hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Waco Mammoth National Monument Establishment Act of 2009

Bill: 111-s-625
Sponsor: Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX]
Introduced: 2009-03-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Archaeology and anthropology
Monuments and memorials
Parks, recreation areas, trails
Texas

Summary:
action_date: 2009-03-17
text: 
Waco Mammoth National Monument Establishment Act of 2009 - Establishes in Texas, as a unit of the National Park System, the Waco Mammoth National Monument.
 
Authorizes the construction of essential administrative or visitor use facilities on non-federal land within the boundary of the Monument. 
 
Requires the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with Baylor University and the city of Waco, to complete a general management plan for the Monument. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-07-15
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 111-92.
action_date: 2009-03-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2009-03-17
text: Introduced in Senate
Lower Mississippi River National Historic Site Study Act of 2009

Bill: 111-s-626
Sponsor: Sen. Landrieu, Mary L. [D-LA]
Introduced: 2009-03-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Government studies and investigations
Lakes and rivers
Louisiana
Mississippi River
Parks, recreation areas, trails

Summary:
action_date: 2009-03-17
text: 
Lower Mississippi River National Historic Site Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior, through the Director of the National Park Service (NPS), to complete a special resource study that evaluates the national significance of the Lower Mississippi River area in Louisiana and the suitability and feasibility of designating such area as a unit of the National Park System, which shall be known as the &quot;Lower Mississippi River National Park.&quot; 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-03-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2009-03-17
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3188)
action_date: 2009-03-17
text: Introduced in Senate
Fast Track to College Act of 2009

Bill: 111-s-627
Sponsor: Sen. Kohl, Herb [D-WI]
Introduced: 2009-03-18 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Education of the disadvantaged
Education programs funding
Elementary and secondary education
Higher education
Student aid and college costs
Teaching, teachers, curricula

Summary:
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: 
Fast Track to College Act of 2009 - 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 earn credit simultaneously 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: (1) students will not be required to pay tuition or fees for postsecondary courses; and (2) those courses will be taught by faculty that meet their partner IHE's normal standards.
 
Authorizes the Secretary to award matching five-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; (2) provide technical assistance to dual enrollment programs; and (3) engage in outreach, assessment, and teacher training activities designed to strengthen such 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: 2009-03-18
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced: CR S3371-3373)
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3370-3371)
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: Introduced in Senate
Conrad State 30 Improvement Act

Bill: 111-s-628
Sponsor: Sen. Conrad, Kent [D-ND]
Introduced: 2009-03-18 in the Senate
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Foreign labor
Health care coverage and access
Health personnel
Visas and passports

Summary:
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: 
Conrad State 30 Improvement Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Technical Corrections Act of 1994 to make the J-1 visa waiver (Conrad state 30/medical services in underserved areas) program permanent.
 
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to: (1) revise entry provisions for H-1B visa foreign medical graduates and provide for an increase under specified conditions in the annual per-state cap of 30 foreign doctors; and (2) exempt from worldwide immigration numerical limitations alien physicians who have completed service requirements of a state waiver or exemption, including alien physicians who completed such service before the date of enactment of this Act. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3373)
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: Introduced in Senate
Statutory Time-Periods Technical Amendments Act of 2009

Bill: 111-s-630
Sponsor: Sen. Leahy, Patrick J. [D-VT]
Introduced: 2009-03-18 in the Senate
Policy area: Law
Subjects: Bankruptcy
Civil actions and liability
Criminal procedure and sentencing
Judicial procedure and administration

Summary:
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: 
Statutory Time-Periods Technical Amendments Act of 2009 - Amends federal bankruptcy, criminal, and civil law, as well as the Classified Information Procedures Act and the Controlled Substances Act, to extend from 5 to 7 days, and from 10 to 14 days, counting holidays and weekends, specified deadlines affecting court proceedings to harmonize them with recent amendments to the federal time-computation rules intended to provide predictability and uniformity to the current process of calculating court deadlines.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S3375)
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3374-3375)
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: Introduced in Senate
Patient Safety and Abuse Prevention Act

Bill: 111-s-631
Sponsor: Sen. Kohl, Herb [D-WI]
Introduced: 2009-03-18 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Criminal justice information and records
Health personnel
Health programs administration and funding
Intergovernmental relations
Long-term, rehabilitative, and terminal care
Medicaid
Personnel records
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: 
Patient Safety and Abuse Prevention Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a program to identify efficient, effective, and economical procedures for long-term care facilities or providers to conduct background checks on prospective direct patient access employees on a nationwide basis under similar terms and conditions as the pilot program established under the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003. 
 
 Sets forth requirements for states wishing to participate in the program, including requiring: (1) searches of neglect registries and databases; (2) searches of any proceedings that may contain disqualifying information; (3) searches of federal criminal history records, including a fingerprint check; and (4) methods that reduce duplicative fingerprinting.
 
