zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the House on September 9, 2016. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Better On-line Ticket Sales Act of 2016 or the BOTS Act

(Sec. 2) This bill prohibits the sale of computer software that: (1) is primarily designed to circumvent technology that limits purchases made via an online ticket selling system, (2) has only a limited commercially significant purpose other than for such circumvention, or (3) is marketed to use for such circumvention.

The bill also prohibits the use of such circumvention software in violation of a system operator's posted limits on: (1) the quantity of tickets purchased by a single user; (2) the sequence, number, or frequency of transactions; or (3) the geographic location of transactions.

In addition, the bill makes it unlawful to resell in commerce tickets that were acquired through such a prohibited use of circumvention software if the reseller participated in, had the ability to control, or should have known about the violation.

It shall not be unlawful, however, to create or use software to: (1) investigate or further the enforcement or defense of any alleged violation of this bill, or (2) identify and analyze flaws and vulnerabilities of a computerized event ticketing system if these activities are conducted to advance the state of knowledge in the field of computer system security or to assist in the development of computer security products.

Violations shall be treated as unfair and deceptive acts or practices under the Federal Trade Commission Act.

The Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general may enforce against violations.

Date: 2016-04-28
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Sports Regulation)
Subject: Commerce
Better Oversight of Secondary Sales and Accountability in Concert Ticketing Act of 2016

This bill directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to promulgate rules for the primary or secondary sale, distribution, or pricing of tickets for sporting events, theater, musical performances, or places of public amusement.

For primary sales, sellers must: (1) disclose at least seven days prior to sale, the total number of tickets the seller is offering and the total number and distribution method of tickets not available to the general public; (2) print on each ticket the distribution method, date, and time of the primary sale; (3) disclose service fees, convenience charges, and parking fees and provide refunds for such charges; and (4) provide full refunds for nontransferable tickets if requested by the consumer by one week prior to the event. Primary sellers are prohibited from requiring that consumers only be permitted to resell tickets in a manner determined by the primary seller.

For secondary sales, the secondary ticket sales marketplace must: (1) disclose if it does not possess the ticket at the time of sale, and (2) explain refund procedures if the ticket received does not match the description by the secondary marketplace.

The secondary sales rules must prohibit the use of software to circumvent a security system or access control measure on a primary ticket seller's website that is used to ensure equitable consumer access to tickets.

The secondary marketplace must disclose: (1) the distribution method and face value of each ticket; (2) the location of the seats or space; and (3) if the marketplace purchased the ticket during a public sale, the date and time of the purchase by the secondary marketplace.

Online marketplace resellers are: (1) prohibited from representing an affiliation or endorsement with venues, teams, or artists without their consent, except when it constitutes fair use; and (2) required to post notice on their websites indicating that they are conducting secondary sales and requiring users to confirm having read such notice before starting a transaction.

Individual employees of venues, primary ticket sellers, teams, artists, online resale marketplaces, or box offices are prohibited from reselling tickets: (1) for higher than face value, or (2) to third parties for resale for higher than face value.

 Online marketplace resellers must disclose when the secondary marketplace of a ticket is the primary ticket seller, venue, team, or artist associated with the event.

The FTC and states are provided authority to enforce against violations. Persons may bring private civil actions to recover damages for injuries from violations.

Date: 2016-05-16
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Sports Regulation)
Subject: Commerce
Muhammad Ali Expansion Act

This bill amends the Professional Boxing Safety Act of 1996 to: (1) establish definitions for "fighter," "combat sport competition," and "mixed martial arts"; and (2) include individuals who fight in a professional mixed martial arts competition or other professional combat sport competition, such competitions, and the professional combat sports industry within the scope of such Act.

The bill requires the Association of Boxing Commissions, within two years after enactment of this bill, to establish: (1) guidelines for minimum contractual provisions that should be included in bout agreements and mixed martial arts and other combat sport contracts, and (2) guidelines for objective and consistent written criteria for the ratings of mixed martial arts and other combat sports.

The bill applies conflict of interest provisions that prohibit a promoter from having a financial interest in the management of a boxer, or a manager from having a financial interest in the promotion of a boxer, to fighters participating in a mixed martial arts or other combat sport competition scheduled for 11 minutes or more.

