United States · United States Congress · 2 March 1983
Improved Standards for Laboratory Animals Act - Amends the Animal Welfare Act to revise the humane standards for animals transported in commerce. Requires each research facility to establish an institutional animal studies committee with sufficient expertise to assess the appropriateness of animal care and treatment in experimental research. Requires the committee at each facility to: (1) meet regularly, with a quorum needed for all formal actions; (2) make inspections at least semiannually of animal study areas and facilities; (3) review and evaluate the research methods involving direct use of conscious animals and the condition of research animals in order to ensure compliance with humane standards and to minimize pain and distress; and (4) file with the Secretary of Agriculture and the appropriate Federal agency a certification that such inspections have occurred (includes in such certification a report of any violations of standards). Requires the committee to notify, in writing, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the Department of Agriculture and any appropriate Federal agency of unacceptable conditions of animal care, treatment, or methodology not included in the certification. Directs the committee to provide for annual sessions for scientists, animal technicians, and other qualified personnel to provide instruction or training in humane standards for laboratory animals. Prohibits discrimination against research facility employees for reporting violations of this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to waive certain standards under exceptional circumstances. Directs the Secretary to establish an information service at the National Agricultural Library to provide information on improved methods of animal experimentation, including: (1) reducing or replacing animal use; (2) minimizing pain and distress; and (3) preventing unnecessary duplication of animal experimentation. Requires a research facility to provide a statement of assurance of compliance with humane standards to the Secretary and the appropriate Federal agency before requesting a Federal award for animal research, experimentation, or testing. Sets forth terms and conditions under which the agency may approve or suspend such award.
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
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
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to require the Secretary of the Treasury to implement procedures for identifying social security benefit checks issued under title II which have not been negotiated within 12 months and to credit the appropriate social security trust fund, on a monthly basis, for the amount of all unnegotiated benefit checks drawn on such trust fund. Requires the Secretary to pay a benefit check presented for payment after they have been credited to one of the trust funds, and to recharge such trust fund, if such check is otherwise proper. Requires the reimbursement of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund from the Treasury for the total amount of unnegotiated benefit checks.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 1983
Alien Social Security Benefits Equalization and Limitation Act of 1983 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to exclude from the definitions of "wages" and "self-employment income" for purposes of determining OASDI eligibility those wages paid to and the self-employment earnings of an individual who, during the time period in which he or she receives such wages or earnings, is not a U.S. citizen or national or a permanent resident. Limits the amount of benefits to be paid in the case of: (1) individuals who are not U.S. citizens or nationals and who have been outside the United States for more than six consecutive months while entitled to benefits; and (2) their dependents and survivors. Provides that the amount of benefits to be paid to such an individual shall be limited to: (1) the total amount of social security taxes paid on the wages and self-employment income on which such benefits are based if the individual is the only person entitled to such benefits; or (2) a portion of the social security taxes paid on the wages and self- employment income on which such benefits are based if the individual is one of several persons entitled to such benefits. Provides that the limitation on benefits under this Act shall not preclude an individual from receiving benefits on the basis of wages and self-employment income other than the wages and self-employment income on which his or her entitlement was based while he or she was outside the United States for more than six consecutive months. Makes such limitation on benefits inapplicable in any case where its application would contravene a U.S. treaty obligation or an international social security agreement between the United States and another country. Eliminates the cost of living adjustment in OASDI benefits in the case of individuals who are not U.S. citizens or nationals and who have been outside the United States for more than six consecutive months while entitled to such benefits.
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 · 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
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 · 23 February 1983
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the effective date for the implementation of withholding of taxes on interest and dividends should be delayed until October 1, 1983.
