hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Select Agent Program and Biosafety Improvement Act of 2008

Bill: 110-s-3127
Sponsor: Sen. Burr, Richard [R-NC]
Introduced: 2008-06-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Armed Forces and National Security
Authorization
Biological research
Biological warfare
Communicable diseases
Crime and Law Enforcement
Department of Homeland Security
Economics and Public Finance
Emergency Management
Emergency medicine
Employee training
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Governmental investigations
Labor and Employment
Laboratories
Medical laboratories
Research and development facilities
Science, Technology, Communications
Security measures
Smallpox
Standards
Terrorism
Toxicology
Virus diseases

Summary:
action_date: 2008-06-12
text: 
Select Agent Program and Biosafety Improvement Act of 2008 - Amends the Public Health Service Act and the Agricultural Bioterrorism Protection Act of 2002 to reauthorize appropriations for the Select Agent Program, which lists and controls biological agents and toxins that have the potential to pose a severe threat to public health and safety. Requires appropriate training of individuals handling or using such agents and toxins.

Includes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) among the federal agencies limited in the disclosure of information related to listed agents or toxins.

Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to contract with the National Academy of Sciences to review and make recommendations for improving the Select Agent Program.

Sets forth additional factors that the Secretary must consider in determining whether to list an agent or toxin, including whether the agent or toxin is endemic to the United States.

Requires the Secretary to issue guidance on inventorying and monitoring listed biological agents.

Directs the Attorney General to issue guidance regarding the scope of the statutory definition of &quot;variola virus.&quot; 

Requires the Secretary to: (1) develop guidelines for how laboratories and laboratory personnel that do not regularly test for listed agents and toxins may be rapidly accessed and utilized during emergencies; and (2) evaluate national needs of, and oversight of, high containment biological laboratories.

Provides for the development of minimum standards for laboratory biosafety and biosecurity training for relevant personnel of high containment biological laboratories.

Requires the Secretary to establish a Biological Laboratory Incident Reporting System.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-06-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2008-06-12
text: Introduced in Senate
Close the London Loophole Act of 2008

Bill: 110-s-3129
Sponsor: Sen. Levin, Carl [D-MI]
Introduced: 2008-06-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Commerce
Commodity exchanges
Crime and Law Enforcement
Derivative securities
Energy
Energy prices
Foreign Trade and International Finance
Fraud
Petroleum
Prices
Prosecution
Restrictive trade practices

Summary:
action_date: 2008-06-12
text: 
Close the London Loophole Act of 2008 - Amends the Commodity Exchange Act to authorize the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), in the case of a registered entity located within the United States, and subject to CFTC jurisdiction, which trades on a foreign board of trade, exchange, or market located outside the United States, to: (1) enforce criminal prosecution of violations, including manipulation or attempted manipulation, the making of false statements, and willful violations of this Act; (2) require a person to limit, reduce, or liquidate any position to prevent or reduce the threat of price manipulation, excessive speculation, price distortion, or disruption of delivery or the cash settlement process; and (3) apply necessary recordkeeping requirements.
 
Addresses the kind of case in which the CFTC grants or considers granting relief to a foreign board of trade from the requirement that it become a designated contract market, derivatives transaction execution facility, or other registered entity with respect to an energy commodity physically delivered in the United States. Requires the CFTC, before granting or considering such relief, to determine that the foreign board of trade: (1) applies comparable principles or requirements regarding the daily publication of trading information and position limits or accountability levels for speculators as apply to a designated contract market, derivatives transaction execution facility, or other registered entity trading energy commodities physically delivered in the United States; and (2) provides such information to the CFTC regarding the extent of speculative and nonspeculative trading in the energy commodity that is comparable to the information the CFTC determines necessary to publish a Commitment of Traders report for such a designated contract market, derivatives transaction execution facility, or other registered entity.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-06-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2008-06-12
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5627-5628)
action_date: 2008-06-12
text: Introduced in Senate
Oil Speculation Control Act of 2008

Bill: 110-s-3131
Sponsor: Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA]
Introduced: 2008-06-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Commerce
Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Commodity exchanges
Energy
Executive reorganization
Foundations
Futures trading
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Independent regulatory commissions
Inspectors general
Investments
Investors
Labor and Employment
Law
Pension funds
Petroleum
Prices
Restrictive trade practices
Social Welfare
Swaps (Finance)

Summary:
action_date: 2008-06-12
text: 
Oil Speculation Control Act of 2008 - Amends the Commodity Exchange Act to define &quot;institutional investor&quot; as a long-term investor in financial markets (including pension funds, endowments, and foundations) that invests in energy commodities as an asset class in a portfolio of financial investments and does not take or make physical delivery of energy commodities on a frequent basis.

