hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Making Health Care More Affordable Act of 2008

Bill: 110-s-3072
Sponsor: Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS]
Introduced: 2008-05-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Commerce
Crime and Law Enforcement
Damages
Data banks
Employee health benefits
Employee training
Finance and Financial Sector
Health care fraud
Health information systems
Health insurance
Income tax
Insurance premiums
Labor and Employment
Law
Limitation of actions
Medical malpractice
Medical records
Medical savings accounts
Medical supplies
Medical technology
Medicare
Products liability
Punitive damages
Science, Technology, Communications
Social Welfare
Standards
Tax credits
Tax deductions
Tax refunds
Taxation

Summary:
action_date: 2008-05-22
text: 
Making Health Care More Affordable Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to allow individual taxpayers a refundable tax credit for health insurance costs paid.

Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to provide for establishment and governance of association health plans (AHPs), which are group health plans whose sponsors are trade, industry, professional, chamber of commerce, or similar business associations and which meet certain ERISA certification requirements. 

Amends the Public Health Service Act to provide that the laws of the state designated by a health insurance issuer (primary state) shall apply to individual health insurance coverage offered by that issuer in the primary state and in any other state (secondary state), but only if the coverage and issuer comply with certain requirements.

Promoting Health for Future Generations Act of 2008 - Amends the IRC to to revise provisions related to health savings accounts (HSAs), high deductible health plans, and medical savings accounts (MSAs), including to: (1) increase the tax deduction for contributions to HSAs; (2) allow a new tax deduction for high deductible health plan premiums; and (3) allow individual contributions to a Medicare Advantage MSA.

Increased Access to Health Insurance Act of 2008 - Amends the IRC to permit the use of HSAs to purchase health insurance.

Sets forth conditions for lawsuits arising from health care liability claims regarding health care goods or services or any medical product affecting interstate commerce, including: (1) a statute of limitations of three years after the date of manifestation of injury or one year after the claimant discovers the injury, with certain exceptions; and (2) limits on noneconomic and punitive damages.

Sets forth provisions related to health information technology. Provides for health record banks. Creates safe harbors from civil and criminal penalties in current anti-kickback laws for providing certain health information technology and training services.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-05-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2008-05-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Internet Safety Education Act of 2008

Bill: 110-s-3074
Sponsor: Sen. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2008-06-02 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Child safety
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Crime prevention
Curricula
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Electronic mail systems
Elementary and secondary education
Families
Grants-in-aid
Internet
Parent and child
Pornography
Racism
Right of privacy
School administration
Science, Technology, Communications
Sexual harassment
Telephone

Summary:
action_date: 2008-06-02
text: 
Internet Safety Education Act of 2008 - Directs the Attorney General to award grants to certain U.S. entities that assist elementary and secondary school administrators, faculty and staff, and law enforcement officials in implementing Internet crime prevention education. Defines &quot;Internet crime prevention education&quot; to mean programs that help parents, educators, and law enforcement officials to educate children and communities about how to recognize and prevent potentially criminal activity on the Internet, telephone, and other electronic means.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-06-02
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2008-06-02
text: Introduced in Senate
An original bill to make certain technical corrections to title III of SAFETEA-LU.

Bill: 110-s-3075
Sponsor: Sen. Dodd, Christopher J. [D-CT]
Introduced: 2008-06-02 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Alaska
California
Economics and Public Finance
Energy
Federal aid to transportation
Hydrogen
Light rail transit
Louisiana
Mass rapid transit
Motor buses
South Carolina
Terminals (Transportation)
Transportation planning
Virginia

Summary:
action_date: 2008-06-02
text: 
Amends the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), with respect to the alternatives analysis program, to change the FY2006-FY2007 project for the South Carolina Department of Transportation Light Rail study to the South Carolina Department of Transportation Corridor study.
 
Revises the item descriptions for certain bus and bus-related facilities projects for FY2006-FY2009. Makes amounts obligated for such projects in FY2006 available for obligation through FY2009.

action_date: 2008-06-02
text: 

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

 
Amends the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), with respect to the alternatives analysis program, to change the FY2006-FY2007 project for the South Carolina Department of Transportation Light Rail study to the South Carolina Department of Transportation Corridor study.
 
