Top Legislation - View All

Latest Action: 07/26/2007 - Received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Bill Text
Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the dumping of industrial waste into the Great Lakes.

7/25/2007--Passed House without amendment.    (There is 1 other summary)

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Expresses disapproval of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management's issuance of a permit allowing BP to increase their daily dumping of ammonia and total suspended solids into Lake Michigan. Urges Indiana to reconsider issuance of such permit.

Calls for Congress to take action to protect and restore the Great Lakes.

Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) actions in the Great Lakes basin should be consistent with the goal of preserving and restoring the Great Lakes; and (2) EPA should not allow increased dumping of chemicals and pollutants into the Great Lakes.

Latest Action: 04/23/2008 - Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.

Bill Text
To establish a national policy for our oceans, to strengthen the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to establish a national and regional ocean governance structure, and for other purposes. 1/4/2007--Introduced. Oceans Conservation, Education, and National Strategy for the 21st Century Act - Establishes a national policy to protect, maintain, and restore the health of marine ecosystems and requires that federal agencies administer U.S. policies and laws accordingly. Allows more stringent federal and state requirements. States that there shall be an agency known as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), declares that Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970 (concerning NOAA) shall have no further force or effect, and sets forth NOAA's mission and functions. (Reestablishes NOAA and requires a reorganization plan.) Creates an Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and makes that person the Administrator of NOAA. Requires [...]

show full description
Latest Action: 03/27/2007 - Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Inouye with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 110-39.

Bill Text
A bill to establish a coordinated national ocean exploration program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and for other purposes. 3/27/2007--Reported to Senate amended.    (There is 1 other summary) Ocean and Coastal Exploration and NOAA Act (OCEAN Act) - Title I: National Ocean Exploration Program - National Ocean Exploration Program Act - (Sec. 102) Requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in consultation with the National Science Foundation (NSF) and other appropriate federal agencies, to establish a coordinated national ocean exploration program that promotes collaboration among NOAA programs. Specifies program authorities. (Sec. 104) Requires NOAA to convene an ocean technology and infrastructure task force to develop and implement a specified strategy. (Sec. 105) Authorizes NOAA, NSF, and other agencies involved in the program to participate in interagency financing and share,[...]

show full description
Latest Action: 01/18/2007 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. (text of measure as introduced: CR S764-765)

Bill Text
A bill to require the Secretary of the Army to operate and maintain as a system the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal dispersal barriers, and for other purposes. 1/18/2007--Introduced. Barrier Project Consolidation and Construction Act of 2007 - Requires the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal Dispersal Barrier Project constructed as a demonstration project under the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control act of 1990 (Barrier I) and the related project authorized under the District of Columbia Appropriations Act, 2005 (Barrier II) to be considered to constitute a single project. Directs the Secretary of the Army, at full federal expense, to: (1) upgrade and make permanent Barrier I, construct Barrier II, operate and maintain Barriers I and II as a system, conduct a study of a full range of options and technologies for reducing impacts of hazards that may reduce the efficacy of the Barriers, and provide to each state a credit in an amount equal to that of funds [...]

show full description
Latest Action: 02/07/2007 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, and Oceans.

Bill Text
To enable the Great Lakes Fishery Commission to investigate effects of migratory birds on sustained productivity of stocks of fish of common concern in the Great Lakes.

1/12/2007--Introduced.

Great Lakes Migratory Bird Research and Management Act - Amends the Great Lakes Fishery Act of 1956 to authorize the Great Lakes Fishery Commission to carry out activities relating to the investigation of migratory bird depredation on commercial and sport fisheries in the Great Lakes.

Amends the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to require the Secretary of the Interior to issue permits to cooperating state, Provincial, Tribal, First Nation, and U.S. and Canadian federal agencies with migratory bird management authority, and signatory to a Memorandum of Understanding with the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, to manage and take migratory birds, for the purpose of control of depredation by such birds on commercial and sport fisheries in the Great Lakes.

Latest Action: 01/18/2007 - Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Bill Text
To require the Secretary of the Army to operate and maintain as a system the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal dispersal barriers. 1/18/2007--Introduced. Great Lakes Asian Carp Barrier Act - Requires the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal Dispersal Barrier Project constructed as a demonstration project under the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 (Barrier I) and the related project authorized under the District of Columbia Appropriations Act, 2005 (Barrier II) to be considered to constitute a single project. Directs the Secretary of the Army, at federal expense, to: (1) upgrade and make permanent Barrier I, construct Barrier II, operate and maintain Barriers I and II as a system, conduct a study of a range of options and technologies for reducing impacts of hazards that may reduce the efficacy of the Barriers, and provide to each state a credit in an amount equal to that of funds contributed by the state toward Barrier II (which the state [...]

show full description
Latest Action: 03/19/2007 - Star Print ordered on the bill.

