hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Multidistrict Litigation Restoration Act of 2005

Bill: 109-s-3734
Sponsor: Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT]
Introduced: 2006-07-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Law
Subjects: Appellate procedure
Civil actions and liability
Civil procedure
Damages
District courts
Government Operations and Politics
Jurisdiction
State courts
Trials

Summary:
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: 
Multidistrict Litigation Restoration Act of 2005 [
sic
] - Amends the federal judicial code to allow a civil action transferred for coordinated or consolidated pretrial proceedings (multidistrict litigation) to be transferred to the transferee or other district for trial purposes in the interest of justice and for the convenience of the parties and witnesses. Requires that any such action transferred for trial purposes be remanded to the district court from which it was transferred for the determination of compensatory damages, unless the court determines the same justification applies to retaining the action for damages determination. 
 
Authorizes the transferee court to retain actions transferred, for the determination of liability and punitive damages, when jurisdiction is or could have been based on the Multiparty, Multiforum Trial Jurisdiction Act of 2002 (which grants district courts original jurisdiction of any civil action involving minimal diversity between adverse parties that arises from a single accident, where at least 75 natural persons have died in the accident at a discrete location). Requires that an action retained for the determination of liability be remanded to the district court from which the action was transferred, or to the state court from which the action was removed, for the determination of damages, other than punitive damages, unless the court finds that the action should be retained for the determination of such damages for the convenience of parties and witnesses and in the interest of justice. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced:  CR S8273-8274)
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S8272-8273)
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to suspend temporarily the duty on vulcanized rubber felt bottom boots for use in waders.

Bill: 109-s-3735
Sponsor: Sen. Baucus, Max [D-MT]
Introduced: 2006-07-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Foreign Trade and International Finance
Subjects: Tariff

Summary:
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend temporarily the duty on vulcanized rubber felt bottom boots for use in waders.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to suspend temporarily the duty on vulcanized rubber lug bottom boots for use in fishing waders.

Bill: 109-s-3736
Sponsor: Sen. Baucus, Max [D-MT]
Introduced: 2006-07-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Foreign Trade and International Finance
Subjects: Tariff

Summary:
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend temporarily the duty on vulcanized rubber lug bottom boots for use in fishing waders.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail Designation Act

Bill: 109-s-3737
Sponsor: Sen. Lieberman, Joseph I. [D-CT]
Introduced: 2006-07-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: American Revolution
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Commemorations
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Historic sites
History
Land transfers
Landowners
Maryland
Massachusetts
New Jersey
New York State
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Right of property
Sports and Recreation
Trails
Virginia

Summary:
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: 
Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail Designation Act - Amends the National Trails System Act to designate a corridor of approximately 600 miles following the route taken by the armies of General George Washington and Count Rochambeau between Newport, Rhode Island, and Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781 and 1782, as the &quot;Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail.&quot; 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Nonitemizer Real Property Tax Deduction Act of 2006

Bill: 109-s-3738
Sponsor: Sen. Baucus, Max [D-MT]
Introduced: 2006-07-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Income tax
Property tax
Tax deductions
Tax evasion
Tax penalties
Tax returns
Tax shelters
Taxation of foreign income

Summary:
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: 
Nonitemizer Real Property Tax Deduction Act of 2006 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the standard tax deduction for taxpayers who do not itemize tax deductions by $500 ($1,000 for joint returns) of the real property taxes paid or accrued by such taxpayers in a taxable year; (2) define economic substance for purposes of evaluating tax shelter transactions; and (3) impose a penalty for understatements of tax liability resulting from transactions lacking economic substance.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Consortium on the Impact of Technology in Aging Health Services Act of 2006

