United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1985
Prohibits a former officer or employee of an executive agency and a member or former member of the uniformed services from accepting compensation from a contractor for the three-year period after separation from Government or military service, if during the previous three years such employee was a Government official (of at least a GS-11 level) who had significant responsibilities in the performance of a procurement function with that contractor. Requires executive agency procurement contracts to include a provision that prohibits the contractor from furnishing compensation to any person if acceptance of such compensation would be a violation of this Act. Requires such contractors to report annually to the appropriate agency reviewing official on persons to whom the contractor furnished such compensation during the preceding year. Requires the reviewing official to submit such report to the Congress not later than April 1 of each year. Requires such official to review the report to identify any violation of this Act and to report any violations to the Attorney General. Requires the Director of the Office of Government Ethics to review such report to identify contract violations and report annually to the Congress on any findings. Makes this Act inapplicable to contracts for amounts less than $25,000. Directs the Director of the Office of Government Ethics to coordinate and review the implementation and administration of this Act. Authorizes any person who is offered compensation that, if accepted, might be in violation of this Act to request advice from the Office of Government Ethics. Sets forth a schedule for responses to such requests. Directs the Administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, not later than 180 days after the effective date of this Act, to issue regulations with respect to procurement functions.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1985
Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation Protection Act - Amends the National Housing Act to require the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation to reject the insurance application of any applicant if it finds that there is no need for the applicant institution in the community to be served. Permits the FSLIC, if it determines that an applicant would unduly burden the examination and supervision capability of the Federal Home Loan Bank Board or a State authority, to reject or defer the application until the FSLIC determines that there will be adequate staff at both the State and Federal levels. Prescribes the order or priority for payment, by the FSLIC as receiver, of unsecured claims against the estate of an institution in default. Repeals provisions prescribing priorities for the consideration by the FSLIC of proposals from prospective acquirers, purchasers, or merger partners for the emergency acquisition of an institution. Sets the repeal date for emergency acquisition. Restricts the business activities an insured institution may commence or continue for more than three years after enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1985
Prohibits a former officer or employee of the Department of Defense or a former member of the armed forces from accepting compensation from a contractor for the three-year period after separation from service, if during the previous three years such employee was an official (of at least a GS-11 level) who had significant responsibilities in the performance of a procurement function with that contractor. Sets forth penalties of a fine of not more than $10,000, imprisonment of not more than two years, or both, for violations of such prohibition. Requires Department of Defense procurement contracts to include a provision that prohibits the contractor from furnishing compensation to any person if acceptance of such compensation would be a violation of this Act. Requires such contractors to report annually to the Inspector General of the Department of Defense on persons to whom the contractor furnished such compensation during the preceding year. Requires the Inspector General to submit such report to the Congress not later than April 1 of each year. Requires the Inspector General to review such reports to identify any violations of this Act and to report any violations to the Attorney General. Requires the Director of the Office of Government Ethics to review such reports to identify contract violations and report annually to the Congress on any findings. Makes this Act inapplicable to contractors for amounts less than $25,000. Allows any person who is offered compensation that, if accepted, might be in violation of this Act to request advice from the Office of Government Ethics. Sets forth a schedule for responses to such requests. Directs the Secretary of Defense, not later than 180 days after the effective date of this Act, to issue regulations with respect to procurement functions.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 1985
Electronic Banking Competitive Equality Act of 1985 - Authorizes a national bank to use shared electronic banking equipment it does not own or rent to the same extent as is authorized for State banks by the laws of the State in which the equipment is located. Prohibits a national bank from receiving deposits through out-of-State equipment unless the law of such State specifically and affirmatively authorizes such interstate transmission of deposits via such equipment. Excludes from the definition of "rent" any transactional fees assessed to all user banks. Defines "shared electronic banking equipment" as certain equipment that is available for use by any bank on a nondiscriminatory basis. Provides that the connection of a national bank to any publicly accessible electronic banking equipment other than shared equipment shall constitute the establishment and operation of a branch.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1985
Expresses, on the 40th anniversary of V-E Day, the Nation's deep gratitude and recognizes the enormous debt owed to the American servicemen who fought in World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1985
Age Discrimination in Employment Amendments of 1985 - Amends the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 to remove the existing 70-year upper age limit on the class to which the discrimination prohibitions apply, thus extending coverage to all individuals who are at least 40 years of age. Delays the effect of this Act for employees under a collective bargaining contract until January 1, 1989, or the termination of such contract, if earlier.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 1985
Title I: Recognition of Injustice and an Apology on Behalf of the Nation - States that the Congress accepts the findings of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians and recognizes that a grave injustice was done to both citizens and resident aliens of Japanese ancestry by the evacuation, relocation, and internment of civilians during World War II. Title II: United States Citizens of Japanese Ancestry and Resident Japanese Aliens - Requests the President to offer pardons to those convicted of violating laws during the internment period whose conduct was based on a refusal to accept racially or ethnically discriminatory treatment. Provides that Federal departments and agencies that review applications for restitution of positions, status, or entitlement lost during the internment period shall review such applications giving full consideration to the findings of the Commission. Establishes within the Treasury a Civil Liberties Public Education Fund. Authorizes appropriations for the Fund. Requires the Attorney General to pay $20,000 from the Fund in compensation to each surviving internee. Establishes a Board of Directors which shall be responsible for making disbursements from the Fund. Provides that disbursements from the Fund shall be used to: (1) sponsor research and public educational activities dealing with the internment; (2) fund studies of similar civil liberties abuses; (3) prepare and distribute hearings and findings of the Commission; and (4) promote the general welfare of the ethnic Japanese community in the United States. Title III: Aleutian and Pribilof Islands Restitution - Aleutian and Pribilof Islands Restitution Act - Establishes within the Treasury the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands Restitution Fund. Directs the Administrator of the Fund (the Aleutian/Pribilof Islands Association) to make restitution for certain Aleut losses sustained in World War II. Requires the Administrator to establish a trust of $5,000,000 and to distribute the interest of such trust for: (1) the benefit of the elderly, disabled, or seriously ill; (2) students in need of scholarship assistance; (3) preservation of Aleut cultural heritage and historical records (4) the improvement of community centers of affected Aleut villages; and (5) other purposes to improve Aleut life. Authorizes the Administrator to rebuild and restore churches and church property damaged or destroyed in Aleut villages during World War II. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to make payments of $12,000 from the fund to eligible Aleuts for any uncompensated personal property losses. Provides that such payments shall not be considered income or receipts for purposes of Federal taxes or determining eligibility for Federal benefits or assistance. Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Secretary of the Army to implement a program for the removal and disposal of live ammunition, obsolete buildings, abandoned machinery, and other hazardous debris remaining in populated areas of the lower Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands. States that the authority contained in this Act shall be supplemental to the authority of the Secretary of Defense in administering the Environmental Restoration Defense Account and shall be exercised only in the event that such account is inadequate to eliminate hazardous military debris from populated areas of the Lower Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands. Authorizes appropriations. Provides that bidding rights for surplus Federal property might be exercised by the Aleut Corporation in lieu of conveyance of Attu Island to the Aleut people, such island having been designated as wilderness. States that the bidding rights shall be exercised by the Aleut Corporation without any preference over any other bidder. Provides that an amount equal to $500 for each acre traditionally occupied by the Aleut people on Attu Island shall be transferred to the Corporation account established by this Act and made available to the Corporation for such bidding.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 1985
Former Presidents Facilities and Services Reform Act of 1985 - Title I: Presidential Libraries - Authorizes the Archivist of the United States to accept gifts offered to make physical or material changes or additions to presidential archival depositories. Directs the Archivist to promulgate architectural and design standards for such depositories. Requires the Archivist to report to the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House prior to accepting title to any land, facility, or equipment for a presidential depository, and prior to accepting any gifts to make changes to such depositories. Authorizes the Archivist to solicit gifts and bequests of money or other property to maintain a depository. Directs the Archivist to establish in the National Archives Trust Fund separate endowments to maintain each presidential depository. Prohibits the Archivist from accepting or taking title to land, facilities, or equipment to create a depository, or from accepting gifts to change a depository, unless there is an endowment sufficient to maintain such land, facility, or equipment. Makes such prohibitions effective for any President who takes the oath of office after May 9, 1984. Title II: Former Presidents - Changes the amount of the annual allowance to which the spouse of a deceased former President is entitled from $20,000 to two-thirds of the allowance to which a former President is entitled. Repeals the requirement that the spouse must waive the right to any other Government annuity or pension to qualify for such allowance. Authorizes the Administrator to provide to each former President, upon request: (1) one office; (2) compensation, without an aggregate ceiling, for members of an office staff who shall be subject to certain provisions of civil service laws; (3) payment for the travel and subsistence allowances for specified office employees; (4) communications services; (5) printing and binding expenses; and (6) appropriate equipment for such office. Allows any Federal employee to be detailed to the office staff of a former President with the consent of the employee's agency head. Declares that the cost of providing transportation by Government aircraft to former Presidents shall be paid from appropriations for such purpose. Authorizes the Administrator to provide a former Vice President with necessary services and facilities for concluding his or her office affairs which are similar to the services and facilities provided to a former President under this title. Prohibits the use of funds provided for necessary services and facilities of a former President or Vice President for partisan political activities or income generating activities. Permits a former President to use such funds to prepare his or her memoirs if the former President signs an agreement providing that the Public Printer will print and distribute such memoirs. Prohibits the expenditure of such funds for a former President any time beyond 90 days after the former President dies. Requires each former President to submit to Congress an annual report concerning activities carried out with the assistance of such funds. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the provisions of this title concerning the services and facilities to be provided for former Presidents and Vice Presidents. Repeals specified provisions of the Presidential Transition Act of 1963. Title III: Protection of Former Presidents, Former Vice Presidents, and Their Families - Prohibits the United States Secret Service from protecting a former President, former Vice President, or the spouse, widow, widower, or minor child of a former President, except as authorized under this title. Authorizes the Secret Service to protect: (1) a former President for five years after the individual becomes a former President; (2) the spouse or minor child of a former President to the extent that such protection is incidental to the protection of the former President; and (3) the widow or widower of a former President for six months after the former President dies. Permits the Secretary of the Treasury to reinstate the Secret Service protection of a former President for one year and of a spouse or minor child for six months after the original protection has been terminated upon finding that a serious threat warranting such protection exists. Authorizes additional extensions of such periods of protection if the Secretary has submitted a request for an extension to the Congress and 60 days of continuous session have expired after the date of such request. Authorizes the President to direct the Secret Service to protect a former President, or a spouse or child of a former President, if a threat warrants emergency action. Permits the Secretary to authorize Secret Service protection for a former Vice President for a period beginning on the last day of the individual's term and ending on the last day of the fiscal year in which the term expires, and upon finding that a threat exists which warrants such protection.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1985
Condemns the brutal treatment of and discrimination against the Turkish minority by the Bulgarian Government. Calls upon the President to convey this condemnation of Bulgarian actions and to raise this issue in all appropriate international fora.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 1985
Commends the Rural Electrification Administration and dedicated individuals for their contributions to the progress made by the Nation during the past 50 years in achieving the electrification of rural America.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1985
Includes specified lands at the mouth of Chequamegon Bay, Wisconsin, known as Long Island, within the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1985
Amends the National Labor Relations Act to provide that a specified prohibition against certification of labor organizations representing both "guards" and other employees, for collective bargaining unit purposes, is to be applied only in the case of "plant guards."
