hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Workplace Religious Freedom Act of 2005

Bill: 109-s-677
Sponsor: Sen. Santorum, Rick [R-PA]
Introduced: 2005-03-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Subjects: Clothing
Discrimination in employment
Employee rights
Employee training
Employers' liability
Hours of labor
Labor and Employment
Law
Leave of absence
Recruiting of employees
Religion
Religion in the workplace
Religious liberty
Transfer of employees

Summary:
action_date: 2005-03-17
text: 
Workplace Religious Freedom Act of 2005 - Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to modify the definition of &quot;religion&quot; for purposes of coverage under that Act by requiring employers to make an affirmative and bona fide effort to reasonably accommodate the religious practices of employees. Defines the term &quot;perform the essential functions&quot; to exclude practices having a temporary or tangential impact on an employee's ability to perform job functions, such as practices relating to clothing or taking time off work. Sets forth factors to consider in determining whether an accommodation causes undue hardship. Defines &quot;employee&quot; to require an ability to perform essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodation.
 
Requires removal of the conflict between employment requirements and the employee's religious practices in order for an accommodation to be considered reasonable.
 
Considers an employer's refusal to permit an employee's use of general leave to remove a religious conflict solely because the leave will be used to accommodate religious practices to be an unlawful employment practice.
 
States that the amendments made by this Act do not apply with respect to conduct occurring prior to enactment.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-02-16
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1407-1409)
action_date: 2005-03-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced: CR S3057-3058)
action_date: 2005-03-17
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3057)
action_date: 2005-03-17
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to exclude communications over the Internet from the definition of public communication.

Bill: 109-s-678
Sponsor: Sen. Reid, Harry [D-NV]
Introduced: 2005-03-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Internet
Political advertising
Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
action_date: 2005-03-17
text: 
Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to exclude communications over the Internet from the meaning of public communication subject to the Act.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-03-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration. (text of measure as introduced: CR S3058)
action_date: 2005-03-17
text: Introduced in Senate
Central Contractor Registry Act of 2005

Bill: 109-s-679
Sponsor: Sen. Coleman, Norm [R-MN]
Introduced: 2005-03-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Data banks
Defense contracts
Defense procurement
Electronic government information
Government Operations and Politics
Government contractors
Government paperwork
Identification devices
Income tax
Science, Technology, Communications
Taxation
Withholding tax

Summary:
action_date: 2005-03-17
text: 
Central Contractor Registry Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of Defense to maintain a centralized, electronic database, to be known as the Central Contractor Registry, for the registration of sources of property and services (contractors) who seek to participate in contracts and other procurements entered into by various Federal procurement officials.
 
Requires the Registry to include certain tax-related information for each contractor, including their taxpayer identification numbers and authorization for the Secretary of Defense to obtain verification of such numbers from the Commissioner of Internal Revenue. Makes contractors who do not register such information, or who register invalid information, ineligible for contracts entered into under the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-03-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services. (text of measure as introduced: CR S3059)
action_date: 2005-03-17
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3058-3059)
action_date: 2005-03-17
text: Introduced in Senate
Cord Blood Stem Cell Act of 2005

Bill: 109-s-681
Sponsor: Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT]
Introduced: 2005-03-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Blood
Blood banks
Communication in medicine
Data banks
Directories
Donation of organs, tissues, etc.
Genetic research
Genetics
Government Operations and Politics
Health information systems
Medical research
Science, Technology, Communications
Transplantation of organs, tissues, etc.

Summary:
action_date: 2005-03-17
text: 
Cord Blood Stem Cell Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to enter into contracts with qualified cord blood stem cell banks to assist in establishing and maintaining a National Cord Blood Stem Cell Bank Network to: (1) acquire, tissue-type, test, cryopreserve, and store donated units of human cord blood acquired with the informed consent of the donor; (2) make cord blood units available to transplant centers for stem cell transplantations; and (3) allocate up to 10 percent of the cord blood inventory each year for peer-reviewed research. Requires the Secretary to provide for the establishment of a Board of Directors to administer the Network.
 
