hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Heavy Duty Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 2008

Bill: 110-s-3618
Sponsor: Sen. Collins, Susan M. [R-ME]
Introduced: 2008-09-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Automobile engines
Climate change and greenhouse gases
Economics and Public Finance
Electric vehicles
Energy research
Energy storage
Environmental Protection
Federal aid to research
Research and development
Research grants
Science, Technology, Communications
Technological innovations
Transportation and Public Works
Trucks

Summary:
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: 
Heavy Duty Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of Energy to establish a competitive program to provide between three and seven grants of up to $3 million in each of three years to advance research and development and to demonstrate technologies, including plug-in hybrid technology, for advanced heavy duty hybrid vehicles (vehicles with a gross weight of between 14,000 and 33,000 pounds that are fueled, in part, by a rechargeable energy storage system); and (2) conduct research into alternative power train designs for use in advanced heavy duty hybrid vehicles.

Amends the United States Energy Storage Competitiveness Act of 2007 to direct the Secretary to conduct an applied research program on energy storage systems to support vehicles with a gross weight over 16,000 pounds.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9682)
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Susquehanna Gateway National Heritage Area Act

Bill: 110-s-3619
Sponsor: Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. [D-PA]
Introduced: 2008-09-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Arts, Culture, Religion
Commemorations
Cultural property
Historic sites
History
Outdoor recreation
Pennsylvania
Sports and Recreation

Summary:
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: 
Susquehanna Gateway National Heritage Area Act - Establishes the Susquehanna Gateway National Heritage Area in Pennsylvania. Designates the Lancaster-York Heritage Region as the management entity for the Area. Requires the Lancaster-York Heritage Region to prepare and submit a management plan for the Area. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (text of measure as introduced: CR S9683-9685)
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9682-9683)
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Child Care Investment Act of 2008

Bill: 110-s-3620
Sponsor: Sen. Lincoln, Blanche L. [D-AR]
Introduced: 2008-09-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Aid to dependent children
Appropriations
Cash welfare block grants
Day care
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Elementary and secondary education
Employee training
Families
Government Operations and Politics
Group homes
Housing and Community Development
Infants
Labor and Employment
Preschool education
Teacher education

Summary:
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: 
Child Care Investment Act of 2008 - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) of title IV of the Social Security Act to increase appropriations for child care assistance grants for FY2009-FY2014. 

Makes appropriations for FY2009-FY2014 for grants to states to establish: (1) a Quality Rating and Improvement System (or maintain such a system) for center-based child care providers, group home child care providers, family child care providers, and other early childhood education providers; (2) a statewide network of infant and toddler specialists to train such providers; (3) standards that require at least 40 hours of appropriate health, safety, and child development training for an individual before employment with or as a licensed or registered child care provider; and (4) requirements that licensed or registered providers are visited by monitoring staff at least twice a year.

Requires the use of such appropriations also to pay reimbursement rates at or above the 75th percentile of market rates for providers of child care services assisted under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9685)
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend title 10, United States Code, to authorize extended benefits for certain autistic dependents of certain retirees.

Bill: 110-s-3621
Sponsor: Sen. Martinez, Mel [R-FL]
Introduced: 2008-09-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Autism
Child health
Families
Health
Managed care
Military dependents
Retired military personnel
Retiree health benefits

Summary:
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: 
Revises TRICARE (a Department of Defense [DOD] managed health care program) to authorize the Secretary of Defense to provide extended health care services and treatment, by way of contract with private providers, for dependent autism-diagnosed children of military retirees not entitled to hospital insurance benefits under Part A (Hospital Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act and not enrolled under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of such title.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Great Lakes Conservation Education Act

Bill: 110-s-3622
Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
Introduced: 2008-09-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Water Resources Development
Subjects: Economics and Public Finance
Education
Elementary and secondary education
Environmental Protection
Environmental education
Federal aid to education
Great Lakes
Marine resources conservation
Water quality

Summary:
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: 
Great Lakes Conservation Education Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to: (1) award grants to educational or nonprofit nongovernmental entities to conduct activities in states adjacent to a Great Lake to increase knowledge about, raise awareness of, or provide education regarding the importance of conservation of the Great Lakes; and (2) require grant recipients to submit reports on their activities under the grant program. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (text of measure as introduced: CR S9686)
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9685-9686)
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Clean, Low-Emission, Affordable, New Transportation Efficiency Act

Bill: 110-s-3624
Sponsor: Sen. Carper, Thomas R. [D-DE]
Introduced: 2008-09-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Auctions
Bicycles
Car pools
Climate change and greenhouse gases
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Economics and Public Finance
Emissions trading
Environmental Protection
Federal aid to transportation
Government trust funds
Governmental investigations
Land use
Mass rapid transit
Metropolitan areas
Motor vehicle pollution control
Pedestrians
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Railroad engineering
Railroad equipment
Railroad freight operations
Railroad passenger traffic
Regional planning
Science, Technology, Communications
Transportation planning
Transportation research
Urban affairs
Zoning and zoning law

Summary:
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: 
Clean, Low-Emission, Affordable, New Transportation Efficiency Act - Establishes the Low Greenhouse Gas Transportation Fund.
 
Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for each of calendar 2012-2050, to auction 10% of emission allowances established under any EPA program providing for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the auctioning of emission allowances.
 
Requires deposit of auction proceeds into the Fund to implement state and metropolitan planning organization (MPO) greenhouse gas emission reduction plans, and provide funding to transit projects that help reduce such emissions.
 
Requires states and MPOs to: (1) establish goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector for the next 10 years; and (2) develop transportation greenhouse gas emission reduction plans, updated quadrennially, including supporting lists of prioritized transit projects, that are integrated into state and MPO long-range transportation and transportation improvement plans. 
 
Directs the Secretary of Transportation and the EPA Administrator to arrange with the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences to study and report recommendations for improving research tools and federal data sources necessary to assess the effect of transportation and land use plans on motor vehicle use rates and transportation sector greenhouse gas emissions.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 245 North Main Street in New City, New York, as the "Kenneth Peter Zebrowski Post Office Building".

Bill: 110-s-3625
Sponsor: Sen. Clinton, Hillary Rodham [D-NY]
Introduced: 2008-09-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Commemorations
Subjects: Congressional tributes
Government Operations and Politics
Names
New York City
New York State
Postal facilities
State legislators

Summary:
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 245 North Main Street in New City, New York, as the "Kenneth Peter Zebrowski Post Office Building."

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-10-03
text: Held at the desk.
action_date: 2008-10-03
text: Message on Senate action sent to the House.
action_date: 2008-10-03
text: Received in the House.
action_date: 2008-10-02
text: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (text: CR S10422)
action_date: 2008-10-02
text: Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.(text: CR S10422)
action_date: 2008-10-02
text: Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs discharged by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S10422)
action_date: 2008-10-02
text: Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs discharged by Unanimous Consent.(consideration: CR S10422)
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Family and Retirement Health Investment Act of 2008

Bill: 110-s-3626
Sponsor: Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT]
Introduced: 2008-09-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Agriculture and Food
Armed Forces and National Security
Chronically ill
Dietary supplements
Disabled
Employee health benefits
Families
Finance and Financial Sector
Flexible benefit plans
Health
Health insurance
Income tax
Indian medical care
Insurance premiums
Labor and Employment
Married people
Medical fees
Medical savings accounts
Medicare
Minorities
Native Americans
Nutrition
Physical fitness
Physicians
Preventive medicine
Social Welfare
Sports and Recreation
Tax deductions
Tax returns
Veterans' medical care

Summary:
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: 
Family and Retirement Health Investment Act of 2008 - Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions relating to health savings accounts (HSAs) to: (1) permit holders of HSAs and their spouses who are age 55 or older to make an additional (catch-up) contribution to a joint HSA; (2) allow Medicare beneficiaries to continue to contribute to HSA accounts after reaching age 65 and to make contributions to medical savings accounts; (3) permit veterans with service-connected disabilities and Native Americans to contribute to an HSA regardless of utilization of Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) medical services or Indian Health Service or tribal medical services; (4) allow increased rollovers from flexible spending arrangements or health reimbursement arrangements into HSAs; (5) permit the payment of Medicare premiums for a spouse on Medicare from an HSA even though the HSA account holder is not age 65; (6) allow the payment of medical expenses from an HSA as long as the HSA is established by the tax return due date in the following taxable year; (7) expand the definition of &quot;preventive care&quot; to include medications that prevent the worsening of a chronic condition; and (8) treat as medical care for tax deduction and HSA purposes payments for exercise and physical fitness programs and certain nutritional and dietary supplements, up to $1,000 per year, and the payment of fees paid in advance to a primary physician for the right to receive medical services on an as-needed basis.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9708-9709)
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Every Student Counts Act

Bill: 110-s-3627
Sponsor: Sen. Harkin, Tom [D-IA]
Introduced: 2008-09-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Data banks
Disabled
Dropouts
Economics and Public Finance
Education of the disadvantaged
Educational accountability
Educational statistics
Educational tests
Elementary and secondary education
English language
Federal aid to education
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Government publicity
Literacy programs
Migrant education
Minorities
Minority education
School districts
Science, Technology, Communications
Secondary education
Social Welfare
Special education
Standards
Student records
Women
Women's education

Summary:
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: 
Every Student Counts Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require, beginning by the 2011-2012 school year, states, local educational agencies (LEAs), and secondary schools annually to include on the report cards required under title I of the Act: (1) their four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate; (2) their cumulative graduation rate; (3) the number of students graduating in more than four years with a regular secondary school diploma; (4) the number of students who have been removed from the adjusted cohort; (5) the percentage of students from an adjusted cohort who remain in secondary school after four years; and (6) the percentage of secondary school students in each grade, except the graduating grade, prepared to advance to the next grade.
 