Bill Text
To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to authorize appropriations for State water pollution control revolving funds, and for other purposes. 3/9/2007--Passed House amended.    (There is 1 other summary) Water Quality Financing Act of 2007 - Title I: Technical and Management Assistance - (Sec. 101) Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (popularly known as the Clean Water Act [CWA]) to authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make grants to nonprofit organizations to provide: (1) technical assistance to rural and small municipalities for grants from the Water Pollution Control Revolving Loan Funds; (2) technical assistance and training for rural and small publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) and decentralized wastewater systems to enable them to protect water quality and comply with the CWA; and (3) information to rural and small municipalities and municipalities that meet a state's affordability [...]

show full description
Latest Action: 02/06/2007 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.

Bill Text
To amend the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 to require application to all vessels equipped with ballast water tanks, including vessels that are not carrying ballast water, the requirement to carry out exchange of ballast water or alternative ballast water management methods prior to entry into any port within the Great Lakes, and for other purposes. 2/5/2007--Introduced. Great Lakes Invasive Species Control Act - Amends the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 to apply requirements directing vessels equipped with ballast water tanks to carry out exchange of ballast water or alternative ballast water management methods prior to entry into any port within the Great Lakes to vessels that are not carrying ballast water. Directs the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to conduct a study of the effectiveness of alternative ballast water management methods in reducing the threat of invasive [...]

show full description
Latest Action: 03/01/2007 - Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S2491-2492)

Bill Text
A bill to amend the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 to reauthorize and improve that Act. 3/1/2007--Introduced. National Aquatic Invasive Species Act of 2007 - Amends the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 to establish aquatic invasive species reduction and prevention requirements for vessels (including towed vessels and structures) operating in U.S. waters. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) to promulgate ballast water management regulations and certification procedures. Requires a program for Department of Defense (DOD) vessels to minimize the risk of invasive species through towed vessel hull and associated hull aperture transfers. Directs the Aquatic Invasive Species Task Force to establish a priority pathway management program that identifies those pathways that pose the highest risk for the introduction of aquatic invasive species. Prohibits the importation of an aquatic [...]

show full description
Latest Action: 03/07/2007 - Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S2800-2801)

Bill Text
A bill to establish a collaborative program to protect the Great Lakes, and for other purposes. 3/7/2007--Introduced. Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act of 2007 - National Aquatic Invasive Species Act of 2007 - Amends the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 to: (1) require certain vessels operating in U.S. waters to have invasive species management plans; (2) direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish vessel performance requirements with the goal of eliminating invasive species, (3) require vessels to conduct ballast water treatment in accordance with numeric ballast water discharge standards; (4) direct the Secretary to promulgate regulations to minimize the discharge of invasive species from ships that claim no ballast on board, or that claim to be carrying only unpumpable quantities of ballast, and to allow ships entering the Great Lakes to use a treatment technology that is as effective as ballast water exchange; (5) [...]

show full description

Latest Legislation - View All

Latest Action: 08/01/2008 - Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent. (consideration: CR S8006-8014)

Bill Text
A joint resolution expressing the consent and approval of Congress to an interstate compact regarding water resources in the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence River Basin.

8/1/2008--Passed Senate amended.    (There is 1 other summary)

Grants congressional consent to and approval of the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact as set forth in this resolution's preamble.

Declares that current laws provide protection sufficient to prevent Great Lakes diversions until a Great Lakes water compact is ratified and enforceable.

Reserves the right to alter, amend, or repeal this resolution.

Latest Action: 07/28/2008 - Motion to proceed to measure considered in Senate.

Bill Text
A bill to advance America's priorities. 7/22/2008--Introduced. Advancing America's Priorities Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to: (1) establish a system to collect data on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and establish a registry for such data; (2) provide for an education and information campaign to promote stroke prevention; and (3) award grants for a pilot project to improve stroke patient outcomes by coordinating health care delivery through telehealth networks.Establishes programs for research, rehabilitation, and quality of life for people with paralysis.Provides for support services to women suffering from postpartum depression and who receive a positive diagnosis of Down syndrome or other prenatally or postnatally diagnosed conditions. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to states to provide vision care for children. Amends the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act to expand services for homeless youth [...]

show full description
Latest Action: 06/18/2008 - Vetoed by President. (text of veto message: CR H5535)