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1985
Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the National Housing Act to prohibit any federally insured depository institution from investing in debt securities not rated in one of the four highest rating categories by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the United States should pay honor to the memories of the innocent civilians and American and Allied soldiers who died at the hands of the Nazis; (2) it is fitting and appropriate for the President, in a gesture of reconciliation, to visit the Federal Republic of Germany; (3) the President should recognize the importance of the relationship between the two countries; and (4) the President should reassess his planned itinerary for his forthcoming trip to the Federal Republic of Germany.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that no deductions shall be allowed for advertising or other promotion expenses with respect to arms sales.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1985
Authorizes the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. Subjects the Fraternity's design and plans for the memorial to the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, the Commission of Fine Arts, and the National Capital Planning Commission. Directs the Secretary to: (1) select a site for the memorial with the approval of the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission; (2) prohibit its construction unless sufficient funds are available for its completion; (3) provide for the maintenance of the memorial upon its completion. Provides that U.S. funds may not be used to establish the memorial. Directs that the authority to establish the memorial is contingent upon its construction beginning within five years.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1985
Amends the Tariff Schedules of the United States to add Afghanistan to the list of communist countries the imports from which are subject to the column two rate of duty. Prohibits granting nondiscriminatory (most-favored-nation) treatment to the products of Afghanistan. Prohibits entering into a commercial agreement with Afghanistan pursuant to the Trade Act of 1974. Prohibits Afghanistan from participating in any program under which the United States extends credit, credit guarantees, or investment guarantees.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1985
Public Securities Act of 1985 - Title I: Establishment of a Self-Regulatory Organization with Respect to Municipal and Government Securities - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to expand provisions concerning the registration, regulation, and disciplining of municipal securities dealers to govern all public securities dealers. Defines "public securities" as municipal and Government securities. Reestablishes the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) as the Public Securities Rulemaking Board (PSRB) and increases its membership by two. Empowers the Board to formulate rules regulating: (1) the amount of initial and maintenance margin in connection with the purchase, sale, or carrying of Government securities; (2) the type of deposit or collateral which shall be furnished; (3) the carrying of undermargined accounts for limited periods and under specified conditions; (4) the withdrawal of funds or securities; (5) the substitution or additional purchase of securities; (6) the transfer of accounts from one Government securities broker or dealer to another; (7) special or different margin requirements for delayed deliveries, short sales, repurchase and reverse repurchase agreements, and arbitrage transactions; and (8) the bases and methods to be used in calculating collateral deposits, and margins and market prices. Sets forth conforming amendments. Empowers the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to prescribe requirements for the initial or subsequent maintenance of a deposit in connection with the purchase, sale, or carrying of a Government security. Directs the Securities and Exchange Commission to consult with the Federal Reserve board and the Department of the Treasury when prescribing capital requirements for Government securities dealers to assure that such requirements do not adversely affect the efficiency, liquidity, or integrity of Government securities markets. Title II: Transitional and Savings Provisions - Provides for the: (1) transfer and allocation of funds and personnel from the MSRB to the PSRB; (2) termination of the MSRB; and (3) continuation of MSRB authorities, administrative proceedings, and judicial proceedings. Title III: Effective Dates - Makes this Act effective 180 days after enactment. Provides effective dates for appointment and rulemaking authority under such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1985
Amends part A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) of title IV of the Social Security Act to require a State which provides aid to dependent children of unemployed parents to require such parents to participate in community work experience programs. Requires States providing aid to such parents to establish community work experience programs for, at a minimum, parents who are principal earners who have been unemployed for at least 30 days prior to receiving aid.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 1985
Hazardous Waste Reduction Act of 1985 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a tax on the receipt of: (1) taxable hazardous waste in any qualified hazardous waste management unit; and (2) taxable hazardous waste for export or for disposal in the ocean pursuant to a permit. Provides that the tax rate for all forms of land and ocean waste disposal, except underground injection wells, shall be $20 for each ton of hazardous waste. Provides that the tax rate for each ton of hazardous waste placed in underground injection wells shall be five dollars per ton. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to increase the rates of tax on such hazardous waste where the tax revenue falls below projections for any year. Requires the tax to be paid by the owner or operator of the qualified waste management unit at which the taxable waste is received or by the person exporting the taxable hazardous waste or the person holding the permit for transport for ocean disposal. Requires the tax to be paid at the close of the calendar quarter during which the taxable hazardous waste became subject to tax. Imposes a tax of $20 per ton on hazardous waste placed in a facility other than a qualified hazardous waste management unit or pursuant to a permit for export or ocean dumping. Makes the person placing the hazardous material in the facility or location liable for the tax. Provides that such tax will not apply with respect to small quantity generator of waste, or with respect to the placement of taxable hazardous waste in any facility, vehicle, or location if such placement is not required to comply with permit, interim status, or manifest requirement under the Solid Waste Disposal Act. Provides that the tax does not apply to the placement of taxable hazardous waste in a vehicle which is required to transport such taxable hazardous waste. Exempts from the tax waste removed from a Superfund site or a closed interim status facility or waste required to be studied. Exempts from the tax any qualified wastewater treatment facilities. Provides that the exemption for qualified wastewater treatment facilities shall not apply the after November 8, 1988, unless the facility is in compliance with certain minimum technological requirements or meets certain interim status surface impoundments requirements. Permits a tax credit where the taxable hazardous waste is moved from one unit or facility to another. Provides that where the taxable waste is moved from a surface impoundment to an underground injection well, the credit is the differnce between the tax on the surface impoundment and the tax on the underground injection. Permits a tax credit for all waste rendered nonhazardous by reason of treatment or conversion within 12 months of receipt at the unit or facility. Prohibits the tax credit for treatment or conversion at a qualified wastewater treatment facility. Prohibits the tax credit for land treatment. Provides that the tax credit will not apply to any treatment or conversion which violates any requirement of Federal or State law relating to the management of hazardous taxable waste. Provides that this tax shall apply for the period from January 1, 1986, through FY 1990. Requires every person subject to this tax to keep records, render such statements, make such returns, and comply with such rules and regulations as the Secretary of the Treasury may require. Provides that the revenues from this tax shall be deposited in the Hazardous Substance Superfund. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to make various reports to the Congress concerning different aspects of the tax on hazardous waste disposal.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 1985
Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to provide to the Soviet Union, on a reimbursable basis, equipment and services for the improvement of the United States/Soviet Union Direct Communication Link for crisis control.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 1985
Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations through FY 1988 for the following programs: (1) project grants and contracts for family planning services; (2) training grants and contracts; and (3) informational and educational materials.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 1985
Alternate Strategic Defense Initiative Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1986 - Provides that funds authorized under this Act for the Strategic Defense Initiative and for advanced strategic missile systems for FY 1986 are in lieu of any other authorization for such fiscal year for such purposes. Authorizes appropriations to the defense agencies for FY 1986 for research, development, test, and evaluation in connection with the Strategic Defense Initiative under the following programs: (1) Surveillance, Acquisition, and Tracking Program; (2) Directed Energy Weapons Program; (3) Kinetic Energy Weapons Program; (4) Hard Point Defense Technology Development Program; (5) Systems Concepts and Battle Management Program; (6) Threat Analysis Program; (7) Survivability, Lethality, and Key Technologies Program; and (8) Management Headquarters of the Strategic Defense Initiative. Authorizes appropriations to the Air Force for FY 1986 for research, development, test, and evaluation in connection with the Advanced Strategic Missile Systems program. Directs the Threat Analysis Program to be carried out as part of the Air Force Advanced Strategic Missile Systems Program, and requires the Secretary of the Air Force to report results of research conducted under such program to the Congress and other specified officials. Establishes in the Department of Defense (DOD) the Strategic Defense Evaluation Panel (the Panel). Requires the Panel to report to the Congress annually, with the first such report due by April 1, 1986. Requires certain Strategic Defense Initiative projects to be designated as major defense acquisition programs for purposes of reporting requirements. Directs the Secretary of Defense, simultaneously with the submission of the annual budget presentation materials to the Congress for each of FY 1987 through 1991, to report to specified congressional committees on all DOD programs which constitute or relate to the Strategic Defense Initiative, Specifies information to be included in such report. Requires the Director of the Congressional Budget Office to conduct a study on the impact of proposed expenditures of the Strategic Defense Initiative programs for FY 1986 through 1991, and to submit the results of such study to the Congress within 180 days after enactment of this Act. Requires the Joint Economic Committee to conduct a similar study, with the same reporting date. Reaffirms the commitment of the Congress to the 1972 U.S. - Soviet Treaty on the Limitation of Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems and to full compliance with such treaty.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 1985
Prohibits the obligation of funds during FY 1985 and 1986 for the testing of anti-satellite weapons against objects in space unless the President certifies to the Congress certain findings on actions taken by the Soviet Union.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 1985
American Footwear Industry Recovery Act of 1985 - Limits the imports of nonrubber footwear into the United States to 450,000,000 pairs per 12-month period for eight years. Directs the Secretary of Commerce (the Secretary) to allocate the import limitations among foreign countries, taking into consideration: (1) average levels of imports for the period 1978 through 1982; (2) findings of unfair trade practices with respect to nonrubber footwear products; (3) recent market trends; and (4) such other considerations as the Secretary deems appropriate. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of the Treasury to take all necessary actions to enforce this Act. Authorizes the Secretaries to issue such implementing regulations as necessary to effect the purposes of this Act and to enforce its provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 1985
Amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to authorize the Export-Import Bank (the Bank) to provide a sufficient return to commercial lending institutions or other lenders making loans in support of exports of goods and services when financing at other than market rates is necessary to respond to subsidized financing offered by foreign export credit agencies. Authorizes a director of the Bank whose term has expired to serve until a successor has been appointed. Extends the authority of such Act through FY 1991. Prohibits the Bank from approving any new loans after October 1, 1985, provided this prohibition shall not: (1) prevent the Bank from performing any obligations incurred before such date; or (2) pertain to the Bank's guarantee and insurance activities.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 1985
Westway Landfill Funding Prohibition and Hudson River Habitat Protection Act of 1985 - Prohibits the Secretary of Transportation from expending funds for the Westway landfill in New York City, New York.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should propose to the Soviet Union during arms control talks: (1) that the United States and the Soviet Union should establish a joint commission to study the environmental and other effects of nuclear explosions (nuclear winter) and their impact on the security of both nations; (2) that the work of such joint commission should include the sharing and exchange of information and findings on the nuclear winter phenomena; and (3) that the United Kingdom, France, and the People's Republic of China should be involved in the work of such joint commission.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 1985
