hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Space Commerce Act of 2008

Bill: 110-s-3504
Sponsor: Sen. Salazar, Ken [D-CO]
Introduced: 2008-09-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
Subjects: Artificial satellites
Commerce
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Department of Commerce
Executive reorganization
Foreign Trade and International Finance
Government Operations and Politics
International competitiveness
Navigation satellites
Space activities
Space commercialization
Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
action_date: 2008-09-17
text: 
Space Commerce Act of 2008 - Amends the Technology Administration Act of 1998 to redesignate the Office of Space Commercialization, within the Department of Commerce, as the Office of Space Commerce and revise its functions. 
 
Requires the Secretary of Commerce to report on the competitiveness of the U.S. space commerce industry. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2008-09-17
text: Introduced in Senate
Medicare Home Infusion Therapy Coverage Act of 2008

Bill: 110-s-3505
Sponsor: Sen. Lincoln, Blanche L. [D-AR]
Introduced: 2008-09-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Access to health care
Drug therapy
Drugs
Home care services
Medical fees
Medicare
Prescription pricing
Social Welfare

Summary:
action_date: 2008-09-17
text: 
Medicare Home Infusion Therapy Coverage Act of 2008 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare coverage of home infusion therapy and home infusion drugs.
 
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to implement the Medicare home infusion therapy benefit in a manner that ensures that: (1) Medicare beneficiaries have timely and appropriate access to infusion therapy in their homes; and (2) there is rapid and seamless coordination between drug coverage under Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) and home infusion therapy services coverage under Medicare part B (Supplemental Security Income).
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2008-09-17
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to increase the credit for purchase of vehicles fueled by natural gas or liquefied natural gas and to amend the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users to reauthorize the Clean School Bus Program of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Bill: 110-s-3506
Sponsor: Sen. Obama, Barack [D-IL]
Introduced: 2008-09-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Alternative energy sources
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Elementary and secondary education
Energy
Federal aid to education
Federal aid to transportation
Government Operations and Politics
Government procurement
Government vehicles
Governmental investigations
Income tax
Liquefied natural gas
Natural gas vehicles
School buses
Tax credits
Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
action_date: 2008-09-17
text: 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the percentage rate of the tax credit for the purchase of alternative fuel motor vehicles fueled by natural gas or liquefied natural gas; and (2) extend through 2017 the tax credit for new qualified alternative fuel vehicles. 

Amends the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users to: (1) increase the percentages for grant funding to replace school buses under the clean school bus program; and (2) increase and extend funding for such program for FY2010-FY2015.

Requires the Administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA) to study and report to Congress on increasing the number of natural gas vehicles in the federal fleet. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2008-09-17
text: Introduced in Senate
Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008

Bill: 110-s-3507
Sponsor: Sen. Reed, Jack [D-RI]
Introduced: 2008-09-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Federal-state relations
Government Operations and Politics
Intergovernmental fiscal relations
Unemployment insurance

Summary:
action_date: 2008-09-17
text: 
Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008 - Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 to revise the formula for Tier-1 amounts a state credits to an applicant's emergency unemployment compensation account (EUCA) for a benefit year. Increases the figures in the formula (the lesser of which shall be the amount credited) from: (1) 50% to 80% of the total amount of regular compensation (including dependents' allowances) payable to the individual during the benefit year; and (2) 13 to 20 times the individual's average weekly benefit amount for the benefit year.
 
Provides an additional Tier-2 period for deposits to an individual's EUCA, using the current formula, if, at the time that the amount established under this Act is exhausted, or at any time thereafter, the individual's state is in an extended benefit period.
 
Prescribes a formula for determining if a state is in an extended benefit period.
 
Allows the Tier-2 period augmentation to be applied to the individual's EUCA only once.
 
Prohibits a Tier-2 augmentation under this Act to an individual's account after March 31, 2009, if the account is exhausted after such date.
 
Extends the period of emergency unemployment compensation.
 
