United States · United States Congress · 25 October 1983
Commission on Civil Rights Resolution - Establishes within the legislative branch an eight member Commission on Civil Rights (Commission). Provides rules of procedure for Commission hearings. Requires the Commission to: (1) investigate allegations of citizens' being denied their right to vote by reason of their color, religion, sex, age, handicap or national origin; (2) study and collect information concerning discrimination or a denial of equal protection; (3) appraise Federal laws and policy with respect to discrimination and the denial of equal protection; and (4) serve as a national clearinghouse for such information. Prohibits the Commission from investigating any membership practice or internal operation of any fraternal organization, college or university fraternity or sorority, private club or religious organization. Prohibits the Commission from collecting or studying information with respect to abortion. Directs the Commission to appraise the laws and policies of the Federal Government with respect to denials of equal protection involving Americans who are members of eastern - and southern - European ethic groups.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 1983
Designates the week beginning February 12, 1984, as a time to recognize the contributions of volunteers who become Big Brothers and Big Sisters to single-parent youth.
United States · United States Congress · 18 October 1983
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to reimburse the Gros Ventre and Assiniboine Tribes of the Fort Belknap Indian Community for funds expended for the construction of the irrigation system on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation from 1895 to 1913. Provides a guideline for the caluculation of interest on such funds.
United States · United States Congress · 18 October 1983
National Institute for the Biological Assessment of Nuclear Explosions - Establishes the National Institute for the Biological Assessment of Nuclear Explosions as an independent Government agency. Authorizes the Institute to: (1) conduct research on the worldwide biological and environmental effects of simulated nuclear war or explosions; (2) provide grants and other support for similar research by scholars and scientists; (3) make the results of such research available to the public and establish means for disseminating related information; (4) secure information from other Federal agencies if the release of such information would not jeopardize national security or interfere with agency functions; and (5) conduct studies for other agencies. Prohibits the agency from attempting to influence the passage or defeat of any legislation by the Congress, the United Nations, or any State or local legislative body. Allows Institute personnel to testify before such bodies upon request. Requires the Director of the Institute to submit annual reports of the Institute's findings to the President and Congress. Authorizes appropriations for the Institute in specified amounts for FY 1984 and 1985, and for subsequent fiscal years in such amounts as are authorized by Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 1983
Drought Relief Act of 1983 - Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to permit farmers and ranchers to qualify for disaster assistance whether or not their counties have been designated as disaster areas. Permits family farmers to request economic hardship loan repayment and foreclosure deferrals through FY 1984. Requires a showing of: (1) good management; (2) temporary inability to repay because of circumstances beyond one's control; (3) reasonable chance of repayment; and (4) no available loan-servicing alternatives. Provides for loan consolidation and rescheduling at the end of such deferral period. Requires the Secretary to notify borrowers regarding such deferral and rescheduling programs. Requires deferred or rescheduled loan interest rates to be at the lower of either original or current rates. Amends the Emergency Agricultural Credit Adjustment Act of 1978 to extend the economic emergency loan program through FY 1984. Gives preference to farmers affected by the 1983 drought. Limits interest rates to eight percent. Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to increase insured and guaranteed operating loan limits. Extends the maximum payment period from seven to 15 years. Requires that at least 20 percent of FY 1984 farm ownership and operating loans be for limited-resource farmers. Requires the Secretary to notify all farmers about such program. Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to require the Secretary to make advance deficiency payments to 1984 wheat, feed grain, upland cotton, and rice producers. Requires the Secretary to make low-grade Commodity Credit Corporation corn available (at 75 percent of the local loan rate) to poultry and livestock producers in areas affected by the 1983 drought. Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to make emergency business loans available to small rural businesses in areas adversely affected by the drought or payment-in-kind program. Requires the Secretary to provide for a graduated scale of rural water and waste disposal grants based on income and population levels. Restricts the maximum rate to projects in communities with populations of 1500 or less and a median income level below 80 percent of the statewide nonmetropolitan median income level. Directs the Secretary to establish a project selection system based on income, population, and health hazards due to lack of potable water or inadequate waste disposal. Authorizes predevelopment grants and technical assistance. Revises the standard for five percent loans from one based on the Federal poverty line to one based on the statewide nonmetropolitan median income level. Establishes a seven-percent loan for communities with median incomes of between 80 and 100 percent of such statewide income level.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 1983