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
Older Americans Vocational Education Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make grants to States to pay the costs of training, retraining, and placement programs for older Americans. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984, 1985, and 1986. Sets forth methods for making allotments to the States and for the various programs under this Act. Requires each State desiring to receive assistance under this Act to establish an older Americans job training committee to be composed of a representative from the private sector and officers from specified State agencies. Directs the Secretary to make grants under this Act to each State's committee. Directs a committee to use its allotment for: (1) employment based programs for older Americans in occupations with existing job opportunities; (2) training programs for older Americans; and (3) placement services. Requires a State in order to receive a grant to file an application which shall: (1) designate the older Americans job training committee; (2) describe the programs for which assistance is sought; (3) assure that specified categories of older Americans are given priority under the State's programs; (4) provide procedures under which providers of training and placement services may submit applications to the job training committees for distribution of payments to such providers; and (5) assure that no more than ten percent of a State's allotment will be used for administrative expenses. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants and enter into contracts with qualified national organizations to develop and carry out demonstration projects designed to focus attention on the special vocational education needs of older individuals and to promote employment opportunities for older individuals. Directs the Secretary to establish and operate an information clearinghouse on training and retraining programs for older Americans. Amends the Vocational Education Act of 1963 to extend coverage to individuals of all ages (and specifically those individuals subject to age stereotyping and age discrimination).
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 1983
Amends the Tax Reform Act of 1976 to extend from 1983 to 1987 the exclusion from gross income of income resulting from the cancellation of student loan indebtedness.
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
Amends the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to exempt entities which have received financial assistance under the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 from paying annual fees for rights-of-way with respect to public lands.
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
Amends the Tariff Schedules of the United States to increase the column 1 duty on honey imports to ten cents per pound and the column 2 duty on honey imports to 20 cents perpound.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 1983
Prohibits the Secretary of Commerce from transferring the ownership or management of any civil land remote sensing space satellite system until a comprehensive plan for such a transfer is approved by Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1983
Amends the Federal criminal code to establish penalties for taking or attempting to take property by force, violence, or intimidation from either a pharmacy or a person registered with the Drug Enforcement Administration. Increases the penalties if any person's life is endangered by use of a dangerous weapon or if any person is assaulted or killed during the commission of such offense. Directs the Attorney General to report to Congress on the enforcement of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1983
Mail Order Consumer Protection Amendments of 1983 - Authorizes the United States Postal Service to issue an order requiring any person to cease and desist from conducting a lottery or scheme for obtaining money or property by false representations through the mail. Authorizes the Postmaster General, in conducting an investigation to determine whether a person is engaged in such prohibited activity, to tender the price requested for an article or service offered through the mail. Declares that failure to provide an article or service after the price is tendered by the Postal Service may be considered in a hearing to determine if there is probable cause to believe that a prohibited activity has occurred. Sets forth provisions governing the conduct of a person tendering an offer on behalf of the Postal Service. Declares that mailing an advertisement promoting the sale of a publication or a solicitation to purchase, or a purchase order for, such a publication is not prohibited if: (1) the advertisement is not false or misleading and contains no material misrepresentations of fact; (2) the advertisement discloses the source of any statements derived from or about the publication; and (3) neither the advertisement nor the publication is designed to promote the sale of another product as part of a commercial scheme. Establishes a civil penalty to be assessed against any person who: (1) attempts to evade an order directing a postmaster to return mail addressed to such person or prohibiting a postmaster from paying a money order from, or to, such person; (2) fails to comply with a cease and desist order; or (3) assists any person to evade or not to comply with any such order. Authorizes the Postal Service to commence a civil action in the appropriate U.S. district court to enforce such a penalty. Requires the Postmaster General to submit semiannual reports on the investigative activities of the Postal Service to the Board of Governors of the Postal Service. Directs the Board to transmit such reports, upon approval, to Congress. Directs the Postmaster General to conduct and report to Congress on a program to educate consumers concerning schemes involving false representations through the mail.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1983
