges to be under a disability due to a severe mental impairment.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 1983
Legal Services Corporation Act Amendments of 1983 - Requires appointees to the Legal Services Corporation's Board of Directors (the Board) to: (1) support the principle of providing low-income individuals equal access under the law to comprehensive legal services; (2) have participated in organizations concerned with providing legal services to the poor; or (3) have directly provided such services themselves. States that eligible client nominees to the Board must have been eligible to receive legal assistance under this Act before such nomination. Sets quorum requirements for Board meetings. States that six Board members, including at least one eligible client member, shall constitute a quorum at Board meetings. Delineates conditions under which action suits may be brought against government entities. Directs the Corporation to: (1) provide funds each fiscal year to compensate private attorneys who render legal services to eligible clients; and (2) allow recipients to use Corporation funds to pay for communications intended to influence decisions by government entities or elected officials when such communications are made in response to requests by such entities or officials. Repeals authority for a comprehensive, independent study to determine: (1) alternative methods of delivering legal services; and (2) if specified groups have difficulty gaining access to legal services. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 through FY 1986. Sets forth formulae to insure that funding for current grantees and contractors is maintained at previous fiscal year levels whenever the Board contains fewer than six members qualified as required by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 1983
Agricultural Productivity Act of 1983 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to: (1) make an inventory of existing research and extension materials and recommend further areas of research regarding crop rotation, intercropping, biological pest control, and other related farming and soil conservation systems; and (2) make such information available to the public. Directs the Secretary to conduct research on 12 pilot farms (having specified mixes of livestock and crops) to examine the effects of the transition from practices relying on chemical fertilizers and pesticides and traditional soil tillage to systems relying on organic and biological pest control, crop rotation, and conservation tillage. Requires such farms to be chosen within 120 days. Directs the Secretary to make a parallel study of 12 farms which have been using such farm systems for at least five years. Sets the term of such projects at five years each. Sets forth on-farm study data, including soil profile changes, crop yields, energy and water use, and farm income. Directs the Secretary to make payments to the owner of a pilot farm if the Secretary determines such payments are justified. Stipulates that these payments may be made only during a project's last four years. Directs the Secretary to coordinate such pilot farms project with specified Federal and State agricultural services, colleges, and farmers. Directs the Secretary to report to the appropriate congressional committees: (1) within 15 months regarding the information inventory; and (2) by April 1 of each year from 1985 through 1988 regarding the pilot farms, with a final project summary and recommendations by April 1, 1989. Provides for a five-year program of intercropping assistance under the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act. Authorizes ceilinged appropriations for FY 1984 through 1988.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 1983
Handicapped Independence Assistance Act of 1983 - Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to include within the definition of "medical and other health services" sensory and communication aids designed to substantially reduce or eliminate handicaps caused by blindness, deafness, a severe hearing or visual impairment, or the inability to communicate vocally. Continues to exclude from such inclusion eyeglasses, hearing aids, and certain other services. Provides that with respect to such benefits up to $5,000 annually and up to $15,000 in a five year period may be considered as incurred expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 1983
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shall be maintained as a scientifically sound Federal institution to safeguard the American people's interest in the oceans and atmosphere. Expresses the sense of the Senate that NOAA's institutional integrity should be preserved through comprehensive authorization legislation.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 1983