Directs the Secretary, acting through the Administrator, to establish as part of the Network a National Cord Blood Stem Cell Registry to: (1) operate a system for identifying, acquiring, and distributing donated units of cord blood; (2) provide health care professionals with the ability to search the registry for suitable matches for patients; and (3) maintain a database to document the collection, storage, distribution, and clinical outcomes related to the Network.
 
Requires the Administrator to report to the Secretary regarding the safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of the clinical, research, and education activities of the Network.
 
Requires the Board to ensure that: (1) the Network donor banks meet eligibility requirements; and (2) the Network is geographically distributed throughout the United States.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-03-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2005-03-17
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3060-3061)
action_date: 2005-03-17
text: Introduced in Senate
Social Investment and Economic Development Fund for the Americas Act of 2005

Bill: 109-s-682
Sponsor: Sen. Dodd, Christopher J. [D-CT]
Introduced: 2005-03-17 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Advice and consent of the Senate
Africans
Agriculture and Food
Caribbean area
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Commerce
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Democracy
Development credit institutions
Disabled
Discrimination against the disabled
Economic assistance
Economic development
Economic growth
Economic integration
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Elementary and secondary education
Environmental Protection
Executive reorganization
Farmers
Foreign Trade and International Finance
Government Operations and Politics
Health
Housing and Community Development
Indigenous peoples
Labor and Employment
Labor unions
Latin America
Law
Minorities
Nutrition
Political participation
Poverty
Presidential appointments
Preventive medicine
Productivity in government
Public-private partnerships
Quality of life
Racial discrimination
Rule of law
Rural economic development
Sex discrimination
Small business
Social Welfare
U.S. Agency for International Development
Western Hemisphere
Women

Summary:
action_date: 2005-03-17
text: 
Social Investment and Economic Development Fund for the Americas Act of 2005 - Sets forth the policy of the United States to: (1) promote market-based principles, economic integration, social development, and trade in the Americas; and (2) establish an investment fund for the Western Hemisphere to advance U.S. national interests, improve the lives of the poor, encourage economic growth while protecting the environment, build human capital and knowledge, support democratic institutions and processes, and promote peace and justice in the Americas. 
 
Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to require the President, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to provide assistance to reduce poverty and foster increased economic opportunity in the Western Hemisphere by: (1) nurturing public-private partnerships and microenterprise development; (2) improving the quality of life and investing in human capital; (3) strengthening the rule of law through improved efficiency and transparency in government services; and (4) reducing poverty and eliminating the exclusion of marginalized populations. Establishes a project review committee. 
 
Amends the Inter-American Development Bank Act to require the Secretary of the Treasury to urge the Bank to establish an account to be operated consistent with the above guidelines. Establishes a technical review committee. 
 
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Western Hemisphere countries should collectively provide assistance equal to the amount of U.S. bilateral and multilateral assistance.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-03-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. (text of measure as introduced: CR S3062-3064)
action_date: 2005-03-17
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3061-3062)
action_date: 2005-03-17
text: Introduced in Senate
Childproof Handgun Act of 2005

Bill: 109-s-683
Sponsor: Sen. Lautenberg, Frank R. [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2005-03-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Commerce
Commercialization
Congress
Congressional investigations
Congressional reporting requirements
Fines (Penalties)
Firearms
Firearms control
Identification devices
Retail trade
Safety measures
Science, Technology, Communications
Technological innovations

Summary:
action_date: 2005-03-17
text: 
Childproof Handgun Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit any person who is not a licensed collector from manufacturing, selling, delivering, or transferring a handgun that cannot be personalized, with exceptions for individuals acting under the authority of the United States, a State, or a political subdivision. Defines &quot;personalized&quot; to mean a handgun that incorporates a device or feature that: (1) allows the handgun to be fired only by a particular individual; (2) is not capable of being readily deactivated; and (3) may allow the handgun to be personalized to one or more additional individuals.
 
