Latest Action: 10/01/2008 - Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Original measure reported to Senate by Senator Lieberman. Without written report.

Bill Text
An original bill to establish the Controlled Unclassified Information Office, to require policies and procedures for the designation, marking, safeguarding, and dissemination of controlled unclassified information, and for other purposes.
Latest Action: 11/19/2008 - By Senator Lieberman from Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs filed written report. Report No. 110-525.

Bill Text
A bill to amend title 44, United States Code, to authorize grants for Presidential Centers of Historical Excellence. 9/11/2008--Introduced. Presidential Historical Records Preservation Act of 2008 - Authorizes appropriations for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission for FY2010.Requires the Archivist of the United States, with the recommendation of the Commission, to make grants to eligible entities on a competitive basis to promote the historical preservation of, and public access to, historical records and documents relating to any President who does not have a presidential archival depository currently managed and maintained by the federal government pursuant to the Presidential Libraries Act of 1955. Defines eligible entities as specified tax-exempt organizations or state or local governments.Prohibits the use of grants for the maintenance, operating costs, or construction of any facility to house the historical records or documents.Prohibits [...]

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Latest Action: 09/30/2008 - Received in the Senate.

Bill Text
To provide that claims of the United States to certain documents relating to Franklin Delano Roosevelt shall be treated as waived and relinquished in certain circumstances.

7/30/2008--Introduced.

Declares that any claim of the United States to certain property relating to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, his family, or staff shall be treated as having been waived and relinquished on the day before any person makes a gift of such property to the National Archives and Records Administration.

Specifies such property as any part of the collection of documents, papers, and memorabilia relating to Roosevelt, or any member of his family or staff, which was originally in the possession of Grace Tully and retained by her at the time of her death, and included in her estate.

Latest Action: 09/24/2008 - Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Lieberman without amendment. Without written report.

Bill Text
A bill to provide that claims of the United States to certain documents relating to Franklin Delano Roosevelt shall be treated as waived and relinquished in certain circumstances.

7/28/2008--Introduced.

Declares that any claim of the United States to certain property relating to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, his family, or staff shall be treated as having been waived and relinquished on the day before any person makes a gift of such property to the National Archives and Records Administration.

Specifies such property as any part of the collection of documents, papers, and memorabilia relating to Roosevelt, or any member of his family or staff, which was originally in the possession of Grace Tully and retained by her at the time of her death, and included in her estate.

Latest Action: 09/27/2008 - Reported (Amended) by the Committee on House Administration. H. Rept. 110-896, Part I.

Bill Text
To provide financial support for the operation of the law library of the Library of Congress, and for other purposes. 7/23/2008--Introduced. Charles H.W. Meehan Law Library Improvement and Modernization Act - Authorizes appropriations to the Librarian of Congress, in addition to any other amounts made available, for building, maintaining, and administering the operations of the law library of the Library of Congress, including the cataloguing of its collections.Requires the Law Librarian of Congress, to the extent practicable in using such funds, to catalog and archive nonproprietary material in the collections of the Law Library electronically in a nonproprietary and nondiscriminatory format.Requires the Librarian of Congress, in preparing the annual budget for the Library of Congress, to ensure that all amounts attributable to salaries and expenses of the law library are set forth separately as a separate line item.Directs the Librarian to establish [...]

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Latest Action: 11/20/2008 - Motion to proceed to consideration of measure made in Senate. (consideration: CR S10702)

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 [...]

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Latest Action: 07/14/2008 - Committee on Appropriations. Original measure reported to Senate by Senator Durbin. With written report No. 110-417.

Bill Text
An original bill making appropriations for financial services and general government for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2009, and for other purposes. 7/14/2008--Reported to Senate 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.) Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2009 - Title I: Department of the Treasury - Department of the Treasury Appropriations Act, 2009 - Makes appropriations for FY2009 to the Department of the Treasury for: (1) departmental offices; (2) department-wide systems and capital investments programs; (3) the Office of Inspector General; (4) the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration; (5) the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network; (6) the Financial Management Service; (7) the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau; (8) the U.S. Mint for the U.S.[...]

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Latest Action: 06/27/2008 - Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 855.

Bill Text
A bill to designate certain land as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System, to authorize certain programs and activities in the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture, and for other purposes. 6/26/2008--Introduced. Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2008 - Authorizes specified programs and activities in the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture concerning, among other things, national wilderness preservation, boundary adjustments, national rivers, the national landscape conservation system, national conservation areas, land conveyances and exchanges, watershed management, watershed restoration and enhancement, wildland firefighter safety, forest landscape restoration, national trails, paleontological resources preservation, national parks, studies, national heritage areas, national heritage corridors, and water projects.Makes amendments to various public laws, including the Oregon Wilderness Act of 1984,[...]