Acidic Deposition Mitigation and Research Act of 1983 - Amends the Clean Air Act to provide for a program of acidic deposition analysis and mitigation. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to study and report, within the five-fiscal- year period following the submission of the final comprehensive National Acid Precipitation Assessment plan under the Energy Security Act of 1980, to the Congress and the President on acidic deposition. Sets forth required inclusions and procedures for such report. Authorizes the Administrator to make grants to any State or interstate agency to develop and implement on-site methods of mitigating the harmful effects on ecosystems resulting from high acidity which may be due to acidic deposition. Limits such grants to 75 percent of project costs. Authorizes appropriations to the Administrator for the five fiscal years following the enactment date of this Act for the preparation of such report and the making of such grants.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1983
States that the President should, at the earliest possible date: (1) request Senate consent to ratification of the Threshold Test Ban and Peaceful Nuclear Explosion Treaties; and (2) resume trilateral test ban treaty negotiations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1983
Directs the President to resume negotiations with the Soviet Union on a treaty prohibiting: (1) the testing, deployment, production, or use of any weapons system designed to damage or interfere with a spacecraft; and (2) the stationing in outer space of any weapon designed to inflict injury or damage on the Earth, in the atmosphere, or on objects placed in space. Requires such a treaty to provide for verifying compliance with its terms. Directs the President to request the United Nations to bring about multilateral negotiations banning all weapons based in space.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 1983
Disapproves the proposed deferral of budget authority (D83-43) relating to economic development assistance programs, transmitted by the President to Congress on February 1, 1983.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 1983
National Science and Mathematics Teachers Development Act - Establishes the National Science and Mathematics Teachers Development Board in the Department of Education. Requires that the functions of the Secretary of Education under this Act be carried out through the Board. Directs the Secretary to make grants to institutions of higher education for continuing education programs designed to improve the skills and competence of secondary school teachers of science and mathematics. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1985 to carry out this Act. Authorizes appropriations for related administrative expenses. Sets forth application requirements for program participation by institutions of higher education. Directs the Secretary to establish criteria to achieve equitable distribution of assistance under this Act among the States and areas within each State. Limits the amount of any grant under this Act to a single institution of higher education to $200,000. Authorizes the Secretary to make supplementary matching grants to institutions of higher education under specified conditions. Limits each such grant to $250,000. Sets forth provisions for payments to institutions of higher education under this Act. Directs the Secretary to report to the Congress by December 31, 1985, on expenditures under this Act, Board activities, and types of grants made, with recommendations for further legislation to develop adequate science and mathematics teacher training.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 1983
In-Flight Medical Emergencies Act - Directs the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to issue final rules requiring passenger-carrying aircraft of 30 seats or more to carry medical supplies, drugs, and equipment for the temporary treatment of in-flight emergencies. Provides relief from State or Federal civil liability for any licensed medical personnel or air carrier employee who renders emergency medical aid on an airplane or who continues such aid until arrival at a medical facility. Extends such relief to an airplane's crew and owner or operator for providing on-board emergency medical supplies.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 1983
National Investment Corporation Act - Creates the National Investment Corporation to encourage productivity growth in the United States economy through targeted use of financial resources to: (1) modernize industries; (2) accelerate the growth of high technology and other evolving industries; and (3) insure balanced economic growth across the country. Permits the Corporation to issue and the Secretary of the Treasury to purchase a specified amount of common stock. Authorizes the Corporation to issue its own notes, debentures, bonds, or other such obligations. Requires the Federal Financing Bank to purchase them. Sets forth the powers of the Corporation, including lending, loan purchase or guarantee, and securities acquisition. Sets forth the the criteria for selecting projects for financial assistance under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1983
Health Insurance for Unemployed Workers Act of 1983 - Permits States to establish and regulate reinsurance pools providing three or more qualified pool health options for unemployed individuals. Requires each State reinsurance pool to offer three or more health plan options to any unemployed individual and his family, at a monthly rate which is discounted from the average premium amount. Authorizes the State insurance commissioner or other official having jurisdiction over group health plans to be responsible for establishing and overseeing the operation of the pool. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to certify whether a State reinsurance pool meets all the stipulated requirements. Allows for private reinsurance pools in States which do not establish a State reinsurance pool. Directs the Secretary to carry out the duties of the State insurance commissioner in such instances. Directs the Secretary to establish a Federal pool in States where there is no State or private reinsurance pool. Waives participation in a pool by any group health plan provider which extends coverage under a group plan for covered employees after involuntary termination or layoff, at a level equal to or surpassing the minimum extended coverage required by a qualified pool health plan. