United States · United States Congress · 14 June 1983
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) State regulatory commissions should carefully review requests for telephone rate increases; (2) the Federal Communications Commission should ascertain the impact on telephone rates of regulatory changes and judicial decisions and should furnish the House with an estimate of the number of people who would suffer an economic hardship or be forced to discontinue telephone service as a result of such changes and decisions; and (3) specified House committees should consider legislation that will assure affordable telephone service for all the people of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 1983
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the continuing possibility that the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code relating to withholding of tax from interest and dividends will be repealed is creating, for all payors, an undue hardship within the meaning of the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982, and that the Secretary of the Treasury should exercise his authority under such Act to delay the effective date of such provisions until December 31, 1983.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 1983
Rural Electrification and Telephone Revolving Fund Self-Sufficiency Act of 1983 - Amends the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (REA) to eliminate the requirement for a State certificate of convenience and necessity before the Administrator may make loans to provide rural telephone service. Revises the liabilities and uses of the Rural Electrification and Telephone Revolving Fund established under the REA to provide that notes of the Administrator to the Secretary of the Treasury to obtain funds for loans shall be equity capital of the Fund. States that assets of the Fund shall be available only for: (1) payment of interest and principal on loans to the Administrator from the Secretary of the Treasury; and (2) for certificates of beneficial ownership issued to such Secretary or in the private market. Requires the Administrator to maintain two separate accounts within the fund: (1) the Electrification Account; and (2) the Telephone Account. Lists the items that shall be accounted for in each Account respectively, and restricts the purposes for which the assets of each Account shall be available. Authorizes the Administrator to repurchase specified certificates of beneficial ownership under certain conditions affecting their interest rates. Establishes guidelines for interest-bearing insured loans made by the Administrator to electric and telephone borrowers. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to request in each annual supplemental budget estimate the amount needed to replenish the Fund for anticipated and actual costs resulting from loans made at less than a specified rate during the preceding fiscal year. Directs the Administrator to guarantee loans to specified borrowers or to accommodate or subordinate liens or mortgages held in the Fund, according to prescribed rules and regulations. Directs the Administration to promulgate such rules and regulations within 90 days after the effective date of this Act. Prescribes guidelines under which certain lenders are authorized to adjust interest rates on loans guaranteed by the Administrator. Requires rural electrification borrowers to obtain concurrent supplemental financing according to prescribed guidelines in any fiscal year in which the minimum loan level for insured rural electrification loans is less than $1,000,000,000. Repeals the loan-making authority of the Governor of the Rural Telephone Bank which require approval by the Secretary of Agriculture of facilities or lines to be acquired with such loans. Eliminates loan restrictions placed upon potential borrowers whose net worth exceed their assets by twenty percent.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1983
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that tax-exempt interest shall not be taken into account in determining the amount of social security benefits subject to tax.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 1983
Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) to declare that contributions, gifts, or payments by union members to a separate fund which is used by the union for political purposes must be voluntary and unrelated to moneys required as a condition of employment. Declares it to be unlawful to use moneys paid to an organization as a condition of employment for any type of election or campaign activities by such organization.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 1983
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt from the excise tax on sales of heavy trucks and trailers piggyback trailers or semi trailers designed for use principally in connection with trailer-on-flatcar service by rail.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 1983
Church Audit Procedures Act of 1983 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to restrict the Secretary of the Treasury from investigating or auditing churches unless the Secretary possesses evidence causing him to believe that a church: (1) is carrying on an unrelated trade or business; or (2) should not be granted tax-exempt status. Restricts the Secretary from beginning any investigation unless he has first provided the church with written notice that an investigation is being commenced. Sets forth the requirements of such notice. Requires that the Secretary must first approve an application by the regional counsel of the internal revenue region for examination of church records and religious activities before beginning any such examination. Requires the Secretary, prior to the approval of any such application, to offer in writing an opportunity for a conference to discuss facts, evidence, and issues relevant to the investigation. Requires the Secretary to notify the church in writing of the approval of the application for examination at least 15 days prior to the commencement of such examination. Limits the examination of religious activities to that necessary to determine whether an organization is a church or convention or association of churches. Limits the examination of church records to that necessary to determine the amount of tax imposed. Allows an organization which claims that the Secretary has violated the provisions of this Act to bring a civil action for injunctive relief against the Secretary. Reduces the statute of limitations for collection after assessment of tax to three years in the case of any organization which is a church or convention or association of churches.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1983