Exempts weeks of unemployment between enactment of this Act and December 8, 2009, from the prohibition in the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 against federal matching payments to a state for the first week in an individual's eligibility period for which extended compensation or sharable regular compensation is paid if the state law of such state provides for payment (at any time or under any circumstances) of regular compensation to an individual for his first week of otherwise compensable unemployment. (Thus allows temporary federal matching for the first week of extended benefits for states with no waiting period.)


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-22
text: Referred to the Committee on Finance by unanimous consent.
action_date: 2008-09-22
text: Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions discharged by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S9220)
action_date: 2008-09-22
text: Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions discharged by Unanimous Consent.(consideration: CR S9220)
action_date: 2008-09-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced: CR S8951-8952)
action_date: 2008-09-17
text: Introduced in Senate
Fast Track to College Act of 2008

Bill: 110-s-3508
Sponsor: Sen. Kohl, Herb [D-WI]
Introduced: 2008-09-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: College costs
College teachers
Economics and Public Finance
Education of the disadvantaged
Educational accountability
Educational innovations
Elementary and secondary education
Federal aid to education
Government Operations and Politics
Government publicity
Higher education
Rating of teachers
Secondary education
Social Welfare

Summary:
action_date: 2008-09-17
text: 
Fast Track to College Act of 2008 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award matching six-year grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) that partner with institutions of higher education (IHEs) to establish or support dual enrollment programs, such as early college high schools, that allow high school students to simultaneously earn credit toward a high school diploma and a postsecondary degree or certificate.
 
Gives grant priority to applicants: (1) that propose to establish or support a dual enrollment program for a student body at least 40% of which is impoverished; and (2) from states that provide assistance to dual enrollment programs, such as assistance defraying the costs of higher education.
 
Requires applicants to make assurances that students will not be required to pay tuition or fees for postsecondary courses, and that those courses will be taught by faculty that meet their partner IHE's normal standards.
 
Authorizes the Secretary to award six-year grants to states to: (1) plan and implement statewide strategies to make dual enrollment programs more accessible to students who are underrepresented in postsecondary education; and (2) provide technical assistance to local dual enrollment programs.
 
Directs the Secretary to: (1) contract for an independent evaluation of this Act's programs; and (2) provide technical assistance to LEAs and their partners, and disseminate information concerning best practices in dual enrollment programs.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced: CR S8952-8954)
action_date: 2008-09-17
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S8952)
action_date: 2008-09-17
text: Introduced in Senate
Support for Vulnerable and Displaced Iraqis Act of 2008

Bill: 110-s-3509
Sponsor: Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. [D-PA]
Introduced: 2008-09-17 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Congress
Congress and foreign policy
Congressional investigations
Congressional reporting requirements
Displaced persons
Immigration
International relief
Iraq
Iraq compilation
Middle East and North Africa
Nongovernmental organizations
Refugees
Repatriation
United Nations economic assistance

Summary:
action_date: 2008-09-17
text: 
Support for Vulnerable and Displaced Iraqis Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of State to develop a comprehensive regional strategy to address the mass displacement of Iraqis inside Iraq and as refugees into neighboring countries.
 
Requires that such strategy: (1) address the challenges facing Iraqi refugees; (2) address the government of Iraq's responsibility to help meet the humanitarian needs of its citizens in Iraq and the region and related U.S. support; (3) assess the needs of vulnerable Iraqis in Iraq, especially internally displaced persons and Iraqi refugees in the region; (4) include the number of refugees from Iraq that the United States plans to resettle in the United States; (5) describe U.S. government steps to engage the international community and the government of Iraq in implementing such strategy; and (6) include plans to assess the strategy's impact.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
action_date: 2008-09-17
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to prohibit the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System from making funds available at a discount rate to private individuals, partnerships, and corporations.

