zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Social Security Totalization Agreement Reform Act of 2007 or STAR Act - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to provide that any agreement to establish a totalization arrangement which is entered into with another country shall enter into force with respect to the United States if (and only if): (1) the President, at least 90 calendar days before the date on which he enters into the agreement, notifies each House of Congress of his intention to enter into it, and promply thereafter publishes notice of such intention in the Federal Register; (2) he transmits the text of such agreement to each House of the Congress; and (3) a joint resolution regarding such agreement has passed both Houses of Congress and been enacted into federal law.Sets forth procedures for the consideration of such a joint resolution.

Date: 2007-01-04
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Social welfare
Michelle's Law - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to prohibit a group health plan or health insurance coverage offered in connection with such a plan from terminating the coverage of a dependent child due to a medically necessary leave of absence from a postsecondary educational institution that causes the child to lose full-time status before the date that is the earlier of: (1) one year after the first day of the leave of absence; or (2) the date on which such coverage would otherwise terminate under the terms of the plan. Requires documentation and a certification by a physician.

Date: 2007-01-25
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Health
21st Century Housing Act - Amends the Housing Act of 1948 to authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in carrying out any program through the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to: (1) appoint and fix the compensation of Administration personnel; and (2) use premium-generated income for information technology upgrades. Amends the National Housing Act to: (1) extend the maturity term for insured mortgages; (2) revise mortgage insurance eligibility criteria and requirements for premium charges; (3) authorize waiver of certain requirements for new product initiatives; (4) increase the maximum mortgage amount limit for multifamily housing in high-cost areas; (5) increase the FHA single family housing maximum mortgage limit; and (6) increase the capital ratio for the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund. Increases prerequisites for insured mortgages covering condominiums to require that the condomium project have a HUD-insured blanket morgage.

Date: 2007-03-21
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Housing and community development
Amends the Merchant Marine Act, 1936 to provide that when the 20 year period during which vessels operating exclusively in specified foreign trade and for which a construction-differential subsidy was received for restricting voyages exclusively to such trade ends, the requirements and restrictions for receipt of such subsidy, including making payments for violating the restriction on engaging in domestic trade also ends. (Currently, termination of such period does not affect the requirement to make such payments.)

Date: 2007-03-29
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Maritime Hazardous Cargo Security Act - Amends port security provisions to direct the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to: (1) establish an international committee for the safe and secure handling and transportation of especially hazardous cargo to the United States; (2) develop and implement a voluntary program under which foreign ports and facilities can certify their compliance with International Ship and Port Facility Code (ISPFC) standards (including a program under which independent, third-party entities are certified to validate such ports' and facilities' compliance with such standards); and (3) establish a strategic plan (under current law, program) to utilize assistance programs to assist foreign ports and facilities that lack effective antiterrorism measures in implementing port security antiterrorism measures. Authorizes the Coast Guard (CG) to lend, lease, or otherwise provide equipment and technical training and support to foreign ports and facilities to assist them in complying, and validating such compliance, with ISPFC standards. Authorizes the Secretary to establish a security cost-share plan to assist the CG in providing security for the transportation of especially hazardous cargo to facilities located on or adjacent to U.S. navigable waters. Includes the establishing of regional response and recovery protocols to prepare for, respond to, mitigate against, and recover from a transportation security incident in area maritime transportation security plans. Directs the CG Commandant to develop a CG national resource allocation plan to meet safety and security requirements associated with the handling of especially hazardous cargo at U.S. ports and facilities. Directs the Secretary to ensure that federal, state, and local personnel responsible for the safety and security of vessels in port carrying especially hazardous cargo complete CG incident command system training. Authorizes the Secretary to convey (with or without compensation) national defense reserve fleet vessels to owners or operators of U.S. or foreign ports for use in port safety or security operations. Directs the Secretary to ensure that interoperable communications technology is deployed at all interagency operational centers for port security located at high-priority ports.

Date: 2007-06-12
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Vessel Hull Design Protection Amendments of 2007 - Amends federal copyright law to specify that the design of a vessel's hull, deck, or combination of a hull and deck, including a plug or mold are protected (currently, only the design of the vessel hull is protected, including a plug or mold and the definition of hull includes the deck). Redefines "useful article" and "hull." Defines "deck" as the horizontal surface of the vessel that covers the hull, including exterior cabin and cockpit surfaces, and exclusive of masts, sails, yards, rigging, hardware, fixtures, and other attachments.