Financial Export Control Act - Amends the Export Administration Act of 1979 to declare it is U.S. policy to use export controls to restrict the export of capital, the extension of credit, or the transfer of financial resources to countries subject to national security export controls. Authorizes the President to restrict the export or transfer of money or other financial assets to the government of a country subject to national security export controls. Provides for negotiations with other countries to obtain their cooperation with such export controls on capital. Requires export license applications for the export of capital to be submitted to the Secretary of the Treasury who shall make all determinations with respect to such application. Requires the annual report on the administration of the Export Administration Act of 1979 to include a report on actions taken to carry out export controls on capital.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 1985
Great Lakes Management Act of 1985 - Establishes within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the Great Lakes National Program Office (Program Office), to be headed by a Director. Lists as responsibilities of the Program Office, the following: (1) developing the long-term, comprehensive environmental, resource, and economic data bases required for assessing the impact of proposed decisions on the environmental health, productivity, and economic well-being of the Great Lakes; (2) conducting an inventory of all State, Federal, tribal, and international agencies with management responsibility for the Great Lakes system, and updating such information biennially; (3) identifying priority management needs to protect and rehabilitate the Great Lakes and their resources and developing management plans where needed; (4) developing a five-year plan and program for reducing the input of nutrients into the Great Lakes; (5) carrying out a five-year study and demonstration projects relating to the control and removal of toxic pollutants in the Great Lakes; (6) identifying lead agencies with primary responsibilities for each specific issue relating to the Great Lakes; (7) developing an annual report on the status of the Great Lakes; (8) promoting the adoption and execution of the management and rehabilitation plans; (9) serving as the source of issues which the Federal Government refers to the International Joint Commission for study; and (10) hosting a meeting (at least annually) for officials of the Federal, State, and tribal agencies involved with the Great Lakes. Requires the Administrator of EPA, in the agency's annual budget submission to the Congress,to include a funding request for the Program Office as a separate budget line item. Requires the Program Office to be located in a Great Lakes State. Establishes within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration the Great Lakes Research Office (Research Office), to be headed by a Director. Lists as responsibilities of the Research Office the following: (1) annually identifying Federal, State, and tribal research programs relating to the Great Lakes system; (2) establishing a Great Lakes research exchange; (3) identifying priority Great Lakes research needs; (4) conducting research and monitoring activities which address priority issues and current needs of the Great Lakes; and (5) cooperating with EPA in monitoring the water quality of the Great Lakes. Provides for the coordination of certain activities between the Program Office and the Research Office. Allows the Administrator of EPA to provide financial assistance in the form of grants or contracts for research, monitoring, and planning projects and activities necessary to address Great Lakes priorities. Allows any person, institution of higher education, or instrumentality of the Federal, State, or local government, or any tribe to apply for such assistance. Requires the Administrator to act upon each grant or contract application within six months of its receipt. Permits the grants to cover, in the discretion of the Administrator, up to 100 percent of the total project costs. Directs the head of each department or agency of the Federal Government which is in any way connected with the enhancement of the Great Lakes to: (1) cooperate with the Administrators of EPA and NOAA; (2) make available such personnel, services, or facilities as may be necessary to achieve the purposes of this Act; and (3) furnish, upon written request, such data or information deemed necessary to fulfill such purposes. Directs the Chief of Engineers of the Army, the Chief of the Soil Conservation Service, the Commandant of the Coast Guard, the Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Administrator of NOAA to submit annual reports to the Administrator of EPA regarding their efforts to comply with the Water Quality Agreement of 1972. States that this Act does not affect the jurisdiction or powers of any Federal or State department or agency or of any tribe or international body created by treaty with authority relating to the Great Lakes. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 through 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 1985
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President should: (1) be commended for his efforts to negotiate a multilateral agreement banning chemical weapons; (2) continue to pursue such an agreement; and (3) seek the continuation and the development of bilateral discussions between the United States and the Soviet Union to achieve a verifiable ban on chemical weapons.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 1985
Insured Institution Improvements Act of 1985 - Title I: Insurance of Accounts - Savings Insurance Protection Act of 1985 - Amends the National Housing Act to authorize the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation (FSLIC) to establish classes of accounts and to determine whether accounts in any such class constitute insured accounts. Authorizes the FSLIC to assess an additional premium against institutions which engage in activities not authorized for Federal associations or which exceed certain percentage-of-assets limitations. Title II: Enforcement - Savings Institutions Supervisory Act of 1985 - Amends the National Housing Act to extend the authority of the FSLIC concerning cease and desist proceedings to cover institution-related parties that it determines are: (1) engaging in an unsafe or unsound practice in conducting the business of an insured institution; or (2) violating an FSLIC regulation or agreement. Declares that the affirmative actions the FSLIC may order an institution or related party to take to correct the condition resulting from such practice or violation may include restitution, rescission, the disposal of loans or assets, or guarantees against loss. Extends the authority of the FSLIC to any subsidiary corporation wholly or partly owned by an insured institution. Requires the FSLIC to show some dissipation of assets or some weakening of an insured institution (currently a substantial dissipation of assets or a serious weakening) in order to constitute grounds for issuing a temporary cease and desist order. Provides the FSLIC new authority to issue a temporary cease and desist order requiring the cessation of institution activities if the institution's books and records are so incomplete or inaccurate that the FSLIC is unable to determine the institution's financial condition. Revises provisions dealing with the suspension or removal of institution directors and officers and a prohibition from participation in institution affairs by other institution-related parties. Amends the FSLIC's subpoena power to include inquiries into the affairs, assets, or ownership of insured institutions, affiliates thereof, or any entity that was such an institution or affiliate at the time of the transaction or conduct being examined. Sets penalties for failure to comply with FSLIC subpoenas. Prohibits any person who has been suspended from, or prohibited from participating in, the affairs of an FSLIC-insured institution from participation in the affairs of any federally-insured institution without the approval of the appropriate Federal regulatory authority. Prohibits any person who has been convicted of