Authorizes the President to present, on behalf of Congress, a gold medal to Lady Bird Johnson in recognition of her humanitarian efforts and contributions to the beautification of America. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to provide for the striking of such medal and bronze duplication for sale to the public. Declares such medals to be national medals. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 1983
Alternative Energy Tax Incentives 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. Reduces the qualifying percentage for energy source expenditures by specified increments between 1985 and 1990. Increases from 15 percent to 20 percent the investment tax credit for solar, wind, geothermal, and ocean thermal property. Extends such tax credit for five years from 1985 to 1990. Extends the investment tax credit for hydroelectric generating property and biomass property for five years from 1985 to 1990. Reestablishes the credit for cogeneration 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. 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.) Includes shale oil property and tar sands equipment as energy property for purposes of the investment tax credit. Grants a 15 percent depletion allowance for tar sands. Allows an investment tax credit for photovoltaic energy property. Defines photovoltaic property.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 1983
Declares that it should be U.S. policy to: (1) support the people of Afghanistan in their struggle to be free from foreign domination; (2) provide the Afghans, upon request, with material assistance; and (3) pursue a negotiated settlement of the war in Afghanistan based on the total withdrawal of Soviet troops and the recognition of the right of the Afghans to choose their own destiny.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 1983
Amends the National School Lunch Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to increase Federal school meal (lunch and breakfast) reimbursement. Amends the National School Lunch Act to provide funds to the States for donated commodity storage and transportation. Eliminates the tie between eligibility for such program and for the food stamp program. Delays the requirement that local school authorities verify application information until the completion of an Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 pilot study. Excludes certain medical expenses from household income for program eligibility purposes. Lowers the student cost of reduced-price lunches. Increases the number of reimbursable meals and snacks under the child care food program. Amends such Acts to eliminate private school tuition eligibility limits. Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to permit all kindergarten children in nonprofit schools to participate in the special milk program. Increases reimbursement amounts for breakfast nutrition improvement. Lowers the student cost of reduced-price breakfasts. Makes the existing nutrition education authorization permanent.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 1983
Condemns the Soviet Union's systematic disregard for human life and liberties and urges the President to: (1) proclaim May 28, 1984, as a day to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the introduction of the original resolution on the Ukrainian famine in the House of Representatives; (2) call the attention of the world to the Soviet policies which caused Ukrainian deaths by famine during 1932 through 1933; and (3) urge the Soviet Union to remove restrictions on the shipment of food and other necessities to Soviet citizens by private individuals and charitable organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1983
Authorizes the Secretary of Education to provide financial assistance to the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation to assist in the development of the Mansfield Center for Pacific Affairs and the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center at the University of Montana. Authorizes appropriations for such purpose.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1983
Department of Defense Procurement Procedures Act of 1983 - Sets forth a formula for determining the applicable percentage of Department of Defense procurement of property and services which must be made through formal advertising for fiscal years after FY 1983. Prohibits the Department of Defense from expending funds for negotiated contracts in any fiscal year following a fiscal year where the purchases and contracts made through formal advertising fell below the applicable percentage. Removes such prohibition if the Department meets or exceeds the applicable percentage during or after that fiscal year. Requires that specified information concerning a negotiated contract be part of the records of the contracting agency, including all cost and pricing data submitted by a contractor and the name of each Government official who participated in the negotiating or awarding of such contract. Requires that agency records on negotiated contracts containing classified information be maintained for at least ten years and be made available to Congress and the Comptroller General upon request. Directs the Secretary of Defense to establish procedures which are similar to formal advertising procedures for the purchase of or contracting for personal or professional services. Sets forth investigatory procedures to determine the need for and price of services by a university or other educational institution.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 1983