Date: 2007-06-18
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Commerce
Great Lakes Short Sea Shipping Enhancement Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt from the harbor maintenance tax commercial cargo (other than bulk cargo) loaded or unloaded at U.S. ports in the Great Lakes Saint Lawrence Seaway System. Defines the "Great Lakes Saint Lawrence Seaway System" as the waterway between Duluth, Minnesota and Sept. Iles, Quebec, Canada, encompassing the five Great Lakes, their connecting channels, and the Saint Lawrence River.

Date: 2007-06-22
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Taxation
Maritime Administration Authorities Act of 2007 - Title I: Maritime Administration - (Sec. 101) Authorizes appropriations for the Maritime Administration, including for operations and training, assistance to small shipyards and maritime communities, disposal of obsolete vessels in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, and loans under provisions relating to financing for the construction, reconstruction, or reconditioning of a vessel or fishery facility. (Sec. 102) Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to enter into agreements to purchase, charter, operate, or otherwise acquire the use of any documented vessels and any other related real or personal property. (Sec. 103) Subjects the following to the prior consent of the Secretary of Defense regarding vessels in the Ready Reserve Force or the National Defense Reserve Fleet: (1) the authority of the Secretary of Transportation to operate or lease vessels under the Secretary's control; (2) the charter of vessels in the National Defense Reserve Fleet (including Ready Reserve Force vessels) by any state, locality, or territory of the United States; and (3) the authority of the Secretary of Transportation to charter or otherwise make available a vessel under the jurisdiction of the Secretary to any other department. (Sec. 105) Amends the National Maritime Heritage Act of 1994 to modify requirements regarding disposal of certain National Defense Reserve Fleet vessels that are not in the Ready Reserve Fleet. (Sec. 107) Requires the Secretary of Transportation, in order to ensure Ready Reserve Fleet vessel readiness, to activate and conduct sea trials on each vessel at least once every 30 (under current law, 24) months. (Sec. 108) Requires the Administrator of the Maritime Administration to develop a comprehensive plan for the review of traditional applications (defined as being of a type that has been approved multiple times without default or unreasonable risk to the United States) and nontraditional applications for a loan, guarantee, or a commitment to guarantee submitted under provisions relating to financing for the construction, reconstruction, or reconditioning of a vessel or fishery facility. Requires the Administrator to report to specified congressional committees regarding the plan. Title II: Technical Corrections - (Sec. 201) Sets forth a variety of provisions. Declares that such provisions make no substantive change in existing law and prohibits construing them as making a substantive change.

Date: 2007-07-12
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
TSA Acquisition Reform Act of 2007 - Repeals provisions exempting the Transportation Security Administration from specified federal procurement requirements.

Date: 2007-08-01
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Maritime Emergency Prevention Act of 2007 - Authorizes the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to command, using the Vessel Traffic Service (VTS), the pilot of a vessel to modify the speed or direction of a vessel in an emergency or hazardous conditions as determined by the local Coast Guard (CG) VTS director. Prohibits the filing of a civil action for damages against the Secretary or any officer in the exercise of their authority under this Act in any federal or state court. Requires a federally licensed pilot of a vessel to carry and use a laptop computer equipped with a navigation system in cases where state or local pilotage authorities determine that the use of such computer is practical and necessary.

Date: 2007-12-06
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Charter and Recreational Fishing Collective Marketing Act of 2008 - Authorizes persons engaged in the fishery industry as charter boat or recreational fishermen catching aquatic products to act together in associations in collectively catching, producing, and marketing such aquatic products, including implementing a vessel capacity reduction program, improving the operational and economic efficiency of a fishery, undertaking research, and improving the conservation and management of a fishery resource.

Date: 2008-04-02
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Fisheries Capital Construction Fund Enhancement Act of 2008 - Adds withdrawals for the acquisition of gear or equipment required for safety of life at sea or to comply with conservation measures within a fishery to the list of qualified withdrawals from a vessel capital construction fund. Declares that specified capital acquisition, construction, or reconstruction minimum cost requirements do not apply to withdrawals for such purposes.