Regulatory Reform Act - Amends the Administrative Procedure Act to exempt from its applicability any rule involving public property, contracts, or general policy statements of the Tennessee Valley Authority. Repeals the current exemption provided for matters relating to loans, grants, and benefits. Requires a notice of proposed rulemaking to include: (1) a statement of need and objectives; (2) a statement that the agency seeks proposals of alternative methods from the public and from State and local governments; (3) a description of the information on which the agency plans to rely in the rulemaking; and (4) a statement specifying where copies of the rulemaking file may be obtained. Allows an agency to adopt a rule before publishing notice, providing a period for public comment, or establishing a rulemaking file, when notice or hearing is not required by another statute, if: (1) it publishes its findings that compliance with such procedures before the rule becomes effective would be impracticable and contrary to the public interest; and (2) it completes such procedures as soon as practicable after the rule is promulgated. Requires an agency to publish a notice and allow a period for comment on any final rule which is substantially different from the original rule as proposed. Directs each agency to give interested persons at least 60 days to submit written comments on a proposed rule. Permits an agency to use any appropriate procedure to elicit full and representative public comment on the significant issues of a rulemaking. Requires an agency to provide an opportunity for oral presentations at informal public hearings in a rulemaking for a "major rule," as defined by this Act. Requires agencies to publish with each final rule a notice of its effective date and a statement of its basis and purpose, including: (1) a discussion of significant issues and alternative approaches raised by public comments; and (2) an explanation of how the agency's factual determinations are substantially supported in the rulemaking file. Prohibits an agency promulgating a rule from relying on any material not placed in the rulemaking file in time to afford an adequate period for public comment. Directs each agency to give interested persons the right to petition for an interpretation of, or exemption from, a rule. Requires an agency to respond promptly and in writing to such a petition. Requires that each agency maintain a public file of the paperwork, data, and comments pertaining to each rulemaking which shall constitute the rulemaking record for purposes of judicial review. Allows an agency to exclude from the file material exempted from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, if the agency includes a summary of such material or a notice of the existence of such material. Prohibits an agency rule from substantially changing the requirement of any existing contract, agreement, or grant between a Federal agency and a State or local government for one year after the rule takes effect, unless the agency publishes a finding that delaying the rule's effect would be contrary to the public interest. Provides for the judicial review of agency compliance with rulemaking requirements under this Act. Requires each agency: (1) prior to publishing a rulemaking notice, to determine whether a proposed rule is a "major rule" and (2) to include an explanation of such determination in the notice. Authorizes the President or a selected officer to determine that a rule is a major rule within 30 days after publication of the rulemaking notice and to designate not more than 75 rules as major rules during any fiscal year. Requires an agency to issue, to enter into the rulemaking file, and to publish in summary form a preliminary rulemaking analysis of each proposed major rule, with specified exceptions. Provides 60 days for public comment on such analysis. Lists the contents of such analysis, including: (1) a description of quantifiable and nonquantifiable costs and benefits; (2) a description of reasonable alternatives; (3) a statement identifying the source of Federal funds, if any, to pay costs imposed on State and local governments; (4) a description of agency action to verify data; and (5) an explanation of why the rule chosen is more cost effective than the alternatives. Directs the agency to issue a final regulatory analysis upon publishing a final major rule, to place such analysis in the rulemaking file, and to summarize such analysis in the statement of the basis and purpose of the rule. Establishes guidelines for the evaluation and description of benefits and costs in the preparation of such analysis. Limits judicial review over: (1) the designation of a major rule; or (2) any regulatory analysis. Authorizes the President to establish procedures for agency compliance with the regulatory analysis and sunset review requirements under this Act and to monitor and enforce agency implementation of such procedures, except for rules issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Directs the President to report to Congress annually on agency compliance with regulatory analysis requirements. Requires each agency to publish for public comment a proposed schedule for the review of its existing major rules and other rules selected for review by the agency or the President. Directs each agency to publish a final schedule with its responses to public comments within one year of enactment of this Act. Requires each agency to review major rules within ten years after enactment of this Act, or within ten years after such a rule is promulgated, amended, or renewed, whichever is later. Directs each agency to publish a notice of its proposed action regarding a reviewed rule. Requires that the notice: (1) assess the costs and benefits of the rule; and (2) invite public proposals for modifications or alternatives. Requires an agency to follow normal rulemaking procedures when amending or rescinding a rule. Specifies procedures for renewing a rule without amendment. Provides for: (1) extension of the review period to not to exceed 15 years; (2) revision of the review schedule; and (3) expedited agency action if a review deadline is not met. Requires each agency to publish in the Federal Register, semiannually, an agenda of the rules the agency expects to propose, promulgate, renew, or