Revises the item descriptions for certain bus and bus-related facilities projects for FY2006-FY2009. Makes amounts obligated for such projects in FY2006 available for obligation through FY2009.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-06-02
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 756.
action_date: 2008-06-02
text: Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Original measure reported to Senate by Senator Dodd. Without written report.
action_date: 2008-06-02
text: Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Original measure reported to Senate by Senator Dodd. Without written report.
action_date: 2008-06-02
text: Introduced in Senate
Home School Opportunities Make Education Sound Act of 2008

Bill: 110-s-3076
Sponsor: Sen. Vitter, David [R-LA]
Introduced: 2008-06-03 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Education
Elementary and secondary education
Home schooling
Income tax
Tax deductions

Summary:
action_date: 2008-06-03
text: 
Home School Opportunities Make Education Sound Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow all taxpayers, including taxpayers who do not itemize their deductions, a tax deduction for expenses relating to the home schooling of their children at the elementary or secondary school level.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-06-03
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2008-06-03
text: Introduced in Senate
Strengthening Transparency and Accountability in Federal Spending Act of 2008

Bill: 110-s-3077
Sponsor: Sen. Obama, Barack [D-IL]
Introduced: 2008-06-03 in the Senate
Policy area: Economics and Public Finance
Subjects: Collection of accounts
Commerce
Crime and Law Enforcement
Data banks
Due process of law
Ex-offenders
Executives
Federal aid programs
Finance and Financial Sector
Government Operations and Politics
Government contractors
Government lending
Government paperwork
Government procurement
Government publicity
Identification devices
Income tax
Internet
Law
Leases
Liens
Office of Management and Budget
Performance measurement
Profit
Science, Technology, Communications
Subcontractors
Tax returns
Taxation
Web sites

Summary:
action_date: 2008-06-03
text: 
Strengthening Transparency and Accountability in Federal Spending Act of 2008 - Amends the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 with respect to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) searchable federal funding database website. Requires the website to allow the public to search programmatically and access all data in a serialized machine readable format (such as XML) via a web-services application programming interface.

 Specifies additional information on federal awards (federal financial assistance and expenditures) the website must include by certain deadlines. 

Requires the website to present information about federal awards and their recipients in ways that meet the needs of users with different levels of understanding about government spending and abilities using searching websites.

Sets forth requirements of the Director of OMB to add specified data quality enhancements to the website.

Requires the Director to ensure that the unique identifier used to link information on the website is also used to link information about performance of individual contractors and recipients of financial assistance starting with awards given in FY2008.

Requires the chief executive officer of an award recipient to certify whether the entity has: (1) filed all federal tax returns required during the preceding five years; (2) been convicted of a criminal offense under the Internal Revenue Code; and (3) an outstanding debt under the Code for which a notice of lien has been publicly filed that is not being paid in a timely manner, or for which a collection due process hearing or relief is requested or pending.

Requires the Director to: (1) develop certification forms; (2) ensure that each agency providing federal awards complies with tax compliance requirements; and (3) ensure that the website contains such certified information.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-06-03
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2008-06-03
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S4971)
action_date: 2008-06-03
text: Introduced in Senate
National Innovation and Job Creation Act of 2008

Bill: 110-s-3078
Sponsor: Sen. Collins, Susan M. [R-ME]
Introduced: 2008-06-03 in the Senate
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Advice and consent of the Senate
Commercialization
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Data banks
Department of Commerce
Department of Labor
Economic development
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Engineering
Entrepreneurs
Executive Office of the President
Executive reorganization
Federal aid to education
Government Operations and Politics
Government publicity
Government statistics
Grants-in-aid
Higher education
Industrial engineering
Industrial production
Infrastructure
Joint ventures
Labor and Employment
Manufacturing industries
National Science Foundation
Presidential appointments
Research and development
Research grants
Science, Technology, Communications
Technological innovations
Technology transfer

Summary:
action_date: 2008-06-03
text: 
 National Innovation and Job Creation Act of 2008 - Establishes in the Executive Office of the President a National Innovation Council, to be responsible for formulating and advocating for the federal government's innovation policy. Requires the Council to collaborate with major statistical agencies, collect data concerning the impact on productivity of the Council's programs, and annually report to Congress on national innovation and productivity. Places the Council under the direction of a National Innovation Council Board.

