United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1983
Soviet-Eastern European Research and Training Act of 1983 - Establishes the Soviet-Eastern European Research and Training Fund in the Treasury. Authorizes appropriations for the Fund. Establishes the Soviet-Eastern European Studies Oversight Committee. Sets forth the membership of the Committee. Requires that interest on obligations held in the Fund be available upon approval of the Committee for payments to the National Council for Soviet and East European Research (the Council), the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars of the Smithsonian Institution (the Center), the International Research and Exchanges Board (the Board), and any other organization to carry out research and training in Soviet and Eastern European studies. Sets forth specific uses for such payments. Requires the National Council, the Center, and the Board to submit an application to the Committee each fiscal year. Authorizes any other organization to submit an application to the Committee. Sets forth requirements for such applications. Requires the Committee to approve expeditiously any application which meets such requirements. Provides that it shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Treasury to invest portions of the Fund not required for current withdrawal (in the determination of the Committee). Sets forth investment requirements for the Fund. Requires the Oversight Committee to prepare and submit a specified annual report to the President and to Congress concerning the Fund. Requires that the provisions of this Act terminate ten years after enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 1983
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President should: (1) report to Congress on his intention to begin negotiations on a new long-term agricultural trade agreement with the Soviet Union; (2) seek, in such a new agreement, higher minimum and maximum supply guarantees and a provision for the export of value-added products; (3) report to Congress, by a specified date, on the potential economic and employment impacts of such a new agreement on U.S. agriculture and related industries; and (4) take appropriate measures to assure free movement of increased quantities of U.S. agricultural products to the Soviet Union.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 1983
Enterprise Zone Act of 1983 - Title I: Designation of Enterprise Zones - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the designation of enterprise zones by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for purposes of extending the tax incentives and regulatory flexibility measures provided by this Act. Specifies that State and local governments shall nominate areas for such designation. Limits the designation of enterprise zones to 75 nominated areas per year (one-third of which must be in rural areas). Limits the period during which such designations shall remain in effect. Specifies that the Secretary may designate such zones only if: (1) the area is within the jurisdiction of the local government; (2) the boundary of the area is continuous; (3) the area has a population of at least 4,000 if any portion thereof is located within a standard metropolitan statistical area (within a population of at least 50,000) or 1,000 otherwise, or is within an Indian reservation; and (4) the area meets specified unemployment and poverty requirements. Requires nominating local governments, as a condition of the Secretary's designation, to agree in writing to follow a course of action which may include reducing tax rates, improving local services, simplifying or streamling regulation of business, or receiving commitments of private entities to assist employees and residents of the area. Terminates the authority of the Secretary to designate enterprise zones on June 30, 1986 or three years after the publication of regulations pertaining to such zones, whichever is later. Describes areas to which preference shall be given in deciding to designate enterprise zones. Requires the Secretary to prepare and submit to the Congress every four years a report on the effects of such enterprise zones' designation. Requires that any property tax reduction effected by a local government under the terms of this Act be disregarded for purposes of determining the eligibility of a State or local government for Federal assistance or benefits. States that designation of an enterprise zone shall not give displaced persons from such an area any rights or benefits under the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970. Exempts enterprise zones from certain requirements relating to Federal environmental policy. Title II: Federal Income Tax Incentives - Subtitle A: Credits for Employers and Employees - Allows employers located in enterprise zones a nonrefundable income tax credit for increased employment expenditures and employment of the disadvantaged. Allows a three year carryback and 15 year carryover of such credit. Sets the amount of such credit at ten percent of the increase in payroll (taking into account a maximum of $15,000 in wages per year per employee) plus 50 percent of the wages paid to certain disadvantaged workers for the first three years of the enterprise zone designation. Phases out such credit in the last three years of the enterprise zone designation. Disallows a deduction for the portion of wages taken into account for such credit. Allows employees located in enterprise zones a nonrefundable income tax credit equal to five percent of qualified wages earned per year (taking into account a maximum of $9,000 in wages per year). Phases out such credit in the last three years of the enterprise zone designation. Subtitle B: Credits for Investment in Tangible Property in Enterprise Zones - Allows businesses an additional investment tax credit for investment in certain tangible property located in enterprise zones. Limits such credit to five percent for zone personal property and ten percent for new zone construction property, including rental property. Requires that the property subject to such credit be predominantly used in the zone, be purchased after zone designation, and not be acquired from relatives or related corporations. Requires the recapture of such credit upon early disposition of the property. Phases out such credit in the last three years of the enterprise zone designation. Subtitle C: Reduction in Capital Gain Tax Rates - Eliminates the capital gains tax on property of corporations acquired after the enterprise zone designation and used in a zone business. Qualifies certain low-income rental housing located in an enterprise zone for such treatment. Permits property to remain qualified for purposes of the revised capital gains treatment after a designation of an enterprise zone has terminated. Exempts gain from the sale or exchange of property used in a business in an enterprise zone from the computation of the minimum tax. Allows noncorporate taxpayers to deduct from gross income 100 percent of any net capital gain from qualified enterprise zone property. Subtitle D: Rules Relating to Industrial Development Bonds - Provides that limitations on the cost recovery deductions for property financed with tax-exempt industrial development bonds shall not apply to enterprise zone property. Provides that the termination of the small issue exemption shall not apply to industrial development bonds the proceeds of which are used to finance facilities in such enterprise zones. Subtitle E: Sense of the Congress with Respect to Tax Simplification - Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Internal Revenue Service should simplify the administration and enforcement of any provision of the Internal Revenue Code affected by this Act. Title III: Regulatory Flexibility - Revises the definition of "small entity" for purposes of the analysis of regulatory functions, to include qualified businesses (as defined in Title II of this Act), to include governments, and nonprofit enterprises operating within enterprise zones. Authorizes Federal agencies, upon request by a designating government, to waive or modify rules and regulations which pertain to the carrying out of projects or activities within an enterprise zone. Requires agencies to approve such request if the resulting benefits of job creation, community development, or economic revitalization outweigh the public interest in continuation of the rule unchanged. Disallows waiver or modification of a rule that would directly violate a statutory requirement (including the Davis-Bacon Act and Fair Labor Standards Act) or which would present a danger to the public health and safety. Provides that such waivers or modifications of a rule shall remain in effect as long as the zone designations. Amends the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act to direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to promote the coordination of all enterprise zone programs and consolidate all periodic reports required under such programs into one summary report. Title IV: Establishment of Foreign-Trade Zones in Enterprise Zones - Requires the Foreign-Trade Board to consider on a priority basis and expedite the processing of applications for the establishment of foreign-trade zones within enterprise zones. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to give priority to, and expedite applications for, the establishment of ports of entry necessary to establish such zones. States that to the maximum extent practicable foreign-trade zones should be established within enterprise zones.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1983
National Diffusion Network Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to carry out a program to promote the spread of exemplary educational programs, products, and practices to interested elementary and secondary schools. Requires the Secretary to provide for evaluation, information, materials, training, and technical assistance. 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 1983 through 1986.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 1983