repeal within the next twelve months, including a schedule of the agency actions pertaining to each rule. Directs the President to publish, semiannually, a Calendar of Federal Regulations, listing each of the major rules included in such agenda. Allows an agency to promulgate a major rule not listed in such agenda only if it publishes an explanation of why the rule was omitted. Requires each agency to include in the notice of a proposed rulemaking the date by which it intends to complete action or each major portion of action on the rule. Directs an agency that fails to complete action by such date and that expects a delay of more than 30 days to announce a new deadline for action. Directs the President to report to Congress annually on the regulatory activities of the Government. Requires that the report include estimates of the costs and benefits to each major sector of the economy of all major rules promulgated during the preceding year, included in the regulatory agenda for the preceding year, or scheduled for review. Directs a court reviewing an agency action to: (1) determine the authority or jurisdiction of the agency on the basis of the language of the authorizing statute or other evidence of legislative intent; (2) accord no presumption in favor of or against agency action, but to give an agency's interpretation of a statutory provision such weight as it warrants; and (3) determine whether the factual basis of an agency rule has substantial support in the rulemaking file. Declares that when proceedings for review of the same agency action are instituted in two or more courts of appeals within five days, the Administrative Office of the United States Courts shall select, by a system of random selection, the court in which the record shall be filed. Authorizes the courts to postpone the effective date of the agency action until after such selection is made. Amends the Federal Advisory Committee Act to exclude from the definition of "advisory committee" for purposes of such Act any committee which is composed wholly of elected State or local officials or their representatives. Grants Federal district courts original jurisdiction of any civil action or proceeding to resolve a controversy between two or more regulatory agencies not of the same State concerning jurisdiction to regulate a public utility, unless the courts of appeals have exclusive original jurisdiction to review actions of one of the regulatory agencies involved. States that a declaratory judgment in such a proceeding shall not be withheld: (1) on the ground that a controversy over matters other than jurisdiction to regulate may exist between the parties; (2) because of failure to exhaust administrative remedies; or (3) because of inconsistent provisions of other statutes providing for judicial review of agency action. Declares that any Federal or State agency may join or be joined as a party to such action and the district court may issue its processes without regard to territorial limitations. Establishes venue for such a proceeding. Prohibits the use of appropriated funds to pay the expenses of persons participating or intervening in agency proceedings, except as expressly authorized by statute. Authorizes each Federal agency to adopt as a Federal rule with respect to a State or locality any State or local rule which duplicates or is substantially equivalent to or more stringent than such Federal rule. Declares that any final agency rule, with specified exceptions including an emergency rule, shall be considered to be a recommendation to Congress and shall have no effect unless it is reviewed and not disapproved by Congress. Directs each agency to transmit each final rule to Congress on the day the rule is transmitted for publication to the Federal Register. Prohibits the rule from becoming effective if: (1) within 45 days of continuous session of Congress after the rule is received by Congress, either committee of the House or the Senate having primary legislative jurisdiction over it reports or is discharged from consideration of a resolution disapproving it; (2) within 30 days after such resolution is reported or discharged, either House adopts it; and (3) within 30 days after the adopted resolution is transmitted to the other House, such other House agrees to it. Permits a final rule to become effective at any time after either House rejects a resolution of disapproval. Authorizes an agency to issue and submit to Congress for review a recommended final rule relating to the same acts or practices as a disapproved rule. Sets forth expedited congressional procedures for the consideration of resolutions of disapproval. Declares that the provisions of this Act supercede any other provision of law requiring action by both Houses of Congress for congressional review and disapproval of agency rules, but not any other provisions requiring action by only one House. Amends the Government in the Sunshine Act to include the Chrysler Corporation Loan Guarantee Board as an agency subject to such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1983