Date: 2016-05-26
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Sports Regulation)
Subject: Sports and recreation
Save America's Pastime Act

This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to exempt from minimum wage and maximum hours requirements any employee who has contracted to pay baseball at the minor league level.

The bill shall not be construed to require application of maximum hours requirements to any employee who has contracted to play baseball at the major league level.

No employer shall be subject to liability or punishment on account of any violations of minimum wage, maximum hours, or specified recordkeeping requirements regarding any work performed before, on, or after enactment of this bill.

Date: 2016-06-24
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Sports Regulation)
Subject: Labor and employment
(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the House on September 20, 2016. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

United States Appreciation for Olympians and Paralympians Act of 2016

(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income, for income tax purposes, the value of any medal awarded or prize money received from the U.S. Olympic Committee on account of competition in the Olympic Games or Paralympic Games. The exclusion does not apply to a taxpayer for any year in which the taxpayer's adjusted gross income exceeds $1 million, or half of that amount in the case of a married individual filing a separate return.

Date: 2016-09-07
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Sports Regulation)
Subject: Taxation
Christen O'Donnell Equestrian Helmet Labeling Act of 2016

This bill directs the Consumer Product Safety Commission to issue a rule requiring warning labels for equestrian helmets that are not approved safety helmets under ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) International standards for horse sports and horseback riding. The rule must be treated as a consumer product safety rule under the Consumer Product Safety Act.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must make grants available for states, local governments, or tax-exempt nonprofit organizations to carry out education and awareness campaigns on proper equestrian helmet selection for riders and the dangers of nonapproved headgear.

The bill does not apply to polo, horse racing, or rodeo helmets.

Date: 2016-09-22
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Sports Regulation)
Subject: Commerce
This bill declares that the Memorandum Opinion for the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice (dated September 20, 2011) shall have no force or effect for purposes of interpreting the definition of "unlawful Internet gambling" under current federal law. (The memorandum opinion concluded that state proposals to use the Internet and out-of-state vendors to sell lottery tickets to in-state adults did not constitute unlawful Internet gambling.)

Date: 2016-12-07
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Sports Regulation)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

Patents for Humanity Program Improvement Act

(Sec. 2) This bill allows the holder or successor of an acceleration certificate issued pursuant to the Patents for Humanity Program (a pilot awards program established by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office [USPTO] entitling awardees to accelerate certain USPTO proceedings for patented technologies addressing humanitarian needs among an impoverished population or for further research on humanitarian technologies) to transfer, including by sale, the entitlement to such certificate to another person.

Date: 2015-05-20
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Sports Regulation)
Subject: Commerce
Restoration of America's Wire Act

Amends provisions of the federal criminal code, commonly known as the Wire Act, to provide that the prohibition against using a wire communication facility for the transmission of bets or wagers, wagering information, or wagering proceeds shall: (1) apply to any bet or wager (currently, to bets or wagers on any sporting event or contest); and (2) include any transmission over the Internet carried interstate or in foreign commerce.

States that nothing in this Act shall be construed to preempt any state law prohibiting gambling or to alter, limit, or extend: (1) the relationship between the Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978 and other federal laws currently in effect, (2) the ability of a state licensed lottery or state licensed retailer to make on-premises retail lottery sales or to transmit information ancillary to such sales, (3) the ability of a state licensed gaming establishment or a tribal gaming establishment to transmit information assisting in the placing of a bet or water on the physical premises of the establishment, or (4) the relationship between federal laws and state charitable gaming laws.

Date: 2015-06-24
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Sports Regulation)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Furthering Access and Networks for Sports Act or the FANS Act 

 This bill amends the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 to provide that the antitrust laws shall apply to joint agreements among professional football, baseball, basketball, or hockey league covering the telecasting of sports contests to the extent that any such league does not: (1) expressly prohibit sponsored telecast licensees and any video licensee from intentionally removing the live content of such league from a multichannel video programming distributor during, or related to a negotiation regarding, carriage of the league's games by such distributor; or (2) make a sponsored telecast of a game that is played in the home territory of a member club available to consumers over the Internet in any territory in which the game is not available for private viewing through a local television broadcast station or a such a distributor.

The bill repeals the exception that allows the antitrust exemption for such a joint agreement that prohibits televising games within the home territory of a member club on a day when such club is playing at home.