Pay Equity Act of 1983 - Requires the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, after consultation with the Secretary of Labor, to publish in the Federal Register guidelines for identifying and eliminating discriminatory wage-setting practices and wage differentials. Requires the guidelines to include recommendations for utilization of job-evaluation techniques to establish rates of compensation for employees. Requires the Commission to submit annually to the President and the Congress a detailed report of the activities of the Commission in carrying out the purposes of this Act. Authorizes the Commission to conduct a study of the system used by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to establish pay grades for Federal employees. Directs the Commission to submit such study to the President, Congress, and the Director of OPM. Requires the Secretary of Labor to publish guidelines and submit an annual report to the President and the Congress for the purpose of requiring all contractors of the United States to identify and eliminate discriminatory wage-setting practices and wage differentials. Requires each Federal agency responsible for submitting an equal employment opportunity plan under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include a review and identification of any discriminatory wage-setting practices and wage differentials with respect to its labor force and a plan to eliminate such practices. Requires the Commission to submit to the President and the Congress a detailed report of its enforcement activities relating to the Equal Pay Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 1983
Amends the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services to include chiropractic care among the services offered members, former members, and dependents of the uniformed services. Authorizes the appointment of chiropractors as commissioned officers in the Medical Services Corps of the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force. Entitles such officers to the same pay as dental officers.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 1983
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) U.S. negotiators, in negotiations with Japan, should insist that Japan dismantle all nontariff barriers to imports of beef; and (2) if progress is not made toward the dismantling of such nontariff barriers by a specified time, the U.S. Trade Representative should seek appropriate relief under U.S. and international trade law.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 1983
Amends the Act of August 9, 1955, to permit the leasing of restricted Indian lands for a maximum term of ninety-nine years, subject to the approval of the Secretary of the Interior upon a determination that such leasing is in the best interests of the Indian owner.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 1983
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President should use his authority to designate farming communities especially hard-hit by the current drought as eligible for Federal disaster assistance. Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Administrator of the Small Business Administration should use their existing authorities to assist farmers in drought areas and to strengthen U.S. agriculture.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 1983
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to extend by three months the cutoff date for disability determinations which will be subject to provisions allowing the continued payment of disability benefits during an administrative appeal.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1983
Immediate Child-Support Enforcement Act - Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of title IV of the Social Security Act to require that in order for any State to be eligible for payments pursuant to title IV or title XIX (Medicaid) of the Act, to have enacted and implemented a State law providing for the collection of child support through a system of mandatory deductions from wages satisfying the requirements of this Act. Requires such State system to: (1) apply in every case where child support has been ordered by a court or administrative process of the State; (2) provide for withholding from wages per pay period of child support payments due, plus any past-due support (to a maximum of 25 percent of gross pay); (3) require that any charges or fees imposed covering the costs of collection be paid by the individual from whom the amounts were collected; (4) utilize the services and facilities available under part D to locate individuals owing support, administer the withholding process, and distribute amounts withheld; (5) provide advance notice to those from whom wage deduction are to be made; (6) provide advance notice to an employer of the amounts to be deducted; (7) provide for as simple a deduction and payment as possible; (8) notify employers of the termination of a child support obligation; (9) provide for the protection of the employee's privacy against disclosure of the deduction; (10) make the employer liable to the State for failure to make deductions; (11) provide for giving notice to, and for requesting the enforcement of a State support order entered against an individual by, the child support enforcement agency of any other State in which the individual is employed; (12) provide that support collection has priority over any other legal process against the same wages; (13) provide for a minimum subsistence amount to be established by the State, which shall be the minimum amount ordered as support; and (14) provide for specified administrative procedures. Requires, in addition, each State to: (1) take actions necessary to extend its wage deduction system so that it will include deductions of child support from forms of income other than wages; and (2) make arrangements with other States to provide for the collection of support in any case where a State has ordered support.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1983
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to provide that disability insurance benefits for an individual having a terminal illness shall begin with the first month during which such individual has such illness.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1983
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to authorize a State to provide home care services to all individuals who are disabled as defined in title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) of the Act and with respect to whom it has been determined that: (1) they can receive appropriate care outside an institution; and (2) they would have to be institutionalized (but for such home care) at a cost that is equal to or greater than home care. (Under current law, such services are limited to individuals 18 years of age or younger.)
