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 · 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 · 1 May 1985
Amends the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 to prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from issuing a permit authorizing the incineration of hazardous waste at sea before the Congress receives a hazardous waste reduction and management feasibility report and plan and recommendations from the Administrator to assure that responsible parties are held liable and pay cleanup costs and damages, and the Administrator issues final permit regulations based upon such report and plan and public comments. Directs the Administrator to contract with the Office of Technology Assessment to prepare within three years of this Act's enactment a hazardous waste reduction and managment feasibility report which includes: (1) descriptive surveys of location and types of hazardous wastes and hazardous waste streams; (2) alternative storage and land-based technologies; (3) an assessment of wastes released into the environment and the impact of at sea incineration on human health and the marine environment; (4) epidemiological studies; and (5) an analysis of the transportation impacts for the land or barge transport of the hazardous wastes to the loading site for ocean incineration. Directs the Administrator to submit to the Congress within three years of the report a hazardous waste reduction and management plan which includes: (1) a comprehensive waste management plan; (2) coordination with Federal agencies for major spills of hazardous waste in port, in transit, and during incineration at sea; and (3) legislation which encourages the development of environmentally sound hazardous waste reduction and treatment technologies. Requires the Administrator to involve the public in formulating this plan through hearings and comment. Directs the Administrator to submit to the Congress transcripts of public hearings together with EPA's written response. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 1985
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should: (1) ensure that U.S. officials carry out the pledge to resolve the issue of the Americans still missing and unaccounted for in Indochina; (2) work for the immediate release of any Americans still held captive and the return of the remains of those who died in Southeast Asia; and (3) make every effort to secure the further cooperation of Laos and Vietnam in resolving this issue.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 1985
United States-South Africa Relations Act of 1985 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to earmark specified amounts of the education development assistance funds to finance scholarships for black South Africans who are attending universities, colleges, and secondary schools in South Africa and who are selected by a national or regional panel of educators appointed by the chief of the U.S. diplomatic mission to South Africa. Earmarks a specified amount of the funds available for human rights assistance for grants to nongovernmental organizations in South Africa. Requires such grants to be made by the Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs. Directs the Secretary of State (the Secretary) and other heads of Federal agencies to make every effort in procuring goods and services to assist business enterprises having more than 50 percent beneficial ownership by South African blacks or other nonwhite South Africans. Permits the Overseas Private Investment Corporation to issue investment insurance, reinsurance, and loan guaranties in connection with a project in South Africa, notwithstanding the absence of an agreement with South Africa, if such investment is otherwise eligible except that: (1) the issuance of such insurance, reinsurance, or guaranty shall only be made to promote joint ventures between businesses controlled by South African blacks or other nonwhite South Africans and businesses controlled or owned by U.S. nationals; and (2) the U.S. national holds a minority interest or agrees to relinquish its majority interest during the course of the joint venture. Amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to direct the Export-Import Bank to take active steps to encourage the use of its facilities to guarantee, insure, extend credit, or participate in the extension of credit to businesses in South Africa that are majority owned by South African blacks or other nonwhite South Africans. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the labor practices used by the United States Government for hiring South Africans, for paying South Africans for employment services, and for the employment of South Africans arranged by contract should represent the best American labor practices and should serve as a model for the labor practices of U.S. nationals in South Africa. Requires such Government labor practices to be governed by the specified principles of labor practice. Expresses the sense of the Congress that any U.S. national that employs more than 25 persons in South Africa should take the necessary steps to insure that certain principles relating to employment practices are implemented. Prohibits any Federal assistance for any such U.S. employer that is not a signatory to specified principles relating to employment practices. Sets forth such principles. Authorizes the Secretary to issue guidelines and upon request, advisory opinions on compliance with such principles. Prohibits issuing a license for the export to South Africa of goods or technology which are to be used in a nuclear production or utilization facility or which are likely to be diverted for use in such a facility. Prohibits authorizing the production of any special nuclear material in South Africa. Prohibits issuing a license for the export to South Africa of certain items relating to nuclear explosives. Prohibits approving the retransfer to South Africa of any such goods, technology, special nuclear materials, or items. Declares that such prohibitions shall not apply if the Secretary determines and certifies to the Congress that South Africa is a party to the 1968 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Directs the Secretary to reduce the number of South African consulates in the United States by the number of such consulates which exceeds the number of U.S. consulates in South Africa. Directs the Federal Aviation Administration to take such action as necessary to assure that no South African Airways aircraft may be permitted to land in the United States except in an emergency. Prohibits U.S. nationals from making loans or extending credit to South Africa or to organizations owned or controlled by South Africa. Exempts from such prohibition loans or extensions of credit: (1) for any educational, housing, or health project which is available to all persons on a nondiscriminatory basis and is located in an area accessible to all population groups; and (2) which were entered into before enactment of this Act. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should consult with the heads of allied governments at the next economic summit meeting on allied policy toward South Africa and the apartheid system. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study and report to the Congress by September 1, 1985, on the extent of starvation and malnutrition now prevalent in the homelands areas of South Africa.