Veterans Disability Compensation Amendments of 1983 - Title I: Veterans Disability Compensation Benefits - Increases the rates of veterans' disability compensation, additional compensation for such veterans' dependents, and the clothing allowance for certain disabled veterans. Title II: Survivors' Dependency and Indemnity Compensation Benefits - Increases the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and for children as well as the rates of supplemental dependency and indemnity compensation for children. Title III: Miscellaneous Provisions - Makes an exception to the commencement of period of payment rule for an increased award of compensation by reason of a temporary increase in compensation for hospitalization or treatment of a veteran (thus making such temporary increase payable before the first day of the calendar month following the month in which the increase become effective). Amends the Veterans' Compensation, Education, and Employment Amendments of 1982 to revise the effective dates respecting Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) coverage for deaths and disabilities incurred before and after FY 1982. Includes certain adopted children within the definition of child for veterans' benefits purposes. Decreases to ten percent disabling the degree of deafness a veteran suffering from service- connected total blindness must be rated to qualify for additional disability compensation. Reduces from 40 percent to 30 percent disabling the degree of deafness a veteran suffering from service-connected blindness with 5/200 visual acuity or less must be rated to qualify for such additional compensation.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1983
Increases the maximum number of associate members of the Board of Veterans Appeals from 50 to 65. Permits the Chairman to designate a temporary member. Limits such designees to one per section of the Board.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1983
Veterans' Housing Benefits Amendments of 1983 - Authorizes the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to make advances to the holder of a veteran's primary mortgage when such veteran: (1) is living in the dwelling concerned; (2) is unemployed or suffered a substantial reduction in household income; (3) is at least six months delinquent in payments; and (4) has a reasonable prospect of being able to resume full payments within six months. Sets limits on the amount of assistance which may be advanced. Requires the veteran to repay the advance with interest at the rate specified by the Administrator for veterans' guaranteed loans within 48 months. Makes the Administrator's decisions regarding advances final and nonreviewable. Terminates the advance program after two years. Authorizes the Administrator to make guaranteed loans to eligible veterans for manufactured homes permanently affixed to a lot. Permits the Administrator to exclude from the computation of a veteran's aggregate guaranty or insurance entitlement any amount taken over by any veteran-transferee, not just an immediate veteran-transferee, who consents to use his own entitlement. Extends by five years, through FY 1989, the Administrator's grants to States to assist in the establishment or improvement of State veterans' cemeteries. Authorizes the Administrator to make contributions to local authorities for the construction of traffic controls or other improvements or devices necessary for safe ingress to or egress from a national cemetery.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 1983
Health Planning Block Grant Act of 1983 - Replaces title XV (National Health Planning and Development) of the Public Health Service Act with State health planning block grants. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 and 1985. Sets forth a schedule for the issuance of regulations, the approval or disapproval of State applications, and the obligation of funds. Denies funding to any State which does not revise its certificate of need laws to accord with this Act. Bases State allotments on population. Provides that any unallocated funds shall be returned to the Treasury. Provides with regard to State allotments that: (1) unobligated funds shall be available to the State for the next fiscal year; and (2) payments may be reduced by the value of furnished supplies or certain travel costs. Requires States to use their allotments to develop a certificate of need program and a State health plan. Prohibits a State from receiving funds unless its application has been approved by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Requires such application to include a report on intended expenditures. Requires States to prepare activity reports and to audit expenditures at least every two years. Prohibits discrimination on the basis of age, handicap, sex, religion, race, color, or national origin in the administration of any programs or activities funded under this Act. Prescribes compliance and enforcement measures. Requires States to determine that there is a need for a new institutional health service and capital expenditure before offering such services or obligating funds. Exempts health maintenance organization (HMO) services and inpatient health care facilities controlled by an HMO or group of HMOs from certificate of need requirements, upon approval of application for such exemption. Permits the approval of a certificate of need for an HMO in certain circumstances, especially for the acquisition of major medical equipment. Requires that certificates of need for capital expenditures state a maximum spendable amount. Authorizes the State agency, after a hearing, to withdraw a certificate of need for applicant noncompliance. Requires the State agency to review a certificate of need application on the basis of the State Health Plan. Sets forth procedural requirements respecting a State certificate of need program. Prescribes the general contents of a State health plan. Requires a biennial revision of such plan. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to States for the regional health planning agencies. Sets forth a formula for the allocation of grant funds. Conditions such grants on the designation of intrastate or interstate health planning areas established according to specified criteria. Requires a regional health planning agency for each such area. Limits the sources of non-Federal contributions to such agencies. Describes the functions of such agencies. Authorizes FY 1984 and 1985 appropriations. Directs the Secretary by grants or contracts to assist public or private nonprofit entities in meeting the operating costs of a center for multidisciplinary health planning methods development and technical assistance. Repeals the health planning block grant program effective September 30 of the third complete successive fiscal year after enactment of this Act. States that such repeal will not affect any suits or other proceedings begun before such effective date.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 1983
Veterans Administration Health Programs Amendments of 1983 - Extends by three years, from FY 1984 to FY 1987, the period during which Vietnam-era veterans may request psychological readjustment counseling from the Veterans Administration. Directs the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to conduct a comprehensive study of the readjustment of Vietnam-era veterans to civilian life. Requires that such study include a nationwide survey of the prevalence and incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder and related readjustment problems among such veterans and a survey of their health status in relation to that of the general population. Directs the Administrator to report to Congress on such study by December 31, 1985. Increases the amount of reimbursement which the Administrator shall pay to a State for furnishing domiciliary, hospital, or nursing home care to eligible veterans who receive such care in State facilities. Directs the Administrator to report to the Veterans' Affairs Committees every three years on the appropriate rates for payments. Extends from FY 1983 to 1984 the authority of the Administrator to contract for hospital care or medical services in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands without reference to patient loads or incidence of provision of medical services for veterans treated by the Veterans Administration in the contiguous 48 States. Directs the Administrator to establish an Advisory Committee on Women Veterans to advise the Administrator or on the administration of benefits for and needs of women veterans. Directs Committee to report annually to the Administrator on the activities of the Veterans Administration pertaining to women, together with assessments of needs and recommendations for future action. Directs the Administrator to submit such report to Congress. Prohibits the Administrator from disposing of real property under his or her jurisdiction until 180 days (currently, 30 days) have elapsed since the Administrator notified the Veterans' Affairs Committees of such intention. Requires the Administrator to determine that certain real property under his or her jurisdiction is not needed by the Veterans Administration to carry out its functions before such property may be declared excess. Permits the Administrator to release the reversionary interest of the United States restricting the use of specified lands in Biloxi, Mississippi to use as a public park or for other public purpose.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 1983
Home Ownership Incentive Act of 1983 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an income tax deduction for contributions of cash, stocks, bond, or other securities tradeable on an established exchange to a tax-exempt trust account established for the exclusive purpose of purchasing the taxpayer's first principal residence. Limits the maximum annual deduction to $1,000 with a maximum lifetime deduction of $10,000. Excludes distributions from such account from gross income if they are used exclusively for the purchase of a first principal residence. Imposes a ten percent surtax on distributions from an individual housing account which are not used for the purchase of a principal residence. Requires the trustee of an individual housing account to report on the maintenance of the account. Imposes a penalty for failure to file required reports.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 1983
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an extension of time for payment of estate taxes in the case of acquisitions from a decedent's estate of real property by qualified organizations which intend to use such property for conservation purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 1983
State and Local Fiscal Assistance Amendments of 1983 - Extends the general revenue sharing program through FY 1987. Extends through FY 1988 the provisions which allow for a State variation of local government allocations. Authorizes appropriations to the State and Local Government Fiscal Assistance Trust Fund to pay entitlement amounts to State and general local governments. Repeals the requirement that States refund categorical grant program amounts to the Federal Government before they can receive entitlement amounts. Repeals the separate law enforcement officer allocations for Louisiana. Requires a State or local government receiving a revenue sharing entitlement payment to have an audit annually (or biennially if such government operates on a biennial fiscal period). Requires such government, not later than 30 days following completion of the audit, to submit a copy to the Secretary of the Treasury for public inspection. Permits a waiver of such audit requirement if the Secretary decides that the financial statements of such government for such year cannot be audited, and the government shows substantial progress in making the statements auditable.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 1983
Deems a named veteran to be suffering from a service-connected disability resulting from service in Nagasaki, Japan, for purposes of entitlement to disability compensation.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 1983