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1983
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide Medicare coverage for anesthesia services and related care provided by a registered nurse anesthetist.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1983
Declares that the Commissioner of Social Security and the Secretary of Health and Human Services should develop and present to Congress a plan to correct the benefit disparity caused by the 1977 changes in the social security retirement benefit formula.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 1983
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the existing agricultural marketing order system contributes substantially to the well-being of the American people and should be preserved; and (2) decisions regarding the timing or implementing of such marketing orders should be the responsibility of the Secretary of Agriculture in conjunction with the affected producers.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 1983
Coin-Operated Phonorecord Player Copyright Act of 1983 - Revises the scope of the limitations on the performance of a nondramatic musical work on a coin-operated phonorecord player (jukebox) to require: (1) the manufacturer or importer of the player, rather than the operator, to register and pay a one-time only compulsory licensing fee of $50, rather than an adjusted annual fee, to the Copyright Royalty Tribunal for distribution to the copyright holders; and (2) the operator of a currently-owned player to pay a compulsory licensing fee of up to $25 based upon the number of years of useful life remaining in the player. Directs the Register of Copyright to keep a list of all registered players. Restates the royalty distribution procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 1983
Authorizes veterans' hospital and medical care for certain World War II Members of the Canadian Armed Forces who: (1) have been United States citizens for ten years or longer; and (2) are not receiving or are not eligible for equivalent Canadian veterans' benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 1983
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit a domestic trade or business whose equity capital does not exceed $25,000,000 to reduce the value of a portion of excess inventory items held for more than 12 months. Permits a taxpayer who is required to change his method of accounting pursuant to Revenue Ruling 80-60 (inventory valuation) and Revenue Procedure 80-5 to effect such a change only for taxable years beginning after December 31, 1982.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 1983
Pilot Project In Educational Excellence Act - Directs the Secretary of Education, within 30 days of enactment of this Act, to notify each State education agency (SEA) of a pilot program to test the theory of the National Commission on Educational Excellence ("the Commission") concerning extending the school year and the length of each schoolday. Sets deadlines for notifications by SEAs and local education agencies (LEAs) to schools and for pilot program applications by schools. Directs the SEA, by a specified deadline and in consultation with the State educational excellence advisory committee, to identify appropriate schools of the types described under this Act and submit a list of such schools to the Secretary. Sets forth requirements for the composition of the State educational excellence advisory committee which is to be appointed by the chief State school officer. Directs the Secretary, from among applications submitted and in consultation with the members of the Commission (or a Commission of persons of equal competence and experience which the Secretary may appoint), to select specified types and minimum numbers of schools for the pilot program. Directs the Commission to evaluate the results of the pilot project and disseminate its findings to Congress and to the public. Guarantees each school selected, for each school year beginning in the Fall of 1984 and for each of the succeeding two years, funds in an amount equal to 35 percent of the school's operating costs during the 1983-84 term, if specified conditions are met. Directs the Secretary to transmit such payments to pilot schools by specified deadlines, with increases for each year of participation by a school. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 through 1986 to carry out such Act, with specified amounts reserved to the Secretary for notification and selection. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1987 for evaluation, including appropriate testing, and for wide dissemination of the Commission's findings with respect to such pilot project. Prohibits a Federal officer or employee from: (1) having any control over any school selected for such pilot project; or (2) when acting in official capacity, requiring, recommending, suggesting, or otherwise indicating any policy, or practice as appropriate for any such pilot school.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 1983
Prohibits the Secretary of Agriculture from implementing before November 1, 1983, the second scheduled 50-cent milk producer assessment (otherwise effective September 1, 1983, under the Agricultural Act of 1949, as amended by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1982).
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 1983
Urges the Secretary of Education to postpone further action on the reorganization of certain programs in the Department of Education until a study by the General Accounting Office determines that such reorganization would not reduce the ability of the Department to achieve the goals intended by Congress when it authorized the affected programs.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 1983
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the United States shall call upon El Salvador to: (1) appoint a special prosecuting attorney to investigate those responsbile for the murders of four American churchwomen; and (2) bring the accused to trial by December 2, 1983.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 1983