Veterans' Emergency Job Training Act - Directs the Administrator of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Labor to carry out an on-the-job training program for veterans who: (1) actively served in the armed forces during a period of war; and (2) have been unemployed for 15 or more consecutive weeks. States that assistance will be in the form of payments to employers employing eligible veterans in jobs involving significant training. Prohibits a participating veteran from receiving assistance under any other veterans' education or training program or the Job Training Partnership Act during the same period. Requires veterans seeking assistance to apply to the Secretary of Labor who will certify such veterans eligibility for an employer. Requires an employer to provide a program of approved job training for at least six months. Establishes maximum periods of assisted training: (1) 12 months for a veteran with a service-connected disability rated at 30 percent or more; and (2) six months for other veterans. Requires employers seeking participation in this program to certify to the Secretary that: (1) a position for which the veteran is training is likely to be available at the end of the training period; (2) wages and benefits will be comparable to those received by other employee/trainees; and (3) currently employed workers will not be displaced as a result of this program. Requires the Secretary to give preference to programs of training and equitable regional distribution of training opportunities when approving a program of training. Limits the payments to employers to 25 percent of the wages paid, the actual cost of training, or $3,000 ($6,000 in the case of certain disabled veterans), whichever is less. Requires as a condition of payment a certification from both the veteran/employee and the employer concerning the training and its satisfactory progress. Prohibits the Secretary from continuing payments when the progress or conduct or the veteran is unsatisfactory or that the program of training or the employer's certification is faulty in a material respect. Establishes civil penalties for fraud under this program. Entitles the United States to recover any overpayments from either the veteran or the employer, depending upon culpability. Directs the Secretary of Labor to administer this program and make special efforts to inform eligible veterans and employers of the training opportunities. Requires utilization of disabled veterans outreach specialists in coordinating employment efforts. Directs the Administrator to provide an outreach and public information program to inform veterans and employers of this program's opportunities. Terminates this program after FY 1984 for veterans' applications and after FY 1985 for employer payments. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1983
Requests the President to grant posthumous citizenship to William Penn, founder of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and his wife, Hannah Callowhill Penn.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1983
Expresses the sense of the Senate that May 8 through May 14, 1983, be designated as National Product Safety Week in commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 1983
Competitive Shipping and Shipbuilding Act of 1983 - Requires that, by 1984, five percent of all bulk cargoes imported into or exported from the United States by water be carried on U.S.-flag ships. Requires yearly one percent increases until the percentage of bulk cargoes carried on U.S.-flag ships reaches 20 percent. Provides for credit to importers and exporters for the use of U.S.-flag ships for the transportation of bulk cargoes between foreign ports. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to provide relief from the requirements of this Act upon a finding that U.S.-flag ships are not available within guideline rates. Sets forth factors which the Secretary shall consider in determining the extent of relief granted. Requires the Secretary to establish and publish guideline rates for the carriage of bulk cargoes subject to this Act. Requires the Secretary to assure that such rates take into account certain objectives. Requires the Secretary, in order to establish guideline rates, to estimate the current cost of operating U.S.-flag ships in the foreign bulk trades of the United States and of constructing such ships. Requires such cost estimates to be published within six months after enactment of this Act. Requires such estimates to be revised annually. Requires that such rates: (1) be reviewed and adjusted at least annually; (2) not reflect costs greater than the estimated current costs; and (3) be the maximum rates which may be charged for the charter of U.S.-flag ships for the transportation of bulk cargoes governed by this Act. Requires the Secretary to establish and publish interim guideline rates in the first calendar year following the enactment of this Act. Sets forth factors to be taken into account in determining such rates. Requires the Secretary to appoint and consult with an advisory committee to establish and review U.S.-flag ship operating costs, shipyard construction costs, guideline rates, and regulations. Requires anyone engaged in importing or exporting bulk commodities in U.S. foreign commerce whose business volume exceeds $1,000,000 annually to report to the Secretary on the percentages of such person's exports and imports carried on U.S.-flag ships. Requires anyone who fails to transport the required percentage of U.S. bulk cargoes to use exclusively U.S. flag ships until the deficiency has been recouped, unless Secretarial relief has been granted. Establishes civil penalties for violations of this Act. Sets forth procedures for the investigation, prosecution, and judicial review of violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1983