Date: 2008-04-15
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Vessel Hull Design Protection Amendments of 2008 - Amends federal copyright law to specify that the design of a vessel's hull, deck, or combination of a hull and deck, including a plug or mold are protected (currently, only the design of the vessel hull is protected, including a plug or mold and the definition of hull includes the deck). Requires that Department of Defense rights in a registered design, including the right to build to such a design, be determined solely by provisions of federal Armed Forces law relating to rights in technical data or by the instrument under which the design was developed for the U.S. government. Redefines "useful article" and "hull." Defines "deck" as the horizontal surface of the vessel that covers the hull, including exterior cabin and cockpit surfaces, and exclusive of masts, sails, yards, rigging, hardware, fixtures, and other attachments.

Date: 2008-06-10
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Commerce
Amends federal law relating to maritime drug law enforcement to prohibit knowingly or intentionally operating by any means, or embarking in, any semi-submersible vessel or any manned or unmanned submersible vessel that is without nationality and that is navigating or has navigated into, through, or from waters beyond the outer limit of the territorial sea of a single country or a lateral limit of that country's territorial sea with an adjacent country.

Date: 2008-06-25
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Prohibits the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), or a state with an approved National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, from requiring an NPDES permit for a covered vessel for the next two years for any discharge: (1) of effluent from properly functioning marine engines; (2) of laundry, shower, and galley sink wastes; or (3) that is incidental to the normal operation of a covered vessel. Defines "covered vessel" to mean a vessel that is less than 79 feet in length or a fishing vessel. Requires the Administrator to evaluate the impacts of such discharges, excluding discharges: (1) from a vessel of the Armed Forces; (2) of sewage from a vessel, other than the discharge of graywater from a vessel operating on the Great Lakes; and (3) of ballast water. Requires the Administrator to: (1) provide for public comment on a draft of such evaluation; and (2) submit a final report to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee, and the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. Provides that such prohibition does not apply with respect to: (1) rubbish, trash, garbage, or other such materials discharged overboard; (2) other discharges when the vessel is operating in a capacity other than as a means of transportation; (3) ballast water discharges; or (4) any discharge that contributes to a violation of a water quality standard or poses an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment.

Date: 2008-07-22
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Environmental protection
Extends, through November 1, 2018, the exemption from the requirement that certain vessels operating within the Boundary Line be constructed of fire-retardant materials.

Date: 2008-09-16
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Requires the Secretary of Transportation to withhold specified graduated percentages of a state's apportionment of certain federal-aid highways funds for FY2010 and thereafter if driver licenses or personal identification cards issued by the state do not meet with certain minimum federal standards to be accepted by a federal agency.

Date: 2009-01-06
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Authorizes the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating, notwithstanding specified provisions of federal shipping law, to issue a certificate of documentation with a coastwise endorsement for the vessel ZIPPER.

Date: 2009-01-08
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Private legislation
Short Sea Shipping Promotion Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt from the harbor maintenance tax cargo contained in intermodal cargo containers and loaded by crane on a vessel, or cargo loaded on a vessel by means of wheeled technology, that is: (1) loaded at a U.S. port and unloaded at another U.S. port or a port in Canada located in the Great Lakes Saint Lawrence Seaway System; or (2) loaded at a port in Canada located in the Great Lakes Saint Lawrence Seaway System and unloaded at a U.S. port. Defines the "Great Lakes Saint Lawrence Seaway System" as the waterway between Duluth, Minnesota, and Sept Iles, Quebec, Canada, encompassing the five Great Lakes, their connecting channels, and the Saint Lawrence River.

Date: 2009-01-22
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Taxation
Our Nation's Trade, Infrastructure, Mobility, and Efficiency Act of 2009 or the ON TIME Act of 2009 - Declares that it is the purpose of this Act to: (1) address major transportation investment needs in national trade gateway corridors; (2) reduce freight congestion along current and future trade corridors along surface transportation routes that are or will be congested as a result of current or future growth in international trade; and (3) develop corridors that will increase freight transportation system reliability. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to assess and collect a national trade gateway corridor fee on each article imported into, and exported from, the United States. Requires collected fees to be deposited in the National Trade Gateway Corridor Fund for projects in the transportation trade corridors for the Customs port of unloading of imported, or loading of exported, articles. Sets forth requirements with respect to: (1) the allocation of Fund amounts in the form of grants to state departments of transportation to carry out eligible projects in the corridors for the Customs ports of entry; and (2) project selection and eligibility. Requires the Secretary to establish a transportation trade corridor for each Customs port of entry where fees are collected.

