Top Legislation - View All

Latest Action: 02/26/2007 - Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S2231)

Bill Text
A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to promote and improve the allied health professions. 2/15/2007--Introduced. Allied Health Reinvestment Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop public service announcements to promote the allied health professions. Requires the Secretary to award grants to promote such professions by: (1) supporting relevant state and local campaigns; (2) increasing education opportunities; (3) carrying out programs to facilitate the entry of students into relevant careers; (4) expanding enrollment into such programs; (5) providing education through new technologies and methods; (6) enhancing the workforce through retention programs; (7) developing retention strategies; (8) expanding area health education centers to develop models of excellence for such professionals; and (9) developing clinical education, internship, and resident programs that encourage mentoring and the [...]

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Latest Action: 02/28/2007 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Bill Text
A bill to promote labor force participation of older Americans, with the goals of increasing retirement security, reducing the projected shortage of experienced workers, maintaining future economic growth, and improving the Nation's fiscal outlook.

2/28/2007--Introduced.

Health Care and Training for Older Workers Act - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to extend COBRA continuation coverage for certain older workers.

Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to revise: (1) statewide employment and training activities, adding developing strategies for serving hard-to-serve populations and coordinating programs among one-stop partners; (2) local employment and training activities, with respect to intensive services and training services, and adding customer support for members of hard-to-serve populations, including individuals with disabilities; and (3) performance measures, data, and reporting.

Latest Action: 03/06/2007 - Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S2699-2700)

Bill Text
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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Latest Action: 03/15/2007 - Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3220)

Bill Text
A bill to provide for paid sick leave to ensure that Americans can address their own health needs and the health needs of their families. 3/15/2007--Introduced. Healthy Families Act - Requires certain employers, who employ 15 or more employees for each working day during 20 or more workweeks a year, to provide a minimum paid sick leave and employment benefits of: (1) seven days annually for those who work at least 30 hours per week; and (2) a prorated annual amount for those who work less than 30 but at least 20 hours a week, or less than 1,500 but at least 1,000 hours per year. Allows employees to use such leave to meet their own medical needs or to care for the medical needs of certain family members. Directs the Secretary of Labor to exercise certain investigative and enforcement authority with respect to this Act's provisions for employees covered by title I of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 or the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991. Provides [...]

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Latest Action: 04/11/2007 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Bill Text
A bill to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to prohibit discrimination in the payment of wages on account of sex, race, or national origin, and for other purposes. 4/11/2007--Introduced. Fair Pay Act of 2007 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to prohibit discrimination in the payment of wages on account of sex, race, or national origin. (Allows payment of different wages under seniority systems, merit systems, systems that measure earnings by quantity or quality of production, or differentials based on bona fide factors that the employer demonstrates are job-related or further legitimate business interests.) Prohibits the discharge of or any other discrimination against an individual for opposing any act or practice made unlawful by this Act, or for assisting in an investigation or proceeding under it. Directs courts, in any action brought under this Act for violation of such prohibition, to allow expert fees as part of the costs awarded to prevailing [...]

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Latest Action: 03/27/2007 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization, and Procurement.

Bill Text
To establish the Commission on Economic Indicators to conduct a study and submit a report containing recommendations concerning the appropriateness and accuracy of the methodology, calculations, and reporting used by the Government relating to certain economic indicators.

2/16/2007--Introduced.

Commission on Economic Indicators Act of 2007 - Establishes the Commission on Economic Indicators to study and report to Congress on: (1) economic statistics collected and reported by U.S. government agencies, including national income, employment and unemployment, wages, personal income, wealth, savings, debt, productivity, inflation, and international trade and capital flows; and (2) ways to improve the related statistical measurements.

Latest Action: 08/01/2008 - Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Bill Text
To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide more effective remedies to 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 and [...]

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Latest Action: 03/06/2007 - Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Bill Text
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to promote freedom, fairness, and economic opportunity by establishing National Enterprise Zones to promote prosperity in economically depressed areas.

3/6/2007--Introduced.

National Enterprise Zone Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to designate areas in the United States and its possessions as National Enterprise Zones and to publish a list of such Zones. Requires a Zone to: (1) have more than 50,000 residents; (2) have a poverty rate of two times the national poverty rate; and (3) have an unemployment rate two times the national average.

Allows corporate and noncorporate taxpayers with taxable income from an active trade or business within such a Zone to elect a reduced alternative income tax in lieu of existing income and alternative minimum tax rates.

Requires the Secretary to study and report to Congress on the effectiveness of such program.

Latest Action: 06/27/2007 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections.

Bill Text
To provide for paid sick leave to ensure that Americans can address their own health needs and the health needs of their families. 3/15/2007--Introduced. Healthy Families Act - Requires certain employers, who employ 15 or more employees for each working day during 20 or more workweeks a year, to provide a minimum paid sick leave and employment benefits of: (1) seven days annually for those who work at least 30 hours per week; and (2) a prorated annual amount for those who work less than 30 but at least 20 hours a week, or less than 1,500 but at least 1,000 hours per year. Allows employees to use such leave to meet their own medical needs or to care for the medical needs of certain family members. Directs the Secretary of Labor to exercise certain investigative and enforcement authority with respect to this Act's provisions for employees covered by title I of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 or the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991. Provides that,[...]

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Latest Action: 11/15/2007 - By Senator Kennedy from Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions filed written report. Report No. 110-231.