Bill: 109-s-3739
Sponsor: Sen. Coleman, Norm [R-MN]
Introduced: 2006-07-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Aging
Caregivers
Congressional reporting requirements
Disabled
Drugs
Executive reorganization
Families
Federal advisory bodies
Foreign Trade and International Finance
Geriatrics
Government Operations and Politics
Governmental investigations
Health information systems
Human engineering
Medical economics
Medical records
Medical research
Medical technology
Medical tests
Preventive medicine
Quality control
Quality of care
Research and development
Science, Technology, Communications
Social Welfare
Technological innovations
Technology assessment
Technology transfer

Summary:
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: 
Consortium on the Impact of Technology in Aging Health Services Act of 2006 - Establishes the Consortium on the Impact of Technology in Aging Health Services. Requires the Consortium to conduct a study of all matters relating to the potential use of new technology to assist older adults and their caregivers, including: (1) methods for identifying technology that may be adapted to meet their needs; (2) methods for fostering scientific innovation in aging services technology within the business and academic communities; (3) barriers to innovation in and the adoption of technology and strategies for removing such barriers; (4) developments in such technology in other countries; and (5) methods for ensuring that U.S. businesses have a leadership role in the global market of such technology.
 
Requires the Consortium to develop recommendations concerning: (1) developments in current technologies that may result in increased efficiency and cost savings to the healthcare system; (2) opportunities for research and development to accelerate the development and adoption of aging services technology; (3) methods to ensure that technology infrastructure is in place to deliver services; and (4) establishment of a federal interagency task force to facilitate the development and distribution of such technology and a National Resource Center to stimulate research, oversee demonstration projects, and provide training and assistance to entities that provide such services.
 
Requires the Consortium to report recommendations regarding development of a national policy to address issues concerning technology and assistive health services for seniors, changes to federal laws and programs that would support and encourage the private sector to develop and make widely available consumer-empowered technology solutions, and establishment of a National Resource Center on Aging Services Technologies.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S8274)
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Presidential Funding Act of 2006

Bill: 109-s-3740
Sponsor: Sen. Feingold, Russell D. [D-WI]
Introduced: 2006-07-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Agriculture and Food
Agriculture in foreign trade
Campaign funds
Checkoff
Computer software
Cost of living adjustments
Economics and Public Finance
Election candidates
Electronic government information
Foreign Trade and International Finance
Foreign trade promotion
Fund raising
Government paperwork
Government publicity
Government spending reductions
Government trust funds
Income tax
Indexing (Economic policy)
Political conventions
Political parties
Presidential elections
Primaries
Science, Technology, Communications
Soft money
Tax returns
Taxation

Summary:
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: 
Presidential Funding Act of 2006 - Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions relating to public financing of presidential election campaigns to: (1) quadruple (1:1 to 4:1) the matching rate for contributions to primary election candidates; (2) lower from $250 to $200 the limit on individual campaign contributions; (3) increase the presidential primary qualifying threshold from $5,000 to $25,000 in 20 states; (4) require presidential candidates to participate in the primary payment system to be eligible for general election payments; (5) move the starting date for payments to primary candidates from January 1 to July 1 of the year immediately preceding the presidential election year; (6) allow additional payments and increased expenditure limits for candidates who face opponents who do not participate in public financing and who raise more than 20% of applicable spending limits; (7) designate the last Friday before the first Monday in September as the date for payments to eligible presidential candidates; and (8) increase from $3 to $10 the presidential campaign tax return check-off amount.

Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to: (1) increase expenditure limits for presidential primary campaigns and eliminate state primary spending limits; (2) limit political party general election campaign expenditures to $25 million, with an additional $25 million allowance after the party's candidate is nominated; (3) prohibit political parties from spending unregulated funds (soft money) on their national conventions; and (4) require presidential campaign committees to disclose information about bundled contributions (series of contributions aggregating more than $10,000).