Agricultural Productivity Act of 1983 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to: (1) make an inventory of existing research and extension materials and recommend further areas of research regarding crop rotation, intercropping, biological pest control, and other related farming and soil conservation systems; and (2) make such information available to the public. Directs the Secretary to conduct research on 12 pilot farms (having specified mixes of livestock and crops) to examine the effects of the transition from practices relying on chemical fertilizers and pesticides and traditional soil tillage to systems relying on organic and biological pest control, crop rotation, and conservation tillage. Requires such farms to be chosen within 120 days. Directs the Secretary to make a parallel study of 12 farms which have been using such farm systems for at least five years. Sets the term of such projects at five years each. Sets forth on-farm study data, including soil profile changes, crop yields, energy and water use, and farm income. Directs the Secretary to make payments to the owner of a pilot farm if the Secretary determines such payments are justified. Stipulates that these payments may be made only during a project's last four years. Directs the Secretary to coordinate such pilot farms project with specified Federal and State agricultural services, colleges, and farmers. Directs the Secretary to report to the appropriate congressional committees: (1) within 15 months regarding the information inventory; and (2) by April 1 of each year from 1985 through 1988 regarding the pilot farms, with a final project summary and recommendations by April 1, 1989. Provides for a five-year program of intercropping assistance under the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 through 1988.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 1983
Mound State Park Erosion Correction Act of 1983 - Directs the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to take measures to control streambank erosion on the Warrior River in order to protect Mound State Park, Alabama. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 1983
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should reduce imports of apparel to no more than 25 percent of the American apparel market.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 1983
Authorizes the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to make available to eligible veterans guaranteed loans for the purchase of manufactured homes that are permanently affixed to a lot.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 1983
Authorizes the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to make advances to the holder of a veteran's primary mortgage when such veteran: (1) is temporarily unemployed; (2) is at least six months delinquent in payments; and (3) has a reasonable prospect of being able to resume full payments within six months. Sets limits on the amount of assistance which may be advanced. Requires the veteran to repay the advance with interest at the rate specified by the Administrator for veterans' guaranteed loans within 54 months. States that if the veteran defaults on the mortgage despite the advances made, the advances do not reduce the obligation of the Administrator under the guaranty on the primary mortgage. Specifies that advances be made from the Direct Loan Revolving Fund established for veterans' loans. Makes the Administrator's decisions regarding advances final and nonreviewable. Terminates the advance program after two years.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 1983
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt holdings in an independent local newspaper business from the tax on excess business holdings of private foundations. Defines an "independent local newspaper business" as: (1) a proprietorship which publishes an independent local newspaper; (2) a partnership which publishes such a newspaper and which has none of its outstanding partnership interests traded in an established securities market; and (3) a corporation which publishes such a newspaper and which has none of its outstanding capital stock traded in an established securities market.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 1983
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the definition of "compensation" jury service fees received by a spouse, for purposes of the retirement savings deduction for individuals with nonworking spouses.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 1983
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to study and report to specified congressional committees on the advisability of replacing only the Federal individual income tax or replacing both the Federal individual income tax and the Federal corporate income tax with a simplified income tax on gross income.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 1983
Amends the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure to permit service of process by mail upon the United States in the person of the United States Attorney (or his designee) for the district in which the action is brought.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1983
Sipsey Wilderness Additions Act of 1983 - Designates certain lands in the Bankhead National Forest in Alabama as part of the Sipsey Wilderness. Provides that the RARE II (second roadless area review and evaluation) Final Environmental Statement (dated January 1979) with respect to national forest system lands in Alabama shall not be subject to judicial review. Releases national forest system lands in Alabama which were reviewed in the RARE II program from further review by the Department of Agriculture, pending the revision of initial national forest management plans. Releases lands in Alabama reviewed in the RARE II program and not designated as wilderness from management as wilderness areas. Prohibits the department of Agriculture from conducting any further statewide roadless area review and evaluation of national forest system lands in Alabama without express congressional authorization.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 1983