Declares that Congress: (1) condemns the violence in Northern Ireland; (2) urges U.S. citizens to refrain from any action which contributes to the violence there; (3) urges an early political settlement there that secures the rights of both sides and that achieves Irish unity; (4) believes that a reconciliation can be found between the two Irish political traditions and between Britain and Ireland; and (5) requests the President to convey to Britain and to Ireland the desire of Americans for lasting peace in Northern Ireland.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 1983
Age Discrimination in Employment Amendments of 1983 - Amends the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 to remove the existing 70-year upper age limit of the class to which the discrimination prohibitions apply, thus extending coverage to all individuals who are at least 40 years of age. Allows compulsory retirement of tenured faculty of an institution of higher learning until July 1, 1998. Delays the effect of this Act for employees under a collective bargaining contract until January 1, 1987, or the termination of such contract, if earlier.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1983
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Amendments of 1983 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to replace the existing Office of Health Information, Health Promotion, and Physical Fitness and Sports Medicine (within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health of the Department of Health and Human Services) with an Office of Health Promotion, to be headed by a Director. Directs such Office to: (1) coordinate Department and private health information, promotion, and prevention services; (2) establish a national information clearinghouse; and (3) support projects, conduct research, and disseminate information relating to preventive medicine, health promotion, physical fitness and sports medicine. Authorizes appropriations through FY 1986. Repeals specified provisions regarding: (1) program models; (2) physical fitness grants; and (3) sports medicine (transferred under this Act). Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to academic health centers to establish Centers for Research and Demonstration of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. Sets forth related operating provisions. Requires three such centers to be established in FY 1984, and five centers in each of the subsequent two fiscal years. Authorizes appropriations through FY 1986. Requires an annual health promotion and preventive medicine report to the appropriate congressional committees, with the first report due by January 1, 1984. Establishes an Assistant Director for Prevention position in the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to coordinate and promote NIH health promotion and disease prevention programs. Revises full-time student enrollment requirements for schools of public health seeking capitation grants to require that enrollment equal (presently must exceed) 1976 levels.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 1983
Ocean and Coastal Development Impact Assistance Block Grant Act - Establishes the Ocean and Coastal Development Impact Assistance Fund in the Treasury. States that five percent of Outer Continental Shelf gas and oil lease revenues shall be used for such Fund. Provides block grants from such Fund to coastal States and territories for: (1) living marine resources; (2) coastal management planning and implementation; (3) energy impact assistance; (4) research, education, and natural resource management; and (5) capital infrastructure. Sets forth an allocation formula based upon oil or gas production, coastal population, shoreline, and bonus revenues. Establishes minimum and maximum grant amounts, with excess funds to be shared among those States eligible for additional amounts. Requires a State to give at least 40 percent of its grant money to local coastal communities. Directs the Secretary to establish by contract a National Coastal Resources Research and Development Institute to be administered in affiliation with the Oregon Institute of Marine Science. Provides monies for the Institute from the Ocean and Coastal Development Impact Assistance Fund. Requires: (1) the Secretary to conduct an ongoing evaluation of the Institute's activities; and (2) the Institute to report to the Secretary within two years, including recommendations for specified regional centers. States that employees of such Institute shall not be considered Federal employees. Provides for block grant audit and assessment.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1983
Amends the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 to declare congressional policy with respect to the marketing and sale of passenger air transportation. Directs the Civil Aeronautics Board to vacate Order 82-12-85, adopted on December 16, 1982, and to adopt as its final decision in docket numbered 36595 the recommended order of an administrative law judge dated June 1, 1982.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 1983
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should: (1) renew the agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union on space cooperation for peaceful purposes; (2) initiate talks with the Soviet Union and other interested governments on opportunities for cooperative East-West space ventures as an alternative to an arms race in space; and (3) submit to the Congress a report detailing the steps taken in pursuance of these goals.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 1983
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the United States should provide the resources to achieve a specified fill rate for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in FY 1984, consistent with the Energy Emergency Preparedness Act of 1982.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 1983
Expresses U.S. appreciation of Simon Bolivar and proclaims July 24, 1983 through July 23, 1984, the Bicentennial Year of the Birth of Simon Bolivar. Declares the intention of Congress to send a congressional delegation to Venezuela in July 1983 to observe such bicentennial and calls upon the Congressional Research Service in the Library of Congress to conduct a study on the impact of Simon Bolivar in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1983
Veterans' Educational Assistance Act of 1983 - Establishes a peacetime veterans' educational assistance program. Excludes graduates of service academies from eligibility for such assistance. Entitles veterans who are graduates of a secondary school and who have served in the armed forces on continuous active duty for at least two years to basic educational assistance. Entitles veterans of the Selected Reserve who are graduates of secondary school and who have served at least two years of continuous active duty in the armed forces and at least four years of continuous duty in the Selected Reserve to basic educational assistance. Sets forth the formula for determining the length of such assistance based on the length of time served. Entitles such veterans to a monthly assistance allowance of $300 for a full-time approved program of education. Permits the Secretary concerned to establish a higher rate of assistance, but not more than $600 a month, for individuals possessing a skill or specialty designated as being in critical shortage. Permits enrollment, if eligible, in a program of education while an individual continues to perform his duties. Establishes a ten year delimiting period for educational assistance. Excludes time spent as a prisoner of war subsequent to discharge and time spent physically or mentally disabled. Limits educational assistance to individuals being furnished subsistence to the amount an institution would charge similarly circumstanced nonveterans. Prohibits participation in more than one program of educational assistance. Requires that the Administrator receive a certificate of attendance from both the individual and the educational institution before paying the educational assistance allowance for any period. Allocates the administration and costs of such programs to the Veterans Administration, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Defense. Requires the Secretary of Defense and the Administrator to submit to Congress a biennial report on the operations of such programs. Establishes a Career Members' Supplemental Educational Assistance Program for veterans who have served on active duty for a period of more than ten years. Requires enrollees to participate in such program for at least 12 consecutive months except as specified by this Act. Requires participants to agree to a monthly deduction from their military pay as a contribution to such program for deposit in the Career Member's Dependents Education Account established in the Treasury. Provides for a refund of such contributions upon disenrollment, discharge, release, or death. Authorizes the Secretary to contribute to the fund account, in addition to matching funds, any amounts necessary to encourage persons to remain in the armed forces. Entitles each participant to 36 monthly benefit payments. Sets forth the formula for computing the amount of such payments. Permits eligible veterans to transfer any educational benefits to such veterans' spouse or children. Establishes a delimiting period of ten years after discharge or release for educational assistance benefits. Requires the Administrator of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense, within 90 days of enactment of this Act, to submit a joint report to the Congress on their respective plans for implementation of programs provided by this Act. Directs them to make annual reports on the operation of such programs thereafter. Directs the Administrator to deposit military pay deductions in the Fund and maintain accounts showing contributions by participants and the Secretary as well as disbursements. States that appropriations to carry out this program shall be considered as part of the Department of Defense budget. Amends the Post-Vietnam Era Veterans' Educational Assistance Act of 1977 to terminate the right to enroll in the Post-Vietnam Era Veterans' Educational Assistance Program after December 31, 1981. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress annually on the educational assistance program, including the number of participants from the Selected Reserve. Permits the Secretary concerned to grant an eligible member a leave of absence of not more than two years for such member to pursue a program of education. Sets forth the terms and conditions for such leave. Requires the Secretary concerned to provide individual predischarge counseling which includes a discussion of educational benefit entitlements. States that there shall be no increase in pay for members in pay grade E-1 in FY 1984 and 1985.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1983