Transfers to the Council specified research and innovation programs of the National Institute of Standards of Technology, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Labor.

Establishes within the Council the CLUSTER Information Center to promote the collection, development, and dissemination of data and analysis on industry clusters (geographic concentrations of interconnected businesses and associated institutions in a particular field).

Requires the Council to award grants for: (1) operation of CLUSTER Initiatives (formal efforts to promote cluster growth and competitiveness through collaborative activities); (2) research partnerships between academic institutions and industry research alliances; (3) early-stage research, by academic institutions and joint ventures, into methods of increasing productivity and innovation; (4) state innovation-based economic development partnerships; and (5) diffusion of technological innovations by manufacturing extension partnership centers.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-06-03
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2008-06-03
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S4971-4972)
action_date: 2008-06-03
text: Introduced in Senate
Family Tax Relief Act of 2008

Bill: 110-s-3079
Sponsor: Sen. Smith, Gordon H. [R-OR]
Introduced: 2008-06-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Adoption
Adult day care
Arts, Culture, Religion
Books
College costs
Cost of living adjustments
Day care
Disabled
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Elementary and secondary education
Families
Fringe benefits
Higher education
Income tax
Indexing (Economic policy)
Labor and Employment
Social Welfare
Tax credits
Tax deductions
Tax exclusion
Teacher education
Teachers
Teaching materials
Textbooks

Summary:
action_date: 2008-06-04
text: 
Family Tax Relief Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase and make refundable the tax credit for employment-related dependent care expenses; and (2) increase and make permanent the tax deduction for certain expenses of elementary and secondary school teachers. 
 
Makes permanent provisions of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 which allow: (1) an expanded tax credit for adoption expenses; and (2) an increased exclusion from the gross income of employees for employer-paid adoption expenses.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-06-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2008-06-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Imported Ethanol Parity Act

Bill: 110-s-3080
Sponsor: Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA]
Introduced: 2008-06-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Foreign Trade and International Finance
Subjects: Alcohol as fuel
Energy
Excise tax
Income tax
Tariff
Tax rates
Taxation

Summary:
action_date: 2008-06-04
text: 
Imported Ethanol Parity Act - Requires the President to: (1) reduce semiannually the temporary duty imposed on ethanol by an amount equal to the reduction in any federal income or excise tax credit for alcohol and ethanol blends used as fuel; and (2) take other necessary actions to ensure that the temporary duty imposed on ethanol is equal to, or lower than, any federal income or excise tax credit applicable to ethanol.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-06-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5042)
action_date: 2008-06-04
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5041-5042)
action_date: 2008-06-04
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to establish a Petroleum Industry Antitrust Task Force within the Department of Justice.

Bill: 110-s-3081
Sponsor: Sen. Kerry, John F. [D-MA]
Introduced: 2008-06-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Antitrust law
Cartels
Commodity exchanges
Department of Justice
Energy
Energy prices
Executive reorganization
Finance and Financial Sector
Futures trading
Gasoline
Government Operations and Politics
Petroleum industry
Price discrimination
Restrictive trade practices

Summary:
action_date: 2008-06-04
text: 
Directs the Attorney General to establish a Petroleum Industry Antitrust Task Force in the Department of Justice (DOJ) to examine all issues relating to the application of federal antitrust laws to the petroleum markets, including the existence and effects of: (1) price gouging in the sales of gasoline; (2) international oil cartels; (3) collusive behavior in restricting petroleum production; (4) anticompetitive price discrimination; and (5) anticompetitive manipulation in futures markets or other trading exchanges relating to petroleum.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-06-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2008-06-04
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5042-5043)
action_date: 2008-06-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Trade Reform, Accountability, Development, and Employment Act of 2008