Authorizes appropriations for FY 1985-1989 to provide a five-year extension to permit States to apply for Federal aid in establishing or improving State veterans' cemeteries.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 1983
Title I: Amendments to Title 18, United States Code (18 U.S.C. 921-928) - Amends the Gun Control Act of 1968 to redefine: (1) "manufacturer" to mean any person engaged in the "business of manufacturing" (instead of "manufacture" of) firearms or ammunition; and (2) "dealer" to exclude dealers in ammunition. Adds a new definition, "engaged in the business," with respect to manufacturers, dealers, and importers. Defines as a manufacturer, dealer, or importer of firearms a person who manufactures or deals in a regular course of trade or business with the principal objective of livelihood and profit. Excludes as dealers persons making occasional sales or repairs of firearms. Eliminates certain activities involving ammunition from the coverage of the current prohibitions. Makes it unlawful for any person to transfer any firearm to a person who does not reside in the same State if the transferor has reasonable cause to believe that acquisition of the firearm by such person would violate any State or local law or ordinance. Requires such transfer to be face to face. Presumes a licensee to have actual knowledge of the published laws of the State. Revises the current prohibition against certain classes of persons transporting a firearm or ammunition in interstate commerce to extend such prohibition to possession or receipt in commerce or affecting commerce of any firearm or ammunition. Includes as additional categories illegal aliens, dishonorably discharged members of the Armed Forces, and U.S. citizens who renounce their citizenship. Excludes ammunition dealers from the current licensing requirements. Declares that a licensed dealer's personal collection of firearms shall not be subject to recordkeeping requirements, under specific circumstances. Permits the Secretary of the Treasury to revoke a license only where the holder "willfully" violates a provision of the Act. Bars the Secretary from denying or revoking a license on the basis of violations which are alleged in criminal proceedings instituted against a licensee where such individual is not convicted of such charges. Allows the government to voluntarily dismiss criminal charges prior to trial and still proceed with revocation. Imposes as a condition for the inspection or examination of records, documents, firearms, or ammunition that the Secretary has reasonable cause to believe that a violation has occurred and that evidence may be found on the premises. Requires a warrant to be issued for such search. Restricts the firearms information obtained from licensees which the Secretary may make available to State or local governments. Establishes a limited recordkeeping requirement for firearms collectors. Establishes a "willful" scienter (knowledge) requirement with respect to general violations of the Act. Revises the current offense of using or carrying a firearm during commission of a Federal felony to: (1) include use of a destructive device; (2) delete the act of "carrying" a firearm to commit a felony; and (3) limit such offense to felonies over which the Federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Retains the current penalty (one to ten years) for first offenses. Increases the penalty for second or subsequent offenses to five to 25 years imprisonment (currently, two to 25 years). Extends to first offenders the requirement, currently applicable only to second offenders, that the court not suspend any sentence or grant probation. Prohibits the granting of parole to first and subsequent offenders. Declares that no person shall be subject to the additional, mandatory penalties if use of the firearm or destructive device was to protect persons or property. Amends the forfeiture provision to subject to seizure any firearm or ammunition "involved in or used" in any violation of the Gun Control Act (instead of "involved in or used or intended to be used"). Directs the court to award attorney fees to the prevailing party (other than the United States) in a proceeding for the return of seized firearms or ammunition. Requires the court to award such fees in any other action upon a finding that the action was without foundation or was initiated in bad faith. Limits seizure to firearms individually identified as involved in the violation. Revises the current procedure allowing persons who have been convicted of a crime to apply to the Secretary for relief from the firearms prohibitions to make the following changes. Permits any person prohibited from possessing, shipping, transporting, or receiving firearms or ammunition to apply for relief. Requires (instead of permits) the Secretary to grant release unless the applicant will be likely to act in a manner dangerous to public safety. Permits any person who is denied relief to seek de novo judicial review in Federal court. Imposes on the applicant the burden of proof. Makes the authority of the Secretary to permit importation of certain types of firearms and ammunition nondiscretionary. Extends the types of sporting firearms which may be imported. Amends the rulemaking authority of the Secretary to provide that no regulation may require the transfer of records required under this Act to a facility owned, managed, or controlled by the United States or any State or the establishment of any system of registration of firearms, firearms owners, or firearms transactions. Requires a 90-day public comment period for proposed regulations (no period is currently specified). Prohibits the Secretary from prescribing regulations which require purchasers of black powder to complete affidavits or forms attesting to their exemption from certain provisions of the Federal criminal code. Declares any law or regulation promulgated by any State prohibiting the transfer of an unloaded and not readily accessible firearm or ammunition null and void. Title II: Amendments to Title VII of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 - Repeals title VII of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act (relating to the receipt, possession, or transportation of firearms by felons, veterans dishonorably discharged, mental incompetents, illegal aliens, and persons renouncing their United States citizenship).