Establishes in the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) an Office of the Inspector General.

Directs the CFTC to carry out a review of the trading practices of index traders, swap dealers, and institutional investors in markets under the CFTC's jurisdiction to: (1) ensure that index trading is not adversely impacting the price discovery process; (2) determine whether different practices or regulations should be implemented; and (3) gather data for use in proposing regulations to limit the size and influence of the institutional investor positions in commodity markets.

Directs the CFTC to exercise emergency authority to prevent institutional investors from increasing their positions in energy commodity futures and commodity future index funds.

Defines: (1) &quot;bona fide hedging transaction or position&quot; as a transaction or position that represents a hedge against price risk exposure relating to physical transactions involving an energy commodity and (2) &quot;speculator&quot; as any institutional investor or investor of an investment fund that holds a position through an intermediary broker or dealer.

Directs the CFTC to enforce speculation limits with respect to speculators in energy markets.

Set forth recordkeeping and reporting requirements relating to large trader transactions and positions applicable to index traders, swaps dealers, and institutional investors in markets under the CFTC's jurisdiction.

Requires the CFTC to promulgate regulations to establish separate classifications for index traders, swap dealers, and institutional investors to enforce recordkeeping and reporting requirements and to enforce position limits and position accountability levels with respect to energy commodities.

Imposes certain institutional investor speculation limits with respect to energy commodities.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-06-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5630-5631)
action_date: 2008-06-12
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5629-5630)
action_date: 2008-06-12
text: Introduced in Senate
Accelerating Carbon Capture and Sequestration Act of 2008

Bill: 110-s-3132
Sponsor: Sen. Baucus, Max [D-MT]
Introduced: 2008-06-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Carbon cycle
Carbon dioxide
Climate change and greenhouse gases
Environmental Protection
Income tax
Tax credits

Summary:
action_date: 2008-06-12
text: 
Accelerating Carbon Capture and Sequestration Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a business-related tax credit for the capture and sequestration of carbon dioxide which would otherwise be released into the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas emission.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-06-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2008-06-12
text: Introduced in Senate
Responsible Ownership of Public Land Act

Bill: 110-s-3133
Sponsor: Sen. Dodd, Christopher J. [D-CT]
Introduced: 2008-06-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Air pollution control
Alternative energy sources
Climate change and greenhouse gases
Continental shelf
Economics and Public Finance
Electric batteries
Electric power distribution
Electric power transmission
Electric vehicles
Energy
Energy assistance for the poor
Energy conservation
Energy efficiency
Energy research
Energy storage
Environmental Protection
Environmental technology
Fees
Gas in submerged lands
Government trust funds
Housing and Community Development
Low-income housing
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Motor vehicles
Natural gas
Oil and gas leases
Oil well drilling
Petroleum in submerged lands
Research and development
Science, Technology, Communications
Social Welfare
Solar energy
Technological innovations
Transportation and Public Works
Transportation research
Wind power

Summary:
action_date: 2008-06-12
text: 
Responsible Ownership of Public Land Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish an annual production incentive fee for federal onshore and offshore lands subject to a lease for production of oil or natural gas under which production is not occurring. 

Prescribes the fee amount for each acre of land from which oil or natural gas is produced for less than 90 days in a calendar year.

Establishes the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fund to serve as depository for fees received under this Act.

Describes energy programs to be funded with such fees, including: (1) solar energy research and development; (2) next-generation wind turbines; (3) weatherization assistance low-income housing; (4) new technologies to improve the energy efficiency of and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings; (5) energy storage systems to support electric drive vehicles, stationary applications, and electricity transmission and distribution; (6) advanced vehicles research, development, and demonstration; and (7) low-income home energy assistance.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-06-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2008-06-12
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5631)
action_date: 2008-06-12
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend the Commodity Exchange Act to require energy commodities to be traded only on regulated markets, and for other purposes.