Date: 2015-12-17
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Sports Regulation)
Subject: Sports and recreation
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

Youth Sports Concussion Act

 (Sec. 2) This bill expresses the sense of Congress that the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) should review the National Academies' report on sports-related concussions and future research in such area for any matter that may impact products under the CPSC's jurisdiction or inform the FTC's efforts to protect consumers.

(Sec. 3) The bill makes it unlawful to sell or offer for sale in interstate commerce, or import into the United States for such purposes, athletic sporting equipment for which the seller or importer makes any deceptive claim with respect to the safety benefits of such item.

Violations shall be treated as unfair or deceptive acts or practices under the Federal Trade Commission Act. The bill sets forth the enforcement authority of the FTC.

States may bring civil actions in federal court to obtain injunctive relief on behalf of state residents unless a civil or administrative action has already been instituted by the FTC. The FTC may intervene and appeal in state actions.

Date: 2016-02-04
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Sports Regulation)
Subject: Commerce
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

United States Appreciation for Olympians and Paralympians Act

(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income, for income tax purposes, the value of any medal or prize money received on account of competition in the Olympic Games or Paralympic Games.

Date: 2016-03-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Sports Regulation)
Subject: Taxation
Venue Equity and Non-Uniformity Elimination Act of 2016

This bill amends the federal judicial code to allow patent actions to be brought only in judicial districts where:

 the defendant has its principal place of business or is incorporated; the defendant has committed an act of infringement of a patent in suit and has a regular and established physical facility that gives rise to the act of infringement; the defendant has agreed or consented to be sued; an inventor named on the patent conducted research or development that led to the application for the patent in suit; or a party has a regular and established physical facility and has managed significant research and development for the invention claimed in the patent, has manufactured a tangible product alleged to embody that invention, or has implemented a manufacturing process for a tangible good in which the process is alleged to embody the invention. If a foreign defendant does not have a principal place of business, incorporation, or a physical facility in the United States, that foreign defendant may be sued in any judicial district, and joinder of such a defendant shall be disregarded in determining where the action may be brought with respect to other defendants.

These provisions replace current patent action venue laws that allow patent actions to be brought in the judicial district where the defendant resides or where the defendant has committed acts of infringement and has a regular and established place of business.

A teleworking employee's dwelling or residence shall not constitute a regular or established physical facility of a defendant.

Date: 2016-03-17
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Sports Regulation)
Subject: Commerce
(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the Senate on September 27, 2016. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Better Online Ticket Sales Act of 2016 or the BOTS Act of 2016

(Sec. 2) This bill prohibits the circumvention of a security measure, access control system, or other technological measure on an Internet website or online service of a ticket issuer that is used to enforce posted event ticket purchasing limits or to maintain the integrity of posted online ticket purchasing order rules for a public event with an attendance capacity exceeding 200 persons.

The bill also prohibits the sale of or offers to sell an event ticket in interstate commerce obtained through such a circumvention violation if the seller participated in, had the ability to control, or should have known about the violation.

It shall not be unlawful, however, to create or use software or systems to: (1) investigate, or further the enforcement or defense of, alleged violations; or (2) identify and analyze flaws and vulnerabilities of security measures to advance the state of knowledge in the field of computer system security or to assist in the development of computer security products.

Violations shall be treated as unfair or deceptive acts or practices under the Federal Trade Commission Act.

The bill provides authority to the Federal Trade Commission and states to enforce against such violations.

Date: 2016-07-13
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Sports Regulation)
Subject: Commerce
This bill declares that the Memorandum Opinion for the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice (September 20, 2011) shall have no force or effect for purposes of interpreting the definition of "unlawful Internet gambling" under current federal law.

Date: 2016-09-21
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Sports Regulation)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Directs the Secretary of Labor to revise certain regulations under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 so as to require site-controlling employers to keep a site log for all recordable injuries and illnesses occurring among all employees on the particular site, whether such employees are employed directly by the site-controlling employer or are employed by contractors or temporary help or employee leasing services.