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1983
Health Research Extension Act of 1983 - Amends title IV of the Public Health Service Act (National Research Institutes) to establish as an agency of the Public Health Service the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (abolished as a statutory entity by Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1966) consisting of the following 12 categorical institutes: (1) the National Cancer Institute; (2) the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; (3) the National Institute of Diabetes, and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; (4) the National Institute on Aging; (5) the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; (6) the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; (7) the National Institute of Dental Research; (8) the National Eye Institute; (9) the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke; (10) the National Institute of General Medical Sciences; (11) the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; and (12) the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases. Establishes as agencies within NIH: (1) the Division of Research Resources; (2) the National Library of Medicine; (3) the John E. Fogarty International Center for Advanced Study in the Health Sciences; (4) the Office of Medical Applications of Research; (5) the National Center for Health Services Research; (6) the National Center for Health Statistics; and (7) the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Permits the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish additional research institutes. Provides that: (1) the NIH shall be headed by a Director, who shall be appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate; (2) the Secretary acting through the Director shall be responsible for the overall direction of NIH, including specified administrative and supervisory functions; and (3) the Director shall delegate certain program promotion and coordination functions to an Assistant Director including the formulation of a long-range disease Prevention Plan (the first Plan to be prepared by January 1, 1985). Prohibits human fetal experimentation unless: (1) necessary for the survival or meeting of the health needs of the fetus; or (2) the risk to the fetus is minimal and no other alternative is possible. Sets forth waiver provisions. Directs the Secretary to appoint a National Institutes of Health Advisory Board to: (1) advise and make recommendations to the Secretary and the Director; and (2) prepare a biennial report. Requires a biennial report to be submitted by the Secretary to the President and to Congress consisting of: (1) a description of the NIH's activities; (2) the biennial report of the Advisory Board; and (3) the biennial reports of the directors of each of the national research institutes and their advisory councils. Requires the Director of NIH to establish Centers for Research and Demonstration of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (ten in FY 1984, ten in FY 1985, and five in FY 1986) to undertake research and demonstration projects in health promotion, disease prevention, and improved methods of appraising health hazards and risk factors. Provides that the Director of the National Cancer Institute shall be appointed by the President, and the Directors of the other national research institutes shall be appointed by the Secretary. Sets forth the general duties of the Secretary (acting through the Director of each national research institute) with respect to the aspect of human health for which the institutes were established. Authorizes activities and programs to be supported through grants and contracts approved by each Director. States that each institute shall have an Assistant Director for Prevention. Directs the Secretary to appoint an advisory council for each institute. Sets forth the duties of such advisory councils, including the periodic review of research. Requires the director of each institute to prepare a biennial report. Authorizes specified appropriations for FY 1984 through 1986. States the general purpose and defines the scope of the National Cancer Institute. Requires that cancer control programs under the Institute include demonstration methods for disseminating cancer prevention information to the public. Directs the Secretary, through the Director of the Institute, to establish an information and education center to collect and disseminate information on cancer. Authorizes such Director to: (1) support production or distribution of therapeutic substances for cancer research, including biological materials, and set safety standards for their use; (2) with the approval of such Institute's advisory council, support certain cancer research by foreign nationals outside the United States, encourage collaborative research involving American and foreign participants, and train Americans abroad or foreign nationals in the United States; (3) support education and training programs; (4) coordinate certain research by industrial concerns; (5) hire experts and consultants; (6) acquire, repair, or construct facilities, including facilities in the District of Columbia; (7) appoint advisory committees; (8) enter into contracts, leases, or other transactions; and (9) submit an annual budget estimate to the President. Deletes the existing limitation on aggregate payments respecting cooperative agreements to establish cancer research and demonstration centers, and extends the period of support for a center to