Bill Text
A bill to extend the authorization of programs under the Higher Education Act of 1965, and for other purposes. 7/24/2007--Passed Senate amended.    (There are 2 other summaries) Higher Education Amendments of 2007 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to revise HEA programs and to extend the authorization of appropriations for them through FY2013. Title I: General Provisions - (Sec. 101) Adds definitions of a critical foreign language, distance education, and poverty line. Provides that critical foreign languages are those contained on the list designated by the Secretary of Education in the Federal Register on August 5, 1985, but allows the Secretary to set language priorities according to the purposes of a specific program and national security, economic competitiveness, and educational needs. States that poverty line refers to the poverty line applicable to a family of the size involved. (Sec. 102) Revises [...]

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Latest Legislation - View All

Latest Action: 09/24/2008 - Committee on Environment and Public Works. Original measure reported to Senate by Senator Boxer. With written report No. 110-499. Minority views filed.

Bill Text
An original bill to restore the value of every American in environmental decisions, and for other purposes.
Latest Action: 07/08/2008 - Returned to the Calendar. Calendar No. 742.

Bill Text
A bill to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a program to decrease emissions of greenhouse gases, and for other purposes. 5/20/2008--Introduced. Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2008 - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish: (1) a federal greenhouse gas (GHG) registry, for which certain facilities must report information regarding fossil fuels and GHGs produced and consumed; and (2) specified quantities of GHG emission allowances, which decline for each of 2012 to 2050. Requires the Administrator to establish a GHG emission allowance transfer system for the following: (1) facilities that use more than 5,000 tons of coal in a year; (2) facilities in the natural gas sector; (3) facilities that produce or entities that import petroleum- or coal-based fuel the combustion of which will emit group I GHGs; (4) facilities that produce or entities that import, in any year, more than [...]

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Latest Action: 06/13/2008 - Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 780 under authority of the order of the Senate of 06/12/2008.

Bill Text
To provide for a program of emergency unemployment compensation. 6/12/2008--Passed House amended.    (There are 2 other summaries) Emergency Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2008 - (Sec. 2) Authorizes a state to enter into an agreement with the Secretary of Labor under which the state agency will make emergency unemployment compensation payments to individuals who: (1) have exhausted all rights to regular compensation under state or federal law with respect to a benefit year ending on or after May 1, 2007; (2) have no rights to regular compensation or extended compensation with respect to a week under such law or any other state or federal unemployment compensation law; and (3) are not receiving compensation for such week under the unemployment compensation law of Canada. Authorizes a state's governor in an extended benefit period, if state law permits, to provide for the payment of emergency unemployment compensation before extended compensation [...]

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Latest Action: 04/16/2008 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support.

Bill Text
To provide for a program of targeted extended unemployment compensation, and for other purposes. 4/3/2008--Introduced. Targeted Assistance to Restore Growth in Employment Throughout 2008 Act, or the TARGET Act - Provides for federal-state agreements under which a state will make targeted extended unemployment compensation payments, for any week of unemployment beginning in the individual's eligibility period, to individuals who: (1) have exhausted all rights to regular compensation under such state law; (2) have no rights to compensation (including both regular and extended compensation) with respect to a week under such law or any other state or federal unemployment compensation law (and are not paid or entitled to be paid such additional compensation); and (3) are not receiving compensation for such week under the unemployment compensation law of Canada. Declares that such period of eligibility shall consist of any week which begins between April 1, 2008, and March [...]

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Latest Action: 01/28/2008 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support.

Bill Text
To grant to a State with an unemployment rate that is equal to or greater than 125 percent of the national unemployment rate authority to use Federal funds made available to such State for job training programs.

1/23/2008--Introduced.

Maximizing the Use of Federal Funds for Job Training Act - Authorizes states with unemployment rates that equal or exceed 125% of the national unemployment rate to consolidate or transfer, without limitation, any funds made available to them under specified job training programs.

Latest Action: 01/17/2008 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support.

Bill Text
To provide for a program of emergency unemployment compensation, and for other purposes. 1/15/2008--Introduced. Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act of 2008 - Provides for federal-state agreements during a period of rising unemployment under which a state will pay emergency unemployment compensation to individuals who: (1) have exhausted all rights to regular compensation under state or federal law for a benefit year (excluding any benefit year that ended before March 1, 2007); (2) have no rights to regular compensation or extended compensation with respect to a week under such law or any other state unemployment compensation law or to compensation under any other federal law; and (3) are not receiving compensation for such week under the unemployment compensation law of Canada. Requires federal payments to states to cover 100% of such temporary extended unemployment compensation payments. Provides for federal-state agreements for increased regular unemployment [...]

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Latest Action: 12/13/2007 - Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S15463-15464)

Bill Text
A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the enforcement of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994, and for other purposes. 12/13/2007--Introduced. USERRA Enforcement Improvement Act of 2007 - Amends provisions concerning uniformed services members' employment or reemployment rights or benefits to: (1) require complainants to be notified of their rights within five days after receipt of the complaint by the Secretary of Labor; (2) require investigation and resolution of complaints to be completed no later than 90 days after receipt of the complaint; and (3) impose a 15-day deadline on referral to the Attorney General or to the Office of Special Counsel of an unsuccessful effort to resolve a complaint against a state or private employer or a federal executive agency, respectively. Requires the Attorney General or the Special Counsel, as appropriate, to make a decision and provide notification concerning representation of a complainant [...]

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