Latest Action: 11/19/2008 - Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S10607)

Bill Text
A bill making supplemental appropriations for job creation and preservation, infrastructure investment, and economic and energy assistance for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2009, and for other purposes.
Latest Action: 10/01/2008 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (text of measure as introduced: CR S10335)

Bill Text
A bill to regulate certain State and local taxation of electronic commerce, and for other purposes. 10/1/2008--Introduced. Prohibits a state from imposing any tax on electronic commerce (i.e., transactions conducted over the Internet or through Internet access) of any person unless that person has a physical presence in the state during the period to which such tax applies or is incorporated or domiciled in such state. Sets forth criteria for determining physical presence, including: (1) being physically in a state or assigning one or more employees to a state; (2) using the services of an agent to establish or maintain the electronic commerce in the state; or (3) leasing or owning tangible personal or real property in the state. Exempts from the definition of "physical presence" entering into an agreement to share revenue generated by the electronic commerce of another person, presence in the state for less than 15 days in a taxable year, and presence in a state [...]

show full description
Latest Action: 09/29/2008 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Bill Text
A bill to amend section 114 of title 17, United States Code, to provide for agreements for the reproduction and performance of sound recordings by webcasters.
Latest Action: 09/26/2008 - Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9709-9710)

Bill Text
A bill to improve the calculation of, the reporting of, and the accountability for, secondary school graduation rates. 9/26/2008--Introduced. Every Student Counts Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require, beginning by the 2011-2012 school year, states, local educational agencies (LEAs), and secondary schools annually to include on the report cards required under title I of the Act: (1) their four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate; (2) their cumulative graduation rate; (3) the number of students graduating in more than four years with a regular secondary school diploma; (4) the number of students who have been removed from the adjusted cohort; (5) the percentage of students from an adjusted cohort who remain in secondary school after four years; and (6) the percentage of secondary school students in each grade, except the graduating grade, prepared to advance to the next grade. Requires such data, except for data on students who remain [...]

show full description
Latest Action: 09/29/2008 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Bill Text
A bill to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to require employers to keep records of non-employees who perform labor or services for remuneration and to provide a special penalty for employers who misclassify employees as non-employees, and for other purposes.
Latest Action: 09/30/2008 - Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S10178-10179)

Bill Text
A resolution supporting the goals and ideals of National Cyber Security Awareness Month and raising awareness and enhancing the state of computer security in the United States.
Latest Action: 09/26/2008 - Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

Bill Text
To award grants to State educational agencies to support the provision of financial education to high school students.

9/26/2008--Introduced.

Young Investor Financial Education Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to award grants to states and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies to establish financial education programs in high schools and train teachers in such course work.

Allots funds to states based on their share of the country's 14 through 17 year olds, but requires each state grantee to receive at least one-half of 1% of the allotted funds.

Directs the Secretary to create and maintain a central clearinghouse of information on high school financial education programs.

Latest Action: 09/26/2008 - Committee on Environment and Public Works. Original measure reported to Senate by Senator Boxer. With written report No. 110-509. Additional views filed.

Bill Text
An original bill to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act to improve water and wastewater infrastructure in the United States. 9/26/2008--Introduced. Water Infrastructure Financing Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to: (1) authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a competitive grant program to provide technical assistance to small and medium treatment works on wastewater and stormwater approaches; (2) expand the list of projects eligible for state water pollution control revolving loan fund (commonly known as the Clean Water State Revolving Fund or CWSRF) assistance; (3) provide assistance, including loan forgiveness, for disadvantaged communities; (4) allow states to forgive repayment of a portion of a loan for alternative approaches to wastewater and stormwater controls; (5) establish a priority system for providing financial assistance [...]

show full description
Latest Action: 09/25/2008 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Bill Text
A bill to encourage, enhance, and integrate Silver Alert plans throughout the United States, to authorize grants for the assistance of organizations to find missing adults, and for other purposes. 9/25/2008--Introduced. National Silver Alert Act - Directs the Attorney General to: (1) establish a national Silver Alert communications network within the Department of Justice (DOJ) to assist regional and local search efforts for missing seniors; (2) assign a DOJ officer to serve as the Silver Alert Coordinator to coordinate the network with states; and (3) award grants to states for support of Silver Alert plans and the network. Defines "missing senior" as any individual who is reported as missing to or by a law enforcement agency and who meets state requirements for designation as a missing senior. Directs the Coordinator to: (1) establish minimum standards for the issuance and dissemination of alerts issued through the network; and (2) make available to states,[...]

show full description
Latest Action: 10/16/2008 - Signed by President.

