hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Financial Markets Commission Act of 2009

Bill: 111-s-298
Sponsor: Sen. Isakson, Johnny [R-GA]
Introduced: 2009-01-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Banking and financial institutions regulation
Congressional agencies
Congressional oversight
Credit and credit markets
Financial crises and stabilization
Fraud offenses and financial crimes
Housing finance and home ownership
Securities

Summary:
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: 
Financial Markets Commission Act of 2009 - Establishes in the legislative branch the Financial Markets Commission to: (1) examine all causes, domestic and global, of the current financial and economic crisis in the United States, including the collapse of major financial and commercial firms and the deterioration of the credit and housing markets; and (2) investigate the role in the crisis, if any, of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), nationally recognized statistical rating organizations, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), trading facilities for commodities and self-regulatory organizations, the federal banking agencies, any financial or commercial corporation, partnership, or entity, and any other governmental or non-governmental entity.
 
Requires the Commission to: (1) report its findings and recommendations to the President and Congress; and (2) refer to the U.S. Attorney General and any appropriate state attorney general any person that the Commission finds may have violated federal laws in relation to the crisis.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to establish a pilot program in certain United States district courts to encourage enhancement of expertise in patent cases among district judges.

Bill: 111-s-299
Sponsor: Sen. Specter, Arlen [R-PA]
Introduced: 2009-01-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Law
Subjects: Federal district courts
Horticulture and plants
Intellectual property
Judges

Summary:
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: 
Establishes a pilot program in certain U.S. district courts under which: (1) those district judges who request to hear cases involving patent or plant variety protection issues are designated by the chief judge to hear them; (2) such cases are randomly assigned to the district court judges, regardless of whether they are designated; (3) a judge not designated to whom such a case is assigned may decline to accept the case; and (4) a case so declined is randomly reassigned to one of those judges so designated. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: Introduced in Senate
TV Converter Box Coupon Program Relief Act

Bill: 111-s-300
Sponsor: Sen. Gregg, Judd [R-NH]
Introduced: 2009-01-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
Subjects: Broadcasting, cable, digital technologies
Telecommunication rates and fees
Television and film

Summary:
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: 
 TV Converter Box Coupon Program Relief Act - Amends the Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005 to authorize the expenditure of additional amounts to carry out the program to provide coupons for the purchase of digital-to-analog converter boxes.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Physician Payments Sunshine Act of 2009

Bill: 111-s-301
Sponsor: Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA]
Introduced: 2009-01-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Child health
Congressional oversight
Government information and archives
Health care costs and insurance
Health personnel
Health technology, devices, supplies
Manufacturing
Medicaid
Medical ethics
Medicare
Product development and innovation

Summary:
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: 
Physician Payments Sunshine Act of 2009 - Amends part A (General Provisions) of title XI of the Social Security Act to provide for transparency in the relationship between physicians and applicable manufacturers with respect to payments and other transfers of value and physician ownership or investment interests in manufacturers.
 
Requires any manufacturer of a covered drug, device, biological, or medical supply that makes a payment or another transfer of value to a physician, a physician medical practice, or a physician group practice to report annually, in electronic form, specified information on such transactions to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
 
Requires any such manufacturer, or related group purchasing organization, also to report annually to the Secretary, in electronic form, certain information regarding any ownership or investment interest (other than in a publicly traded security and mutual fund) held by a physician (or an immediate family member) in the manufacturer or group purchasing organization during the preceding year.
 
Prescribes administrative penalties for failure to comply with these requirements.
 
Requires report submission procedures to ensure public availability of required information on a website.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S787-788)
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to authorize the International Boundary and Water Commission to reimburse State and local governments for expenses incurred by such governments in designing, constructing, and rehabilitating the Lower Rio Grande Valley Flood Control Project.

Bill: 111-s-302
Sponsor: Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX]
Introduced: 2009-01-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Water Resources Development
Subjects: Floods and storm protection
Texas
Water resources funding
Watersheds

Summary:
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: 
 Authorizes the International Boundary and Water Commission to reimburse state and local governments for expenses incurred in designing, constructing, and rehabilitating its Lower Rio Grande Valley Flood Control Project. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Main Street Recovery Act

Bill: 111-s-304
Sponsor: Sen. Dorgan, Byron L. [D-ND]
Introduced: 2009-01-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Business investment and capital
Income tax credits
Income tax deductions

Summary:
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: 
Main Street Recovery Act - Provides for a 15% investment tax credit through June 30, 2010, for the purchase of business equipment and machinery. 