Date: 2007-01-04
Topic: Labor (Worker Safety)
Subject: Labor and employment
Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Improvement Act of 2007 - Amends the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 to instruct the Secretaries of Labor and of Health and Human Services (HHS) to include as part of their annual budget requests the administrative costs necessary to implement their responsibilities under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program (including, for the Secretary of HHS, costs for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health). Instructs the Secretary of Energy to designate annually as a beryllium vendor any vendor, processor, or producer of beryllium (or related products) not previously designated as such if the Secretary finds that such person has engaged in activities related to production or processing of beryllium sales. Transfers certain responsibilities from the President to the Secretary of HHS regarding: (1) Program administration; and (2) the Special Exposure Cohort. Revises requirements for: (1) the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health (Board); and (2) the Special Exposure Cohort. Establishes within HHS a Special Exposure Cohort Appeals Board to hear appeals from an adverse Special Exposure Cohort designation. Sets forth conflicts of interest prohibitions. Expands the duties of the Office of Ombudsman to include: (1) assisting individuals in making claims; and (2) acting as advocate for individuals seeking benefits.

Date: 2007-01-05
Topic: Labor (Worker Safety)
Subject: Labor and employment
Nurse and Patient Safety & Protection Act of 2007 - Requires the Secretary of Labor, acting through the Director of Occupational Safety and Health Administration, to establish a Federal Safe Patient Handling Standard to prevent musculoskeletal disorders for direct-care registered nurses and other health care providers working in health care facilities by requiring the elimination of manual lifting of patients through the use of mechanical devices, except during a declared state of emergency. Requires health care facilities to: (1) develop and implement a safe patient handling plan consistent with such standard; and (2) post a uniform notice that explains the standard and the procedures to report patient handling-related injuries. Requires the Secretary to direct the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to conduct audits of plan implementation and compliance. Authorizes health care providers to: (1) refuse to accept an assignment in a health care facility if the assignment would violate the standard or if such provider is not prepared to fulfill the assignment without compromising the patient safety or jeopardizing the provider's license; and (2) file complaints against facilities that violate this Act. Requires the Secretary to investigate complaints and to prohibit retaliation if violations occur. Prohibits health care facilities from retaliating with respect to employment against providers for such refusal or against any individual who in good faith reports a violation, participates in an investigation or proceeding, or discusses violations. Authorizes health care providers who have been retaliated against in violation of this Act to bring a cause of action in a U.S. district court. Entitles providers that prevail to reinstatement, reimbursement of lost compensation, attorneys' fees, court costs, and/or other damages. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a grant program for purchasing safe patient handling equipment for health care facilities.

Date: 2007-01-10
Topic: Labor (Worker Safety)
Subject: Labor and employment
Amends civil service law concerning federal workers' compensation to authorize the use of clinical social workers to conduct evaluations to determine work-related emotional and mental illnesses.

Date: 2007-01-11
Topic: Labor (Worker Safety)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Federal Mine Ventilation Safety Act of 2007 - Amends the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 to require the Secretary of Labor to revise regulations in order to prohibit belt haulage entries from being used to ventilate active working places in any coal mine.

Date: 2007-01-19
Topic: Labor (Worker Safety)
Subject: Labor and employment
Rocky Flats Special Exposure Cohort Act - Amends the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 to amend the definition of a "member of the Special Exposure Cohort" for purposes of such Program to include persons who were employed by the Department of Energy (DOE) or a DOE contractor or subcontractor for an aggregate of at least 250 work days before January 1, 2006, at the Rocky Flats site in Colorado.

Date: 2007-02-07
Topic: Labor (Worker Safety)
Subject: Law
Black Lung Benefits Survivors Equity Act of 2007 - Amends the Black Lung Benefits Act, with respect to claims filed on or after the effective date of the Black Lung Benefits Amendments of 1981, to eliminate exceptions to: (1) the applicability of certain provisions regarding rebuttable presumptions; and (2) the prohibition against requiring eligible survivors of a miner determined to be eligible for black lung benefits to file a new claim or refile or otherwise revalidate the miner's claim.

Date: 2007-02-16
Topic: Labor (Worker Safety)
Subject: Labor and employment
Protective Equipment for America's Workers Act - Requires the Secretary of Labor to issue a final rule under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 on employer payment for personal protective equipment, which shall provide no less protection to employees and shall have no further exceptions from the employer payment requirement than the proposed rule published in the Federal Register on March 31, 1999.