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
Congressional Reports Elimination Act of 1985 - Title I: Eliminations - Repeals specified provisions of Federal law requiring certain Federal agencies, States, or the President to submit reports to the Congress. Title II: Modifications - Amends specified provisions of Federal law to: (1) discontinue requirements for reports to the Congress; (2) combine such reports; (3) reduce the frequency or the contents of such reports; (4) change the dates for submission of such reports; and (5) make technical changes.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 1985
Urges the President to: (1) institute a total boycott and embargo of U.S. trade with Nicaragua; (2) call upon the Organization of American States to institute a total trade boycott and embargo of Nicaragua; (3) call upon other countries not to trade with Nicaragua; and (4) maintain the boycott and embargo until the President finds and certifies to the Congress that Nicaragua has ceased to threaten its neighbors, reduced its military strength, and eliminated the presence of all Soviet Bloc and Cuban military advisors.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1985
Defense Procurement Program Integrity Act of 1985 - Title I: Unallowable Contract Costs - Revises provisions concerning cost or pricing data given by a contractor or subcontractor in a defense contract. Provides, in an administrative or judicial proceeding to adjust the price of a contract, that it shall be conclusively presumed that the Government relied on all cost and pricing data so furnished by a contractor or subcontractor. Outlines various situations which shall not be a defense to a price adjustment in any such proceeding. Requires interest to be charged in the case of an overpayment by the Government to a contractor or subcontractor due to the submission of inaccurate, incomplete, or non-current cost or pricing data by such contractor or subcontractor. Title II: Renegotiation Act - Renegotiation Act Amendments of 1985 - Amends the Renegotiation Act of 1951 to direct the Renegotiation Board to renegotiate contracts and subcontracts by division and by major product line within a division of the contractor or subcontractor. Sets the minimum amount subject to renegotiation for contracts or subcontracts for a fiscal year ending after the enactment of the Renegotiation Act Amendments of 1985 at $5,000,000. Requires the President, not later than October 1, 1985, to appoint members of the Renegotiation Board created under the Renegotiation Act of 1951. Authorizes appropriations to such Board for FY 1986. Title III: Cost-Accounting Standards Board - Cost-Accounting Standards Board Amendments of 1985 - Amends the Defense Production Act of 1950 to establish a Cost-Accounting Standards Board to promulgate cost-accounting standards to be followed by defense contractors and subcontractors under Federal contracts. States the effective date for the implementation of such standards. Requires such Board to report to the Congress within one year after the enactment of the Cost-Accounting Standards Board Amendments of 1985 and annually thereafter. Title IV: Contractor Profit Studies - Directs the Secretary of Defense, on a regular periodic basis but at least once every four years, to carry out studies of profits made by contractors under Department of Defense contracts to determine whether the level of such profits is reasonable. Outlines information to be included in such study. Requires the Secretary to report the findings of such study to the Congress, the Comptroller General of the United States, and the Renegotiation Board. Title V: Limitation on Contractor Claims - Requires claims submitted by contractors requesting payment in connection with a contract entered into by the Department of Defense to be submitted in a specified manner.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1985
Amends the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act to exempt from the cargo preference requirements activities of the Commodity Credit Corporation or the Department of Agriculture that promote the export of agricultural commodities.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 1985
Weapon Systems Acquisitions Improvement and Reform Act of 1985 - Establishes within the Department of Defense the position of Director of Weapon Systems Acquisitions. Provides that such Director shall be appointed by the President, without regard to political affiliation, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Requires the Director to: (1) carry out all acquisitions of weapon systems for the Department of Defense; (2) assure that each weapon system is designed to carry out the missions identified for the weapon system; (3) establish and carry out career training and other programs to establish and maintain an experienced work force in the office of the Director of Weapon System Acquisitions; (4) require the assignment of personnel to a weapon system acquisition program to assure the effective management of such program; and (5) respond to requests from the Congress relating to programs within the responsibility of the Director. Transfers to the Director all functions and activities related to the duties of the Director and within the responsibility of: (1) the Defense Contract Administration Service; (2) the Army Material Development and Readiness Command; (3) the Naval Material Command; (4) the Air Force Systems Command; (5) the Air Force Logistics Command; or (6) any other subordinate units of the Department of Defense.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend to January 1, 1989, the termination date for the deduction for expenses incurred in connection with the elimination of architectural and transportation barriers to the handicapped and the elderly.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 1985