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend through June 30, 2010, the additional 50% depreciation allowance (bonus depreciation) for business and investment property; (2) allow such depreciation for nonresidential real property or residential rental property; and (3) extend through 2010 the increased expensing allowance for depreciable business assets and expand the types of depreciable property eligible for expensing.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S790-791)
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: Introduced in Senate
National Childhood Brain Tumor Prevention Network Act of 2009

Bill: 111-s-305
Sponsor: Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY]
Introduced: 2009-01-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Advisory bodies
Cancer
Child health
Health information and medical records
Health programs administration and funding
Health promotion and preventive care
Medical research

Summary:
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: 
National Childhood Brain Tumor Prevention Network Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), acting through the Director of the National Cancer Institute, to establish, administer, and coordinate a National Childhood Brain Tumor Prevention Network to: (1) provide grants for research on the causes of and risk factors associated with childhood brain tumors; (2) assemble a panel of experts to provide ongoing guidance and recommendations on research funded by the Network, including on a common study design and standard protocols; and (3) designate a central laboratory to collect, analyze, and aggregate data with respect to research funded by the Network and to make such data and analysis available to researchers.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Biogas Production Incentive Act of 2009

Bill: 111-s-306
Sponsor: Sen. Nelson, Ben [D-NE]
Introduced: 2009-01-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Alternative and renewable resources
Energy
Income tax credits
Public-private cooperation

Summary:
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: 
Biogas Production Incentive Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a business tax credit for the production, sale, or use of biogas. Defines &quot;biogas&quot; as a gas that is derived by processing qualified energy feedstock (i.e., manure of agricultural livestock and other organic agricultural or food industry byproduct waste material) in an anaerobic digester and that contains at least 50% methane. Allows such credit to offset alternative minimum tax (AMT) liability.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Critical Access Hospital Flexibility Act of 2009

Bill: 111-s-307
Sponsor: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR]
Introduced: 2009-01-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Health care coverage and access
Health facilities and institutions
Medicare
Rural conditions and development
Veterans' medical care

Summary:
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: 
Critical Access Hospital Flexibility Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to state Medicare rural hospital flexibility programs, in particular the criteria for designation of critical access hospitals.
 
Revises requirements for the counting of beds for purposes of determining whether a hospital may be designated as a critical access hospital. Allows a facility to provide a maximum of 20 (currently 25) acute care inpatient beds, as determined on an annual, average basis. Declares that only occupied beds shall be counted. 
 
Exempts from the critical access hospital inpatient bed limitation beds provided to certain veterans.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S791-792)
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S791)
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: Introduced in Senate
ROAD Act

Bill: 111-s-308
Sponsor: Sen. Baucus, Max [D-MT]
Introduced: 2009-01-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Economic development
Roads and highways
Rural conditions and development
Transportation programs funding

Summary:
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: 
Rural Opportunity and Development Act or the ROAD Act - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish a rural opportunity and development (ROAD) program to promote opportunity and economic development in rural states through projects for the preservation and improvement of highways.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Nationwide Freight and Personal Mobility Act

Bill: 111-s-309
Sponsor: Sen. Baucus, Max [D-MT]
Introduced: 2009-01-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Roads and highways
Transportation programs funding

Summary:
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: 
Nationwide Freight and Personal Mobility Act - Specifies a formula for the automatic authorization of additional appropriations for National Highway System (NHS) improvement projects, starting FY2010, if apportionments fall below a certain level.
 
Revises the federal share of non-Interstate highway projects to make it: (1) 80% for non-NHS projects; and (2) 85% for NHS projects.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Affordable Care for Women Act

Bill: 111-s-310
Sponsor: Sen. Boxer, Barbara [D-CA]
Introduced: 2009-01-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Family planning and birth control
Health care costs and insurance
Prescription drugs
Sex and reproductive health
Sexually transmitted diseases
Women's health

Summary:
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: 
Affordable Care for Women Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to expand the 340B drug pricing program to allow participation as a covered entity by a public or nonprofit entity that primarily provides family planning services.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Global Democracy Promotion Act

Bill: 111-s-311
Sponsor: Sen. Boxer, Barbara [D-CA]
Introduced: 2009-01-22 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Foreign aid and international relief
Health promotion and preventive care
International organizations and cooperation
Public participation and lobbying
World health

Summary:
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: Global Democracy Promotion Act - Declares that foreign nongovernmental organizations: (1) shall not be ineligible for assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 solely on the basis of health or medical services (including counseling and referral services) provided by them with non-U.S. government funds if such services do not violate the laws of the country in which they are being provided, and would not violate U.S. federal law if provided in the United States; and (2) shall not be subject to requirements relating to the use of non-U.S. government funds for advocacy and lobbying activities other than those that apply to U.S. nongovernmental organizations receiving such assistance.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: Introduced in Senate
First-Time Homebuyers' Tax Credit Act of 2009

Bill: 111-s-312
Sponsor: Sen. Cardin, Benjamin L. [D-MD]
Introduced: 2009-01-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Housing finance and home ownership
Income tax credits

Summary:
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: 
First-Time Homebuyers' Tax Credit Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an individual taxpayer who qualifies as a first-time homebuyer (i.e., an individual who had no ownership interest in a principal residence within the past two years) a one-time refundable credit for up to $20,000 of the purchase price of a principal residence. Reduces such credit for taxpayers with adjusted gross incomes exceeding $75,000 ($150,000 for married couples filing jointly). 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2009-01-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Children's Health Care Quality Act

Bill: 111-s-314
Sponsor: Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT]
Introduced: 2009-01-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Child health
Congressional oversight
Health care costs and insurance
Health care coverage and access
Health care quality
Health information and medical records
Health programs administration and funding
Medicaid
Performance measurement

Summary:
action_date: 2009-01-26
text: 
Children's Health Care Quality Act - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a program to: (1) identify quality and performance measures for pediatric service providers; and (2) award grants or contracts for the development, validation, and testing of new and emerging measures.
 