Date: 2007-03-06
Topic: Labor (Worker Safety)
Subject: Labor and employment
Amends the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 to include certain former nuclear weapons program workers in the Special Exposure Cohort under the energy employees occupational illness compensation program. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) modify regulations and procedures to conform to amendments under this Act; and (2) initiate a petition to include workers employed at the Bethlehem Steel site in Lackawanna, New York, as a class to be included in the Special Exposure Cohort.

Date: 2007-03-06
Topic: Labor (Worker Safety)
Subject: Labor and employment
Fairness for State and Local Workers Act - Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to provide for coverage under that Act of state and local government workers.

Date: 2007-03-14
Topic: Labor (Worker Safety)
Subject: Labor and employment
Protecting America's Workers Act - Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA) to expand its coverage to federal, state, and local government employees. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor, under specified conditions, to cede OSHA jurisdiction to another federal agency with respect to certain occupational standards or regulations for such agency's employees. Declares OSHA inapplicable to working conditions covered by the Federal Mine Safety and Heath Act of 1977. Sets forth increased protections for whistleblowers under OSHA. Increases civil and criminal penalties for certain OSHA violators. Sets forth provisions relating to: (1) victims' rights; (2) posting of employee rights; (3) investigations of fatalities and serious injuries; (4) prohibition of unclassified citations; (5) right to contest citations and penalties; and (6) objections to modifications of citations. Directs the Secretary to revise regulations and promulgate OSHA standards to require employers to provide personal protective equipment for employees at no cost to employees.

Date: 2007-04-26
Topic: Labor (Worker Safety)
Subject: Labor and employment
Teri Zenner Social Worker Safety Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to states to provide safety measures to social workers and other professionals working with violent, drug-using, or other at-risk populations.

Date: 2007-05-03
Topic: Labor (Worker Safety)
Subject: Social welfare
EEOICPA Ombudsman Extension and Enhancement Act of 2007 - Amends the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 to: (1) make permanent the authority of the Office of the Ombudsman of the Department of Labor; and (2) increase the duties of the Ombudsman under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program, including to assist in making claims for benefits for Department of Energy (DOE) contractor employees who have contracted a covered illness through exposure at a DOE facility and to act as an advocate for such employees in appropriate cases.

Date: 2007-05-09
Topic: Labor (Worker Safety)
Subject: Law
Equal Protection for All Workers Act - Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act to specifically include any individual employed under contract among employees whose deaths resulting from employers' willful violations of standards under the Act subject such employers to criminal penalties.

Date: 2007-05-22
Topic: Labor (Worker Safety)
Subject: Labor and employment
Popcorn Workers Lung Disease Prevention Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor to promulgate: (1) within 90 days, an interim final standard regulating worker exposure to diacetyl that applies to all locations in the flavoring manufacturing industry that manufacture, use, handle, or process diacetyl and all microwave popcorn production and packaging establishments that use diacetyl-containing flavors; and (2) within two years, if diacetyl is still being processed or utilized in facilities, a final standard that contains a short term exposure limit and a permissible exposure limit not exceeding the lowest feasible level and that applies to all facilities where diacetyl is processed or used. Gives the interim standard the legal effect of an occupational safety and health standard until the final standard becomes effective.Requires such standards to provide no less protection than the recommendations contained in the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Alert "Preventing Lung Disease in Workers Who Use or Make Flavorings" and to include specified requirements for: (1) engineering, work practice controls, and respiratory protection to minimize exposure to diacetyl; (2) a written exposure control plan that will indicate specific measures the employer will take to minimize employee exposure; (3) airborne exposure assessments; (4) medical surveillance for workers and referral for prompt medical evaluations; (5) protective equipment and clothing for workers; and (6) the provision of written safety and health information and training to employees. Requires NIOSH to study and report to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on food flavorings that may be used as substitutes for diacetyl.