Bill Text
To provide for the continuation of agricultural and other programs of the Department of Agriculture through fiscal year 2012, and for other purposes. 5/22/2008--Introduced. Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 - Provides for the continuation of agricultural and other programs of the Department of Agriculture through FY2012.Revises agricultural and related programs, including provisions respecting: (1) commodity programs; (2) conservation; (3) trade; (4) nutrition; (5) credit; (6) rural development; (7) research and related matters; (8) forestry; (9) energy; (10) horticulture and organic agriculture; (11) livestock; (12) crop insurance and disaster assistance; (13) socially disadvantaged and limited resource producers; and (14) miscellaneous programs.Directs the President to establish and maintain an importer declaration program with respect to the importation of softwood lumber and softwood lumber products.Establishes the Bill Emerson National Hunger [...]

show full description
Latest Action: 06/17/2008 - Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Senate Subcommittee on National Parks. Hearings held.

Bill Text
A bill to designate the Beaver Basin Wilderness at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in the State of Michigan.

5/14/2008--Introduced.

Beaver Basin Wilderness Act - Designates specified land and inland water within the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan as wilderness and as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, which shall be known as the Beaver Basin Wilderness.

Latest Action: 04/17/2008 - Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3147-3148)

Bill Text
A bill to establish national standards for discharges from cruise vessels into the waters of the United States, and for other purposes. 4/17/2008--Introduced. Clean Cruise Ship Act of 2008 - Prohibits cruise vessels calling on U.S. ports from discharging sewage, graywater, or bilge water into U.S. waters unless: (1) the treated effluent meets specified effluent limits and management standards; (2) the vessel is proceeding at not less than six knots; (3) the vessel is not less than 12 nautical miles from shore; and (4) the vessel is not in a no discharge zone. Prohibits the discharge of sewage sludge, incinerator ash, or hazardous waste into U.S. waters and requires it to be off-loaded at appropriate land-based facilities. Prescribes exceptions for: (1) discharges solely to secure the safety of a vessel or to save a life at sea; and (2) Alaskan vessels until 10 years after enactment.Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate [...]

show full description
Latest Action: 06/16/2008 - Message on Senate action sent to the House.

Bill Text
Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Mackinac Island State Park Commission's Historical Preservation and Museum Program, which began on June 15, 1958, and for other purposes.

6/12/2008--Passed Senate without amendment.    (There are 2 other summaries)

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Mackinac Island State Park Commission's Historical Preservation and Museum Program, which began on June 15, 1958.

Latest Action: 07/15/2008 - Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Bill Text
To reauthorize and amend the National Sea Grant College Program Act, and for other purposes. 7/11/2008--Reported to House amended, Part II.    (There are 2 other summaries) National Sea Grant College Program Amendments Act of 2008 - (Sec. 4) Amends the National Sea Grant College Program Act to substitute "extension services" for "advisory services" in the definition of "project" and to add definitions for "regional research and information plan" and "National Ocean Research Priorities Plan and Implementation Strategy." (Sec. 5) Adds, as elements of the national sea grant college program: (1) regional and national projects; and (2) the environmental and scientific considerations regarding the production of ocean and coastal offshore petroleum, natural gas, geothermal, wind, and ocean thermal energy resources, including the siting of energy related facilities in the coastal zone. Removes a [...]

show full description
Latest Action: 02/28/2008 - Subcommittee Hearings Held.

Bill Text
To amend the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to authorize assistance to coastal states to develop coastal climate change adaptation plans pursuant to approved management programs approved under section 306, to minimize contributions to climate change, and for other purposes.

2/14/2008--Introduced.

Coastal State Climate Change Planning Act of 2008 - Amends the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to establish a coastal climate change adaptation planning and response program to provide assistance to coastal states to voluntarily develop coastal climate change adaptation plans and to provide financial and technical assistance and training to enable coastal states to implement those plans through coastal states' enforceable policies.

Authorizes, subject to the availability of appropriations, grants to coastal states for developing the plans and grants for implementation.

Latest Action: 12/10/2007 - Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands.

Bill Text
To revise the authorized route of the North Country National Scenic Trail in northeastern Minnesota to include existing hiking trails along Lake Superior's north shore and in Superior National Forest and Chippewa National Forest, and for other purposes.

12/5/2007--Introduced.

North Country National Scenic Trail Route Adjustment Act of 2007 - Amends the National Trails System Act to add certain existing hiking trails along Lake Superior's north shore and in Superior National Forest and Chippewa National Forest to the North Country National Scenic Trail in northeastern Minnesota.