Veterans' Administration Health Care Programs Improvement Act of 1985 - Directs the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to establish and conduct a pilot program in five geographic areas to furnish medical, rehabilitative, and social services care to eligible veterans in lieu of nursing home care. Outlines eligibility requirements for veterans participating in such program. Gives priority for such program to veterans who are either over 65 or catastrophically disabled. Requires each Veterans' Administration medical facility administering such pilot program to furnish unified care management services for each veteran receiving services under such program. Prohibits the cost of the pilot program from exceeding 60 percent of what it would have cost the VA to furnish nursing home services instead of such program. Directs the Administrator to conduct a study of the benefits of the pilot program as an alternative to nursing home care and report the findings of such study to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Congress within 18 months after the commencement of the pilot program. Requires the Administrator to submit to the same Committees a final report on the program within 90 days after the termination of such program. Commences the pilot program on January 1, 1986, and terminates it on December 31, 1988. Directs the Administrator to monitor the performance of VA programs of treatment and rehabilitation for alcohol or drug dependence or abuse to determine various benefits of such programs. Requires the Administrator to report findings to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Congress on an annual basis. Prohibits the Administrator from entering into contracts under such programs which exceed a total program level of $10,000,000 in any fiscal year. Directs the Administrator to establish and conduct in five geographic areas a pilot program under which the Administrator may contract for community residential care for chronically mentally ill veterans. Outlines eligibility requirements for veterans participating in such program. Requires each VA medical facility administering the pilot program to furnish unified care management services for each veteran receiving care under such program. Requires the Administrator, within 18 months after the commencement of the pilot program, to provide an interim report to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Congress. Requires the Administrator to submit to the same Committees a final report on the program within 90 days after the termination of such program. Commences the pilot program on January 1, 1986, and terminates it on December 31, 1988. Directs the Administrator, through the Office of the Inspector General of the VA, to establish and conduct a comprehensive quality assurance program to monitor and evaluate the quality of health care furnished by the Department of Medicine and Surgery to eligible veterans. Requires the Chief Medical Director of the Department of Medicine and Surgery to provide certain standards, statistics, and information on the surgery programs within the Department and to make evaluations and recommendations. Requires the Inspector General of the VA to review certain mortality and morbidity data collected, make certain determinations as to the appropriateness of the mortality and morbidity rates within the Department of Medicine and Surgery, and report such findings to the Congress. Requires the Administrator to establish the Advisory Committee on Veterans' Administration Facility Planning. Requires the Committee to review the criteria for sizing VA medical facilities. Directs the Committee, not later than October 1 annually, to report its findings to the VA, together with recommendations. Requires the Administrator, not later than six months after each such annual report is submitted, to transmit such report together with comments and recommendations for proposed legislation to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 1985
Amends the Federal criminal code to make it a Federal offense for any person to operate or direct the operation of a common carrier while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Imposes a fine of not more than $10,000 or imprisonment for not more than five years for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit U.S. businesses with operations in foreign countries to treat all of their domestic research and experimental expenditures as deductions against U.S. source income. (Current IRS regulations require the allocation of a portion of such expenses against foreign source income.)