Private Pension Reform Act of 1983 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code to require that a retirement plan that provides an annuity to a participant with at least ten years of creditable service shall provide a survivor's annuity for the spouse of a participant who dies before the annuity starting date in an amount not less than the amount that would have been made under the survivor's annuity if the participant had survived and retired on such annuity date. Provides that a participant's election not to take a joint and survivor's annuity shall not be effective unless the spouse of the participant consents in writing to such an election. Requires a retirement plan to treat an individual who was the spouse of the participant on the annuity starting date and who survives the participant as if such individual were the spouse of the participant on the date of death of the participant whether or not divorced after the annuity starting date. Allows the assignment of the benefits of a qualified retirement plan in the case of a judgment decree or order relating to child support, alimony payments, or marital property rights pursuant to a State domestic relations law. Amends ERISA to lower the age limitation for participation in a qualified retirement plan from age 25 to age 21. Amends ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code to provide for accruals of creditable service to continue while an individual is on approved maternity or paternity leave at the rate of 20 hours service for each week of approved leave.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1983
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow employers a nonrefundable income tax credit for contributions to a tax-deferred profit sharing plan. Limits the amount of such credit to the lesser of all such contributions or one percent of the aggregate compensation paid by the employer to plan participants during the taxable year. Requires full and immediate vesting in plan participants of all amounts contributed to a profit sharing plan. Provides for a three-year carryback and a seven-year carryover of unused credit amounts.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1983
Commission to Reform Federal Campaign Finance Act of 1983 - Establishes the Commission to Reform Federal Campaign Finance (the Commission) to advise and assist the Congress in developing legislation to reform: (1) the financing of Federal election campaigns; and (2) the role of nonparty multicandidate political action committees in the financing of such campaigns. Delineates the composition, tenure, compensation, and duties of such Commission. Directs the Commission to consider specified matters and to report its recommendations to the Congress by a specified date. Terminates the Commission 90 days after submission of such report. Directs the Congressional Research Service, the General Accounting Office, and the Federal Election Commission to prepare and transmit briefing papers to the Commission. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1983
Economic Equity Act of 1983 - Title I: Tax and Retirement Matters - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that the maximum deduction for contributions to an individual retirement plan: (1) shall be computed separately for each individual who is married; and (2) in the case of a married individual who has no compensation or less compensation than that of the spouse, shall be determined as if such compensation were the same as that of the individual's spouse. Treats alimony as compensation for purposes of determining an individual's income tax deduction for retirement savings. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code to require that a retirement plan that provides an annuity to a participant with at least ten years of creditable service shall provide a survivor's annuity for the spouse of a participant who dies before the annuity starting date in an amount not less than the amount that would have been made under the survivor's annuity if the participant has survived and retired on such annuity date. Provides that a participant's election not to take a joint and survivor's annuity shall not be effective unless the spouse of the participant consents in writing to such an election. Requires a retirement plan to treat an individual who was the spouse of the participant on the annuity starting date and who survives the participant as if such individual were the spouse of the participant on the date of death of the participant whether or not divorced after the annuity starting date. Allows the assignment of the benefits of a qualified retirement plan in the case of a judgment decree or order relating to child support, alimony payments, or marital property rights pursuant to a State domestic relations law. Amends ERISA to lower the age limitation for participation in a qualified retirement plan from age 25 to age 21. Amends ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code to provide for accruals of creditable service to continue while an individual is on approved maternity or paternity leave at the rate of 20 hours service for each week of approved leave. Entitles former spouses of civil service employees or Members of Congress, who were married to an employee or Member for at least ten years during creditable service, to an annuity based upon a portion of retired or retainer pay unless otherwise provided by a spousal agreement or a state court decree of divorce or annulment. Entitles former spouses to survivor's benefits under the civil service plan unless the former spouse remarries before becoming 60 years of age or the employee or Member and former spouse elect to waive such benefit. Requires that such waiver be jointly made in