Directs the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study to determine whether the technology involved in personalizing firearms will be commercially feasible within five years considering criteria including the reliability of the technology and the difference in price for personalized firearms and equivalent firearms that are not personalized.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-03-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2005-03-17
text: Introduced in Senate
Liquefied Natural Gas Safety and Security Act of 2005

Bill: 109-s-684
Sponsor: Sen. Reed, Jack [D-RI]
Introduced: 2005-03-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Aviation safety
Coast guard
Department of Transportation
Energy storage
Energy transportation
Environmental Protection
Environmental assessment
Foreign Trade and International Finance
Government Operations and Politics
Imports
Law
Liquefied natural gas
Marine safety
Offshore structures
Pipeline siting
Pipelines
Security measures
Tankers
Transportation and Public Works
Transportation safety

Summary:
action_date: 2005-03-17
text: 
Liquefied Natural Gas Safety and Security Act of 2005 - Amends the Natural Gas Act to prohibit the Federal Energy Regulating Commission (FERC) from authorizing an applicant to site, construct, expand, or operate a liquefied natural gas import facility, unless FERC has required the applicant to develop a cost-sharing plan in cooperation with the Commandant of the Coast Guard and State and local agencies that provide for the safety and security of the liquefied natural gas import facility and any vessels that serve it.
 
Requires FERC to review annually all pending applications for the siting, construction, expansion, or operation of a liquefied natural gas import facility in a region and, after consultation with the pertinent States and the Commandant, determine: (1) whether liquefied natural gas import facilities are needed in a region; and (2) the number of liquefied natural gas import facilities so needed.
 
Denies FERC authority to preempt a State permitting determination related to a liquefied natural gas import facility.
 
Amends Federal law governing standards for liquefied natural gas pipeline facilities to direct the Secretary of Transportation to promulgate regulations establishing standards to promote the remote siting of liquefied natural gas pipeline facilities.
 
Directs the Commandant to issue regulations establishing thermal and vapor dispersion exclusion zone requirements for vessels transporting liquefied natural gas. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-03-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (text of measure as introduced: CR S3065-3066)
action_date: 2005-03-17
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3064-3065)
action_date: 2005-03-17
text: Introduced in Senate
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation Pilots Equitable Treatment Act

Bill: 109-s-685
Sponsor: Sen. Akaka, Daniel K. [D-HI]
Introduced: 2005-03-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Aircraft pilots
Annuities
Finance and Financial Sector
Retirement age
Transportation and Public Works
Valuation

Summary:
action_date: 2005-03-17
text: 
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation Pilots Equitable Treatment Act - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), with regard to both single-employer and multiemployer plan guaranteed benefits, to require the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, in the case of commercial airline pilots required by Federal Aviation Administration regulation to retire before age 65, to compute the actuarial value of monthly benefits in the form of a life annuity commencing at the required retirement age.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-03-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced: CR S3066)
action_date: 2005-03-17
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3066)
action_date: 2005-03-17
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to clarify the excise tax exemptions for aerial applicators of fertilizers or other substances.

Bill: 109-s-688
Sponsor: Sen. Cochran, Thad [R-MS]
Introduced: 2005-04-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Agricultural machinery
Agriculture and Food
Aircraft
Aviation fuels
Environmental Protection
Excise tax
Farmers
Fertilizers
Forestry
Pest control
Pesticides
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Tax credits
Tax exemption
Tax refunds
Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
action_date: 2005-04-04
text: 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that an aerial applicator of agricultural fertilizer or other substances who is the ultimate purchaser of gasoline used on farms may qualify for an excise tax exemption for such gasoline without the necessity of a waiver by farm owners, operators, or tenants of their right to be treated as users and ultimate purchasers of such gasoline. Includes within such tax exemption gasoline used for the direct flight between the airfield and one or more farms. 
 