Bill Text
To amend section 114 of title 17, United States Code, to provide for agreements for the reproduction and performance of sound recordings by webcasters. 9/30/2008--Public Law.    (There are 3 other summaries) (This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the Senate on September 30, 2008. The summary of that version is repeated here.) Webcaster Settlement Act of 2008 - Allows a receiving agent (designated by the Librarian of Congress to collect royalties that ultimately are disbursed to sound recording copyright owners and performers) to enter into agreements with webcasters that establish royalty terms for the performance of sound recordings over the Internet. Provides that such agreements, which may be effective for a period of up to 11 years following January 1, 2005, are to be binding on all copyright owners of sound recordings and other persons entitled to payment, in lieu of any determination of compulsory license rates by [...]

show full description
Latest Action: 09/29/2008 - Received in the Senate.

Bill Text
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to enhance charitable giving and improve disclosure and tax administration. 9/27/2008--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.)Charity Enhancement Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify rules and definitions relating to the excise tax on distributions from donor advised funds (charitable funds in which a donor has, or reasonably expects to have, advisory privileges with respect to the distribution or investment of amounts held in such funds by reason of his or her status as a donor). Excludes from the definition of "donor advised fund" charitable funds that receive contributions or are advised solely by one or more public charities or governmental entities. Exempts certain scholarship distributions from the [...]

show full description
Latest Action: 09/25/2008 - Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the commi

Bill Text
To amend title XIX of the Social Security System to provide additional funds for the qualifying individual (QI) program, and for other purposes.
Latest Action: 11/18/2008 - Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 1124 under authority of the order of the Senate of 11/17/2008.

Bill Text
Making supplemental appropriations for job creation and preservation, infrastructure investment, and economic and energy assistance for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2009, and for other purposes. 9/26/2008--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.) Job Creation and Unemployment Relief Act of 2008 - Title I: Infrastructure Investments - Chapter I: Transportation - Makes supplemental appropriations for FY2009 for infrastructure investments to the Department of Transportation (DOT) for: (1) the Federal Aviation Administration, grants-in-aid for airports; (2) Federal Highway Administration, highway infrastructure investment; (3) Federal Railroad Administration, capital and debt service grants to the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (AMTRAK); (4) Federal Transit Administration,[...]

show full description
Latest Action: 09/27/2008 - Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E2043)

Bill Text
To raise achievement in international education in elementary schools and secondary schools through grants to improve teacher competency and to support programs in international education that supplement core curricula in such schools, and for other purposes. 9/25/2008--Introduced. U.S. and the World Education Act - Amends the Department of Education Organization Act to require the Deputy Assistant Secretary for International and Foreign Language Education to: (1) assist the Secretary of Education in administering this Act's grant program; and (2) develop an international education research repository and make it available to states and local educational agencies (LEAs). Directs the Secretary, acting through the Deputy Assistant Secretary, to award competitive grants to LEAs, or partnerships between LEAs and private organizations or institutions of higher education that provide their LEA partners with funding, to promote international education in elementary and secondary [...]

show full description
Latest Action: 09/23/2008 - Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Financial Services, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the j

Bill Text
To promote development of a 21st century energy system to increase United States competitiveness in the world energy technology marketplace, and for other purposes.
Latest Action: 09/24/2008 - Committee on Foreign Relations. Original measure reported to Senate by Senator Dodd. With written report No. 110-496.

Bill Text
An original bill to authorize appropriations under the Arms Export Control Act and the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 for security assistance for fiscal years 2009 and 2010, and for other purposes.
Latest Action: 10/08/2008 - Signed by President.

Bill Text
A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide additional funds for the qualifying individual (QI) program, and for other purposes. 10/8/2008--Public Law.    (There are 3 other summaries) (This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.) QI Program Supplemental Funding Act of 2008 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, to provide supplemental funding for the qualifying individual (QI) program. Requires a state to have in operation, in mechanized Medicaid claims processing and information retrieval systems, an eligibility determination system which provides for data matching through the Public Assistance Reporting Information System (PARIS), including matching with medical assistance programs operated by other states. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and [...]

show full description
Latest Action: 10/10/2008 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces.

Bill Text
To honor the visionary and extraordinary work of Los Alamos National Laboratory and IBM on the Roadrunner supercomputer.

9/24/2008--Introduced.

Honors the visionary and extraordinary work of Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and IBM (International Business Machines Corporation) for: (1) pushing the barriers of science and providing the United States with historic high-performance computing capabilities that will allow some of the most challenging problems in science and engineering to be solved, such as the safety of the nuclear deterrent of the United States, the humane genome, and climate change; and (2) achieving the capability to make petaflop calculations (1,000,000,000,000,000 calculations per second) using the Roadrunner supercomputer which is considered a crucial milestone internationally and a sign of U.S. competitiveness in the critical new area of high-performance computing.