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to disqualify for income tax deductions an employer's premium payments to any group health plan that does not provide coverage according to this Act. Requires qualifying group health plans to provide for the continuation of health insurance coverage following an employee's involuntary severance. Makes qualified unemployed individuals in States without pool health plans eligible to enroll in the hospital insurance program and in the supplementary medical insurance program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act. Directs the Secretary to establish expedited enrollment procedures. Provides for conversion from such Social Security coverage to pool health plan coverage. Provides for Federal contributions to reinsurance pools when the national unemployment rate exceeds seven and one-half percent and the individual State's unemployment rate is equal to 110 percent of the national rate for the previous six months.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 1983
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to remove the limitation on the amount of outside income which beneficiaries age 65 and over may earn without incurring a reduction in benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1983
Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to construct, operate, and maintain the following hydroelectric powerplants: (1) the Friant powerplant in California; (2) the Whiskeytown powerplant in California; (3) the Yellowtail Afterbay powerplant in Montana; (4) the Red Bluff powerplant in California; (5) the Stony Gorge powerplant in California; (6) the Monticello powerplant in California; (7) the Palisades powerplant enlargement in Idaho and Wyoming; (8) the Anderson Ranch powerplant enlargement in Idaho; (9) the Minidoka powerplant rehabilitation and enlargement in Idaho and Wyoming; (10) the Boca powerplant in California and Nevada; and (11) the Prosser powerplant in California and Nevada. Authorizes the Secretary of Energy to construct, operate, and maintain transmission facilities for such powerplants and to purchase replacement capacity and energy in order to maintain deliveries to customers during unit outages caused by such powerplant construction. Directs the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Energy to minimize the loss of capacity and energy to power customers due to unit outages resulting from such powerplant construction. Directs the Secretary of Energy to maintain deliveries of capacity and energy at contract prices to customers affected by such unit outages. Requires that the hydroelectric power generated by such facilities be marketed through specified Federal hydroelectric power marketing systems. Authorizes appropriations beginning in FY 1984 to the Secretary of the Interior for construction, operation, and maintenance of the powerplants authorized under this Act and the cost of replacement capacity and energy. Authorizes appropriations beginning in FY 1984 to the Secretary of Energy for transmission facilities and the purchase of replacement capacity and energy.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1983
Federal Anti-Tampering Act - Amends the Federal criminal code to make it a Federal offense to maliciously cause or attempt to cause injury or death to any person, or injury to any business' reputation, by adulterating a food, drug, cosmetic or other product. Provides for a prison term of up to 20 years and a fine of up to $20,000 if personal injury results, or a prison term of up to life if death results. Establishes a separate offense, with similar penalties, for any person who willfully or maliciously conveys false information concerning an attempt at such adulteration, if injury, fear of injury or death results, or if a governmental or commercial recall occurs.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1983
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue coins of the United States in two specified series in quantities necessary to meet public demand. Directs the Secretary to sell such coins directly to the public and to numismatic coin dealers and retailers for resale to the public at not less than the fair market value of their silver content on the day before the sale, plus the costs of minting, distributing, promoting, and marketing the coins. Requires deposit of the net proceeds of such sales in the National Defense Stockpile Transaction Fund after the deduction of costs incurred by the Secretary. Limits the aggregate amount of silver in the National Defense Stockpile which may be used to mint the two specified coin series. Declares that disposals of silver from the National Defense Stockpile shall be conducted during calendar years 1984, 1985 and 1986.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1983
National Mathematics and Science Excellence in Education Act of 1983 - Title I: Science and Mathematics Education Merit Scholarships and Teaching Awards - Congressional Science and Mathematics Education Merit Scholarships and Teaching Awards Act - Authorizes the National Science Foundation to award scholarships to individuals who demonstrate outstanding potential for, and who plan to pursue, careers in teaching mathematics or science in elementary or secondary schools. Limits the period of such a scholarship to two academic years at any institution of higher education offering educational activities designed to prepare individuals for such careers. Authorizes the Foundation, after consultation with the Director of the Office of Science and Technology, to establish criteria for the selection of merit scholars. Limits the number of scholars selected to ten individuals from each State and five individuals from each congressional district in each State (and ten individuals in the case of the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico). Requires each merit scholarship recipient