Exempts fixed-wing aircraft used for forestry purposes from the passenger air transportation excise tax.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-04-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2005-04-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Community Drinking Water Assistance Act

Bill: 109-s-689
Sponsor: Sen. Domenici, Pete V. [R-NM]
Introduced: 2005-04-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Arizona
Arsenic
Congress
Congressional oversight
Congressional reporting requirements
Depressed areas
Economics and Public Finance
Environmental Protection Agency
Federal aid to Indians
Federal aid to water pollution control
Government Operations and Politics
Housing and Community Development
Infrastructure
Law
Minorities
Nevada
New Mexico
Potable water
Revolving funds
Small towns
Standards
Texas
Water Resources Development
Water pollution control
Water supply
Water treatment plants

Summary:
action_date: 2005-04-04
text: 
Community Drinking Water Assistance Act - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a program of grants for small public water systems (those serving populations of not more than 200,000 or located in specified communities) in disadvantaged communities, or in those that may become disadvantaged as a result of compliance with drinking water standards, for use in carrying out projects and activities to comply with such standards. Requires the Administrator to: (1) give priority in awarding grants based on, first, the financial need of the community and, second, the per capita cost of the community's compliance; and (2) ensure that not less than 20 percent of grant funds are used for activities in communities with populations of less than 50,000.
 
Sets forth the process for applications. Limits the Federal share of costs for grant-funded activities to 90 percent of the total.
 
Provides temporary relief from enforcement of drinking water standards for eligible entities during and after the grant application process. 
Delays implementation or enforcement by the Administrator of an arsenic standard in any State until the earlier of January 1, 2006, or the date on which the Administrator certifies that the program has been implemented in that State and the State has made substantial progress in drinking water standards compliance.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-04-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. (text of measure as introduced: CR S3150-3151)
action_date: 2005-04-04
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3149-3150)
action_date: 2005-04-04
text: Introduced in Senate
American Indian Reservation Transportation Improvement Program Act

Bill: 109-s-690
Sponsor: Sen. Domenici, Pete V. [R-NM]
Introduced: 2005-04-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Native Americans
Subjects: Authorization
Bridges
Economics and Public Finance
Federal aid to Indians
Federal aid to transportation
Government trust funds
Highway finance
Housing and Community Development
Indian lands
Infrastructure
Minorities
Oklahoma
Road construction

Summary:
action_date: 2005-04-04
text: 
American Indian Reservation Transportation Improvement Program Act - Amends the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century to authorize appropriations for Indian reservation roads under the Federal Lands Highways Program through FY 2009.
 
Authorizes appropriations to carry out the planning, design, engineering, preconstruction, construction, and inspection of certain projects concerning deficient Indian reservation road bridges through FY 2009.
 
Directs the Secretary to issue grants to Indian tribes to establish rural transit programs on reservations or other land under the jurisdiction of the tribes.
 
Directs the Secretary to establish and maintain: (1) intra-agency cooperation between the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in administering tribal transit programs funded by the FHA, and exploring options for the transfer of funds from the FHA to the FTA for the direct funding of tribal transit programs; and (2) working relationships with representatives of regional tribal technical assistance programs to ensure proper administration of ongoing and future tribal transit programs carried out using Federal funds.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-04-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs. (text of measure as introduced: CR S3151-3152)
action_date: 2005-04-04
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3151)
action_date: 2005-04-04
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to modify the prohibition on recognition by United States courts of certain rights relating to certain marks, trade names, or commercial names.

Bill: 109-s-691
Sponsor: Sen. Domenici, Pete V. [R-NM]
Introduced: 2005-04-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Law
Subjects: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Civil actions and liability
Evidence (Law)
Expropriation
Intellectual property
International Affairs
Jurisdiction
Right of property
Trademark agreements
Trademarks

Summary:
action_date: 2005-04-04
text: 
Amends the Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 to prohibit U.S. courts from recognizing, enforcing, or otherwise validating any assertion of rights by an individual (currently, by a designated Cuban national) of a mark, trade name, or commercial name that was used in connection with a business or assets that were confiscated by the Cuban government unless the original owner of such mark or name, or such owner's bona fide successor, has expressly consented. Applies such prohibition only if the individual asserting the rights knew or had reason to know at the time of acquiring the rights asserted that the mark or name was the same or substantially similar to the mark or name used in connection with the business or assets that were confiscated. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-04-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S3153)
action_date: 2005-04-04
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3153)
action_date: 2005-04-04
text: Introduced in Senate