Year Legislation Significance
1982 Export Trading Company Act Established the Office of Export Trade in the Department of
Commerce; promoted increased export of American goods and services;
authorized Export-Import Bank to furnish loans to export trading
companies.
1982 Copyright Law Amendment Extended until 1986 the manufacturing clause of the U.S. Copyright
Law; enacted pursuant to override of President’s Ronald Reagan’s veto.
1982 Garn-St. Germain Depository
Institutions Act
Created a three-year program to enable failing federally insured
financial institutions to receive government notes; expanded powers of
the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and Federal Savings and
Loan Insurance Corporation to arrange mergers of banks and savings
and loan organizations.1983 Surface Transportation Assistance
Act
Authorized $53.6 billion for highway construction and repair and $17.8
billion for mass transit systems during fiscal years 1983-1986.1983 Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 Required the president to recommend two sites to be permanent
federal repositories for nuclear waste; exempted nuclear waste
produced by defense programs from most of the law’s features.
1983 Martin Luther King Day Established the third Monday in January as a federal holiday honoring
the legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.
1983 Social Security Amendments Raised retirement age of Social Security recipients from sixty-three to
sixty-seven by 2027; made future cost-of-living adjustments payable in
January; increased payroll taxes for employers and employees.
1983 Lebanon Emergency Assistance Act Authorized supplemental assistance to Lebanon to promote stability and
sovereignty; required the president to obtain statutory permission from
Congress before expanding American armed forces in Lebanon.
1983 Dairy and Tobacco Adjustment Act Initiated a program to halt milk production over a fifteen-month
period; froze tobacco price support levels; permitted the secretary of
agriculture to sell poor-quality feed corn at reduced rates to farmers
and ranchers in drought areas.
1983 U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Act Restructured the Commission on Civil Rights and renewed the
commission through October 31, 1989.
1983 Federal Anti-Tampering Act Imposed federal penalties for persons found guilty of tampering with
consumer products, labels, or containers that affect interstate or foreign
commerce.
1983 Extension of Trade Adjustment Act Two-year extension of the Trade Adjustment Assistance program under
the Trade Act of 1974, which furnished financial assistance and training
to workers and businesses hurt by competition from imports.
1983 Fiscal Year 1984 Department of
Defense Authorization
Authorized $187 billion for most Department of Defense activities,
including $2.1 billion for production of MX missiles.1984 Water Resources Research Act Released funds for research and development to protect water
resources; authorized states to establish water resource centers at land
grant institutions; enacted pursuant to override of President Ronald
Reagan’s veto.
1984 Insider Trading Sanctions Act Amended the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 to increase penalties
for buying stocks with nonpublic information.
1100 Legislation: Major U.S. Legislation The Eighties in America