Date: 2009-02-10
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Authorizes the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating, notwithstanding specified provisions, to issue a certificate of documentation with a coastwise endorsement for the vessel MAYA (United States official number 1107319).

Date: 2009-02-12
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Private legislation
Vessel Navigation and Safety Improvement Act - Amends the Ports and Waterways Safety Act to authorize the Coast Guard's Commandant to issue regulations requiring: (1) any pilot serving on a covered vessel operating in regulated waters to carry and use a portable electronic navigation device capable of being connected to an Automatic Identification System; and (2) related pilot training. Defines "covered vessel" as a self-propelled, commercial vessel of at least 300 gross tons without a prescribed electronic chart.

Date: 2009-02-13
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2009 - Sets forth cruise vessel security and safety requirements concerning: (1) vessel design and construction; (2) crew access to passenger staterooms; (3) log book entry and reporting of deaths, missing individuals, and alleged crimes; (4) a database of crewmembers terminated due to commission of a crime; (5) maintenance of rape kits on board; (6) crime scene investigation training and certification for vessel crewmembers; (7) video surveillance to monitor crime; and (8) posting of certain safety information. Sets forth penalties for violations of this Act. Amends the Ports and Waterways Safety Act to revise the authority of the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating (Secretary) to dispatch Coast Guard personnel on vessels to deter or respond to terrorism or transportation security incidents. Authorizes use of such personnel to act as: (1) environmental observers to monitor compliance with federal laws regarding the discharge of waste into U.S. waters; and (2) public safety officers to assist vessel passengers and crew with reporting and investigation of crimes, securing of suspects, and collection of crime evidence. Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on the security needs of a passenger vessel depending on the number of passengers on the vessel, with recommendations for security improvements. Amends the Death on the High Seas Act to extend from 3 to 12 miles from the U.S. shore the high seas jurisdiction wherein a death by a wrongful act, neglect, or default of a person or vessel will allow the personal representative of the decedent to bring a civil action in admiralty.

Date: 2009-03-12
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Putting Our Resources Towards Security (PORTS) Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security, between FY2010-FY2014, to increase the number of full-time Customs and Border Protection officers, agriculture specialists, and border security support personnel for U.S. ports of entry by not fewer than 5,000, 1,200, and 350, respectively, above the number of such personnel for which funds were made available during FY2009. Authorizes appropriations to the Administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA) for each of FY2010-FY2014 to make improvements to existing U.S. ports of entry to improve border security. Directs the Administrator to give priority to ports determined to be in most need of repair in accordance with required infrastructure assessment studies.

Date: 2009-03-19
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Emergency management
Great Lakes Icebreaker Replacement Act - Authorizes appropriations for the design, acquisition, and construction of a combined buoy tender-icebreaker to replace icebreaking capacity on the Great Lakes.

Date: 2009-03-26
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Transportation Security Workforce Enhancement Act of 2009 - Terminates certain authorities under the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel management system with respect to TSA employees under the Aviation and Transportation Security Act and related law, including all authority to establish or adjust a human resources management system. Subjects TSA employees (including screeners) to the protections of the federal civil service system, including the right to collective bargaining, compensation, leave, health, and other employee rights. Prohibits any reduction in rate of pay or certain other rights of TSA employees upon conversion from the TSA personnel system to the federal civil service system. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security, within 14 days after enactment of this Act, to: (1) inform the TSA employees' qualified labor organization in writing of the conversion plans; and (2) afford the organization a reasonable opportunity to present its views and recommendations. Requires the Secretary to consider such views or recommendations before taking final action and give the organization a written statement of the reasons for such final actions. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be considered to repeal or otherwise affect specified federal laws prohibiting strikes against the U.S. Government. Authorizes appropriations.

Date: 2009-04-02
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Border Wait Times Study Act - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to study and report to Congress on the traffic patterns of commercial and passenger vehicles that enter and exit U.S. international land ports of entry along the northern and southern borders. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to study and report to Congress on the negative economic impact, if any, on the United States of wait times at such ports of entry.