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 1985
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act, the Internal Revenue Code, and other Federal law to provide that the pensions received by retired judges who are assigned to active duty shall not be treated as wages for purposes of title II.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 1985
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the administration should comply with the automatic appropriation and earmarking provisions of the Wallop/Breaux Sport Fish Restoration Trust Fund and support adequate appropriation for the Boating Safety Account in such Fund. States that funds owed to the States from such Fund should not be withheld or delayed.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide special rules for tax exclusion purposes for determining the value of air transportation provided to an employee by an employer which is not a commercial airline. Sets forth the method of calculating the value of such transportation based on the weight of the aircraft and whether or not the employee is a key employee (an employee who has control over the use, scheduling, or destination of the aircraft).
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
Youth Employment Opportunity Wage Act of 1985 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to authorize employers to pay employees under 20 years of age 75 percent of the minimum wage rate between May and September of each year. Exempts such employees from special certificate requirements. Restricts such authorization to: (1) hours worked by eligible employees in compliance with applicable child labor laws; and (2) youth employed after May 1 of each year. Prohibits the removal of employees ineligible for the subminimum wage rate in order to replace them with employees who are eligible. Makes technical and conforming amendments to the Job Training Partnership Act. Directs the Secretary of Labor to monitor the implementation of this Act and to report to the Congress concerning the employment effects of this Act. Terminates such minimum wage rate exception after September 30, 1987.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 1985
Hospice Extension Act - Amends the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 to extend hospice benefits under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act for an additional three years.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 1985
States that the Congress condemns the passage of Resolution 3379 by the United Nations General Assembly, which equates Zionism with racial discrimination and urges the U.S. Ambassador and the U.S. delegation to the United Nations to take appropriate actions to erase such resolution from the U.N. record.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 1985
Authorizes the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, from March 1, 1985, through February 28, 1986, to: (1) make expenditures from the contingent fund; (2) employ personnel; (3) utilize, on a reimbursable basis, the services of department or agency personnel; (4) procure consultant services; and (5) provide for the training of its professional staff. Sets forth additional areas of study or investigation for such committee. Authorizes the continuance of certain legal processes authorized during the 98th Congress.
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
Marine Fisheries Improvement Act of 1985 - Repeals the provisions of the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act which excluded highly migratory species of fish from the exclusive fishery management authority of the United States. Requires any owner and operator of a foreign fishing vessel intending to fish within the fishery conservation zone to submit to the Secretary of Commerce a schedule of fishing for every three months, submitted at least 30 days in advance. Requires immediate notification to the Secretary of any changes or variances from such submitted fishing schedules. Prohibits the Secretary from approving a permit for a foreign vessel to fish if the facilities on such vessels for quartering a U.S. observer are so inadequate or unsafe that the health or safety of the observer would be jeopardized. Requires each regional fishery management council to have a representative number of commercial and recreational fishermen, including at least one practicing commercial fisherman. Requires contents of fishery management plans to be submitted to the Executive Director of that area's fishery management council, along with being submitted to the Secretary. Requires the same confidentiality of the Executive Director with submitted statistics as is required of the Secretary. Requires any fishery management plan submitted to include certain specified information concerning the habitat involved. Allows such information to be excluded from such plans when habitat conservation, restoration, maintenance, and enhancement is not a significant factor in such plan. Requires recommendations concerning habitat conservation or enhancement to be responded to by the Secretary or other appropriate Federal officials within 60 days of receipt. Requires the Secretary to establish and implement a formal regional habitat planning and coordination process which would identify fishery resources of importance and the major habitat threats to such resources. Requires the Secretary, not less than every three years, to publish the result of the regional processes. Requires the establishment, in a fishery zone having limited access