Top Law and Government Legislation regarding 'Punitive damages' in Federal Government

To require certain standards and enforcement provisions to prevent child abuse and neglect in residential programs, and for other purposes. 5/22/2008--Reported to House amended.    (There is 1 other summary) Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2008 - (Sec. 3) Directs the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families of the Department of Health and Human Services to require each location of a covered program to meet specified minimum standards if individually or together with other locations it has an effect on interstate commerce. Defines "covered program" as one not operated by a governmental entity that for children unrelated to the program owner or operator: (1) provides a residential environment; and (2) operates with a focus on serving children with emotional, behavioral, or mental health problems or disorders, or problems with alcohol or substance abuse. Directs the Assistant Secretary to require each [...]

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To require certain standards and enforcement provisions to prevent child abuse and neglect in residential programs, and for other purposes. 6/25/2008--Passed House without amendment.    (There is 1 other summary) (This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.) Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2008 - (Sec. 3) Directs the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families of the Department of Health and Human Services to require each location of a covered program to meet specified minimum standards if individually or together with other locations it has an effect on interstate commerce. Defines "covered program" as one not operated by a public or private entity that with respect to one or more children unrelated to the program owner or operator: (1) provides a residential environment; and (2) operates with a focus on serving [...]

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To require disclosure of Holocaust-era policies by insurers and establish a federal cause of action for claims arising out of a covered policy. 3/28/2007--Introduced. Holocaust Insurance Accountability Act of 2007 - Amends federal law governing the National Archives and Records Administration to direct the Archivist of the United States to: (1) establish a collection of records known as the Holocaust Insurance Registry, consisting of specified information provided under the Holocaust Victims Insurance Relief Act of 2007; and (2) make it accessible to the public. Requires the Secretary of State to seek agreements with European countries to make information on covered policies available to the Registry. Requires: (1) insurers to file certain disclosures of Holocaust-Era policies with the Secretary of Commerce; and (2) the Secretary to provide them to the Archivist. Subjects insurer noncompliance to a civil penalty. Requires the Secretary to notify [...]

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A bill to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit the unlawful acquisition and use of confidential customer proprietary network information, and for other purposes. 1/4/2007--Introduced. Protecting Consumer Phone Records Act - Makes it unlawful to: (1) acquire or use customer proprietary network information without written consent; (2) represent that another person has consented in order to acquire such information; (3) obtain unauthorized access to certain systems or records in order to acquire such information; (4) sell or offer for sale such information; or (5) request that another person unlawfully obtain such information. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to provide for a civil forfeiture penalty for violation of this Act. Imposes on IP-enabled voice service providers a duty to protect the confidentiality of specified proprietary information. Requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to require each telecommunications carrier [...]

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A bill to provide increased rail transportation security. 1/4/2007--Introduced. Rail Security Act of 2007 - Directs the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to conduct a vulnerability assessment of freight and passenger rail transportation, and develop specific prioritized recommendations for improving rail security. Directs the Assistant Secretary to conduct a study on requiring security screening for passengers, baggage, and cargo on passenger trains. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to make grants to Amtrak for fire and life-safety improvements and infrastructure upgrades to tunnels on the Northeast Corridor. Directs Amtrak to submit to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) a plan to address the needs of families of passengers involved in rail passenger accidents. Authorizes the Assistant Secretary to award grants to Amtrak for certain system-wide Amtrak, freight,[...]

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An original bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide additional tax incentives to employers and employees of small businesses, and for other purposes. 1/22/2007--Reported to Senate without amendment, 1st committee reporting.    (There is 1 other summary) (This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.) Small Business and Work Opportunity Act of 2007 - Title I: Small Business Tax Relief Provisions - Subtitle A: General Provisions - (Sec. 101) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 2010 the increased expensing allowance for small business assets. (Sec. 102) Extends through March 2008 accelerated depreciation of qualified leasehold and restaurant improvement property. Revises the definition of "qualified restaurant property" to eliminate the requirement that improvements to restaurant property must be [...]

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A bill to ensure that women seeking an abortion are fully informed regarding the pain experienced by their unborn child. 1/22/2007--Introduced. Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require an abortion provider, before beginning any abortion of a pain-capable unborn child (defined as an unborn child who has reached a probable stage of development of 20 weeks after fertilization), to: (1) make a specified statement to the pregnant woman that Congress has determined that there is substantial evidence that the process will cause the unborn child pain, and that the mother has the option of having pain-reducing drugs administered directly to the child; (2) provide to the woman an Unborn Child Pain Awareness Brochure (unless she waives receipt) and an Unborn Child Pain Awareness Decision Form; and (3) obtain on the form the woman's signature and her explicit request for or refusal of the administration of drugs to the child. Creates [...]

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A bill to prohibit discrimination on the basis of genetic information with respect to health insurance and employment. 3/29/2007--Reported to Senate amended.    (There is 1 other summary) Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2007 - Title I: Genetic Nondiscrimination in Health Insurance - (Sec. 101) Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to specify that genetic information that an issuer of group health insurance may not establish as an enrollment eligibility factor includes information about a request for or receipt of genetic services by an individual or family member. Prohibits a group health plan or a health insurance issuer from: (1) adjusting premiums on the basis of genetic information; or (2) requesting or requiring an individual or a family member of such individual to undergo a genetic test.Applies such provisions to small group health plans.Allows [...]