Date: 2009-04-02
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Directs the Secretary of Transportation, acting through the Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and in cooperation with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, to update the FHWA's research report entitled "Reduced Lighting On Freeways During Periods Of Low Traffic Density," FHWA/RD-86/018, dated August, 1985. Requires the Secretary, based on the updated report, to issue guidance to states on reducing lighting on the federal-aid system during low traffic density periods.

Date: 2009-04-21
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Surface Transportation Safety Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to modify certain federal regulations to: (1) allow fire services personnel to wear high visibility apparel meeting certain requirements; and (2) ensure that positive protective measures (including temporary longitudinal traffic barriers) are used to separate workers on highway construction projects from motorized traffic. Directs the Secretary to approve the use of federal-aid highway funds by a state for patented or proprietary items that further the goals of state strategic highway safety plans. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to revise the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices to include a standard for a minimum level of retroreflectivity that must be maintained for pavement markings, which shall apply to all roads open to public travel. Revises requirements for the highway safety improvement program to count installation, replacement, and upgrade of highway signs and pavement markings as a highway safety improvement project. Authorizes: (1) states to obligate highway safety improvement program funds apportioned to them for projects to maintain minimum levels of retroreflectivity in highway signs or pavement markings on public roads, whether or not such projects are included in state plans; and (2) a federal share of costs of 100% for such projects. Directs the Secretary to: (1) carry out a program to improve traffic signs and pavement markings for older drivers and pedestrians in all states; (2) review the safety of all highway-rail grade crossings in the United States and, based on such review, compile a list of the ten highway-rail grade crossings having the greatest need for safety improvements; (3) establish a national database of information on the safety of highway-rail grade crossings in the United States; and (4) allocate $20 million to each state with a population density of less than 20 persons per square mile for each fiscal year beginning with FY2010 for rural highway safety improvement projects.

Date: 2009-04-27
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Fast Starts Act of 2009 - Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to make grants to state and local government authorities for eligible new fixed guideway streetcar capital projects that are electricity- and rail-based. Requires such an authority to submit by March 1, 2010, a grant application that certifies that a project has a sufficient degree of local financial commitment, meets certain environmental requirements, and can begin construction by March 1, 2012.

Date: 2009-04-29
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Federal Streetcar Revitalization Act of 2009 - Revises small starts program requirements to increase the ceiling amounts of federal funding under a grant to state and local governments which will subject a new fixed guideway streetcar capital project to such requirements. Increases the maximum total federal funding for such a project from $75 million to $100 million, and the maximum total estimated net capital cost from $250 million to $300 million. Revises selection criteria for such projects to require that a project be justified based on a review of its effect on local economic development and land use (as under current law), as well as travel patterns and greenhouse gas reduction potential. Repeals the requirement for review also of a project's cost effectiveness. Requires the Secretary, in making a project justification, to determine the reduction in per capita auto travel demand and in greenhouse gas emissions that will result from the completed project. Repeals certain other requirements.

Date: 2009-04-29
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
United States Ferry Systems Investment Act of 2009 - Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Transportation for FY2010-FY2015 for construction of ferry vessels and ferry terminal facilities. Revises general requirements and the formula for the allocation of such funds to ferry systems and public entities responsible for developing ferries. Includes ferries within the federal clean fuels program. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish within the Department of Transportation a Ferry Joint Program Office to: (1) coordinate federal programs affecting ferry vessel and ferry facility construction, maintenance, operations, and security; and (2) promote ferry service as a component of the U.S. transportation system. Requires the Secretary to: (1) ensure that the national ferry database is consistent with the national transit database maintained by the Federal Transit Administration; and (2) award a grant to a college to establish a National Ferry Transportation Institute for research, development, and training programs relating to U.S. ferry transportation systems.

Date: 2009-04-29
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Amends the Small Business Act to authorize the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to provide loans to motor vehicle dealers for the purchase of inventory. Sets the maximum loan limit at $20 million.

Date: 2009-04-30
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Commerce
Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish: (1) a national highway tunnel inspection program, including standards for the proper safety inspection and evaluation of all highway tunnels; (2) a training and certification program for highway tunnel inspectors; and (3) a national inventory of highway tunnels. Includes tunnel construction, rehabilitation, and operational improvements (including safety inspection of such tunnels) as eligible projects under the federal surface transportation program.