Date: 2007-06-13
Topic: Labor (Worker Safety)
Subject: Labor and employment
Miner Health Enhancement Act of 2007 - Expresses the sense of Congress that essential standards to protect miner health are out of date and congressional intervention is needed.Amends the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 to require: (1) the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to forward to the Secretary of Labor its Recommended Exposure Limits for chemical and other hazards to miners; (2) the Secretary to require the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to adopt such limits as the Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs) for the mining industry; (3) NIOSH to annually submit to the Secretary any additional or revised recommended exposure limits for hazardous substances utilized in the industry; (4) the Secretary to adopt such limits as PELs for the industry; (4) MSHA to adopt the health standard for asbestos established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA); and (5) the Secretary to apply the provisions of the interim final rule of October 3, 2000, concerning hazard communication in lieu of the final rule of June 21, 2002, until there is additional rulemaking pursuant to the requirements of this Act.

Date: 2007-06-19
Topic: Labor (Worker Safety)
Subject: Labor and employment
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for 50% of the cost of qualified advanced mine safety equipment property (in lieu of the existing taxpayer election to expense 50% of such property in the current taxable year). Defines such property to include: (1) an emergency communication technology or device for constant communication with individuals outside the mine; (2) an electronic identification and location device; (3) an emergency oxygen-generating device; (4) pre-positioned oxygen supplies; and (5) a comprehensive atmospheric monitoring system to monitor levels of carbon monoxide and other gases present in a mine.Revises the tax credit for mine rescue team training expenses to: (1) increase the amount of such credit; (2) allow such credit as an offset against the alternative minimum tax; and (3) make such credit permanent.

Date: 2007-09-06
Topic: Labor (Worker Safety)
Subject: Taxation
Mine Communications Technology Innovation Act - Requires the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to establish a program of research, development, and demonstration, including the establishment of best practices, adaptation of existing technology, and efforts to accelerate the development of next generation technology and tracking systems for mine communications.Requires the Director to evaluate areas of research and development and best practices that will be most promising in protecting miner safety.Authorizes the Director, in establishing the program, to focus on the following communications and tracking system characteristics: (1) systems that are likely to work in emergency situations; (2) systems that work in coal mines, with special attention paid to deep underground coal mines; (3) systems that provide coverage throughout all areas of the mine; (4) hybrid systems that use both wireless and infrastructure-based systems; (5) functionality for two-way and voice communications; (6) systems that serve emergency and routine communications needs; (7) the ability to work with existing legacy systems and to be quickly integrated; and (8) propagation environment characterization, performance metrics, and independently derived validation tests to verify performance for standards development.Requires the Director to: (1) work with industry and federal agencies to develop consensus industry standards for communications in underground mines; and (2) develop and provide any needed measurement services to support implementation of these standards. Urges that the following issues be addressed: (1) the appropriate use of frequency bands and power levels; (2) matters related to interoperability; and (3) technology to prevent interference.Authorizes appropriations for carrying out this Act for FY2009-FY2010, to be derived from amounts authorized under the America COMPETES Act.

Date: 2007-10-17
Topic: Labor (Worker Safety)
Subject: Labor and employment
Ray Ruiz Special Exposure Cohort Act - Amends the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 to include an employee of the Department of Energy (DOE) or its contractors or subcontractors who worked for at least 250 work days at the Los Alamos site in New Mexico within the meaning of the term "member of the Special Exposure Cohort" for purposes of occupational illness compensation.Provides that a claim that an individual qualifies for compensation or benefits under such Act shall be considered notwithstanding any denial of any other claim for compensation with respect to such individual.

Date: 2008-05-08
Topic: Labor (Worker Safety)
Subject: Law
Compensation and Respect for Energy Workers Act of 2008 or the CARE Act - Amends the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to expand the diseases for which individuals who were exposed to radiation from nuclear testing may claim compensation to include chronic lymphocytic leukemia, posterior subcapsular cataracts, nonmalignant thyroid nodular disease, parathyroid adenoma, malignant tumors of the brain and central nervous system, and brochio-alveolar carcinoma, and benign neoplasms of the brain and central nervous system. Amends the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 to: (1) provide to potential claimants of compensation a list of physicians qualified to perform medical and impairment screenings and a written notice of benefits for which they may be eligible under such Act; (2) require exposure assessments of contaminated sites to identify by trade name (if any) any chemical commonly used in such sites; (3) require the Secretary of Labor to provide the public with site profiles and other information used to evaluate claims for compensation; (4) require payment of compensation to a claimant's estate if such claimant dies after filing a claim but before any compensation is paid and leaves no survivors; (5) expand the duties of the Office of the Ombudsman in the Department of Labor to include providing benefit information to claimants and contracting for expert services; (6) extend to one year the limitation period for filing a petition for review in federal district court of any denial of a compensation claim; and (7) include within the definition of "member of the Special Exposure Cohort" certain Department of Energy (DOE) employees or contractors at the Rocky Flats site in Colorado. Allows claimants under the Act 120 days to respond to a request for information from the Secretary.Requires the promulgation of regulations for: (1) the direct payment to providers of personal care services and transportation expenses for claimants who receive medical benefits under the Act; (2) providing clear, concise, and easily understandable explanations of the claims process, including denials of claims; and (3) the retention of records in the Departments of Energy and Labor that might be used by claimants in the claims process.