a criminal offense involving dishonesty or breach of trust from serving as an institution-related party without the prior written consent of the FSLIC. Authorizes the FSLIC to apply to U.S. district courts for injunctive relief when administrative remedies are insufficient to deal with violations of the National Housing Act. Amends the Federal Home Owners' Loan Act to make the same changes previously prescribed under this title with respect to Federal savings and loan associations and the Federal Home Loan Bank Board (FHLBB). Title III: Payment of Insurance - Insurance Amendments of 1985 - Amends the National Housing Act to state that the FSLIC, where it pays insurance on accounts of a defaulted institution, shall be subrogated to all rights of the insured member to the extent of such payment. Permits the FSLIC to withhold payment of insurance to the extent of any liability of an insured depositor to the institution or the receiver (other than a liability as a borrower under a note that has not defaulted). Title IV: Receivership Powers, Automatic Stay, and Priorities - Receivership Improvement Act of 1985 - Amends the National Housing Act to provide that the FSLIC, in connection with its activities as receiver for a defaulted institution, shall not be required to furnish bond, but may employ necessary personnel and pay related expenses from the receivership funds. Sets forth requirements for any valid agreement diminishing the right, title, or interest of the FSLIC as receiver in any asset acquired in such capacity. Declares that any property in which an insured institution in receivership has a legal or equitable interest is property of the receivership estate. Provides, upon the appointment of a receiver by the FHLBB for an insured institution under such Act or the Home Owners' Loan Act of 1933, for an automatic stay on claims against the receivership estate. Excludes from such automatic stay certain security interests of Federal Home Loan Banks. Sets forth the rights and powers of an appointed receiver (which shall include the rights of a lien creditor, bona fide purchaser, or equity receiver) to avoid transfers of property or obligations of the insured institution. Specifies the payment priority of unsecured claims against the receivership estate. Title V: Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation - Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation Improvements Act of 1985 - Redefines the FSLIC (currently a wholly owned Government corporation) as a mixed-ownership Government corporation. Amends the National Housing Act to direct the FSLIC to determine its expenditures without regard to restrictions of any other law concerning personnel or apportionment of expenditures. Authorizes the FSLIC to issue regulations governing risk-taking by insured institutions. Declares that FSLIC expenditures to carry out such Act shall not be deemed to be appropriations. Provides that insured institution funds paid to, or on deposit with, the FSLIC shall not be subject to attachment, garnishment, or other legal process by creditors of such institution. Provides that any action to which the FSLIC is appointed by a State authority as receiver of a State-chartered institution shall be a State matter. Title VI: Holding Companies - Holding Company Amendments of 1985 - Amends the National Housing Act to prohibit savings and loan holding companies and insured institutions from directly or indirectly engaging in the activities of an underwriter or market-maker in: (1) equity securities; or (2) debt securities other than those secured by interests in real estate or that are eligible to be underwritten by national banks. Extends prohibitions on transactions between a savings and loan holding company and subsidiary insured institutions to transactions between subsidiaries of such subsidiary insured institutions and such holding company. Provides for transaction exceptions with respect to service corporation subsidiaries of insured institutions. Prohibits the FSLIC from approving: (1) a transaction which would result in a savings and loan holding company that is itself uninsured or that has control of an uninsured institution, unless certain conditions are met; and (2) an acquisition of an insured institution by a company engaged in the activities of an underwriter or market-maker in equity or debt securities other than those representing interests in real estate or that are eligible to be underwritten by national banks. Authorizes the FSLIC to bring actions in U.S. district court to require the rescission of transactions in violation of the National Housing Act or the restitution to persons suffering damages as a result of such violations. Excludes from the requirement for approval by a State official any emergency acquisition of a federally-chartered insured institution. Title VII: Qualified Thrift Lenders - Qualified Thrift Lender Act of 1985 - Amends the National Housing Act to condition eligibility for FSLIC insurance of non-federal associations and Federal savings banks insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) upon meeting the definition of a qualified thrift lender. Defines a qualified thrift lender as an institution that maintains at least 60 percent of its assets in certain liquid assets and specified housing and housing-related investments. Provides a 20-year period during which a State-chartered mutual savings bank maintaining at least 50 percent of its assets in such categories (with specified increases every five years) shall qualify as a qualified thrift institution. Prohibits any institution which loses its status as a qualified thrift lender from regaining such status for five years. Amends the Federal Home Loan Bank Act to limit the eligibility for Federal Home Loan Bank advances by members with deposits insured by the FSLIC or the FDIC to qualified thrift lenders. Increases from three to five percent of assets the maximum service corporation investment authority of qualified thrift institutions. Requires a Federal association to be a qualified thrift lender in order to establish and operate a branch outside of its home State. Requires that a bank or bank holding company making an out-of-State acquisition of an insured institution conform to the branching limitations applicable to banks in the State in which the acquired institution is located if the institution is not a qualified thrift lender. Limits the business activities of a savings and loan holding company whose subsidiary insured institution fails to qualify as a qualified thrift lender. Title VIII: Miscellaneous - Amends the Federal Home Loan Bank Act to authorize the Federal Home Loan Bank Board and the FSLIC to accept payment from Federal or non-Federal entities for expenses incurred by officers and employees in attending meetings concerning Board or FSLIC activities or functions. Permits Federal associations to accept deposits without limitation. (Currently demand deposits are accepted only from persons with a business relationship with an association.) Allows former employers of participants in the Board's professional accounting fellows programs to pay such participants' actual expenses for relocating to Washington, D.C. Amends the Garn-St Germain Depository Institutions Act of 1982 to extend the Deposit Insurance Flexibility Act and the Net Worth Certificate Act for three years. Amends the National Housing Act to set forth provisions concerning the transfer of insurance coverage between the FSLIC and FDIC insurance funds. Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to prescribe notification requirements for mergers involving an insured Federal savings bank or an FSLIC-insured institution. Amends the Federal Home Loan Bank Act to authorize the Board to provide for staggered terms for Federal home loan bank directors. Amends the National Housing Act to authorize the FSLIC to define "control" of an insured institution.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 1985