Date: 2009-05-04
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Highway Trust Fund Fairness Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal: (1) requirements for payments from the Highway Trust Fund for certain repayments and credits; and (2) the prohibition against interest-bearing obligations in the Highway Trust Fund.

Date: 2009-05-13
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Taxation
American Shipping Reinvestment Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) repeal shipping investment withdrawal tax rules; and (2) allow U.S. corporate shareholders an election to deduct dividends attributable to foreign base company shipping income received from a controlled foreign corporation.

Date: 2009-05-21
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Taxation
Keep America's Waterfronts Working Act of 2009 - Amends the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to direct the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to establish a Working Waterfront Grant Program to make a grant, through a regionally equitable, competitive funding process, to any coastal state to implement a plan to preserve and expand access to coastal waters for persons engaged in commercial fishing, recreational fishing, aquaculture, boatbuilding, or other water-dependent coastal-related business. Authorizes the Secretary to award planning grants to coastal states to develop or revise comprehensive working waterfront plans.

Date: 2009-05-21
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Next Generation Homes Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the dollar limits on the new energy efficient home tax credit and revise the energy savings requirements for such credit; and (2) allow a new tax credit for the purchase of an energy efficient principal residence.

Date: 2009-06-02
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Taxation
Coast Guard Modernization Act of 2009 - Title I: Coast Guard Leadership - (Sec. 101) Revises provisions concerning the leadership of the Coast Guard, including: (1) allowing more than one admiral; (2) requiring that the Coast Guard Vice Commandant, while so serving, have the rank of admiral; and (3) replacing the current area commanders with vice admirals and revising their responsibilities. Title II: Marine Safety Administration - (Sec. 201) Requires the Commandant to promote maritime safety according to specified priorities. (Sec. 202) Requires the Commandant to: (1) designate Coast Guard positions constituting the marine safety workforce; (2) report annually on the adequacy of the current marine safety workforce to meet the anticipated workload; and (3) establish a management information system for that workforce. Requires there to be a chief of marine safety in each Coast Guard sector. Authorizes the Commandant to establish and operate one or more Centers of Expertise for Marine Safety. Requires the Commandant, by policy, to establish a program under which a Coast Guard officer, member, or employee may be assigned to a private entity to further Coast Guard interests regarding marine safety, including to train the person. Requires a related annual report. (Sec. 203) Directs the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to develop a long-term strategy for improving vessel safety and the safety of individuals on vessels, including annual issuance of a plan and schedule for achieving specified goals. (Sec. 204) Provides for a principal advisor to the Commandant regarding marine safety. (Sec. 205) Requires, except for the Commandant, that any individual adjudicating an appeal or waiver of a marine safety decision either have certain training, experience, and qualifications or be advised by a senior staff member who meets those requirements and concurs in the decision on appeal. (Sec. 206) Requires a marine safety curriculum at the Coast Guard Academy and during other officer accession programs. (Sec. 207) Requires the Commandant to report on the Coast Guard's efforts to recruit and retain civilian marine inspectors and investigators and the impact of such recruitment and retention efforts on Coast Guard organizational performance.

Date: 2009-06-02
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Maritime Workforce Development Act - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish a maritime career training loan program. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Maritime Administration, to make maritime career training loans available to eligible students at federal, state, and commercial maritime training institutions, including state maritime academies, and nonprofit training organizations. Makes undergraduate students at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy ineligible for such loans. Allows loans to a student of up to $15,000 in a calendar year or $60,000 in the aggregate. Establishes certain student eligibility and loan requirements. Requires the Secretary to establish a revolving loan fund consisting of receipts from the repayment of loans to cover the administrative costs of the program. Authorizes appropriations for this loan program for FY2010-FY2015. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Administrator, to publish in the Federal Register, a plan that describes the demonstration, research, and multistate project priorities of the Department of Transportation (DOT) regarding merchant mariner recruitment, training, and retention for the three-year period following the publication of the plan. Requires the Secretary to submit copies of the plan to Congress. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive grants to maritime training institutions to carry out demonstration projects and other eligible projects that implement DOT priorities in a way to address merchant mariner recruitment, training, and retention issues. Establishes certain grant and project eligibility requirements. Authorizes appropriations for this grant program for FY2010-FY2015.