Bill: 110-s-3134
Sponsor: Sen. Nelson, Bill [D-FL]
Introduced: 2008-06-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Building materials
Commodity exchanges
Energy
Fuel
Futures trading
Gasoline
Heating
Metals
Natural gas
Petroleum
Propane

Summary:
action_date: 2008-06-12
text: 
Amends the Commodity Exchange Act to require energy commodities to be traded only on regulated markets.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-06-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5632)
action_date: 2008-06-12
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5631-5632)
action_date: 2008-06-12
text: Introduced in Senate
Outer Continental Shelf Production Incentive Fee Act

Bill: 110-s-3135
Sponsor: Sen. Nelson, Bill [D-FL]
Introduced: 2008-06-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Continental shelf
Fees
Gas in submerged lands
Gulf of Mexico
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Oil and gas leases
Oil well drilling
Petroleum in submerged lands

Summary:
action_date: 2008-06-12
text: 
Outer Continental Shelf Production Incentive Fee Act - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to direct the Secretary of Energy to establish a fee for any nonproducing oil or gas leases on outer Continental Shelf land in the Gulf of Mexico that are in effect on the date of enactment of this Act.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-06-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5632)
action_date: 2008-06-12
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5632)
action_date: 2008-06-12
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill for the relief of Jorge Rojas Gutierrez, Oliva Gonzalez Gonzalez, and Jorge Rojas Gonzalez.

Bill: 110-s-3137
Sponsor: Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA]
Introduced: 2008-06-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Private Legislation
Subjects: Immigration

Summary:
action_date: 2008-06-16
text: Provides for the relief of Jorge Rojas Gutierrez, Oliva Gonzalez Gonzalez, and Jorge Rojas Gonzalez.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-06-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5660)
action_date: 2008-06-16
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5659-5660, S5660-5662)
action_date: 2008-06-16
text: Introduced in Senate
Do-Not-Text Act of 2008

Bill: 110-s-3138
Sponsor: Sen. Smith, Gordon H. [R-OR]
Introduced: 2008-06-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
Subjects: Advertising
Commerce
Defective products
Electronic commerce
Electronic mail systems
Employee benefit plans
Labor and Employment
Product safety
Warranties
Wireless communication

Summary:
action_date: 2008-06-16
text: 
Do-Not-Text Act of 2008 - Amends the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 to exclude from the definition of &quot;mobile service commercial message&quot; a commercial e-mail if the message's primary purpose is to: (1) facilitate, complete, or confirm a transaction between the message recipient and the sender; (2) provide warranty, recall, safety, or security information regarding the recipient's product or service; (3) provide notice of a change in terms or conditions, a change in the status of the recipient, or account statements regarding a subscription, membership, account, loan, or comparable ongoing commercial relationship; (4) provide information regarding an employment relationship or benefit plan in which the recipient is involved; or (5) deliver goods or services, including updates or upgrades, that the recipient is entitled to receive.

Declares that provisions relating to the application of the Act to wireless do not prohibit: (1) phone-to-phone short messages; and (2) the sending of mobile service commercial messages by a mobile service provider to its subscribers at no cost to its subscribers unless a subscriber has expressed a desire not to receive such messages.

Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require express prior authorization to send a mobile service commercial message to any person in the United States.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-06-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2008-06-16
text: Introduced in Senate
Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2008

Bill: 110-s-3140
Sponsor: Sen. Webb, Jim [D-VA]
Introduced: 2008-06-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Adoption
Arts, Culture, Religion
Childbirth
Congress
Congressional agencies
Congressional employees
Families
Family leave
Federal employees
Federal libraries
Foster home care
Government Accountability Office (GAO)
Health
Law
Leave of absence
Library of Congress
Office of Personnel Management
Recruiting of employees
Sick leave
Social Welfare

Summary:
action_date: 2008-06-16
text: 
Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2008 - Allows federal employees to substitute any available paid leave for any leave without pay available for either the: (1) birth of a child; or (2) placement of a child with the employee for either adoption or foster care. Makes available for any of the 12 weeks of leave an employee is entitled to for such purposes: (1) four administrative weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth or placement involved; and (2) any accumulated annual or sick leave. 
 