Amends the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to reduce funding for the market access program by $100 million in FY2007.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced:  CR S8275-8278)
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S8274-8275, S8278-8279)
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Freight Rail Infrastructure Capacity Expansion Act of 2006

Bill: 109-s-3742
Sponsor: Sen. Lott, Trent [R-MS]
Introduced: 2006-07-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Commerce
Income tax
Leases
Minimum tax
Railroad engineering
Railroad equipment
Railroad freight operations
Tax credits
Tax deductions
Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: 
Freight Rail Infrastructure Capacity Expansion Act of 2006 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) a tax credit for 25% of the cost of new qualified freight rail infrastructure property and qualified locomotive property; and (2) a taxpayer election to expense the cost of qualified freight rail infrastructure property (i.e., deduct all costs in the current taxable year). Terminates such credit and expensing election after 2011. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Screening for Health of Infants and Newborns Act

Bill: 109-s-3743
Sponsor: Sen. Clinton, Hillary Rodham [D-NY]
Introduced: 2006-07-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Economics and Public Finance
Families
Family services
Federal advisory bodies
Federal aid to child health services
Federal aid to health facilities
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Health education
Health information systems
Health surveys
Hereditary diseases
Infants
Internet
Medical research
Medical screening
Medical statistics
Medical technology
Medical tests
Science, Technology, Communications
Standards
Web sites

Summary:
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: 
Screening for Health of Infants and Newborns Act or the SHINE Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop guidelines that states may follow in reporting data from newborn screening tests.
 
Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to develop guidelines to: (1) monitor and evaluate newborn screening activities; and (2) coordinate the results of surveillance activities.
 
Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of CDC and the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, to develop a surveillance system for newborn screening.
 
Directs the Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders and Genetic Diseases in Newborns and Children to advise the Secretary on the guidelines and on monitoring and evaluating newborn screening and surveillance activities.
 
Requires the Secretary to: (1) direct the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of HRSA to establish a central clearinghouse of current education and family support and services information, materials, resources, research, and data on newborn screening; (2) award grants for demonstration projects that increase state capacity to screen for all of the core conditions; (3) award Hunter Kelly Newborn Screening grants for demonstration projects that develop screening tests for additional newborn conditions or develop multiple markers to increase the specificity of such tests; and (4) appoint an Interagency Grant Review Panel to select grant applications and provide oversight on the grant program.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S8280-8281)
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Act of 2006

Bill: 109-s-3744
Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
Introduced: 2006-07-26 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Developing countries
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Educational exchanges
Federal aid to education
Higher education
Scholarships

Summary:
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: 
Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Act of 2006 - Authorizes the Secretary of State to establish an Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Program to facilitate undergraduate study abroad for academic credit. States that the Program shall consist of: (1) undergraduate fellowships (Lincoln Fellowships); and (2) grants to institutions of higher education (Lincoln Institutional Leverage Grants).


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S8281-8282)
action_date: 2006-07-26
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow a tax credit for certain employer-provided retiree health care coverage, and for other purposes.

Bill: 109-s-3745
Sponsor: Sen. Stabenow, Debbie [D-MI]
Introduced: 2006-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Finance and Financial Sector
Health
Health insurance
Income tax
Insurance premiums
Medical economics
Minimum tax
Retiree health benefits
Tax credits
Tax deductions

Summary:
action_date: 2006-07-27
text: 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow employers eligible for the tax deduction for income attributable to domestic production activities a tax credit for 10% of the health care expenses of retired employee between age 55 and 66 who are not Medicare-eligible. Terminates such tax credit after 2009.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2006-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
National Ag Science Center Act of 2006

Bill: 109-s-3746
Sponsor: Sen. Boxer, Barbara [D-CA]
Introduced: 2006-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Agricultural education
Agricultural research
Building construction
California
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Educational facilities
Federal aid to education
Higher education
Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
action_date: 2006-07-27
text: 
National Ag Science Center Act of 2006 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to provide to the entity known as &quot;Ag Science Center, Inc.,&quot; in Stanislaus County, California, grants to pay not more than a total of 33% of the total costs of establishing the National Ag Science Center. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2006-07-27
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S8378-8379)
action_date: 2006-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Medicare Early Access Act of 2006

Bill: 109-s-3747
Sponsor: Sen. Rockefeller, John D., IV [D-WV]
Introduced: 2006-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Economics and Public Finance
Finance and Financial Sector
Government trust funds
Health insurance
Income tax
Insurance premiums
Medical economics
Medically uninsured
Medicare
Retiree health benefits
Social Welfare
Tax credits
Tax refunds
Taxation

Summary:
action_date: 2006-07-27
text: 
Medicare Early Access Act of 2006 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to add a new part E (Purchase of Medicare Benefits by Certain Individuals 55 to 65 Years of Age).