writing. Includes displaced homemakers as a targeted group for purposes of the targeted jobs tax credit. Defines "displaced homemaker" as a person who: (1) has not worked, except in the home, for a substantial number of years; (2) has been dependent on public assistance or on the income of a family member but is no longer supported by that income; and (3) is a member of an economically disadvantaged family and is experiencing difficulty obtaining or upgrading employment. Increases the zero bracket amount for heads of households from $2,300 to $3,400. Title II: Dependent Care Program - Increases the income tax credit for household and dependent care services from a maximum of 30 percent of amounts paid to a maximum of 50 percent of amounts paid. Reduces such percentage to a minimum of 20 percent based on the taxpayer's adjusted gross income. Makes such income tax credit refundable. Treats as tax-exempt organizations certain organizations which provide nonresidential dependent care to the general public. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (through the Commissioner of the Administration of Children, Youth, and Families) to establish a grant program to assist nonprofit organizations in the establishment or operation of community-based child care information. Title III: Nondiscrimination in Insurance - Nondiscrimination in Insurance Act of 1983 - 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. Grants to State or local governments having insurance discrimination laws the primary opportunity to enforce this Act. Permits an aggrieved person to file a civil action in State or Federal court against an insurer, if a State or local authority: (1) has received notice of a complaint and fails to act within 60 days; or (2) has no insurance discrimination laws. 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. Title IV: Regulatory Reform and Sex Neutrality - Requires the head of each Federal agency to: (1) conduct an ongoing review of the rules, regulations, programs, and policies of the agency to identify any which result in different treatment based on sex; and (2) submit annually a report to the Congress on such review. Sets forth rules of statutory construction relating to gender. Title V: Child Support Enforcement - Amends the Social Security Act to specify that the purpose of the child support enforcement program is to assure compliance with obligations to pay child support to each child in the United States living with one parent. Allows offsets of income tax refunds of an absent parent on behalf of children not receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children (present law permits such offsets only in the case of children receiving AFDC payments). Requires States to establish a child support clearinghouse through which child support payments can be paid, recorded and forwarded. Revises State child support enforcement procedures. Allows allotments for child and spousal support to be taken from the pay of Federal employees.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1983
Directs the Secretaries of Agriculture for national forest lands and of the Interior for other public lands to terminate, at the purchaser's request: (1) specified quantities of estimated and cumulative timber volume as specified in such purchaser's contract bid prior to January 1, 1982; and (2) other specified contracts for estimated timber volumes. Requires purchasers to pay for the costs incurred by the appropriate Secretary in terminating such contracts and for re-offering the terminated timber for resale. Specifies the maximum amount to be paid per terminated contract. Authorizes the purchaser to transfer, retain or assign timber sale appraisal allowances according to stated guidelines. Directs the Secretaries of Agriculture and of the Interior to adjust, without penalty, certain contract termination dates for a specified period, upon the purchaser's written request. Declares that contracts with termination dates adjusted for four years or more shall require: (1) payment by the purchaser according to a specified schedule; or (2) removal of a certain percentage of estimated timber volume by a certain date. Assures specified purchasers continued eligibility to bid on the resale of timber included in a terminated contract. Establishes guidelines for termination, payment schedules, bidding, and timber resales. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to permit the transfer of unused purchaser credit for road construction on specified contracts. Directs the Secretary to treat credit earned on specified contracts as transferable earned purchaser credit. Emergency National Forest Productivity Act of 1983 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a special program to remove dead or diseased timber on national forest system lands. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into contracts, or conduct the work within the Department of Agriculture, under certain conditions. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to use regular national forest system and construction accounts subject to approval by the congressional appropriations committees.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 1983
Expresses the sense of Congress that the family planning program under title X of the Public Health Service Act should be administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration of the Department of Health and Human Services.
![Official portrait of Sen. Matsunaga, Spark M. [D-HI]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m000250_200.jpg)