in order to achieve optimum yield, of a dislocation compensation program which compensates fishing vessel owners for the loss or reduction of livelihood caused by the limited access. Establishes in the Treasury the Fisheries Dislocation Compensation Fund to be used for payments made by the dislocation compensation program. Prohibits the Secretary from assessing a final civil penalty for violations which is greater than the penalty first assessed by written notice unless a significant change in information or circumstances occurs. Extends the authorization of appropriations under the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act through FY 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish an applicable test rate of nine percent for determining whether there is imputed interest in the case of seller-financed property. Permits a lower test interest rate of 80 percent of the Federal Treasury rate where such rates are lower than the nine percent test rate. Provides for a blended test rate for instances where the loan amount exceeds $4,000,000. Authorizes the imputation of interest in seller-financed property sales of $4,000,000 or less of ten percent or 110 percent of the Federal Treasury rates, whichever is less, where the test interest rates have not been met. Allows for a blended imputed interest rate where the debt amount exceeds $4,000,000. Requires that all loan amounts from a single transaction or series of related transactions be aggregated for purposes of determining the loan amount. Provides that the imputed interest rules will not apply to assumptions of loans unless the terms and conditions of such debt obligations are modified in connection with the assumption. Repeals the provisions of the Code limiting the amount of interest expense a purchaser of personal use property may deduct for tax purposes. Excepts debt instruments arising from the sale or exchange of a residence from the imputed interest provisions where the obligor of the instrument uses the property as his residence. Provides that the imputed interest rules shall not apply in the case of sales or exchanges of property where the borrowed amount does not exceed $4,000,000. Requires the interest on the obligation issued in connection with such sales or exchanges to be taken into account by both the buyer and the seller on the cash receipts and disbursement method of accounting unless both buyer and seller agree to use the accrual receipts and disbursement method of accounting.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1985
Agricultural Trade Amendment Act of 1985 - Amends the Commodity Credit Corporation Act to provide that agricultural exports, except for those under the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 (P.L. 480), shall not be subject to cargo preference requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the ten percent additional tax on early distributions (other than required distributions) from an individual retirement account.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 1985
Commends Lieutenant General Lincoln D. Faurer for exceptionally distinguished service to the U.S. Air Force, the national and defense intelligence communities, and the national security of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 1985
Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to provide for the revocation of "country under the agreement" status if any country having an agreement with the United States on subsidies and countervailing measures, or an equivalent obligation, either: (1) announces that it does not intend or is not able to honor its obligations with the United States; or (2) does not honor such obligations.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 1985
Prohibits the cargo preference laws from applying to export activities of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) or the Department of Agriculture under which: (1) stocks of farm commodities or the products thereof acquired by the CCC are made available to U.S. exporters, users, or foreign purchasers for the maintenance or expansion of commercial export markets for U.S. farm commodities; (2) commercial credit guarantees are blended with direct interest-free credits from the CCC to reduce the interest rate on export sales of U.S. farm commodities; or (3) the CCC or the Department of Agriculture promotes commercial exports of U.S. farm commodities. Exempts from such prohibition export activity undertaken to fulfill an agreement entered into before enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the requirement that adequate contemporaneous records be kept of the business use of an agricultural or an emergency vehicle or of any vehicle with respect to which the only use other than a qualified business use is a qualified personal use. Defines "qualified personal use" as the personal use of such a vehicle by an employee: (1) if the employer requires the employee to commute to and from work for business reasons; or (2) if the employee is required to use such vehicle as an integral part of the performance of the trade or business, including the use of the vehicle to make calls on customers or clients, to make deliveries, or to visit job sites. Requires that 70 percent or more of the total use of such a vehicle for the taxable year be for a qualified business use. Treats the use of such a vehicle for nonbusiness purposes as a tax-free de minimis fringe benefit.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 1985