Child Support Enforcement Act of 1983 - Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of title IV of the Social Security Act to state that the purpose of part D is to assure that all children in the United States who are in need of assistance in securing financial support from their parents will receive such assistance regardless of the economic status of their parents and that parents will prevent their children from becoming a burden on taxpayers by fulfilling to the best of their ability their financial obligations on behalf of their children. Revises provisions relating to incentive payments under part D. Provides that incentives will be computed and paid quarterly beginning in FY 1986. Provides generally that as the amount of support collected increases, the incentive payment will increase. Repeals the present incentive system as of October 1, 1985, but assures a State of receiving at least 80 percent in FY 1986, 60 percent in FY 1987, and 40 in FY 1988, of what the State would have received under the repealed incentive system. Provides for the collection of past-due support from Federal tax refunds in non-Aid to Families With Dependent Children (part A of title IV) cases, (currently, this is done for AFDC cases). Requires a State under part D to implement procedures providing for: (1) the withholding of child support from wages if a support order has been entered by a State; (2) quasi-judicial or administrative procedures for entering child support orders which have the same force and effect as orders entered by a court; (3) the collection of past-due support from State tax refunds; (4) placing liens on real property for amounts of past- due support; (5) the sharing of information regarding amounts of past-due support owed by absent parents with consumer credit bureau organizations; and (6) seeking employment-related health care or health insurance from the absent parent for children for whom the State is seeking financial support when such care or insurance would be available at a reasonable cost and such care or insurance could not be provided by the custodial parent. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to States to assist in the development or improvement of clearinghouses and other information management systems to aid in the enforcement of support by facilitating the collection and exchange, both within a State or locality and among States and localities, of child support information. Authorizes appropriations for such purpose for FY 1984 through FY 1989. Requires that there be filed annually with the Secretary, or the designee of the Secretary, data showing the number of cases by State filed on behalf of children seeking support in which all support owed was fully paid in each of the proceding 12 months, the number of such cases in which at least 80 percent of the support owed was paid in each of the preceding 12 months, the number of such cases in which less than half the support owed was paid, and the number of such cases in which no support was paid. Amends title III (Grants to States for Unemployment Compensation Administration) of the Act to require the reporting (at least quarterly), of the name, address, and wages paid to each individual with respect to whom an unemployment contribution has been made. Requires a State unemployment compensation agency to disclose to any State or local child support enforcement agency and to any State agency administering a State AFDC plan any information it has regarding an individual's: (1) wages; (2) unemployment compensation; (3) address; and (4) employment opportunities. Makes conforming amendments to sections of the Internal Revenue Code, Wagner-Peyser Act, and Unemployment Compensation Amendments of 1976.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 1983
Child Support Enforcement Amendments of 1983 - Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make payments, in addition to those already provided under part D, to any State whose part D program is found to be exemplary in the amount of collections made, the cost efficiency with which the program is operated, or the magnitude of the costs to other assistance programs that could reasonably have been expected to occur but for the operation and the effective performance of the State's program. Repeals the present provisions for incentive payments to States and localities. Reduces Federal funding to States under part D. Eliminates funding for the planning, design, development, installation, or enhancement of an automatic data processing and information retrieval system under part D. Revises provisions of part D relating to the distribution of the amounts collected as child support by a State. Provides: (1) that amounts collected by a State under part D as support for families receiving Aid to Families With Dependent Children (part A of title IV of the Act) shall be paid to the family to the extent that such amounts exceed the amount of AFDC paid to the family but do not exceed the amount of required court ordered support; (2) that amounts in excess of those required to be paid to the family shall be retained by the State to the extent they do not exceed the total amount of AFDC previously paid to the family; and (3) that any balance shall be paid to the family. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States to assist in the development or improvement of clearinghouses and other information management systems to aid in the enforcement of support by facilitating the collection and exchange, both within a State and among States, of child support information. Authorizes appropriations for such purposes. Requires charging an application fee of at least $25 for child support or paternity determination services furnished under part D to individual's not otherwise eligible. Provides that the costs of providing collection services may range from three to ten percent of the amount collected. Requires a State under part D to implement procedures providing for: (1) the withholding of child support from wages if a support order has been entered by a State; (2) quasi-judicial or administrative procedures for entering child support orders which have the same force and effect as orders entered by a court; (3) the collection of past-due support from State tax refunds; (4) placing liens on real property for amounts of past-due support. Requires a designee of the Secretary to conduct a review of each State's part D program at least once every three years in order to determine the program's effectiveness and compliance with part D requirement. Requires a State under part A of title IV to have in effect a plan under part D and operate a child support program in substantial compliance (currently, in conformity) with the part D plan. Provides for reduced Federal funding under part A for any State whose part D program is not in compliance. Eliminates the requirement that before a State agency can request information from the Secretary the agency must have determined that the absent parent cannot be located through procedures under the control of the agency. Makes provisions of part A (General Provisions) of title XI of the Act relating to demonstration project authority applicable to part D. Makes modifications in the timing and content of the Secretary's annual part I report to Congress. Requires child support collected by a State on behalf of a child for whom a public agency is making foster care payments under part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of the Act to be paid to the public agency responsible for supervising placement of the child, to the extent that the amounts collected exceed the monthly foster care maintenance payments but not the monthly amount required by a court of administrative order to be paid on behalf of the child or agreed to by both parents of such child. Requires a State plan under part E to provide that all steps will be taken to secure an assignment to the State of any rights to support on behalf of each child receiving part E foster care maintenance payments.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 1983