to agree to pursue such a teaching career for at least three years upon completion of the training for which the scholarship was awarded. Requires the Director of the Foundation to submit the names of the individuals selected to the appropriate State Commission on Excellence in Mathematics and Science established under title II of this Act for review and approval. Limits merit scholarship stipends to $2,500 for each academic year of study. Conditions scholarship payment upon the student's maintaining satisfactory proficiency and full-time study. Authorizes the Foundation to require reports on student progress. Authorizes the Foundation to make experienced mathematics and science teacher awards for elementary and secondary school teachers. Sets such awards at $5,000 for those who have taught for at least five years and $10,000 for those who have taught at least ten years. Limits such awards to two $5,000 and two $10,000 awards for each State (and for the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico), and one $5,000 and one $10,000 award for each congressional district in each State. Provides for an awards ceremony for merit scholarships and experienced teacher awards at a place in each State convenient to the individuals selected. Requires, to the extent possible, that the award be made by the appropriate Members of Congress. Sets a yearly deadline for selection and awards. Sets forth administrative provisions. Requires the Foundation to report annually to the President and the Congress on its operations under this title. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 through 1987. Title II: State Commissions on Excellence in Mathematics and Science - Requires any State which desires to receive a block grant for the improvement of education in mathematics and science under the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981 to establish a State Commission on Excellence in Mathematics and Science. Requires that the State Commission be appointed by the State Board of Education (or the Governor, if there is no Board) and approved by the Foundation. Sets forth the composition of the State Commission's membership. Permits the State Board to designate an existing State agency which is in substantial compliance with such membership requirements to be the State Commission for a specified interim period. Sets forth the functions of each State Commission. Directs the Secretary of Education and the Director of the Foundation to: (1) convene an annual conference to coordinate the activities of each State Commission; and (2) report to the Congress on the activities of each National Conference, with appropriate recommendations. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 through 1987. Requires the Director of the Foundation to allot a specified amount of such funds to each State. Title III: Block Grant for the Improvement of Education in Mathematics and Science - Amends the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981 to establish a new block grant program for the improvement of education in mathematics and science. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 through 1987. Sets forth formulas for allotment of such funds to: (1) U.S. territories and possessions; (2) Indian schools; (3) the Secretary's discretionary funds; and (4) States, including the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, based on relative school-age population. Provides for in-State allocations of State allotments, with no more than 25 percent to the State educational agency (SEA) for State level programs and at least 75 percent to local educational agencies (LEAs) according to relative enrollments in public and nonpublic schools within the LEA school districts, adjusted to provide higher per pupil allocations to LEAs with the greatest numbers or percentages of children whose education imposes a higher than average cost per child (such as children from low-income families, in economically depressed areas, and in sparsely populated areas). Directs the Secretary to approve criteria suggested by the SEA for adjusting such allocations if an equitable distribution would be produced. Directs each SEA, to the extent practicable, to use specified criteria. Directs the SEA to distribute such allocations to LEAs which have submitted applications. Sets forth authorized activities, to be consistent with goals and priorities established by State Commissions, for which SEAs and LEAs may use such block grant funds. Sets forth requirements for State and local applications for such funds. Provides for participation of children enrolled in private schools in such block grant program. Sets forth authorized uses of the Secretary's discretionary funds under such block grant program.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1983
Amends the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 to repeal provisions which require the withholding of tax on interest and dividends. Requires taxpayers to file information returns and statements on the interest, dividends, and patronage dividends they receive.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 1983
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) Federal nutrition programs, including the food stamp, child nutrition, and elderly feeding programs, should be protected from budget cuts; (2) the WIC (supplemental food program for women, infants, and children) should continue to be fully funded; and (3) the Federal Government should maintain primary responsibility for nutrition programs.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 1983
Amends the copyright law to exclude from liability for infringement of copyright any individual who records copyrighted works on a video recorder if the recording is made for a private use and is not used in a commercial nature.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 1983
Housing Finance Opportunity Act of 1983 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit the continued issuance of mortgage revenue bonds after December 31, 1983.
![Official portrait of Sen. Melcher, John [D-MT]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m000635_200.jpg)