Sets forth program requirements.
 
Requires the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to evaluate the program under this Act.
 
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require state claims processing and information retrieval systems to incorporate compatible methodologies of the National Correct Coding Initiative administered by the Secretary. Directs the Secretary to identify and notify states as to which methodologies should be incorporated.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3375-3376)
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: Introduced in Senate
Firearms Fairness and Affordability Act

Bill: 111-s-632
Sponsor: Sen. Baucus, Max [D-MT]
Introduced: 2009-03-18 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Firearms and explosives
Outdoor recreation
Sales and excise taxes
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers

Summary:
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: 
Firearms Fairness and Affordability Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require excise taxes on recreational equipment to be due and payable on the date for filing the return for such taxes.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S3376)
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3376)
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: Introduced in Senate
Tribal Health Promotion and Tribal Colleges and Universities Advancement Act of 2009

Bill: 111-s-633
Sponsor: Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT]
Introduced: 2009-03-18 in the Senate
Policy area: Native Americans
Subjects: Business investment and capital
Education programs funding
Health personnel
Health promotion and preventive care
Higher education
Housing and community development funding
Indian social and development programs
Medical education
Medical research
Minority health
Research administration and funding
Small business
Student aid and college costs

Summary:
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: 
Tribal Health Promotion and Tribal Colleges and Universities Advancement Act of 2009 - Through Higher Education: Promoting the Advancement of Tribal Health Act or THE PATH Act - Defines &quot;tribal college or university&quot; as having the meaning given the term by specified provisions of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
 
Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to enter into a memorandum of agreement with the American Indian Higher Education Consortium for equitable Native American participation in HHS programs, services, and resources and to provide technical assistance to tribal colleges and universities. 
 
Requires grants to, or cooperative agreements with, tribal colleges and universities for: (1) health and wellness fairs, health promotion and disease prevention programs, and programs to reduce tribal community health disparities; (2) developing and strengthening public health professional degree programs; (3) research, grant management, and coordination of tribal college and university activities; and (4) research on health promotion and disease prevention.
 
Establishes the Tribal College and University Rural Health Equity Endowment Fund to endow a tribal health professions workforce development program. 
 
Advancing Tribes Through Tribal Colleges and Universities Act or the AT TCUs Act - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to require the Secretary of Labor to establish the TCU Native Prosperity Program of grants to, or cooperative agreements with, tribal colleges and universities for economic development, entrepreneurship, community development, and sound fiscal leadership in Indian communities.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-12-03
text: Committee on Indian Affairs. Ordered to be reported with an amendment favorably.
action_date: 2009-04-02
text: Committee on Indian Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 111-66.
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3376-3377)
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: Introduced in Senate
Fitness Integrated with Teaching Kids Act

Bill: 111-s-634
Sponsor: Sen. Harkin, Tom [D-IA]
Introduced: 2009-03-18 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Academic performance and assessments
Child health
Education programs funding
Elementary and secondary education
Government studies and investigations
Physical fitness and lifestyle
Teaching, teachers, curricula

Summary:
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: 
Fitness Integrated with Teaching Kids Act or the FIT Kids Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to require annual state and local educational agency report cards to include specified information on school health and physical education programs.
 
Includes the promotion of healthy, active lifestyles by students within ESEA grant programs that support school counseling, smaller learning communities, community learning centers, and parental involvement in their childrens' education.
 
Revises the professional development program for teachers and principals to include training for physical and health education teachers, and training on improving students' health habits and participation in physical activities.
 
Directs the Secretary of Education to contract with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) for a study that: (1) assesses the effect health and physical education have on students' ability to learn; and (2) makes recommendations for improving, and measuring improvements to, their health and physical education in schools.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate a segment of Illabot Creek in Skagit County, Washington, as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

Bill: 111-s-635
Sponsor: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA]
Introduced: 2009-03-18 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Washington State
Wilderness and natural areas, wildlife refuges, wild rivers, habitats

Summary:
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: 
Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate a specified segment of the Illabot Creek in Skagit County, Washington, as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-07-22
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks. Hearings held.
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (text of measure as introduced: CR S3377)
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend the Clean Air Act to conform the definition of renewable biomass to the definition given the term in the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002.