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To prohibit discrimination on the basis of genetic information with respect to health insurance and employment. 5/21/2008--Public Law.    (There are 3 other summaries) (This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the Senate on April 24, 2008. The summary of that version is repeated here, with changes reflecting enrollment corrections.)Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 - Title I: Genetic Nondiscrimination in Health Insurance - (Sec. 101) Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act (PHSA), and the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit a group health plan from adjusting premium or contribution amounts for a group on the basis of genetic information.Prohibits a group health plan from requesting or requiring an individual or family member of an individual from undergoing a genetic test. Provides that such prohibition does not: (1) limit the authority of [...]

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A bill to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide more effective remedies of victims of discrimination in the payment of wages on the basis of sex, and for other purposes. 3/6/2007--Introduced. Paycheck Fairness Act - Amends the portion of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) known as the Equal Pay Act to revise remedies for and enforcement of prohibitions against sex discrimination in the payment of wages to: (1) add nonretaliation requirements; (2) increase penalties; and (3) authorize the Secretary of Labor (the Secretary) to seek additional compensatory or punitive damages. Requires the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to train EEOC employees and affected individuals and entities on matters involving wage discrimination. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities for negotiation skills training programs for girls and women. Directs the Secretaries of Labor [...]

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To require certain standards and enforcement provisions to prevent child abuse and neglect in residential programs, and for other purposes. 6/25/2008--Passed House without amendment.    (There is 1 other summary) (This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.) Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2008 - (Sec. 3) Directs the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families of the Department of Health and Human Services to require each location of a covered program to meet specified minimum standards if individually or together with other locations it has an effect on interstate commerce. Defines "covered program" as one not operated by a public or private entity that with respect to one or more children unrelated to the program owner or operator: (1) provides a residential environment; and (2) operates with a focus on serving [...]

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Ensuring access to affordable and quality health care without exacerbating the Federal budget or contributing to market inflation while providing greater choices for consumers. 5/22/2008--Introduced. Calls for the following principles for a market-based approach to be included in any health care bill considered by the 110th Congress: (1) the ability to receive point-of-service health care in preventative, emergency, and rehabilitative settings in rural and urban areas; (2) refundable tax credits for the purchase of health insurance by low-income recipients, combined with laws that permit association and small business health plans; (3) medical liability reform; (4) safe and effective health service with measurable results through health information technology; (5) building new incentives into health plans to encourage wellness and prevention and to provide incentives for people to make smart choices involving their health, health care, and health insurance coverage; and (6) [...]

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To require certain standards and enforcement provisions to prevent child abuse and neglect in residential programs, and for other purposes. 5/22/2008--Reported to House amended.    (There is 1 other summary) Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2008 - (Sec. 3) Directs the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families of the Department of Health and Human Services to require each location of a covered program to meet specified minimum standards if individually or together with other locations it has an effect on interstate commerce. Defines "covered program" as one not operated by a governmental entity that for children unrelated to the program owner or operator: (1) provides a residential environment; and (2) operates with a focus on serving children with emotional, behavioral, or mental health problems or disorders, or problems with alcohol or substance abuse. Directs the Assistant Secretary to require each [...]

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A bill to respond to a medicare funding warning. 2/25/2008--Introduced. Medicare Funding Warning Response Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) develop and implement a system for encouraging nationwide adoption and use of interoperable electronic health records and to make available personal health records for Medicare beneficiaries; (2) develop and implement a plan for ensuring that, by the year 2013, quality measures are available and reported with respect to at least 50% of the care provided under the Medicare program; (3) design and implement a system under which a portion of Medicare payments that would otherwise be made to some or all classes of individuals and entities furnishing items or services to beneficiaries would be based on the quality and efficiency of their performance; (4) implement incentives for Medicare beneficiaries to use more efficient providers and preventive services known to reduce costs; and (5) use and release [...]

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To respond to a Medicare funding warning. 2/25/2008--Introduced. Medicare Funding Warning Response Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) develop and implement a system for encouraging nationwide adoption and use of interoperable electronic health records and to make available personal health records for Medicare beneficiaries; (2) develop and implement a plan for ensuring that, by the year 2013, quality measures are available and reported with respect to at least 50% of the care provided under the Medicare program; (3) design and implement a system under which a portion of Medicare payments that would otherwise be made to some or all classes of individuals and entities furnishing items or services to beneficiaries would be based on the quality and efficiency of their performance; (4) implement incentives for Medicare beneficiaries to use more efficient providers and preventive services known to reduce costs; and (5) use and release Medicare [...]

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A bill to restore, reaffirm, and reconcile legal rights and remedies under civil rights statutes. 1/24/2008--Introduced. Civil Rights Act of 2008 - Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Education Amendments of 1972, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975 to set forth requirements for: (1) establishing discrimination based on disparate impact; and (2) rights of action and recovery for unlawful discrimination (intentional or based on disparate impact). Amends those Acts and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to set forth requirements regarding a right of recovery for harassment. Amends the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), and the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to provide that a state's receipt or use of federal financial assistance for a state program or activity constitutes a waiver of sovereign immunity for a suit by a program employee. Amends the Air Carrier [...]

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To restore, reaffirm, and reconcile legal rights and remedies under civil rights statutes. 1/23/2008--Introduced. Civil Rights Act of 2008 - Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Education Amendments of 1972, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975 to set forth requirements for: (1) establishing discrimination based on disparate impact; and (2) rights of action and recovery for unlawful discrimination (intentional or based on disparate impact). Amends those Acts and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to set forth requirements regarding a right of recovery for harassment. Amends the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), and the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to provide that a state's receipt or use of federal financial assistance for a state program or activity constitutes a waiver of sovereign immunity for a suit by a program employee. Amends the Air Carrier Access [...]

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