Amends the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Statute to extend the statute's coverage to the sexual exploitation of children. Provides for a civil action for treble damages by any person injured personally or in his or her business or property as a result of a violation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 1985
Child Sexual Abuse and Pornography Act of 1985 - Amends the Federal criminal code with regard to the sexual exploitation of children. Makes it a Federal offense for any person to advertise: (1) any product depicting sexually explicit conduct with a minor; or (2) the opportunity to participate in any such conduct with a minor. Establishes guidelines to assist the courts in determining the age of the child appearing in such pornographic materials. Eliminates any requirement that the government must identify the minor in order to obtain a conviction. Amends the Mann Act to include the transportation of males within its coverage and makes other changes so that the offense is sex neutral. Increases the penalty for the transportation of minors. Provides for a fine of not more than $75,000 or imprisonment for not more than 15 years, or both. Increases the fine to not more than $150,000 or imprisonment for a minimum of two years and a maximum of 20 years for a subsequent conviction. Repeals the requirement that the prohibited conduct be considered lewd or be for commercial purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1985
Bipartisan Commission on Congressional Campaign Financing Act - Establishes the Bipartisan Commission on Congressional Campaign Financing to consider and study laws, regulations, and public commentary relating to the financing of congressional elections. Requires such study to give particular attention to the extent to which current campaign financing practices undermine public confidence in the Government. Requires the Commission to consider the following changes in the present system of campaign financing: (1) increasing or decreasing allowable contributions; (2) increasing the income tax credit for campaign contributions; (3) initiating a plan of public financing; (4) making available free or subsidized broadcasting time; or (5) examining the role of independent expenditures. Directs the Commission to make reasonable efforts to achieve the broadest bipartisan consensus in arriving at its recommendations. Requires the Commission, not later than one year after enactment of this Act, to submit to the Congress its final report. Terminates the Commission 90 days after submission of such report. Requires the Director of the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress and the Chairman of the Federal Election Commission, not later than two months after enactment of this Act, to transmit briefing papers to the Bipartisan Commission which catalog and synthesize pertinent reports, analyses, and recommendations. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1985
Readiness Enhancement of Air Force Reserve Special Operations Act of 1985 - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 for the operation and maintenance of: (1) a Special Operations Wing of the Air Force Reserve; and (2) the Directorate of the Department of Defense Task Force on Drug Law Enforcement. Directs the Secretary of Defense, not later than September 30, 1985, to report to specified congressional committees concerning the expenditure of funds authorized by this Act. Outlines information to be included in such report.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 1985
Directs that proceedings in the Senate Chamber be broadcast by radio and television: (1) continuously when the Senate is in session (except when a closed door meeting is ordered); and (2) subject to certain provisions of the Standing Rules of the Senate pertaining to the Senate gallery. Requires that broadcasts be supervised and operated by the Senate and made available on a live basis and free of charge to specified entities. Requires the television broadcasts to follow the Presiding Officer and Senators who are recognized to speak. Directs the Architect of the Capitol to provide for the construction and acquisition of broadcasting facilities and equipment. Sets forth duties of the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate with respect to the operation and maintenance of such equipment and the disposition of audio and video tape recordings. Directs the Librarian of Congress and the Archivist of the United States to receive, store, and make such recordings available to the public at no cost for viewing or listening on the premises. Authorizes the charging of a fee equal to the cost involved through distribution of taped copies. Provides for a test period of Senate broadcasting equipment. Prohibits the use of tape duplications of broadcast coverage for political or commercial purposes. Requires that changes in regulations made by this resolution be made only by Senate resolution. Authorizes expenditures, limited to a specified amount, to carry out this resolution.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 1985
Maternal and Child Health Preventive Care Amendments of 1985 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to: (1) provide that the making available to pregnant women of any pregnancy-related services shall not require the making available of such services to any other group of Medicaid individuals, provided such services are available to all covered pregnant women; and (2) permit a State to extend the eligibility of pregnant women for 60 days following the end of a pregnancy.