five years (with additional extensions of not more than five years). Eliminates the existing requirement that at least two members of the President's Cancer Panel be scientists or physicians, and requires the filling of vacancies within 90 days of their occurrence. States the general purpose and defines the scope of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Requires the Secretary, through the Director of the Institute, to establish an information and education center to collect and disseminate information on research, treatment, and prevention of such diseases. Deletes the existing limitation on aggregate payments respecting research and demonstration centers for heart, blood vessel, lung, and blood diseases. States the general purpose of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Establishes information clearinghouses, data systems, and Associate Director positions, advisory boards, interagency coordinating committees, advisory council subcommittees, and research and training centers. Requires a biennial Institute report. Establishes the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases. Establishes an information clearinghouse and data system, arthritis and skin diseases coordinating committees, demonstration project grant authority, and multipurpose centers. Requires a biennial Institute report. Establishes a National Arthritis Advisory Board. Sets forth the general purpose of the National Institute on Aging. Transfers the responsibility for public information and education programs on aging from the Secretary to the Director of such Institute. Sets forth the general purposes of the National Institutes of: (1) Allergy and Infectious Diseases; (2) Child Health and Human Development (including grants to mental retardation research centers); (3) Dental Research; (4) Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke; (5) General Medical Sciences; and (6) Environmental Health Sciences. Sets forth the general purpose of the National Eye Institutes. Establishes in the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke an Interagency Committee on Spinal Cord Injury to develop and implement Federal initiatives in spinal cord regeneration research. Requires an annual report to Congress. Sets forth the general purposes of the Division of Research Resources, the John E. Fogarty International Center for Advanced Study in the Health Sciences, and the Office for Medical Applications of Research. Authorizes appropriations for National Research Service Awards through FY 1986. Limits the scope of the Institutional Review Board's authority to federally-financed research. Exempts research which does not involve human risk from such review authority. Requires the Director of NIH to establish procedures for periodic, technical, and scientific peer review of NIH research. States that such procedures shall require that: (1) the reviewing entity be given a written description of the research to be reviewed; and (2) such entity shall provide the advisory council of the institute involved with the results of such review. Requires grant or contract recipients to establish an administrative entity to review project reports of scientific fraud and to report any substantial allegations to the Secretary. Requires the Director of NIH to establish a process for handling such allegations. Provides for expedited grant procedures in cases of public health emergencies. Requires an annual report to the appropriate congressional committees regarding such actions. Requires the Secretary to establish animal research standards, including the formation of animal care committees. Requires NIH grant and contract recipients to meet such standards. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) accept certain conditional gifts for the NIH or a national research institute; and (2) establish suitable memorials for donations of $50,000 or more. Terminates the National Advisory Health Council. Makes technical changes in specified provisions of the Public Health Service Act and other Federal health laws. Amends the Orphan Drug Act to eliminate the provision requiring the establishment of at least ten sickle cell disease centers. States that the National Library of Medicine shall be an agency of NIH (presently established as part of the Public Health Service). Extends authorizations of appropriations through FY 1986. Requires: (1) an NIH pertussis vaccines study (including comparisons with vaccines used abroad); and (2) such study to be completed and reported to Congress by April 1, 1984, or six months after enactment of this Act, whichever is later. Requires the Institute on Aging to conduct a study of personnel for the health needs of the elderly. Requires a report to the appropriate congressional committees by March 1, 1985. Provides for a study of the effects of commercialization on biomedical research. Requires completion of this study by September 30, 1985. Establishes an Interagency Committee on Learning Disabilities. Requires a report to Congress within 18 months. Terminates the Committee 90 days after such report is submitted. Requires the Secretary to conduct a study of: (1) the effectiveness of the national research institutes; and (2) the research programs of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Prohibits the establishment of any new national research institute (excluding the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases) for at least six months. Requires: (1) the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to conduct research on diet therapy for kidney failure; and (2) a report to Congress by January 1, 1987. Authorizes pay increases and extended work schedules for Public Health Service nurses at NIH. Directs the Secretary to follow specified Office of Management and Budget guidelines in calculating biomedical and behavioral research costs. Establishes the National Commission on Orphan Diseases to evaluate public and private rare disease activities. Requires a report to the Secretary and to each House of Congress by September 30, 1985. Terminates such Commission 90 days after submitting such report. Authorizes FY 1984 and FY 1985 appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1983