Provides access to Medicare benefits for individuals 55 to 64 years of age who do not have coverage under a federal health insurance program or under a group plan. 

Requires enrollees to pay a premium to receive Medicare coverage. Requires the Secretary to base the premium on the Secretary's estimate of the average, national annual per capita amount of the cost of providing services to the population. 
 
Allows early retirees with access to retiree coverage to enroll under this part while keeping their federal or state COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985) continuation coverage. Allows an employer that offers employment-based retiree health coverage to an individual who enrolls under this part to modify such coverage to provide for: (1) employer payment of items and services for which payment may not be made under Medicare; and (2) employer payment of 25% of the monthly premium applicable to the individual after enrollment.
 
Creates in the Treasury the Medicare Early Access Trust Fund to hold the premiums collected under this Act and to support the new program. 
 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow program enrollees to receive a 75% advance, refundable credit to offset Medicare early access premium costs (thus requiring program enrollees in the Medicare early access program to be responsible for 25% of the monthly premiums).


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2006-07-27
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S8379)
action_date: 2006-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to require the Secretary of the Army to publish a supplement to the major rehabilitation report for the Herbert Hoover Dike system, and for other purposes.

Bill: 109-s-3748
Sponsor: Sen. Nelson, Bill [D-FL]
Introduced: 2006-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Water Resources Development
Subjects: Dikes (Engineering)
Emergency Management
Environmental Protection
Everglades
Flood control
Floods
Florida
Government Operations and Politics
Government publicity
Lakes
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Restoration ecology
Risk
Water storage

Summary:
action_date: 2006-07-27
text: 
Directs the Secretary of the Army, by May 31, 2007, to publish a supplement to the major rehabilitation report for the Herbert Hoover Dike system, approved by the Chief of Engineers in November 2000, which shall include: (1) an evaluation of existing conditions at the system; (2) an identification of additional risks associated with flood events at the system that are equal to or greater than the standard projected flood risks; (3) an evaluation of the potential to integrate Corps of Engineers projects into an enhanced flood protection system for Lake Okeechobee, including the potential for additional water storage north of Lake Okeechobee and an analysis of other project features included in the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan; and (4) a review of the report prepared for the south Florida water management district dated April 2006.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2006-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to suspend temporarily the duty on certain parts and accessories for measuring or checking instruments.

Bill: 109-s-3749
Sponsor: Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA]
Introduced: 2006-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Foreign Trade and International Finance
Subjects: Tariff

Summary:
action_date: 2006-07-27
text: Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend temporarily the duty on certain parts and accessories for measuring or checking instruments.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2006-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to suspend temporarily the duty on certain printed circuit assemblies for measuring equipment for telecommunications.

Bill: 109-s-3750
Sponsor: Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA]
Introduced: 2006-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Foreign Trade and International Finance
Subjects: Tariff

Summary:
action_date: 2006-07-27
text: Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend temporarily the duty on certain printed circuit assemblies for measuring equipment for telecommunications.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2006-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to suspend temporarily the duty on certain subassemblies for measuring equipment for telecommunications.

Bill: 109-s-3751
Sponsor: Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA]
Introduced: 2006-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Foreign Trade and International Finance
Subjects: Tariff

Summary:
action_date: 2006-07-27
text: Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend temporarily the duty on certain subassemblies for measuring equipment for telecommunications.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2006-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate