Right TRACK Act

Bill: 109-s-2357
Sponsor: Sen. Kennedy, Edward M. [D-MA]
Introduced: 2006-03-02 in the Senate
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Academic performance
Aeronautics
Alternative energy sources
Armed Forces and National Security
Arts, Culture, Religion
Astronautics
Authorization
Awards, medals, prizes
Bonds
Broadband
Building construction
Coinsurance
Collective bargaining
Commemorations
Commerce
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Construction industries
Construction workers
Consumer education
Defense budgets
Department of Commerce
Department of Defense
Department of Energy
Department of Health and Human Services
Dislocated workers
Distance education
Drug industry
Economic development
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Educational accountability
Educational tests
Electric power production
Electric utility rates
Electronic government information
Elementary and secondary education
Employee health benefits
Employee rights
Employment subsidies
Energy
Energy conservation
Energy efficiency
Energy research
Engineering
Engineers
Executive reorganization
Federal advisory bodies
Federal aid to education
Federal aid to research
Federal aid to transportation
Finance and Financial Sector
Fines (Penalties)
Foreign Trade and International Finance
Foreign corporations
Foreign exchange
Geothermal resources
Government Operations and Politics
Government and business
Government contractors
Government corporations
Government procurement
Health
Health care fraud
Health information systems
Health insurance
Health insurance continuation
High technology
Higher education
Hospitals
Housing and Community Development
Hydroelectric power
Imports
Income tax
Indian education
Infrastructure
Injunctions
Insurance companies
Insurance premiums
International Affairs
International corporations
International education
Internet
Investment tax credit
Job creation
Labor unions
Language and languages
Leases
Libraries
Literacy programs
Maintenance and repair
Manufacturing industries
Mathematics
Medical research
Military research
Minimum wages
Minorities
Nanotechnology
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak)
National Science Foundation
Northern Mariana Islands
Part-time employment
Plant shutdowns
Presidential commissions
Railroad finance
Railroad passenger traffic
Research and development
Research and development tax credit
Research grants
Scholarships
School buildings
Science, Technology, Communications
Scientific education
Scientists
Service industries
Small business
Solar energy
Space activities
Space flight
State laws
Stocks
Student loan funds
Tax credits
Taxation
Taxation of foreign income
Teacher education
Teacher supply and demand
Technical education
Telecommuting
Trade adjustment assistance
Trade negotiations
Transportation and Public Works
Unemployment insurance
Unfair labor practices
Vaccines
Water Resources Development
Wind power
Wireless communication

Summary:
action_date: 2006-03-02
text: Right Time to Reinvest in America's Competitiveness and Knowledge Act or Right TRACK Act - Amends specified federal laws to establish: (1) the Presidential Research and Development Advisory Committee to advise the President on the allocation of federal resources in education and technology development; and (2) an interagency working group to develop collaborative research in biomedical, science, engineering, and technology research. 
Makes permanent the extension of a research and development (R&D) tax credit. 
 
Authorizes appropriations for FY2007-FY2013 to increase funding of R&D activities of certain federal agencies.
 
Allows a tax credit for the purchase of nanotechnology developer stocks. 
 
Establishes a national broadband policy for improving and expanding broadband access in the United States by 2010.
 
Sets forth reauthorizations for Amtrak.
 
America's Better Classroom Act of 2005 - Allows a tax credit to holders of qualified public school modernization bonds. 
 
New National Defense Education Act - Requires a biennial national assessment of student achievement and grade 12 student preparedness in reading, mathematics, and science. 
 
Authorizes prekindergarten through grade 16 student preparedness council grants to states to ensure a state's academic content and student academic achievement standards and assessments meet certain benchmarks. 
 
 Makes competitive grants to institutions of higher education to improve the recruitment of teachers from students majoring in mathematics, science, engineering, technology, or a critical-need foreign language. 
 
Requires an eligible state to provide contract for educational opportunity (CEO) grants to low-income students who complete CEO requirements and enroll in a two-or four-year degree-granting institution of higher education. 
 
 Provides for grants to: (1) improve mathematics, science, and engineering and technology education infrastructure in public elementary schools and secondary schools and to provide scholarships to make higher education tuition free for low-income and middle-income undergraduate and graduate students to earn degrees in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and critical-need foreign languages; and (2) develop programs that expose public elementary and secondary school, undergraduate, and graduate students to foreign languages and cultures. 
 
 Requires an employer to give 90-day notice before ordering the offshoring of jobs. 
 
 Defines as foreign base company income and taxable as subpart F income any imported property income derived by a foreign corporation in a taxable year. 
 
United States Workers Protection Act of 2006 - Prohibits: (1) outsourced federal government work or a contract for the procurement of goods or services from being performed outside the United States unless certain requirements are met; and (2) the disbursement of federal funds to a state if any of the funds will be spent for goods or services performed outside the United States.
 
Limits the application of certain trade authorities procedures implementing bilateral or regional trade agreements unless such agreements prohibit forced and compulsory labor and child labor. 
 
 Imposes an additional duty on any article from a country that manipulates the rate of exchange between its currency and the U.S. dollar unless the President certifies to Congress that such country is no longer manipulating the rate to gain an unfair competitive advantage in international trade.
 
Global Worker Fairness Act - Establishes a wage insurance program for workers displaced due to unfair trade competition. 
 
Trade Adjustment Assistance Equity for Service Workers Act of 2006 - Extends trade adjustment assistance (TAA) to workers in a service sector firm or a public agency. Authorizes the payment of amounts for training of adversely affected workers due to unfair trade competition through FY2012.
 
Workers Equity Act - Permits TAA where an employer has shifted production of like articles to a foreign country that has been extended permanent normal trade relations by the United States.
 
 Establishes an Office of Community Trade Adjustment in the Department of Commerce to coordinate the federal response to economic dislocation.
 
Employee Free Choice Act - Certifies a bargaining representative without directing an election if a majority of the bargaining unit employees have authorized designation of the representative and there is no other currently certified or recognized exclusive employee representative.
 
Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2006 - Sets forth graduated increases of the federal minimum wage up to $7.25 an hour.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-03-02
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2006-03-02
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1648-1651)
action_date: 2006-03-02
text: Introduced in Senate