Emergency Vietnam Veterans' Jobs Training Act of 1983 - Directs the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to establish an on-the-job training program for Vietnam-era and disabled veterans. Requires that such program be carried out through payments to employers who employ such veterans in jobs that involve significant training of employees. Requires an eligible veteran to have been unemployed for at least 15 of the last 20 weeks before applying for participation. Establishes maximum periods of assisted training: 12 months for a veteran with a service-connected disability rated at 30 percent or more, six months for any other veterans. Requires employers to provide approved training for at least six months. Permits an approved veteran to select an approved program of job training with any for-profit private employer which hires the veteran into the regular work force with the expectation of permanent employment after the training ends. Directs the Administrator to make payments to such employers, not exceeding 50 percent of the wages paid to the training veteran. Sets forth the requirements an employer's training program must fulfill, including a certification that the wages and benefits paid to a participating veteran are equivalent to those paid to other employees participating in a similar program of training, and that there is a reasonable certainty that a position of that type will be available to such veteran upon completion. Prohibits the Administrator from approving programs involving seasonal or temporary jobs or industries in which a substantial number of experienced workers are unemployed. Prohibits the Administrator from making payments when the conduct or progress of the veteran is unsatisfactory due to circumstances within the employer's control. Authorizes the Administrator to disapprove further participation by eligible veterans in any previously approved program failing to meet the requirements of this Act. Permits veterans otherwise eligible for this program to pursue, instead, a full-time vocational training program at an approved educational institution. Sets forth the conditions of such training. Directs the Administrator to provide an outreach and public information program to inform both eligible veterans and employers about this program. Directs the Administrator to establish procedures and obtain the assistance of disabled veterans outreach program specialists and personnel in regional offices of the Veterans Administration. Directs the Secretary of Labor to provide for the participation of eligible veterans in training programs under this Act and under the Jobs Training Partnership Act. Requires the Secretary to make special efforts to inform eligible veterans of training opportunities. Requires both the Secretary and the Administrator to provide employment counseling services to any eligible veteran who requests them. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1984 and 1985. Terminates this program after 15 months for the initial application period and after 27 months for the payment of assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1983
Broadcast Licensing, Renewal, and Deregulation Act of 1983 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to establish new procedures for reviewing petitions to deny broadcast license applications. Requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to grant a license renewal application by a radio or television broadcast station licensee unless the actions of the licensee evidences such serious disregard for the Communications Act and for the rules and policies of the FCC that denial of the application is justified. Prohibits the FCC from considering the applications of other persons for a broadcast station's facilities when the FCC is acting upon a license renewal application by a radio or television broadcast station. Permits persons holding construction permits or station licenses to transfer the permit or license without first obtaining an FCC finding that the transfer serves the public interest. Requires the FCC to be notified of such transfer. Provides for public notice of the transfer. Provides for disposition by the FCC of objections to such transfer. Prohibits the FCC from considering whether the public interest would be served by the transfer of the permit or license involved to a different person. Repeals certain provisions relating to the application of the antitrust laws. Prohibits the FCC from imposing requirements on radio or television licensees relating to: (1) programs; (2) programming formats; (3) ascertainment; (4) commercialization; and (5) maintenance of program logs.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 1983
Amends the Bankruptcy Act to provide that a debtor shall not be discharged from a judgment debt resulting from a liability based upon driving while legally intoxicated.