Bill: 110-s-3510
Sponsor: Sen. Bunning, Jim [R-KY]
Introduced: 2008-09-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Commerce
Consumer credit
Corporate finance
Credit
Federal Reserve System
Interest rates
Loans

Summary:
action_date: 2008-09-17
text: 
Amends the Federal Reserve Act to repeal the authority of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, in unusual and exigent circumstances, to discount federal reserve bank-indorsed or -secured notes, drafts, and bills of exchange for private individuals, partnerships, or corporations unable to secure adequate credit accommodations from other banking institutions.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. (text of measure as introduced: CR S8954)
action_date: 2008-09-17
text: Introduced in Senate
Civil Rights History Project Act of 2008

Bill: 110-s-3511
Sponsor: Sen. Clinton, Hillary Rodham [D-NY]
Introduced: 2008-09-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Subjects: Archives
Arts, Culture, Religion
Black history
Civil rights movements
Congress
Congressional agencies
Federal libraries
Fund raising
Gifts
History
Library of Congress
Minorities
Museums
Smithsonian Institution
Sound recording and reproducing
Surveys
Video tape recording

Summary:
action_date: 2008-09-17
text: 
Civil Rights History Project Act of 2008 - Requires the Librarian of Congress and the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution (acting through the Director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture) to establish an oral history project to: (1) collect video and audio recordings of, and visual and written materials relevant to the personal histories of, participants in the Civil Rights movement; and (2) make the collection available for public use through the Library of Congress and the Museum.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
action_date: 2008-09-17
text: Introduced in Senate
Social Security Number Protection Act of 2008

Bill: 110-s-3512
Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
Introduced: 2008-09-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Medicare
Social Welfare
Social security numbers

Summary:
action_date: 2008-09-17
text: 
Social Security Number Protection Act of 2008 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish and begin to implement procedures to eliminate the unnecessary collection, use, and display of Social Security account numbers of Medicare beneficiaries on Medicare identification cards and communications.
 
Prohibits a Social Security card also from storing a Social Security account number electronically.
 
Allows the display of a Social Security number on written or electronic communications only if the Secretary determines that its inclusion on such communications is essential for the operation of the Medicare program.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S8955)
action_date: 2008-09-17
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S8954)
action_date: 2008-09-17
text: Introduced in Senate
Renovation Rule Improvement Act of 2008

Bill: 110-s-3513
Sponsor: Sen. Clinton, Hillary Rodham [D-NY]
Introduced: 2008-09-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Economics and Public Finance
Employee training
Employment of the disadvantaged
Environmental Protection Agency
Environmental health
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Grants-in-aid
Health
Home repair and improvement
Housing and Community Development
Labor and Employment
Lead
Lead poisoning
Licenses
Residential rehabilitation
Risk
Soil pollution
Standards

Summary:
action_date: 2008-09-17
text: 
Renovation Rule Improvement Act of 2008 - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to update the final rule entitled &quot;Lead: Renovation, Repair, and Painting Program&quot; published on April 22, 2008, to include requirements that: (1) independent clearance be performed by a certified risk assessor or certified sampling technician to ensure compliance with lead hazard standards for lead, lead dust, and lead-based paint; (2) a written renovation completion report describing all the actions to reduce lead hazards be provided to owners and occupants of a covered property; (3) work practices be at least as protective as those of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD); and (4) an individual who has completed a lead-based paint training and certification program be present at all times at a work site. 

Requires the Administrator to establish a grant program to expand training opportunities relating to lead-based paint that are available at the state and tribal level. Requires grant recipients to provide no-cost, culturally and linguistically appropriate lead-based paint training and certification opportunities for low-income workers.