Domestic Violence Prevention and Services Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to States, local public agencies, and nonprofit organizations for projects designed to prevent domestic violence and to provide immediate shelter and other assistance for victims and dependents of victims of domestic violence. Sets forth conditions for receiving the formula grants, including that the State: (1) distribute funds to local public agencies and private nonprofit organizations for domestic violence programs and services; (2) distribute at least 70 percent of such funds to private nonprofit organizations and give special emphasis to supporting community-based projects; (3) set forth procedures to assure an equitable distribution of grants within the State; (4) designate a State agency to administer the domestic violence program and coordinate all such programs within the State; (5) set forth procedures to assure active citizen participation within the State; (6) provide assurances that any project funded will coordinate its activities with other State programs and be administered by appropriately trained personnel; and (7) comply with reporting requirements. Declares that the Secretary shall not disapprove any application except after notice of and opportunity for a hearing. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to Indian tribes and intertribal organizations. Provides that such funds may not be used for direct payment to any victim of domestic violence or to a dependent of such victim, and that no income eligibility standard may be imposed for anyone seeking services under this Act. Limits the total amount of grants to any local program to $150,000 for not more than a three-year period. Limits the grant for any fiscal year to $50,000. Requires local public agencies and private organizations to provide the following shares of Federal funding: (1) 25 percent in the first year; (2) 33.33 percent the second year; and (3) 50 percent the third year. Requires that at least 75 percent of grants be distributed to entities providing immediate shelter and related assistance to victims. Authorizes the Secretary to make supplemental grants to States for: (1) administrative costs; (2) developing and implementing programs; (3) assuring active citizen participation; and (4) developing a media campaign. Provides that each State will be allotted at least $45,000 in formula grants and $7,500 in supplemental grants. Requires each State receiving assistance to submit detailed annual reports to the Secretary on the implementation of programs. Directs the Secretary to: (1) designate a director of programs carried out under this title; (2) establish a national information clearinghouse on domestic violence, in coordination with the child abuse clearinghouse; (3) make recommendations to Congress regarding domestic violence programs; and (4) obtain information on research relating to domestic violence. Directs the Secretary to make annual reports to Congress and to evaluate and report on the effectiveness of the programs no later than two years after funds are obligated. Sets forth confidentiality requirements with respect to records of persons assisted under this title. Establishes the Federal Interagency Council on Domestic Violence to assist the Secretary in coordinating Federal programs. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to report to the President and Congress within 18 months of enactment on the nature and incidence of abuse of elderly individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 1983
(Reported to Senate from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources with amendment, S. Rept. 98-135) Dedicates the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, in Maryland, to Gladys Noon Spellman. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to erect adjacent to such parkway an appropriate marker commemorating the contribution of Gladys Noon Spellman. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1983
Amends the National Sea Grant College Program Act to authorize appropriations for FY 1984 through 1986. Extends authorizations of appropriations through FY 1986 for the sea grant international cooperative program.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1983
Hydrogen Research and Development Act - Title I: Hydrogen Production and Utilization - Directs the Secretary of Energy to prepare and submit to specified congressional committees a comprehensive program management plan for a research and development program designed to permit the development of a domestic hydrogen fuel production capability within the shortest practicable time. Requires the Secretary to send Congress annual reports which include any necessary plan modifications. Directs the Secretary to establish such program within the Department of Energy. Requires that the areas to be addressed in such program include production, liquefaction, transmission, distribution, storage, and utilization. Requires priority to be given to production techniques that use renewable energy sources as their primary energy sources. Directs the Secretary to conduct demonstrations to evaluate technical and nontechnical parameters to determine commercial applicability of hydrogen technology and to prepare a comprehensive large-scale hydrogen demonstration plan. Requires the Secretary to prepare a comprehensive technology application plan which shall include: (1) the potential applications for the use of hydrogen; (2) technical market and economic readiness assessments for such potential applications; (3) an assessment of Government actions needed to develop such applications; and (4) an analysis of the impact of such applications on domestic energy supplies. Requires the Secretary to consult with other Federal agencies and departments in carrying out this program. Requires the establishment of a Hydrogen Technical Advisory Panel to advise the Secretary on the conduct of the hydrogen program. Requires the Panel to submit an annual report on the program to the Energy Research Advisory Board which shall subsequently report to the Secretary. Authorizes appropriations to carry out this title. Title II: Hydrogen-Fueled Aircraft Research and Development - Directs the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to prepare and submit to specified congressional committees a comprehensive program management plan for a research and development program for the development of a domestic hydrogen- fueled aircraft capability within the shortest practical time. Requires the Administrator to transmit to Congress annual reports which include any necessary modifications with respect to the plan. Requires the Administrator to establish such program within NASA and to prepare and transmit to Congress a comprehensive flight demonstration plan which shall confirm the technical feasibility, economic viability, and safety of liquid hydrogen as a fuel for commercial transport aircraft. Provides that the research and development program under this title shall include, at a minimum, the development of the systems associated with the production, transportation, storage, and handling of liquid hydrogen for commercial aircraft application. Provides that the Administrator shall consult with other Federal agencies and departments in carrying out the program. Establishes a Hydrogen-Fueled Aircraft Advisory Committee to advise the Administrator on the programs established by this title. Requires the Committee to report annually to the Administrator on its activities and on the status of such programs. Authorizes appropriations to carry out this title.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 1983