Directs the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, to establish demonstration projects to award grants to states to improve the delivery of health care services to children under Medicaid and SSA title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP). Requires demonstration projects in the categories of: (1) health information technology systems; (2) disease management for children with chronic conditions; (3) evidence-based quality improvement; and (4) quality and performance measures for providers of children's health care services.
 
Requires the Comptroller General to make recommendations to Congress for the design and implementation of a demonstration project to evaluate the suitability of existing quality and performance measures for children's inpatient hospital services for public reporting, differentiating quality, identifying best practices, and providing a basis for payment rewards. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-01-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2009-01-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Veterans Outreach Improvement Act of 2009

Bill: 111-s-315
Sponsor: Sen. Feingold, Russell D. [D-WI]
Introduced: 2009-01-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Cemeteries and funerals
Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation
Veterans' loans, housing, homeless programs
Veterans' medical care
Veterans' pensions and compensation

Summary:
action_date: 2009-01-26
text: 
Veterans Outreach Improvement Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans to establish a separate account for the funding of outreach activities of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and a separate subaccount for the funding of outreach activities of the Veterans Health Administration, the Veterans Benefits Administration, and the National Cemetery Administration. Directs the Secretary to establish and maintain procedures for ensuring the effective coordination of VA outreach activities between and among such elements, the Office of the Secretary, and the Office of Public Affairs. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to: (1) state and local governments and nonprofit community-based organizations to carry out programs that offer a high probability of improving veterans' outreach and assistance; and (2) appropriate state veterans agencies for such purpose.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-04-29
text: Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 111-81.
action_date: 2009-04-22
text: Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 111-76.
action_date: 2009-01-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2009-01-26
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S833-834)
action_date: 2009-01-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Timber Revitalization and Economic Enhancement Act II of 2009

Bill: 111-s-316
Sponsor: Sen. Lincoln, Blanche L. [D-AR]
Introduced: 2009-01-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Capital gains tax
Energy revenues and royalties
Forests, forestry, trees
Income tax rates
Mining
Real estate business

Summary:
action_date: 2009-01-26
text: 
Timber Revitalization and Economic Enhancement Act II of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent: (1) the reduction in the rate of tax on the net timber gain of corporations; and (2) rules for the treatment of timber real estate investment trust (REIT) gains, mineral royalty income, and prohibited transactions. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-01-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2009-01-26
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S834)
action_date: 2009-01-26
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to repeal the provision of law that provides automatic pay adjustments for Members of Congress.

Bill: 111-s-317
Sponsor: Sen. Feingold, Russell D. [D-WI]
Introduced: 2009-01-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Congress
Subjects: Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Members of Congress

Summary:
action_date: 2009-01-26
text: Amends the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 to eliminate automatic pay adjustments for Members of Congress.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-01-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. (text of measure as introduced: CR S835)
action_date: 2009-01-26
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S834-835)
action_date: 2009-01-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Medicare Rural Health Access Improvement Act of 2009

Bill: 111-s-318
Sponsor: Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA]
Introduced: 2009-01-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Health care costs and insurance
Health care coverage and access
Health facilities and institutions
Health personnel
Home and outpatient care
Hospital care
Long-term, rehabilitative, and terminal care
Medicare
Public contracts and procurement
Rural conditions and development

Summary:
action_date: 2009-01-26
text: 
Medicare Rural Health Access Improvement Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) extend Medicare flex grants; (2) revise requirements for the Medicare-dependent hospital (MDH) program; (3) revise the Medicare inpatient hospital payment adjustment for low-volume hospitals; (4) eliminate temporarily the disproportionate share hospital (DSH) adjustment cap; and (5) extend and revise the Medicare hold harmless provision under the prospective payment system (PPS) for hospital outpatient department (HOPD) services for certain hospitals.
 
Revises requirements for the treatment of rural sole community hospitals and Medicare dependent, small rural hospitals under the PPS for HOPD services. 
 
Provides for recognition of equality of physician work in all geographic areas under the Medicare physician fee schedule.
 

 
Revises the practice expense geographic adjustment under the Medicare physician fee schedule.
 
Extends the treatment of certain physician pathology services, and increased Medicare payments for rural ground ambulance services.
 

 
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to set $92 as the maximum rate of payment per visit in 2010 for independent rural health clinics.
 
Requires the Secretary to exempt from competitive acquisition requirements rural areas and small metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) with a population of 600,000 or less.
 
Permits physician assistants to order post-hospital extended care services. Recognizes attending physician assistants as attending physicians for the purpose of serving hospice patients.
 

 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-01-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2009-01-26
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S835-836)
action_date: 2009-01-26
text: Introduced in Senate