Requires such data, except for data on students who remain in secondary school after four years, to be disaggregated by race, ethnicity, gender, disability status, migrant status, English proficiency, and status as economically disadvantaged.
 
Directs states, LEAs, and secondary schools in states that lack a statewide longitudinal data system with individual student identifiers to make certain annual interim graduation rate calculations; but prohibits the use of such interim calculations after the 2010-2011 school year.
 
Requires the use of aggregate and disaggregated cumulative graduation rates in determining the success of each secondary school and LEA in making adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward state academic performance standards under the Act. Requires states, LEAs, and schools that have a cumulative graduation rate below 90% overall or for any of the student subgroups, to make specified yearly progress in improving such rate or be deemed as failing to make AYP.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9709-9710)
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Workplace Religious Freedom Act of 2008

Bill: 110-s-3628
Sponsor: Sen. Kerry, John F. [D-MA]
Introduced: 2008-09-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Subjects: Clothing
Discrimination in employment
Employee rights
Employers' liability
Hours of labor
Labor and Employment
Law
Leave of absence
Religion
Religion in the workplace
Religious liberty

Summary:
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: 
Workplace Religious Freedom Act of 2008 - Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to provide that the practice of wearing religious clothing or a religious hairstyle, or of taking time off for a religious reason, imposes an undue hardship on the conduct of an employer's business in accommodating such practice only if the accommodation imposes a significant difficulty or expense on the conduct of the employer's business when considered in light of specified factors set forth in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, including: (1) the nature and cost of the accommodation needed; (2) the financial resources and size of the business; and (3) the type of operation of the business.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9710-9711)
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Consumer Credit Safety Commission Act of 2008

Bill: 110-s-3629
Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
Introduced: 2008-09-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Commerce
Consumer credit
Crime and Law Enforcement
Executive reorganization
Fines (Penalties)
Fraud
Government Operations and Politics
Governmental investigations
Law
Restrictive trade practices
Standards

Summary:
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: 
Consumer Credit Safety Commission Act of 2008 - Establishes the Consumer Credit Safety Commission to promulgate consumer credit safety rules that: (1) ban abusive, fraudulent, unfair, deceptive, predatory, anticompetitive, or otherwise anti-consumer practices or product features for creditors; (2) place restrictions on consumer credit practices or product features to reduce the likelihood that they may be provided in a manner inconsistent with this Act; and (3) establish requirements for clear and adequate information appropriate to advance the objectives of this Act. 
 
Directs the Commission to: (1) establish and maintain a best practices guide for providers of consumer credit; (2) conduct, or award grants or contracts for, continuing studies and investigations of consumer credit industry practices; (3) help consumer credit providers to develop consumer credit safety standards or guidelines; and (4) establish and operate a consumer credit customer hotline to register complaints and receive information on how to combat anti-consumer credit.
 
Directs the Commission to establish a program to promote federal-state cooperation to implement this Act.
 
Sets forth civil and criminal penalties for acts prohibited by this Act.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. (text of measure as introduced: CR S9711-9715)
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9711)
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Introduced in Senate
AmericaView Authorization Act

Bill: 110-s-3630
Sponsor: Sen. Johnson, Tim [D-SD]
Introduced: 2008-09-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Economics and Public Finance
Federal advisory bodies
Government Operations and Politics
Grants-in-aid
Remote sensing
Space activities

Summary:
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: 
AmericaView Authorization Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), to: (1) establish and maintain a nationwide AmericaView Program to advance the availability, distribution, and use of remote sensing data (information acquired from above the surface of the Earth by satellite or airplane) and technology in each state; (2) maintain AmericaView (the national nonprofit collaboration of StateView participants cooperating with the EROS Data Center to achieve the purposes of the AmericaView Program) in each state to develop publicly accessible remote sensing data archive and distribution infrastructure and expand remote sensing education, research, and knowledge; (3) award annual grants to sustain and develop StateView programs (the AmericaView programs of an individual states, comprised of educational institutions and state and local governments); and (4) maintain an advisory committee to advise the USGS Director about the AmericaView Program.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Medically Fragile Children's Act of 2008

Bill: 110-s-3631
Sponsor: Sen. Clinton, Hillary Rodham [D-NY]
Introduced: 2008-09-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Child development
Child health
Chronically ill
Comprehensive health care
Disabled
Families
Medicaid
Social Welfare

Summary:
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: 
Medically Fragile Children's Act of 2008 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to establish a program of all-inclusive care for medically fragile children as a Medicaid state plan option. 
 
Makes a child eligible if he or she is: (1) medically fragile based on health status and related indicators or is diagnosed as having one or more chronic conditions; (2) requires daily monitoring of a significant medical condition necessitating overall care planning in order to achieve or maintain optimum health and developmental status, and achieve community integration to the maximum extent possible; and (3) requires both medical assistance and at least two additional services furnished under an all-inclusive program as a result of functional deficits.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2008-09-26
text: Introduced in Senate