Federal Deposit Insurance Improvements Act of 1985 - Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to make technical revisions to definitions. Provides that deposits owed to a federally insured depository institution or owned or placed by a Federal agency shall not be eligible for insurance by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Requires the FDIC, in deciding whether to decline to insure a national or State bank that becomes a member of the Federal Reserve System, to base its decision only on such bank's financial and managerial resources. Eliminates as insurance assessment base deductions specified percentages of a bank's adjusted demand deposits and adjusted time and savings deposits. Directs the FDIC to allocate annual assessment credits to insured banks on the basis of the risks each such bank may present to the Permanent Insurance Fund. Eliminates a requirement that the FDIC Board of Directors provide an insured institution and its supervisory authority up to 120 days to correct any violation of law or any unsound or unsafe practice or condition before terminating the bank's insured status. Declares that a temporary cease and desist order issued by the appropriate Federal banking agency may place limitations on the activities or functions of an insured bank or its directors, officers, employees, agents and other persons participating in bank affairs or may bar any such person from conducting bank affairs. Authorizes a Federal banking agency that has removed a person from office at one insured bank to prohibit such person from participating in the affairs of any insured bank without the agency's prior written approval. Authorizes such an agency to proceed against any person who has acted as an officer or director of an insured bank during the year preceding the date on which the agency institutes proceedings against such person or bank. Provides that the FDIC shall have enforcement powers over any insured bank or any insured branch of a foreign bank. Requires the FDIC to notify the appropriate Federal banking agency of its intent to initiate enforcement proceedings involving a national bank, district bank, insured Federal branch, State member bank, or an insured Federal savings bank or any director or officer or other person participating in the conduct of the bank's affairs. Allows the FDIC to proceed unless such agency takes corrective actions within a specified time. Provides for a six-month continuation of the insurance of deposits of an institution insured by the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation that are assumed by an FDIC-insured bank. Authorizes the FDIC Board to set reasonable fees for examining or investigating insured banks and bank affiliates (as redefined by this Act to include subsidiaries of insured banks). Sets forth the order of payment of unsecured claims against the estate of a closed bank or branch by the FDIC as receiver of such bank or branch. Subrogates the FDIC to the rights of any depositor of any closed insured bank or any closed insured branch of a foreign bank to the extent of the deposit payments made to such depositor. Eliminates provisions that require new banks (organized by the FDIC to assume the insured deposits of closed banks) to: (1) accept as new deposits only demand deposits aggregating not more than $100,000; and (2) maintain funds in cash, invested in Government or federally-guaranteed obligations, or deposited with the FDIC, a Federal Reserve bank, or an insured bank. Provides that, so long as an executive officer appointed by the FDIC Board has authority to manage such a new bank, such bank shall not be subject to any limitations imposed by law that restrict the activities of a national bank by measuring the amount of investment that the bank may devote to such activities by the amount of the bank's capitalization. Permits the business of such a new bank that has assumed the insured deposits of a closed bank with total assets of $500,000,000 or more to be acquired by, or transferred to, an insured depository institution located in the State where the closed bank was chartered but established by an out-of-State bank or holding company. Deletes the requirement that the stockholders of the closed bank be provided the first opportunity to purchase common stock of the new bank. Extends from two to five years the period within which the stock of a new bank must be sold or its assets acquired. Permits the FDIC to waive its right to receive unclaimed deposits transferred to a new bank or to another insured bank from a closed bank. Authorizes the FDIC to purchase the voting or common stock of an insured bank in order to provide emergency assistance to such bank. Exempts any insured bank: (1) while receiving assistance under an emergency assistance agreement, from any State or local taxes that are determined on the basis of the bank's deposits; and (2) which has received emergency assistance to increase its capital or net worth and which has a net worth exceeding one-half of one percent of assets, from any Federal, State, or local law limiting the authority of the bank to continue operations because of the level of the bank's capital, net worth, surplus fund, or guarantee. Authorizes the merger or acquisition of any insured bank with $500,000,000 or more in total assets if such bank is in danger of closing or has emergency assistance outstanding. Sets forth the conditions under which a representation or warranty made to a borrower by a bank in connection with the investment of the proceeds of a loan shall be valid against the assets of a closed bank acquired by the FDIC. Eliminates the requirement that one Federal banking agency request reports from the other banking agencies when evaluating bank mergers. Requires a State nonmember insured bank to notify the FDIC (current law requires FDIC approval) concerning moving any domestic branch or establishing and operating a new domestic branch. Amends the Garn-St Germain Depository Institutions Act of 1982 to repeal the termination dates of specified emergency assistance provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1985
Corporate Productivity Act of 1985 - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require the approval by a majority of a company's independent directors or by two-thirds of the company's shareholders of an acquisition of company securities or a tender offer by any person: (1) seeking control of such company; or (2) who would own 15 percent of more of the voting shares of the company if the acquisition were consummated. Requires a person seeking the shareholders' approval after having a tender offer rejected by a company's independent directors to disclose to such shareholders any plans for changes in the company and a detailed analysis of the effect the acquisition will have on the company, its employees, and the communities in which it conducts substantial activities.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1985
Designates March 21, 1985, as Afghanistan Day. Condemns the Soviet Union for the attempted subjugation of Afghanistan. Calls upon the Soviet Union to commit itself to a negotiated political settlement for Afghanistan.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 1985
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Secretary of Education should review the financial aid formulas for students in postsecondary educational institutions under title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 with special attention to devising a more equitable formula for farm families.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1985