Date: 2009-06-02
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Authorizes the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating, notwithstanding specified provisions of federal shipping law, to issue a certificate of documentation with a coastwise endorsement for the vessel M/V GEYSIR.

Date: 2009-06-02
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Private legislation
Authorizes the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating, notwithstanding specified provisions of federal shipping law, to issue a certificate of documentation with a coastwise endorsement for the vessel GULF DIVER IV.

Date: 2009-06-03
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Private legislation
Exempts residents or nonresidents who assist, accompany, transport, guide, or aid persons in the taking of fish for monetary or other consideration on Lake Texoma (located on the border between Texas and Oklahoma): (1) who are licensed by the state in which they are operating from any related requirement established or administered by the Coast Guard; and (2) who are licensed by the Coast Guard from state regulation so long as the Coast Guard license remains valid. Prohibits an individual with a license, certificate of registry, or merchant mariners document and serving under the authority of such license, certificate, or document on a vessel that is required to have a vessel security plan from entering an area designated as a secure area in such a plan unless the individual has (or is accompanied by an individual who has) a biometric transportation security card issued by the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating. (Current law contains the same prohibition, but without referring to serving under the authority of such license, certificate, or document.) Removes a provision prohibiting an individual engaged on a towing vessel that pushes, pulls, or hauls alongside a tank vessel from entering a secured area without having (or without being accompanied by an individual who has) such a card.

Date: 2009-06-04
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
National Transportation Objectives Act of 2009 - Establishes: (1) national transportation objectives to provide a 21st century vision for the national surface transportation system, including to promote energy efficiency and achieve energy security, ensure environmental protection and safety for all transportation users, improve economic competitiveness and transportation system conditions, and provide equal access to transportation in urban, suburban, and rural communities; and (2) national transportation performance targets to meet such objectives, including to reduce per capita vehicle miles traveled by 16% and transportation-generated carbon dioxide levels by 40%, triple walking, biking, and public transportation use, increase freight transportation provided by railroad and intermodal services by 20%, and improve public safety and lower congestion costs by reducing traffic crashes by 50%. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) develop baseline levels and appropriate data collection systems for meeting the national transportation performance targets; and (2) develop and implement a National Surface Transportation Performance Plan.

Date: 2009-06-04
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Expands the urbanized area formula grants program to include public transit projects: (1) in urbanized areas with a population of at least 200,000, and urbanized areas with a population of between 200,000 and 400,000, if the state or regional authority that provides public transportation for the area operates less than 100 buses in fixed-route service in the area during peak service hours; and (2) in urbanized areas with graduated populations of between 400,000 and capping out at 1 million or more. Establishes certain grant limits for such projects. Revises grant eligibility requirements for FY2010-FY2015 for such projects in urbanized areas with a population of at least 200,000.

Date: 2009-06-08
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Requires states, at a minimum, to cooperate with affected nonmetropolitan local officials responsible for transportation through regional transportation planning organizations to develop and implement long-range statewide transportation plans and statewide transportation improvement programs, with emphasis on addressing the transportation needs of nonmetropolitan areas of the state. Defines a regional transportation planning organization as a multi-jurisdictional organization composed of nonmetropolitan local officials (or their designees) and representatives of local transportation systems who all volunteer for such organization.

Date: 2009-06-09
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Amends the Hydrographic Services Improvement Act of 1998 to authorize appropriations to the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for FY2011-FY2012 for use to acquire (1) hydrographic data, provide hydrographic services, and conduct coastal change analyses necessary to ensure safe navigation, and to improve the management of coastal change in the Arctic; and (2) hydrographic data and provide hydrographic services in the Arctic necessary to delineate the U.S. extended continental shelf.