Date: 2008-07-31
Topic: Labor (Worker Safety)
Subject: Labor and employment
Nevada Test Site Veterans' Compensation Act of 2007 - Amends the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 to include within the definition of a "member of the Special Exposure Cohort" under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program a Department of Energy (DOE) employee, contractor employee, or atomic weapons employee who was so employed at the Nevada Test Site or other similar sites located in Nevada during the period of January 1, 1950, to December 31, 1993, who contracted an occupational illness, basal cell carcinoma, or chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and who met one of other specified criteria during such employment.Establishes deadlines for claims adjudication.

Date: 2007-02-15
Topic: Labor (Worker Safety)
Subject: Labor and employment
Rocky Flats Special Exposure Cohort Act - Amends the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 to amend the definition of a "member of the Special Exposure Cohort" for purposes of such Program to include persons who were employed by the Department of Energy (DOE) or a DOE contractor or subcontractor for an aggregate of at least 250 work days before January 1, 2006, at the Rocky Flats site in Colorado.

Date: 2007-03-01
Topic: Labor (Worker Safety)
Subject: Law
Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act Amendments of 2007 - Amends the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act to declare that it is the intent of Congress that: (1) in a claim brought under such Act, the facts are not to be given a broad liberal construction in favor of the employee or of the employer; (2) the laws pertaining to the claim are to be construed in accordance with the basic principles of statutory construction and not liberally in favor of either the employee or employer; and (3) the system established under the Act shall be efficient and self-executing, but not an economic or administrative burden. Makes compensation under the Act payable regardless of fault as a cause of an injury (no-fault). Specifies requirements for proportional payment of compensation, the last employer doctrine, intervening employment, and noncontributing employment exposure. Prescribes criteria for the preemption of state law providing additional or alternative remedies for an injured employee, the employee's legal representative, spouse, next of kin, or anyone otherwise entitled to recover from an employer on account of an employee's injury or death. Revises requirements for physician selection. Allows a carrier to designate one or more participating networks or one or more health care panels, or both, to provide medical services to employees. Modifies the formula used to determine disability compensation, including for loss of hearing. Increases allowed funeral expenses. Revises requirements for: (1) determination of death compensation to survivors; (2) timing and recipients of a notice of such injury or death; (3) filing of claims; (4) date of payment of compensation; (5) assignment and exemption from the claims of creditors; (6) presumptions, burdens, and rules of evidence; (7) review of compensation orders; (8) modification of compensation awards for fraud or overpayment; (9) reports of fraud; and (10) payments into the special fund in the absence of an entitled survivor of an employee.

Date: 2007-03-12
Topic: Labor (Worker Safety)
Subject: Labor and employment
Mine Disaster Family Assistance Act of 2007 - Amends the MINER Act to require the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health, as soon as practicable after being notified of a mining accident involving a mine operator and resulting in a mine emergency response by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), to: (1) designate and publicize the name and phone number of a director of a family support service as a point of contact within the federal government for the families of miners involved and as a liaison between the operator and the families; and (2) designate an independent nonprofit organization with primary responsibility for coordinating the emotional care and support of the miners' families.Sets forth responsibilities of the MSHA and the designated organization in such an accident.Prohibits: (1) impeding the ability of MSHA or the designated organization to carry out their responsibilities or the ability of families to have contact with one another; (2) unsolicited communications by attorneys or parties to litigation to injured individuals or their families concerning a potential action for personal injury or wrongful death before the 45th day following the accident date; and (3) preventing a designated organization from providing mental health and counseling services.Directs operators that are subject to the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 to submit to the Secretary of Labor a plan for addressing the needs of the families of miners involved in such accidents. Shields an operator from liability for damages (except for gross negligence or intentional misconduct) in any action brought in a federal or state court arising out of the operator's performance in preparing or providing a miner list pursuant to such plan.Requires the Secretary to establish a task force to develop guidelines and recommendations about responding to mining accidents.