Requires the Administrator, in collaboration with the HUD Secretary, to submit a report to specified congressional committees on the impact of the final rule on preventing lead poisoning and on training opportunities for contractors and renovators. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2008-09-17
text: Introduced in Senate
Reuniting Families Act

Bill: 110-s-3514
Sponsor: Sen. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2008-09-18 in the Senate
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Administrative remedies
Alien labor
Deportation
East Asia
Families
Immigrants
Labor and Employment
Law
Married people
Orphans
Parents
Philippines
Visas

Summary:
action_date: 2008-09-18
text: 
Reuniting Families Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish the fiscal year worldwide level of employment-based immigrants at 140,000 plus: (1) the previous year's unused visas; and (2) the number of unused visas from FY1992-FY2007.
 
Establishes the fiscal year worldwide level of family-sponsored immigrants at 480,000 plus: (1) the previous year's unused visas; and (2) the number of unused visas from FY1992-FY2007. 
 
Revises the definition of &quot;immediate relative&quot; to: (1) mean a child, spouse, or parent of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident (and for each family member of a citizen or resident, such individual's accompanying spouse or child), except that in the case of parents such citizens shall be at least 21 years old; (2) permit a widow or widower of a U.S. citizen or resident to seek permanent resident status if married at least two years at the time of the citizen's or resident's death or, if married less than two years, by showing through a preponderance of the evidence that the marriage was entered into in good faith and not solely to obtain an immigration benefit; and (3) include an alien who was the child or parent of a U.S. citizen or resident at the time of the citizen's or resident's death if the alien files a petition within two years after such date or prior to reaching 21 years old.
 
Increases immigration visas for: (1) unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens; and (2) brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens.
 
Provides a 60,000 visa allocation for the unmarried sons and daughters of permanent resident aliens.
 
Increases annual per country (10% of annual total) and dependent area (5% of annual total) limits for employment-based and family-sponsored immigrant visas.
 
Expands specified family-unity exceptions to unlawful presence-based inadmissibility.
 
Provides specified relief for orphans and spouses regarding: (1) petitions for immediate relative status; (2) parole eligibility; (3) permanent resident status adjustment; and (4) processing of immigrant visas.
 
Exempts children of naturalized Filipino World War II veterans from worldwide or numerical immigrant limitations.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-18
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2008-09-18
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to establish 4 regional institutes as centers of excellence for research, planning, and related efforts to assess and prepare for the impacts of climate change on ocean and coastal areas.

Bill: 110-s-3515
Sponsor: Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI]
Introduced: 2008-09-18 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Climate change and greenhouse gases
Coastal zone
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Environmental Protection
Environmental research
Federal aid to education
Federal aid to research
Great Lakes
Higher education
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Marine pollution
Oceanography
Research centers
Science, Technology, Communications
Water Resources Development

Summary:
action_date: 2008-09-18
text: 
Directs the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) establish an Institute for Ocean and Coastal Adaptation to Climate Change at an institution of higher education in each of four separate regions of the United States; and (2) award grants to such educational institutions for research, planning, and related activities to assess and prepare for the impacts of climate change on ocean and coastal areas, including the Great Lakes.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-18
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2008-09-18
text: Introduced in Senate
Idaho Efficient Vehicle Demonstration Act of 2008

Bill: 110-s-3516
Sponsor: Sen. Craig, Larry E. [R-ID]
Introduced: 2008-09-18 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Economics and Public Finance
Federal aid to transportation
Highway finance
Idaho
Interstate highway system
Trucks

Summary:
action_date: 2008-09-18
text: 
Idaho Efficient Vehicle Demonstration Act of 2008 - Prohibits any reduction of the apportionment of federal-aid highway funds to Idaho if: (1) it permits a commercial combination vehicle weighing up to 129,000 pounds to operate on specified routes of the Interstate System within the state; (2) such vehicle does not exceed state weight limits for operation on state highways; and (3) the vehicle is limited to travel only on certain portions of Interstate Routes 15, 84, and 86.

(Under current law, the federal-aid highway funds of a state shall be reduced if it permits a commercial combination vehicle with a weight in excess of federal weight limits to operate on Interstate System highways within the state.)


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-18
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2008-09-18
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9027-9028)
action_date: 2008-09-18
text: Introduced in Senate