Date: 2009-06-12
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
United States Coast Guard Servicemember Benefits Improvements Act - Establishes or modifies the housing-related authorities of the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating regarding: (1) reconstruction and maintenance of military family housing or unaccompanied housing; (2) conveyance or lease of real property; and (3) the Coast Guard Housing Fund. Repeals the $40 million cap on the total value in budget authority of all contracts and investments undertaken using Coast Guard housing authorities. Repeals the expiration date for such authorities, thus making them permanent. Eliminates specified new housing demonstration projects. Authorizes the Coast Guard Commandant to: (1) use appropriated funds to provide child development services; and (2) collect and expend, for such services, fees based on family income. Raises from 62 to 64 the mandatory retirement age for flag officers. Allows deferral of the mandatory retirement age of any regular commissioned officer serving in a flag officer grade position (currently 62): (1) by the Secretary until age 66; and (2) by the President until age 68. Authorizes the Secretary of the Navy to: (1) detail Chaplain Corps personnel to the Coast Guard; and (2) provide support services (including transportation, food, lodging, child care, supplies, fees, and training materials) to chaplain-led programs to assist members of the Coast Guard on active duty and their dependents, and members of the reserve component in an active status and their dependents, in building and maintaining a strong family structure. Authorizes the President to award a Coast Guard cross and silver star medals to persons serving in any capacity with the Coast Guard for extraordinary heroism or gallantry in action while engaged in action against a U.S. enemy, or in other specified actions. Removes provisions excluding the Coast Guard from provisions relating to Armed Forces Retirement homes. (Authorizes Coast Guard participation in the Armed Forces Retirement Home system.) Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security, subject to the availability of legal staff resources, to provide to members of Coast Guard reserve components legal assistance in connection with their personal civil legal affairs. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require that, during a public health emergency, Coast Guard members and assets remain under the command and control of the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating.

Date: 2009-06-16
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Highway Trust Fund Reclamation Act - Rescinds, effective July 15, 2009, any unobligated balances of certain stimulus funds made available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (excluding funds for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for highway infrastructure investment). Appropriates rescinded amounts to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF).

Date: 2009-06-18
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Economics and public finance
United States Mariner and Vessel Protection Act of 2009 - Authorizes the Coast Guard's Commandant to deploy a maritime safety and security team for up to six months to deter, protect against, and rapidly respond to acts of piracy against vessels in international waters. Directs the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to issue regulations establishing standards and circumstances under which an individual is authorized to use force (including lethal force) against an individual in the defense of a vessel against piracy. Limits the liability of the individuals, the federal government, and owners, operators, and masters of vessels in actions arising out of a use of force authorized under the regulations. Directs the Secretary to work through the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to establish agreements to promote coordinated action among flag and port states to deter, protect against, and rapidly respond to acts of piracy against the vessels of, and in the waters under the jurisdiction of, those nations, and to ensure limitations on liability similar to those under this Act.

Date: 2009-06-19
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Authorizes the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating, notwithstanding specified provisions, to issue a certificate of documentation with a coastwise endorsement for the motor vessel EQUULEUS (IMO 5146914).

Date: 2009-06-26
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Private legislation
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt donations of motor vehicles to charities from the limitations and substantiation requirements applicable to such donations if: (1) the employees of the charity are solely responsible for, and perform substantially all of the services for, the daily operations of the charity's vehicle donation program; (2) the charity does not regularly use the property or services of a third party in carrying out its vehicle donation program; and (3) not more than 20% of the annual net proceeds from the sale of donated motor vehicles is paid to third parties for services used by the charity's vehicle donation program.

Date: 2009-07-17
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Taxation
Green Routes to Work Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) equalize and increase to $230 the tax exclusion for both transportation and parking fringe benefits; (2) make the increased transportation fringe benefit available to federal employees; (3) make self-employed individuals eligible for transit pass fringe benefits; (4) include employer-established parking cash-out programs as a qualified transportation fringe benefit; (5) allow a general business tax credit for 10% of the cost of a commuter van , with a seating capacity of between 8 and 15 adults that is placed in service before 2013; (6) allow employers a refundable tax credit for providing tax-free transit passes to employees; (7) allow a general business tax credit for expenditures to improve access for bicycle commuters; (8) allow employees to receive transit passes and reimbursements of bicycle commuting expenses as tax-exempt employer-provided fringe benefits in the same month; (9) allow an empoyer's election to expense the cost of removing architectural and transportation barriers to bicycle commuter access to employer facilities; and (10) allow a tax credit for teleworking expenses, up to $400 per year.

Date: 2009-07-21
Topic: Transportation (Maritime)
Subject: Taxation