Malt Beverage Interbrand Competition Act - Declares that no antitrust law shall prohibit the importer, brewer, or trademark licensee of a trademarked malt beverage, when such beverage has substantial competition from other malt beverages in an area, from: (1) entering into an agreement granting a wholesale distributor the exclusive right to sell such beverage within any defined geographic area within a State; or (2) limiting such distributor to the sale of such beverage for ultimate resale to consumers in such area. Declares that this Act shall not affect any provision of State law.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 1983
Expresses the sense of the Senate that it should not be U.S. foreign policy to overthrow governments with which the United States disagrees politically. Urges the President to indicate U.S. support for the Contadora Group initiative by endorsing specified proposals of the Group. States that the United States should: (1) announce its willingness to pursue negotiations with all Central American nations and to stop U.S. arms shipments; (2) offer technical assistance to the Group to assist in the verification of such a freeze on arms traffic in the region; (3) stop funding guerrilla forces seeking to overthrow Nicaragua; and (4) exert diplomatic efforts to persuade other involved governments to cease activities aimed at destabilizing the existing Central American governments.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 1983
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Congress should enact legislation to control the rising cost of health care, without burdening the elderly and the poor, which: (1) uses the prospective payment method; (2) avoids additional cost sharing by Medicare and Medicaid (titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act) recipients; (3) does not increase out-of-pocket costs or reduce benefits for older Americans; (4) provides incentives for States to have their own health care cost containment programs; and (5) provides better coverage for preventive and chronic care, and provides alternatives to institutionalization under Medicare and Medicaid.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 1983
Veterans' Dioxin and Radiation Exposure Compensation Standards Act - Creates, upon the appropriate findings by the Administrator of Veterans Affairs, a presumption of service-connected disability for compensation purposes for any veteran who was exposed to radiation or toxic chemicals while actively serving in the armed forces under specified conditions and who is now suffering from a disability or disorder symptomatic of such exposure. Maintains such presumption even in the absence of records. Directs the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to establish guidelines and criteria for resolving claims for benefits resulting from a service-connected death or disability based on a veteran's exposure during service on active duty to: (1) herbicides containing dioxin in Vietnam during the Vietnam era; or (2) ionizing radiation from the detonation of a nuclear device, either in connection with testing or the American occupation of Hiroshima or Nagasaki, Japan, prior to July 1, 1946. Sets forth procedures for the development of such regulations, including: (1) opportunities for public hearings and comment; and (2) amendment of such regulations upon the annual reporting of the results of the epidemiological study on the effects of exposure to agent orange required by the Veterans' Health Programs Extension and Improvement Act of 1979.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 1983
Elderly and Handicapped Housing Act of 1983 - Amends the Housing Act of 1959 to revise the authority of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make loans for the provision of housing and related facilities for elderly or handicapped families. Authorizes the Secretary to provide assistance in the form of a deferred payment advance in lieu of such a loan to any corporation, consumer cooperative, or public agency or body for the provision of such housing. Conditions such assistance only on the Secretary's finding that: (1) the construction will be undertaken in an economical manner with no extravagant design or materials; and (2) the housing will be affordable for elderly or handicapped families who have no affordable housing alternatives. Limits the amount of such assistance to the total development cost of a project. Authorizes the Secretary to provide additional assistance to such an entity in an amount not exceeding 75 percent of the total development cost of a project if part of the financing is to be provided by a public housing agency. Requires repayment of such assistance, with deferred interest, after 20 years. Permits the Secretary to forgive a portion of an advance for each year after 20 years that a project continues to serve elderly and handicapped families, and the entire advance and interest thereon after 40 years of continued service. Directs the Secretary to require that at least 75 percent of the units of a project receiving an advance be made available to lower income families during the initial 20-year period of such advance. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the rents for lower income families occupying such projects to be determined in accordance with provisions governing the determination of rents for lower income occupants of units assisted under the United States Housing Act of 1937, with certain exceptions. Directs the Secretary to enter into contracts with owners of assisted projects to make payments to cover the costs of units occupied by lower income families that are not met from project income. Limits: (1) the annual contract amount per project; (2) the aggregate contracting authority of the Secretary per year; and (3) the aggregate amount that may be obligated over the duration of the contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 1983
Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) invest collections from specified Indian irrigation and power projects in certain Federal obligations; and (2) use the earnings from such investments to reduce the maintenance charges on the projects from which the funds were originally collected.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 1983
Commercial Aircraft Fire Safety Act of 1984 - Amends the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 to require fire equipment on certain passenger-carrying aircraft in the lavatory and galley areas.
![Official portrait of Sen. Melcher, John [D-MT]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m000635_200.jpg)