Veterans Administration Adjudication Procedure and Judicial Review Act - Title I: Adjudication Procedures - Codifies, for Veterans Administration (VA) adjudication purposes, the burden of proof and reasonable doubt standards currently provided for by VA regulation. States that a claimant has the burden of submitting sufficient evidence to justify his or her claim, and that if an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence exists regarding the merits of a claim, the VA is to resolve such doubt in favor of the claimant. States that VA subpoenas may be served either by personal delivery or by registered or certified mail. Increases the maximum size of the Board of Veterans' Appeals from 50 to 65 members. Requires the chairman of such Board to submit an annual report to the appropriate congressional committees concerning the Board's current handling of cases and projections for the subsequent fiscal year. Requires the Board to: (1) provide notice to a claimant and an opportunity for a hearing before a decision may be based on "additional official information" received after a Board decision has previously been made; and (2) make its decision exclusively on evidence and material of record in the proceeding. Removes the requirement that new material sufficient to allow the Board to reopen a previously disallowed claim be in the form of official reports. Provides that the Board's discretionary authority to reopen a claim will not be diminished by a judicial decision following an appeal as provided for by this Act. Requires the Board to mail to the claimant notice of its decision and the reasons for such decision. Provides that, upon the request of a claimant, the Board shall provide an independent advisory medical opinion when there exists substantial medical disagreement with respect to a material issue in a veteran's appeal. Sets forth new procedural rules for adjudication hearings regarding: (1) oaths, affirmations, and witness examination; (2) admissibility of evidence; (3) procedural rights of claimants; (4) disqualification of a hearing officer; (5) the record of the proceedings and the claimants' right to examine and obtain a copy of such record; and (6) the exclusiveness of veterans' adjudication procedures and rights prescribed by the Administrator. Requires the Administrator to provide at each stage of the appeal proceedings written notice to a claimant of procedural rights and procedures. Directs the Administrator to conduct a study of two alternative claims resolution methods, one a new intermediate-level adjudication process, the other an enhanced schedule of formal Appeals Board hearings. Directs the Administrator to report to Congress on such studies. Title II: Veterans' Administration Rule Making - Includes the VA's rulemaking procedures under the relevant provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act. Title III: Judicial Review - Provides for judicial review of VA decisions in the Federal court system. States with regard to jurisdiction: (1) the definition of final decision; (2) that judicial review of a final decision in a claim for benefits may be obtained in a civil action brought within 180 days of the Board's mailing of notice of its decision, and that such action shall be brought in Federal district court; (3) that the VA shall file the various materials constituting the record in a case together with its answer to the claimant's complaint; (4) that the court may render a decision on the pleadings; and (5) that the judicial review procedures established under this Act shall not apply to insurance and home loans. States, with regard to the reviewing court's scope of review, that such court: (1) decide questions of law and interpret constitutional, statutory, and regulatory provisions, but that questions of fact (unless unsupported by substantial evidence) will not be subject to a trial de novo; and (2) in reviewing a final decision of the VA which is adverse to a party solely because such party failed to comply with VA procedures, such court may only review questions concerning such procedures. Sets out provisions regarding remand, survival of actions, and appellate review. Title IV: Attorneys' Fees - Authorizes the Administrator to allow attorneys' fees above the present $10 maximum if the appealing party's claim is allowed by the VA after an initial denial. States that such fee shall be the lesser of: (1) the fee agreed upon by the party and attorney; (2) $500, unless the Administrator approves a greater amount; or (3) if the party and attorney have entered into a contingent-fee agreement, not more than 25 percent of the total of any past-due benefits awarded on the basis of such party's claim. Provides for the approval of attorneys' fees, in successful veterans' claims brought before a court, as provided for under this Act. States that such fees shall be determined by such court, and in contingent-fee agreements such fees shall not exceed 25 percent of the total of any past-due benefits awarded on the basis of such claim. Authorizes attorneys' fees of up to $750 in certain unsuccessful veterans' claims. Prohibits the VA from authorizing payment to a claimant's attorney based on past-due benefits unless such benefits are owed as of the date of the VA's or a court's award. States that such provisions regarding attorneys' fees shall only apply to claims for benefits under the laws administered by the VA and shall not apply in cases in which the VA is the plaintiff or in which other attorneys' fees statutes are otherwise controlling. Title V: Effective Dates - Sets forth the effective dates for this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1983
Renewable Energy Employment Act - Title I: Jobs Training in Renewable Energy - Requires the Secretary of Labor to review all Federal job training or placement programs and to implement policies, procedures, and programs to develop a labor force skilled in energy conservation, weatherization of homes, and the use of renewable energy technology. Amends the Job Training Partnership Act to require the Secretary of Labor to administer employment and training programs for Native Americans to meet the specific energy conservation and renewable energy training needs peculiar to their situation. Requires that employment and training programs for veterans under such Act include renewable energy and energy conservation job training for veterans. Title II: Housing and Community Development Programs - Amends the Energy Conservation in Existing Buildings Act of 1976 to require the Secretary of Energy to maintain information on: (1) the areas to be served under the weatherization assistance program; (2) methods for providing priority assistance to elderly and severely handicapped low-income persons; (3) outreach activities with respect to such program; (4) labor plans; (5) policies to ensure that owners and renters are treated equitably; and (6) plans to ensure participation by Native Americans under such program. Requires the Secretary and the Director of the Community Services Administration to include in the annual report to the President and Congress on the weatherization program an evaluation of the effect of such program on energy conservation and employment. Authorizes appropriations for the weatherization program for FY 1984 and succeeding fiscal years. Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to include the potential for local energy development, including energy conservation and renewable energy use, among the factors which must be taken into account by the standards issued by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for determining the eligibility of cities and urban counties for urban development action grants. Includes among the activities of Community Development Programs which are eligible for assistance under such Act those amounts spent for energy needs. Amends the Housing Act of 1949 to authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make loans for energy conservation and renewable energy development or retrofit for housing in rural areas. Requires Federal agencies administering financial assistance programs for economic development or job creation to consider the development of energy conservation and renewable energy as significant criteria for the provision of such assistance. Title III: Promotion of Sustainable Agriculture - Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to include as non-fossil energy systems windmills, anaerobic digesters, alcohol distilleries, microhydroelectric generators, gasifiers, and solar heating systems. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture, in making loans to farmers and ranchers, to promote sustainable agriculture (a set of agricultural production practices which are designed to produce long term, sustainable yields of agricultural products, involve the use of renewable resources, and avoid the use of chemical products). Amends the Rural Development Act of 1972 to require that small farm extension programs assist small farm families in carrying out sustainable agriculture. Provides that sustainable agriculture extension programs shall consist of extension programs to provide farmers with assistance and current information with respect to sustainable agriculture. Permits all other persons in a State, in addition to universities and colleges in such State, to participate in agricultural research and extension programs. (Under current law, only universities and colleges in a State may participate in such programs.) Requires the Secretary of Agriculture, in carrying out the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977, to ensure that adequate national support of extension, teaching, and agricultural research is provided to establish integrated multidisciplinary organic farming research projects. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to report annually to Congress on sustainable agriculture in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1983
Prohibits federally assisted rental housing projects for the elderly and handicapped from forbidding tenants to have pets or discriminating against persons having pets. Permits a project authority to require the removal of a pet that constitutes a threat to the health or safety of project occupants or other persons in the community.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1983