Date: 2007-10-02
Topic: Labor (Worker Safety)
Subject: Labor and employment
Mine Communications Technology Innovation Act - Requires the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to establish a program of research, development, and demonstration that includes the establishment of best practices, adaptation of existing technology, and efforts to accelerate the development of next generation technology and tracking systems for mine communications. Requires the Director to coordinate with federal agencies and industry to evaluate areas of research and development and best practices that will be most promising in protecting miner safety.Authorizes the Director, in establishing the program, to focus on the following communications and tracking system characteristics: (1) systems that are likely to work in emergency situations; (2) systems that work in coal mines, with special attention paid to deep underground coal mines; (3) systems that provide coverage throughout all areas of the mine; (4) hybrid systems that use both wireless and infrastructure-based systems; (5) functionality for two-way and voice communications; (6) systems that serve emergency and routine communications needs; (7) the ability to work with existing legacy systems and to be quickly integrated; and (8) propagation environment characterization, performance metrics, and independently derived validation tests to verify performance for standards development.Requires the Director to: (1) work with industry and federal agencies to develop consensus industry standards for communications in underground mines; and (2) develop and provide measurement services needed to support implementation of such standards, which should address the appropriate use of frequency bands and power levels, matters related to interoperability, and technology to prevent interference.

Date: 2007-10-30
Topic: Labor (Worker Safety)
Subject: Labor and employment
Ed Walker Memorial Act for Improvements to the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program - Amends the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 to include certain former nuclear weapons program workers in the Special Exposure Cohort under the energy employees occupational illness compensation program. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) modify regulations and procedures to conform to amendments under this Act; and (2) initiate a petition to include workers employed at the Bethlehem Steel site in Lackawanna, New York, as a class to be included in the Special Exposure Cohort.

Date: 2008-02-04
Topic: Labor (Worker Safety)
Subject: Labor and employment
Teaching and Research Assistant Collective Bargaining Rights Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to provide collective bargaining rights for students enrolled at a private institution of higher education who perform work for remuneration at the institution's direction, regardless of whether the work relates to their courses of study (teaching and research assistants).

Date: 2008-04-17
Topic: Labor (Worker Safety)
Subject: Labor and employment
Amends the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 to include within the meaning of the term member of the Special Exposure Cohort a Department of Energy (DOE) employee, DOE contractor employee, or atomic weapons employee who was so employed for a number of work days aggregating at least 250 work days before January 1, 2006, at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory in California. Provides that a claim that an individual qualifies for compensation or benefits under such Act shall be considered notwithstanding any denial of any other claim for compensation with respect to such individual.

Date: 2009-01-06
Topic: Labor (Worker Safety)
Subject: Law
Directs the Secretary of Labor to revise certain regulations under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 so as to require site-controlling employers to keep a site log for all recordable injuries and illnesses occurring among all employees on the particular site, whether such employees are employed directly by the site-controlling employer or are employed by contractors or temporary help or employee leasing services.

Date: 2009-01-07
Topic: Labor (Worker Safety)
Subject: Labor and employment
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for 50% of the cost of qualified advanced mine safety equipment property (in lieu of the existing taxpayer election to expense 50% of such property in the current taxable year). Defines such property to include: (1) an emergency communication technology or device for constant communication with individuals outside the mine; (2) an electronic identification and location device; (3) an emergency oxygen-generating device; (4) pre-positioned oxygen supplies; and (5) a comprehensive atmospheric monitoring system to monitor levels of carbon monoxide and other gases present in a mine.Revises the tax credit for mine rescue team training expenses to: (1) increase the amount of such credit; (2) allow such credit as an offset against the alternative minimum tax; and (3) make such credit permanent.

Date: 2009-01-14
Topic: Labor (Worker Safety)
Subject: Taxation