Authorizes the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to increase the amount of paid parental leave available to up to eight administrative workweeks, based on the consideration of: (1) the benefits provided to the federal government of offering increased paid parental leave, including enhanced recruitment and retention of employees; (2) the cost to the federal government of increasing the amount of paid parental leave that is available to employees; (3) trends in the private sector and in state and local governments with respect to offering paid parental leave; and (4) the federal government's role as a model employer.
 
Amends the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to allow the same substitution for covered congressional employees.

Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to allow the same substitution for Government Accountability Office (GAO) and Library of Congress employees.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-07-21
text: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs referred to Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia.
action_date: 2008-06-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2008-06-16
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5662-5663)
action_date: 2008-06-16
text: Introduced in Senate
Preventing Student Loan Discrimination Act

Bill: 110-s-3141
Sponsor: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA]
Introduced: 2008-06-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Age discrimination
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Disabled
Discrimination against the disabled
Discrimination in education
Economics and Public Finance
Federally-guaranteed loans
Finance and Financial Sector
Government lending
Higher education
Minorities
Racial discrimination
Religion
Religious liberty
Sex discrimination
Social Welfare
Student loan funds
Subsidies
Women

Summary:
action_date: 2008-06-17
text: 
Preventing Student Loan Discrimination Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to prohibit lenders under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program from receiving special allowance payments (made to such lenders to compensate them for the difference between FFEL interest rates and market rates) if they deny FFELs to eligible borrowers because of their race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, disability status, income, attendance at a particular school participating in the FFEL program, education program length, or academic year in school.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-06-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2008-06-17
text: Introduced in Senate
Preventing Stillbirth and SUID Act of 2008

Bill: 110-s-3142
Sponsor: Sen. Obama, Barack [D-IL]
Introduced: 2008-06-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Childbirth
Health education
Health information systems
Health surveys
Infants
Preventive medicine
Sudden infant death syndrome
Vital statistics
Women

Summary:
action_date: 2008-06-17
text: 
Preventing Stillbirth and SUID Act of 2008 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop: (1) a standard definition of stillbirth; and (2) a standard protocol for stillbirth data collection and surveillance, including enhancing the National Vital Statistics System for the reporting of stillbirths.
 
Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to establish: (1) a national registry that can facilitate the understanding of root causes, rates, and trends of stillbirth; (2) public education and prevention programs aimed at reducing the occurrence of stillbirth; and (3) a population-based sudden, unexpected infant deaths (SUID) case registry that can facilitate the understanding of the root causes, rates, and trends of SUID.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-06-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2008-06-17
text: Introduced in Senate
Capture Arrest and Transport Charged Fugitives Act of 2008

Bill: 110-s-3143
Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
Introduced: 2008-06-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Criminal investigation
Criminal justice information
Economics and Public Finance
Extradition
Federal aid to law enforcement
Federal-state relations
Fugitives from justice
Government Operations and Politics
Identification of criminals
Law
Police training
Prisoners
Prosecution
Warrants (Law)

Summary:
action_date: 2008-06-17
text: 
Capture Arrest and Transport Charged Fugitives Act of 2008 - Amends the Presidential Threat Protection Act of 2000 to authorize appropriations through FY2015 for establishing new Regional Fugitive Task Forces and for hiring criminal investigators and providing training for such Task Forces. 

Requires the Attorney General to: (1) provide transportation services to state and local governments for the extradition of fugitives through the U.S. Marshal Service Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation Service; (2) make grants to states for the extradition of fugitives to other states for prosecution; and (3) make grants to states for establishing or upgrading information and identification technologies for serious misdemeanor and felony warrants. Makes state compliance with felony and serious misdemeanor warrant reporting requirements a condition for receiving grants under this Act. 

Requires states to make electronically available to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) all serious misdemeanor and felony warrants issued by such states and their local jurisdictions.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-06-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2008-06-17
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5821-5822)
action_date: 2008-06-17
text: Introduced in Senate