Renewable Energy Consumer Incentives Act of 1983 - Amends the Solar Energy and Energy Conservation Act of 1980 to extend the life of the Solar Energy and Energy Conservation Bank until September 30, 1990. (Under current law, the Bank will not exist after September 30, 1987.) Requires that a portion of the payments by the Bank to financial institutions to provide financial assistance for the installation of solar energy systems in residential, commercial, and agricultural buildings be allocated for active solar energy. Provides that there shall be no Federal preference with respect to financial assistance between single-family and multifamily residences. Permits all financial institutions to apply directly to the Bank for financial assistance. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1985 through 1990 for the financial assistance program under the Solar Energy and Energy Conservation Act of 1980 for the purchase and installation of residential and commercial energy conserving improvements and solar energy systems. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make the residential energy credit applicable to expenditures for items which serve a purpose in addition to increasing energy efficiency in a dwelling (such as thermal draperies). Includes passive solar energy property which uses convective, conductive, or radiant energy transfer and which has significant impact on home energy savings as "renewable energy source property" which is eligible for the residential energy credit. Makes the residential energy credit inapplicable to energy conservation and renewable energy source expenditures made after December 31, 1990. (Under current law, such credit is inapplicable to expenditures made after December 31, 1985.) Amends the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 to permit a State to transfer up to ten percent of its allotment under the low-income home energy assistance program for States to block grants for support of energy related information systems. Requires the Secretary of Energy to develop a formalized information exchange on the Federal, State, and local levels with respect to conservation and renewable energy. Authorizes appropriations to provide financial assistance to States and local governments to coordinate such program. Amends the Solar Energy Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 1974 to require the Secretary of Energy to maintain a renewable energy and energy conservation information program. (This program replaces the solar energy information program required to be established under current law.) Requires the Secretary to establish a National Appropriate Technology Assistance Service to provide individualized technical assistance to anyone interested in renewable energy and energy efficient technologies. Amends the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act to require the Secretary of Transportation to consider the use or integration of renewable fuels and any approaches which maximize conservation and renewable energy applications in determining maximum feasible average fuel economy. Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to require the Federal Trade Commission to prescribe labeling requirements for consumer goods particularly in cases where there is a direct consumer benefit to save energy or utilize renewable energy. Amends the Small Business Act to authorize the Small Business Administration to provide reduced-rate loans to small businesses for acquisition of system performance ratings from testing laboratories for energy conservation and renewable energy systems and technologies. Requires State regulatory authorities to implement standardized contracts for renewable energy systems generating less than 100 kilowatts for: (1) the sale of electric energy from utilities to small power production facilities; and (2) the purchase of electric energy produced by small power production facilities by such utilities. Requires the Secretary of Energy to include renewable energy as a discrete energy sector in all publications of "The Monthly Energy Review". Requires Federal agencies with renewable energy programs to submit annual reports on such programs to Congress. Sets forth reporting requirements which apply to specified Federal agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1983
Renewable Energy Small Business Development Act of 1983 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the investment tax credit for renewable energy property from 1985 to 1990. Increases such credit for solar, wind, and geothermal property. Amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to require that not less than 12 percent of the loan authority of the Export-Import Bank shall be made available only to businesses with $25,000,000 or less in previous-year sales. Requires that a portion of such loan authority be made available for transactions involving renewable energy. Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to specify rules for the rates for purchase by electric utilities of electric energy from any qualifying cogeneration facility or qualifying small power production facility. Amends a specified reorganization plan to require the Department of Commerce to provide export assistance to businesses involving renewable energy. Amends the Small Business Innovation Act of 1982 to require that renewable energy and energy conservation businesses receive a reasonable portion of the Department of Energy's small business research and development funds.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1983
Renewable Energy National Security Act of 1983 - Requires the Secretary of a military department, when procuring energy systems, to procure systems that include energy-conserving equipment. Includes biofuels as a renewable form of energy for purposes of energy systems procurement by a military department. Requires the Secretary of Defense to provide for the use of biofuels in meeting Department of Defense energy needs to the extent feasible and consistent with overall defense needs. Requires the Secretary of Defense to encourage the use of energy-conserving devices and equipment in military construction projects, including family housing projects, where practical and economically feasible. Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to include spoiled and contaminated grains among the accumulated stocks of agricultural commodities which the Commodity Credit Corporation may process into liquid fuels. Authorizes the Corporation to provide for the storage of liquid fuels so processed for use by the agricultural sector during periods of fuel shortages. Requires the Corporation to provide for the processing of spoiled and contaminated commodities into liquid fuels before the processing of stocks of usable feedstock. Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to require the Secretary of Energy to maintain a data base on the location of all stockpiles of renewable energy supplies and biofuels and of all renewable energy production facilities in the United States. Requires that such data be made available to Government departments and agencies upon request. Requires the Secretary of Defense to assess and report to the Armed Services Committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate on the feasibility of using mobile energy systems that use renewable energy as emergency backup energy systems at military installations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1983
Federal Meat and Poultry Products Inspection Act of 1982 - Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products Inspection Act to permit distribution in interstate commerce of certain State-inspected meat and poultry products. Requires States to use official marks on meat and poultry products inspected under State law. Authorizes meat and poultry processing establishments to transfer from State to Federal inspection or vice versa on October 1 of each year upon the approval of the Secretary of Agriculture. Requires State-inspected products which are distributed in interstate commerce to meet Federal marking, labeling, packaging, and ingredient requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1983
United States Olympic Checkoff Act of 1983 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow taxpayers to designate on their income tax returns a contribution of one dollar of their income tax refunds or any cash amount voluntarily forwarded with their returns to support the U.S. Olympic Trust Fund. Establishes in the Treasury a U.S. Olympic Trust Fund (trust fund). Appropriates to such trust fund an amount equal to the amount designated on tax returns. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to pay amounts so transferred to the U.S. Olympic Committee. Allows specified administrative expenses to be paid from such trust fund.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1983
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 · 23 February 1983
United States Academy of Peace Act - Establishes the United States Academy of Peace as an independent nonprofit corporation. Permits the Academy to use "United States" or "U.S." or any other reference to the United States Government or Nation in its title, corporate seal, emblem, or other mark of recognition in any fiscal year only if there is an authorization of appropriations for the Academy for such fiscal year provided by law. Sets forth the powers and the duties of the Academy, including establishment of an Endowment of the United States Academy of Peace. Authorizes the Academy to establish: (1) a Center for International Peace; and (2) a United States Medal of Peace and other medals or honors. Authorizes the Academy to refuse research requests of Federal agencies for reason of cost or of inappropriateness to the Agency's purpose or independence. Prohibits the Academy from undertaking to influence the passage or defeat of any Federal, State, local, or United Nations legislation, but permits Academy personnel to testify or make other appropriate communication when formally requested to do so by a legislative body, committee, or member thereof. Provides for appointment of members of the Academy's Board of Directors. Sets forth grounds for removal of Board members. Permits Board meetings to be closed only in exceptional circumstances. Sets forth provisions for Academy officers, employees, procedures, and records. Provides that, with certain exceptions, the Academy shall not be considered a department, agency, or instrumentality of the Government. Prohibits the use of any political test or political qualification with respect to personnel actions of the Academy or financial assistance by the Academy. Authorizes appropriations in a specified amount for an Academy principal office capitalization fund. Authorizes appropriations in specified amounts for FY 1984 and 1985 for Academy programs and administration. Requires that Academy expenses in connection with the United States Medal of Peace or the accompanying cash award be paid out of the private funds of the Endowment. Restricts contract-making authority under this Act to the extent and amounts provided in appropriation Acts. Directs the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Academy to report to the Congress and the President, beginning two years after the enactment of this Act and at two-year intervals thereafter. Directs the President to transmit to the Congress the recommendations of the appropriate Federal agencies with respect to such report and to any legislation concerning the Academy. Requires the appropriate congressional committees to hold hearings to review such report and recommendations.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1983
Veterans' Health Care and Programs Improvement Amendments of 1983 - Title I: Adult Day Health Care Services Program - Authorizes the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to conduct a pilot program furnishing adult day care health services at Veterans Administration (VA) medical facilities to eligible veterans. Terminates such program after FY 1987. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984-1987. Directs the Administrator to include a comprehensive report on this program in his annual report to Congress. Title II: Community Residential Care - Authorizes the Administrator to refer veterans eligible for hospital, nursing home, domiciliary, and medical care through the Veterans Administration to community residential facilities. Makes each veteran responsible for the cost of care and services provided by such facilities. Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations regarding such facilities to ensure the health and safety of placed veterans. Requires the Administrator's approval of a facility before placement assistance is provided. Title III: Presumption Concerning Dysthymic Disorder - Creates a presumption of service-connection for disability purposes for dysthymic disorder (or depressive neurosis) manifest to a degree of ten percent or more in a veteran who is a former prisoner of war. Title IV: Beneficiary Travel - Permits the Administrator to pay the total travel costs of certain veterans receiving medical care at VA facilities. Title V: Effective Date - Sets forth the effective date for this Act
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 1983
Emergency Services Improvement Act of 1983 - Amends the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 to require the Secretary of Defense to allocate surplus personal property of the Department of Defense, which is usable and necessary for civil defense or educational purposes, to the Administrator of General Services for transfer to appropriate State agencies. Requires the Secretary to confer with the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency when determining which property is usable for civil defense or educational purposes. Requires the Director to review the available property continuously and to notify the Secretary upon identifying property appropriate for civil defense. Directs the Director to notify Congress whenever the Secretary has refused to accept the Director's recommendation concerning the allocation of such property. Amends the Federal Civil Defense Act of 1950 to require the Administrator to: (1) notify the Director whenever an agency other than the Department of Defense informs the Administrator that it has excess property; (2) consult with the Director concerning the suitability of such property for civil defense purposes; and (3) transfer suitable property to the appropriate State agency for distribution to the civil defense organizations identified by the Director. Requires the Director to notify Congress whenever the Administrator has refused to accept the Director's recommendations to transfer any such property.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 1983
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Act of 1983 - Amends title IV (National Research Institutes) of the Public Health Service Act to establish a National Institute (Institute) of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases in the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Redesignates the existing National Institute of Arthritis, Diabetes, and Digestive and Kidney Diseases as the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. States that the Institute shall conduct research and related activities concerning arthritis and musculoskeletal diseases, including sports-related disorders and skin diseases. Requires the Director of the Institute, with the advice of the National Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Advisory Council, to establish within 180 days a national plan to coordinate such activities. Requires an annual evaluation of the skin diseases programs. Establishes within the Institute: (1) the National Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Data System; and (2) the National Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Information Clearinghouse. Authorizes appropriations through FY 1986. Establishes within the Institute: (1) an Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases Interagency Coordinating Committee; and (2) a Skin Diseases Interagency Coordinating Committee. Requires annual reports to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and to the Director of NIH. Establishes within the Institute a National Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Advisory Council. Authorizes appropriations through FY 1986 for arthritis and musculoskeletal demonstration projects and multipurpose disease centers. Requires the Institute to submit a biennial report. Transfers arthritis-related functions (including data system, advisory functions, coordinating functions, demonstration project, and multipurpose center), funds, personnel, and assets to the Institute from the existing National Institute of Arthritis, Diabetes, and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Requires the Secretary to report to the appropriate congressional committees and to the Comptroller General within 60 days regarding such transfers. Requires the Comptroller General to report to the appropriate congressional committees within 80 days regarding such transfers. Terminates the National Arthritis Advisory Board. Makes conforming amendments. Requires the Secretary, through NIH, to conduct a study of the existing combinations of disease research programs within the institutes and of the standards to be followed in establishing new or realigning existing institutes. Requires a report to the appropriate congressional committees within 18 months. Prohibits the establishment of any new institutes within six months of such report's submission. Directs the Secretary to conduct and complete within 60 days a review of the disease research programs of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (as redesignated by this Act) to determine if any of these programs could be more effectively managed by other national research institutions.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 1983
Law Enforcement Officers Protection Act of 1983 - Establishes criminal penalties applicable to licensees under the Gun Control Act of 1968 who import, manufacture, or sell a "restricted handgun bullet," except as authorized by the Secretary of the Treasury. Establishes additional criminal penalties, including a mandatory minimum sentence of one year imprisonment, for: (1) using a restricted handgun bullet to commit a Federal felony; or (2) carrying a restricted handgun bullet unlawfully during commission of a Federal felony.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 1983
American Defense Education Act - Authorizes a national program to provide incentives to local educational agencies to improve: (1) instruction in mathematics, science, and communication skills, foreign languages, and technology; and (2) guidance and counseling. Title I: Elementary and Secondary Education Programs - Requires local education agencies which desire to participate in such national program to develop and carry out a program of improvement of instruction and student achievement. Sets forth requirements for such programs. Entitles participating local educational agencies to receive basic payments for each fiscal year equal to two percent of an established payment rate multiplied by the average daily attendance. Entitles agencies which show substantial evidence of meeting program goals to an incentive payment equal to an additional two percent of the established payment rate multiplied by the average daily attendance. Sets forth formulae for establishing such payment rate. Sets forth requirements for applications for payments. Directs the Secretary of Education ("the Secretary") to approve applications which meet such requirements. Title II: Teacher Training and Postsecondary Programs - Authorizes the Secretary to establish a program of grants to institutions of higher education for coordination between such institutions and local educational agencies in improving science and mathematics education, through precollege teacher training, development, and recruitment programs. Sets forth requirements for grant proposals and priorities in grant selection. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1985 through 1987 for such grants. Title III: Research to Improve Instruction - Directs the Secretary to administer, through the National Institute of Education (NIE) in consultation with appropriate Federal agencies, a program to support research and development into effective education in mathematics, the sciences, foreign languages, and technology. Authorizes appropriations in the Department of Education to be made available to NIE to carry out such educational research program for FY 1985 through 1987. Title IV: General Provisions - Directs the Secretary to administer the program and to pay each local educational agency with an approved application the amount to which it is entitled for each fiscal year under title I provisions. Provides for a joint survey and report to Congress by the Secretaries of Defense and Education, for each year from 1984 through 1987, on the academic achievement levels of U.S. 18-year-olds and the personnel training and educational needs of the armed forces.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 1983