Bill: 111-s-636
Sponsor: Sen. Thune, John [R-SD]
Introduced: 2009-03-18 in the Senate
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Agricultural conservation and pollution
Air quality
Alternative and renewable resources
Forests, forestry, trees
Solid waste and recycling

Summary:
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: 
Amends the Clean Air Act to redefine &quot;renewable biomass&quot; as: (1) materials, pre-commercial thinnings, or invasive species from certain National Forest System land and public lands that are byproducts of preventive treatments that are removed to reduce hazardous fuels, reduce or contain disease or insect infestation, or restore ecosystem health, that would not otherwise be used for higher-value products, and that are harvested in accordance with specified requirements for old-growth forests and large tree retention; or (2) any organic matter that is available on a renewable or recurring basis from nonfederal land or land belonging to an Indian or Indian tribe that is held in trust by the United States or subject to a restriction against alienation imposed by the United States, including specified renewable plant material and waste material.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: Introduced in Senate
Dry-Redwater Regional Water Authority System Act of 2009

Bill: 111-s-637
Sponsor: Sen. Baucus, Max [D-MT]
Introduced: 2009-03-18 in the Senate
Policy area: Water Resources Development
Subjects: Electric power generation and transmission
Missouri River
Montana
North Dakota
Water resources funding
Water use and supply

Summary:
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: 
Dry-Redwater Regional Water Authority System Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to enter into a cooperative agreement to provide federal assistance for the planning, design, and construction of the Dry-Redwater Regional Water Authority System for specified counties in Montana and North Dakota.
 
Lists agreement requirements. Limits the federal share of planning, design, and construction of the System to 75% of the total cost. Delineates the components of System facilities for which federal funds may be expended and the System's service area. Limits the obligation of funds for construction. Provides that any cost relating to the System's operation, maintenance, or replacement shall not be a federal responsibility and shall be paid by the System.

Directs the Administrator of the Western Area Power Administration to make available to the System a quantity of power required to meet the System's pumping and incidental operation requirements from the water intake facilities and through the water treatment facilities and all first water distribution pumping facilities. Makes the System eligible to receive power only if it operates on a nonprofit basis and is constructed pursuant to the agreement. 

Directs the Authority to develop a water conservation plan containing a description of water conservation objectives and measures and a schedule for carrying out such measures. Requires the plan to be designed to ensure that users of water provided by the System will use the best practical technology and management techniques to conserve water.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-07-23
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 111-91.
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2009-03-18
text: Introduced in Senate
Financial and Economic Literacy Improvement Act of 2009

Bill: 111-s-638
Sponsor: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA]
Introduced: 2009-03-19 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Academic performance and assessments
Education programs funding
Elementary and secondary education
Financial literacy
Government information and archives
Higher education
Teaching, teachers, curricula

Summary:
action_date: 2009-03-19
text: 
Financial and Economic Literacy Improvement Act of 2009 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to award formula matching grants to states or partnerships between states, experienced nonprofit providers of financial and economic literacy education, and experienced nonprofit providers of teacher training in such fields.
 
Requires grantees to use 25% of the grant funds to: (1) develop financial and economic literacy standards and assessments for at least three grade levels; (2) create teacher training programs to embed financial and economic literacy education into core academic subjects; and (3) evaluate the impact such education has on students' financial and economic literacy.
 
Requires the remaining grant funds to be used for subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) or partnerships between LEAs and community organizations, local businesses, or other educational entities to implement such financial literacy activities, including student assessments and teacher training. 
 
Directs the Secretary to maintain a Financial and Economic Literacy and Economic Education Clearinghouse of best practices, tools, and instructional materials that are aligned with voluntary nationally recognized curriculum standards in such areas.
 
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary to award competitive grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) or partnerships between IHEs, experienced nonprofit providers of financial and economic literacy education, and experienced nonprofit providers of teacher training in such fields for activities that increase student knowledge in consumer, economic, and personal financial concepts.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-03-19
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2009-03-19
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3552-3553)
action_date: 2009-03-19
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend the definition of commercial motor vehicle in section 31101 of title 49, United States Code, to exclude certain farm vehicles, and for other purposes.

Bill: 111-s-639
Sponsor: Sen. Inhofe, James M. [R-OK]
Introduced: 2009-03-19 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Agricultural practices and innovations
Motor vehicles
Transportation programs funding
Transportation safety and security

Summary:
action_date: 2009-03-19
text: 
Revises the definition of &quot;commercial motor vehicle&quot; with respect to federal commercial motor vehicle safety laws to include a vehicle with farm-designated license plates engaged in the transportation of agricultural commodities or farm supplies, or a vehicle controlled by a farmer and used to transport such items to or from a farm, having a gross vehicle weight rating or gross vehicle weight the greater of which exceeds the minimum weight of a commercial motor vehicle as established by the state. (Current law applies to vehicles having a gross vehicle weight rating or gross vehicle weight of at least 10,001 pounds, whichever is greater.)
 
Prohibits the Secretary of Transportation from withholding commercial motor vehicle safety improvement grants from a state solely because it authorizes drivers of farm vehicles having a gross vehicle weight of between 10,000 and 26,001 pounds to operate without complying with federal commercial motor vehicle safety laws.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-03-19
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2009-03-19
text: Introduced in Senate