Administrative Law Judge Corps Act - Amends Federal law to establish, in Washington, D.C., an Administrative Law Judge Corps (the Corps) comprised of all current administrative law judges. States the chief administrative law judge shall be the chief administrative officer of the Corps as well as its presiding judge. Specifies the qualifications for chief judge. States such judge shall be appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate. Directs the chief judge to submit a written report to the President and the Congress at the end of each fiscal year concerning the business of the Corps during the preceding fiscal year. Establishes between four and ten divisions within the Corps, with each division headed by a division chief judge appointed initially by the President, with the consent of the Senate. Identifies initial divisions and their respective areas of jurisdiction. Specifies qualifications required for division chief judges. States that the Corps' policymaking body shall be the Council of the Corps (the Council), comprised of the chief judge and the division chief judges. Authorizes the Council to: (1) assign judges to divisions and to transfer or reassign judges from one division to another; (2) create or abolish divisions of the corps; (3) appoint persons as administrative law judges and members of the Corps; (4) file charges against an administrative law judge; (5) prescribe certain rules of practice and procedure for proceedings before the Corps; (6) issue rules and regulations for the efficient conduct of the Corps; and (7) perform other administrative functions. Establishes a Judicial Nomination Commission (the Commission) to submit a list of qualified nominees for positions of chief judge and division chief judges. Specifies officials who shall appoint a member to the Commission. Sets the terms of initial Corps appointments and the procedure for filling vacancies. Prescribes a procedure for recommending appointments to the President. Directs the Corps to appoint new judges from a register maintained by the Office of Personnel Management. Confers jurisdiction upon members of the Corps to adjudicate cases under specified sections of the Administrative Procedures Act. Requires cases arising under such sections to be referred to the Corps. Directs the Council to issue regulations for assigning such cases. Requires guidelines for the removal and discipline of administrative law judges. Establishes a Complaints Board within the Corps to recommend action upon complaints against the offical conduct of judges. Details the membership of such Board and the procedures to be followed. Declares Board proceedings and the contents of complaints to be privileged and confidential. Exempts documents and reports considered by the Board from the disclosure and publication requirements of the Freedom of Information Act. Exempts the Board from compliance with the public meeting requirements of specified Federal law. Directs the Corps' chief administrative law judge to study the various types of agency review to which decisions of administrative law judges are subject. Sets guidelines for such studies and directs the Council to report the findings of such studies to the President and the Congress. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1985
Performing Arts Labor Relations Amendments - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to exclude specified types of employers and performers in the performing arts from coverage under unfair labor practice provisions prohibiting specified contracts or agreements between employers and labor organizations and prohibiting specified actions of labor organizations to force or require cessation of dealings with others, joining of labor or employer organizations, or recognition of or negotiation with labor organizations not certified as representative. Permits such employers, excluding employers in the broadcasting or motion picture industries, to: (1) agree with a labor organization to make membership in such organization a condition of performing arts employment; and (2) make agreements with a labor organization covering performing artists even if the majority status of the organization has not yet been established. Defines "employer" to include purchasers of musical performance services. Defines "employee" to include independent contractors engaged to perform musical services.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise the method of calculation for the alternative minimum tax on corporations. Sets the amount of such tax at 15 percent of corporate minitax taxable income. Defines "corporate minitax taxable income" as gross income for the taxable year: (1) reduced by the sum of $50,000 plus the deductions allowed for the taxable year plus the minitax net operating loss deduction; and (2) increased by the amount of corporate minitax preference items. Specifies items to be included as corporate minitax preference items. Sets forth the method of calculation for the minitax net operating loss deduction.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
Anti-Apartheid Act of 1985 - Prohibits any U.S. person from making any loan to South Africa or to any organization owned or controlled by South Africa. Excludes from such prohibition a loan for any educational, housing, or health facility which: (1) is available to everyone on a nondiscriminatory basis; and (2) is located in an area accessible to all population groups. Declares that such prohibition shall not apply to loans for which an agreement is entered into before enactment of this Act. Directs the President to issue regulations prohibiting U.S. persons from making any investment (including bank loans) in South Africa. Excludes from such prohibition: (1) an investment which consists of earnings derived from a business enterprise in South Africa established before enactment of this Act and which is made in that business enterprise; or (2) the purchase of certain securities in such business enterprises. Prohibits any person, including U.S. banks, from importing into the United States any gold coin minted in or offered for sale by South Africa. Authorizes the President to waive the prohibitions against investments in South African businesses and against importing South African gold coins if: (1) the Government of South Africa meets at least one of seven conditions; (2) the President submits to the Congress a determination that such conditions are met; and (3) a joint resolution is enacted approving such determination. Authorizes the President to extend the waivers. Provides for expedited consideration of such joint resolution. Amends the Export Administration Act of 1979 to prohibit exporting computers, computer software, or goods or technology intended to service computers to or for use by South Africa or any organization owned or controlled by South Africa. Excludes from such prohibition donations of computers to primary and secondary schools. Declares that certain termination provisions of the Export Administration Act of 1979 shall not apply to such prohibition. Provides for enforcement of this Act. Sets forth penalties for violations of this Act. Directs the President to attempt to persuade through negotiations other countries to adopt restrictions on new investment in South Africa, on bank loans and computer sales to South Africa, and on the importation of krugerrands. Directs the President to submit annual reports to the Congress on the status of negotiations. Terminates the provisions of this Act and all the regulations issued to carry out this Act upon enactment of a joint resolution approving a determination submitted by the President to the Congress that apartheid in South Africa has been abolished.
![Official portrait of Sen. Proxmire, William [D-WI]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/p000553_200.jpg)