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the President should establish a bipartisan national commission to study and propose solutions to the problem of rising health care costs; (2) such commission should report to the President within six months; and (3) Congress should not make any further Medicare or Medicaid cuts that will increase medical costs for elderly, disabled, or low-income persons.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 1983
Education for Economic Security Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make matching grants to States to pay the Federal share of the costs of strengthening instruction in mathematics, science, computer education, foreign languages, and vocational education. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 through 1986. Directs the Secretary to allot to each State from 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, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands; (2) the Secretary of the Interior for programs in schools operated for Indian children; and (3) the Secretary of Defense for programs in overseas dependent schools. Apportions 65 percent of each State's allotment to elementary, secondary, and vocational education programs and 35 percent to higher education programs. Directs State educational agencies to distribute a specified percentage of the elementary, secondary, and vocational education apportionment to local educational agencies for mathematics and science instruction, foreign language instruction, and computer education programs, together with related instructional materials. Bases such distribution upon the relative numbers of children aged five through 17 in the schools and upon the size of the proposed programs. Bases renewals of such payments upon such criteria and upon a determination that the local program serves substantial numbers of students and involves several grade levels. Requires each State education agency to: (1) distribute a specified percentage of its apportionment for foreign language instruction; and (2) use a specified percentage for exemplary programs instructional materials, technical assistance, and information. Requires the State agency responsible for vocational education to use a specified percentage of the apportionment for vocational education employment-based programs in new and emerging technologies, including computer learning and instruction (with a specified portion to be used for programs in correctional institutions). Requires each local educational agency to to provide for special educational services and arrangements in which children enrolled in private elementary and secondary schools can participate. Requires that expenditures for such services be equal (taking into account the number and needs of children to be served) to expenditures for public school children. Requires that program funds be distributed among vocational education schools and area vocational schools. Directs the State agency for higher education to distribute the higher education programs apportionment among institutions of higher education, with specified percentages to be used for: (1) elementary and secondary school teacher training, retraining, and in service training in mathematics, science, and computer education, as well as cooperative programs with other organizations, such as museums and libraries; (2) employment-based programs equipment in new and emerging technologies, including computer learning and instruction and basic engineering instruction; and (3) foreign language instruction. Sets forth requirements for State applications for grants under this Act. Sets forth provisions for Federal matching payments of 50 percent of the costs of programs under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 1983
Handgun Crime Control Act of 1983 - Title I: Amendments to Chapter 44 of Title 18, United States Code - Amends the Federal criminal code to direct the Attorney General to approve for manufacture, assembly, importation, sale, or transfer any handgun model which is generally recognized as particularly suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes. Makes it unlawful for any licensed manufacturer, importer, dealer, or collector to manufacture, assemble, sell, deliver, or transfer any handgun (other than a curio or relic) which is not an approved model. Makes it unlawful for any non-licensee to sell or transfer any handgun (other than curio or relic) unless such person knows or has reasonable cause to believe such handgun is an approved model. Prohibits a pawnbroker from being licensed as a dealer in handguns or handgun ammunition. Directs the Attorney General to review State laws providing for permits to carry and purchase handguns and certify those meeting specified standards. Allows an individual possessing a permit under a certified State law to purchase a handgun if certain requirements are met. Makes it unlawful for a licensed dealer to transfer a handgun to a person not holding a permit under a certified State law unless certain procedures are followed. Requires in any such case that the transferee appear in person at the dealer's business premises. Requires the dealer, before delivery of the handgun, to forward a copy of a sworn statement by the transferee to the chief local law enforcement officer of the transferee's place of residence and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for an identity and record check. Prohibits delivery until 21 days after submission of the sworn statement. Makes it unlawful for any licensed importer, manufacturer, dealer, or collector to sell to the same person, or for any non-licensee to purchase, three or more handguns during a period of one year without the prior approval of the Attorney General. Makes it unlawful for any person to fail to report the loss, theft, or disappearance of a handgun in his possession to the authorities within 24 hours after discovering such loss. Requires all licensed importers, manufacturers, and dealers to maintain accurate records of all handgun transfers. Makes any person who negligently transfers a handgun in violation of this Act civilly liable for the death or injury of an individual as a result of the use of such handgun by the transferee during commission of an offense. Makes it unlawful for any person to transport any firearm or ammunition in interstate or foreign commerce if such transportation violates a State law in a place through which the firearm is shipped or an ordinance at the place of sale, delivery, or other disposition. Increases the license fee for handgun dealers from $10 to $500 and for manufacturers and importers from $50 to $5,000. Makes it unlawful for any illegal alien, dishonorably discharged member of the armed forces, or U.S. citizen who has renounced such citizenship to possess, transport, or receive any firearm or ammunition. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control Act of 1970 to revise and increase the mandatory penalties for using or carrying a firearm during commission of a Federal felony. Deletes the requirement that the firearm be carried "illegally." Increases the additional penalty imposed for such offense to two to ten years imprisonment for a first offense (currently, one to ten years) and five to 25 years for a second offense (currently, two to 25 years). Extends to first offenders the requirement, currently applicable only to second offenders, that the court not suspend any sentence, grant probation, or impose concurrent sentences, unless the court finds the existence of enumerated mitigating circumstances. Adds a term of parole ineligibility as an additional restriction on first offenders (two years) and subsequent offenders (five years). Title II: Gun Control Functions Transferred to the Attorney General - Transfers to the Attorney General all functions of the Secretary of the Treasury under the Gun Control Act of 1968. Establishes the Firearms Safety and Abuse Control Administration within the Department of Justice. Requires the Attorney General to report annually to Congress on the activities of the Administration. Title III: Miscellaneous Provisions - Directs the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, in consultation with the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National League of Cities, to report on the intergovernmental problems involved in controlling illicit handgun traffic and the effectiveness of the Gun Control Act of 1968.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 1983
Title I: Armed Forces, Soldiers' Home, Coast Guard, Lighthouse Service, and Merchant Marine - Amends Federal laws dealing with the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, and the Coast Guard to eliminate gender-based distinctions. Title II: Elimination of Gender-Based Distinctions Under the Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance Program, Railroad Retirement and the Work Incentive Program - Eliminates gender-based distinctions in the social security and railroad retirement programs. Title III: Amendments to United States Code - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act, the Walsh-Healey Act, the Child Nutrition Act of 1966, the Federal Criminal Code and other Acts dealing with Indian affairs, transportation, public lands and provisions relating to Saint Elizabeth Hospital and contract law to eliminate gender-based distinctions. Title IV: Effective Date - Sets forth the effective date for the provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 1983
Imitation Controlled Substances Act of 1983 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to make it unlawful to manufacture, advertise, distribute, or possess a drug which is an imitation of a controlled substance. Excludes professional or research uses from such prohibition. Establishes criminal penalties for violation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 1983
Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949, as amended by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1982, to repeal the 50-cent milk producer assessment provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 1983
Dairy Price Support Amendments Act of 1983 - Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to reduce the dairy price support level from $13.10 per hundredweight to $12.60 per hundredweight. Repeals the 50-cent milk producer assessment provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 1983
Emergency Jobs, Training and Family Assistance Act of 1983 - Title I: Jobs for the Unemployed - Directs the Secretary of Labor ("the Secretary"), from funds authorized under this title, to transfer funds to or reserve funds for specified employment programs. Authorizes appropriations for the period from the date of enactment of this Act through September 30, 1984. Makes such funds available for obligation and expenditure for one year from the date of appropriation. Requires that such funds be in addition to any amounts authorized for such employment programs prior to the date of enactment of this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to transfer a specified amount of funds under this title to hire long-term unemployed individuals through the Community Development Block Grant program, authorized under the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974. Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), from transfers made by the Secretary, to make grants to States and local governments in accordance with a specified allocation for housing rehabilitation and other activities described under such Act which the Secretary of HUD determines are labor intensive activities. Sets forth formulas for allocation of such funds to States and entitlement areas based on unemployment rates. Sets forth requirements for State and local applications and use of funds within a specified period. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on such program by July 1, 1984. Authorizes the Secretary to reserve a specified amount of funds under this title for youth employment and education programs authorized under part C of title II of the Job Training Partnership Act. Amends such Act to add such provisions for a youth employment and education program. Sets forth program requirements for: (1) reservation of funds; and (2) allotment and allocation to and within States. Limits program eligibility to economically disadvantaged youths between 15 and 20 years old who agree to resume or maintain attendance in a secondary school diploma or high school equivalency certificate program or participation in other educational activities to improve their employability. Permits program funds to be used for part-time employment or training operated by specified types of governmental or private nonprofit organizations or for full-time summer employment. Sets forth requirements for private industrial council (PIC) applications for such program. Sets forth program responsibilities of State and local governments, State job training coordinating councils, and PICs. Authorizes the Secretary to reserve a specified amount of funds under this title for community service employment for older Americans under the Older Americans Act of 1965. Authorizes the Secretary to transfer a specified amount of funds under this title to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) for weatherization projects under the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981. Amends such Act to add provisions for an emergency low income weatherization employment program. Provides for allotments to States from funds transferred under this title to be used for low-cost residential weatherization or other energy-related home repair for low-income households designed to provide employment to the unemployed in areas where such weatherization and home repair are carried out. Authorizes the Secretary to transfer a specified amount of funds under this title to the Secretary of HHS for additional amounts for social services block grants for increased provision of child day care services under the Social Security Act. Authorizes the Secretary to transfer a specified amount of funds under this title to the President of the Solar Energy and Energy Conservation Bank for activities designed to increase employment opportunities under the Solar Energy and Energy Conservation Act of 1980. Authorizes the Secretary to transfer a specified amount of funds under this title to the Secretary of HHS for development loans to rural community economic development programs to increase employment under the Community Economic Development Act of 1981. Authorizes the Secretary to make such transfers of funds authorized under this title for the above mentioned programs to the head of each Federal agency within 60 days after enactment of the appropriation Act providing such funds. Prohibits such transfers until the Secretary and the appropriate Federal agency heads have entered into cooperative agreements. Sets forth required provisions for such cooperative agreements. Requires that at least 80 percent of funds provided under this title which are expended for wage and benefits will be used for wages and benefits for workers who were unemployed: (1) at least 15 of the 26 weeks immediately preceding the date of enactment of this Act; and (2) immediately prior to program participation. Requires that all workers employed under the program assisted by this title have been referred by a U.S. Employment Service office as being currently unemployed. Makes ineligible for program employment workers who have, within six months prior to the determination, voluntarily terminated, without good cause, their last previous employment at or exceeding the Federal minimum wage. Requires that program wages be not less than the highest of the applicable minimum wage or the prevailing wage for workers in similar positions with the same employer. Limits the share of wages and benefits paid to any program participant out of funds under this title to the hourly equivalent of $10,000 per year. Requires that at least 75 percent of the program funds under this title to be used for employee wages and benefits. Prohibits displacement of current workers by program employees funded under this title. Sets forth other prohibitions for programs funded under this title. Sets forth administrative provisions. Title II: Training for New Industries - Authorizes additional appropriations for FY 1983 and 1984 for employment and training assistance for dislocated workers under the Job Training Partnership Act. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to disregard, in any case in which a student is determined to be a dislocated worker (in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Labor), all equity in a single place of residence and the amount of unemployment benefits of such a student for purposes of computation of assets and income for the proposed family contribution schedule for determination of Pell Grants. Increases the total amount of appropriations authorized under Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1981 for Pell Grants for the period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act through September 30, 1984. Makes such additional sums available for entitlements only to dislocated workers who are otherwise eligible for Pell Grant payments. Authorizes additional appropriations for the Job Corps under the Job Training Partnership Act, for the period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act through September 30, 1984. Title III: Emergency Services Assistance - Emergency Food and Shelter Act of 1983 - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services ("the Secretary") to make grants to States for emergency food, shelter, and health care assistance. Authorizes appropriations for the period from the date of enactment of this Act through September 30, 1984, to carry out the provisions of this title. Provides that such funds shall remain available for the succeeding fiscal year. Directs the Secretary to make allotments to States as follows: (1) 25 percent of grant funds on the basis of relative numbers of unemployed; and (2) 75 percent on the basis of "excess numbers" of unemployed (those in excess of 4.5 percent of the civilian labor force). Directs State Governors to allocate the State allotment among local governments on the basis of relative numbers of excess numbers of unemployed and of long-term unemployed within service delivery areas. Permits such grants to be used for emergency shelter (including emergency payments for rent and utilities), food, and health care services for long-term unemployed and other needy individuals, together with crisis counseling for alcoholism, drug abuse, suicide, child abuse, and domestic violence. Sets forth requirements for State applications. Requires that: (1) between 15 to 20 percent of each local government allocation be used for health care services for long-term unemployed individuals; and (2) of such amount for health care services, two-thirds will be used for hospital care and one-third for community health center care. Limits administrative expenses to ten percent of the State allotment. Sets forth requirements for program payments, administration, withholding, and audit. Directs the Secretary to report annually to the President and the Congress on the program authorized by this title.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 1983
Prohibits the delivery by mail of: (1) drug abuse oriented advertisements; or (2) imitation controlled substances shipped in response to such advertisements. Provides an exemption from such prohibition with respect to such a substance: (1) used under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act for research or as a placebo in the professional practice of a registered practitioner; or (2) mailed in connection with an application for approval under such Act.