Bill: 110-s-3083
Sponsor: Sen. Brown, Sherrod [D-OH]
Introduced: 2008-06-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Foreign Trade and International Finance
Subjects: Agriculture and Food
Agriculture in foreign trade
American investments
Armed Forces and National Security
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Commerce
Congress
Congress and foreign policy
Congressional investigations
Congressional joint committees
Congressional reorganization
Congressional reporting requirements
Democracy
Dispute settlement
Employee rights
Environmental Protection
Environmental law enforcement
Food safety
Foreign investments
Free trade
Government Operations and Politics
Government procurement
Human rights
Imports
Intellectual property
International Affairs
Labor and Employment
Legislation
Nontariff trade barriers
President and foreign policy
Product safety
Senate rules and procedure
Standards
Trade agreements
Trade negotiations

Summary:
action_date: 2008-06-04
text: 
Trade Reform, Accountability, Development, and Employment Act of 2008, or the TRADE Act of 2008 - Directs the Comptroller General of the United States to: (1) review certain free trade agreements (including Uruguay Round Agreements) between the United States and foreign countries; and (2) report to the Congressional Trade Agreement Review Committee regarding such agreements, including analyses of specified subjects and of each agreement, as well as whether the country has a democratic form of government that respects certain core labor rights and fundamental human rights, protects intellectual property rights, and enforces environmental laws.

Declares that implementing bills of new trade agreements shall be subject to a point of order in the Senate unless such agreements include certain standards with respect to: (1) labor; (2) environment and public safety; (3) food and product health and safety; (4) provision of services; (5) investment; (6) procurement; (7) intellectual property; (8) agriculture; (9) trade remedies and safeguards; (10) rules of origin; (11) dispute resolution and enforcement; (12) technical assistance; and (13) national security.

Requires the President to submit to Congress a plan to bring existing trade agreements into compliance with such standards.

Establishes a Congressional Trade Agreement Review Committee.

Expresses the sense of Congress that a certain process for U.S. trade negotiations should be followed when Congress considers legislation providing special procedures for implementing bills of trade agreements.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-06-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5044-5047)
action_date: 2008-06-04
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5043-5044)
action_date: 2008-06-04
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize certain aliens who have earned a master's or higher degree from a United States institution of higher education in a field of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics to be admitted for permanent residence and for other purposes.

Bill: 110-s-3084
Sponsor: Sen. Boxer, Barbara [D-CA]
Introduced: 2008-06-05 in the Senate
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Alien labor
Education
Engineering
Engineers
Graduate education
Higher education
Immigrants
Infrastructure
Labor and Employment
Mathematics
Science, Technology, Communications
Scientific education
Scientists

Summary:
action_date: 2008-06-05
text: 
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to include among those aliens not subject to worldwide numerical immigrant limitations persons who have earned a master's or higher degree from a U.S. institution of higher education in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics and who have an employment offer from a U.S. employer in a field related to such degree. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-06-05
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2008-06-05
text: Introduced in Senate
Credit Card Fair Fee Act of 2008

Bill: 110-s-3086
Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
Introduced: 2008-06-05 in the Senate
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Administrative law judges
Antitrust law
Contracts
Credit cards
Debit cards
Fees
Finance and Financial Sector
Law
Retail trade

Summary:
action_date: 2008-06-05
text: 
Credit Card Fair Fee Act of 2008 - Authorizes providers of a single covered electronic payment system (e.g., Visa or Mastercharge credit cards) and any merchants to jointly negotiate and agree upon the fees and terms for access to such a system. 

Defines covered electronic payment system as any system that has been used for at least 20% of the combined dollar value of credit and debit card payments processed in the most recent year. 

Grants limited antitrust immunity to such providers and merchants, as well as to those providers who jointly determine among themselves the proportionate division of paid access fees.

Sets forth procedures to determine fees and terms for access to a covered electronic payment system. 

Creates a panel of three full-time Electronic Payment System Judges, appointed by the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice and the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, to determine the schedule of fees and terms for two-year periods. Outlines procedures for correcting overpayments, underpayments, and late payments as determined by the Judges. Subjects any determination of such Judges to judicial review.

Authorizes providers and merchants to engage in voluntarily negotiated access agreements. Declares that such an executed agreement shall supersede any fees or terms established by the Judges.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-06-05
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2008-06-05
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5208-5210)
action_date: 2008-06-05
text: Introduced in Senate