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Latest Action: 06/26/2008 - Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S6296-6297)

Bill Text
A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate on the restitution of or compensation for property seized during the Nazi and communist eras. 6/26/2008--Introduced. States that the Senate appreciates the efforts of those countries in Europe that have enacted legislation for the restitution of, or compensation for, private, communal, and religious property confiscated during the Nazi or Communist eras. Urges the governments of Poland and Lithuania and the governments of other European countries that have not already done so to enact legislation so that victims, and communities, of Nazi persecution whose private religious, or communal, property was confiscated by the Nazis and in turn seized by a Communist government are able to obtain restitution of, or compensation for, such property. Welcomes a country in Europe to host a 2009 follow-up international conference to the Washington Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets which would address issues relating to: (1) [...]

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Latest Action: 07/31/2008 - Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Bill Text
To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop and administer policies, procedures, and programs to promote the implementation of the Controlled Unclassified Information Framework applicable to unclassified information that is homeland security information, terrorism information, weapons of mass destruction information and other information within the scope of the information sharing environment established under section 1016 of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (6 U.S.C. 485), and for other purposes. 7/30/2008--Passed House amended.    (There is 1 other summary) Improving Public Access to Documents Act of 2008 - (Sec. 3) Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop and administer policies, procedures, and programs within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to implement the controlled unclassified information framework for the marking and disclosure of homeland [...]

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Latest Action: 06/04/2008 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Post Office, and the District of Columbia.

Bill Text
To authorize the Archivist of the United States to make grants to States for the preservation and dissemination of historical records.

5/14/2008--Introduced.

Preserving the American Historical Record Act - Authorizes the Archivist of the United States to make grants to states to: (1) protect historical records; (2) use such records in new and creative ways; (3) provide education and training to those who care for historical records; and (4) create a wide variety of access tools, including finding aids, documentary editions, indexes, and images of key records maintained on state and local organization websites.

Requires the Archivist to consult with state and local officials on criteria for making the grants.

Latest Action: 10/02/2008 - Signed by President.

Bill Text
To reauthorize the sound recording and film preservation programs of the Library of Congress, and for other purposes. 10/2/2008--Public Law.    (There are 3 other summaries) (This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the House on June 4, 2008. The summary of that version is repeated here.)Library of Congress Sound Recording and Film Preservation Programs Reauthorization Act of 2008 - Amends the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000 to authorize appropriations through FY2016 for: (1) Library of Congress activities for the maintenance and preservation of sound recordings that are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant; and (2) the National Recording Preservation Foundation to accept and administer private gifts to promote and ensure the preservation and public accessibility of the nation's sound recording heritage held at the Library of Congress and other public and nonprofit archives.Revises the [...]

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Latest Action: 07/10/2008 - Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Bill Text
To amend title 44, United States Code, to require preservation of certain electronic records by Federal agencies, to require a certification and reports relating to Presidential records, and for other purposes. 7/9/2008--Passed House amended.    (There is 1 other summary) Electronic Message Preservation Act - Requires the Archivist of the United States to promulgate regulations governing federal agency preservation of electronic messages that are federal records and to periodically review and amend, as necessary, such regulations. Requires such regulations to: (1) require the electronic capture, management, and preservation of such electronic records in accordance with the Federal Records Act; (2) require such records to be retrievable through electronic searches; (3) establish mandatory minimum functional requirements for electronic records management systems and a process to certify federal agency compliance with such requirements; (4) include timelines [...]

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Latest Action: 03/13/2008 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives.

Bill Text
To authorize appropriations for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission through fiscal year 2014.

3/11/2008--Introduced.

Authorizes appropriations for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission for FY2010-FY2014.

Latest Action: 06/23/2008 - Message on Senate action sent to the House.

Bill Text
Expressing the sense of Congress that Members' Congressional papers should be properly maintained and encouraging Members to take all necessary measures to manage and preserve these papers.

6/20/2008--Passed Senate without amendment.    (There are 3 other summaries)

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

Declares that it is the sense of Congress that: (1) Members' congressional papers should be properly maintained; (2) each Member of Congress should take all necessary measures to manage and preserve the Member's own congressional papers; and (3) each Member of Congress should be encouraged to arrange for the deposit or donation of the Member's own noncurrent congressional papers with a research institution properly equipped to care for them, and to make these papers available for educational purposes at a time the Member considers appropriate.

Latest Action: 02/01/2008 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.

Bill Text
To reauthorize and amend the National Geologic Mapping Act of 1992. 1/29/2008--Introduced. National Geologic Mapping Reauthorization Act of 2008 - Amends the National Geologic Mapping Act of 1992 to extend deadlines for development of a five-year strategic plan for the geologic mapping program and for appointment of the advisory committee. Removes from program objectives the development of a geophysical- and geochemical- map database. Directs that mapping priorities be based in part on the needs of the Department of the Interior land management agencies.Modifies the composition of the advisory committee and increases the number of members on such committee. Requires the advisory committee, at the request of the President, the President's designee, the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives, or the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate, to provide an overview report on the quality, utility, and appropriateness of geologic [...]

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Latest Action: 07/31/2008 - Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Bill Text
To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop a strategy to prevent the over-classification of homeland security and other information and to promote the sharing of unclassified homeland security and other information, and for other purposes. 7/30/2008--Passed House amended.    (There are 2 other summaries) Reducing Over-Classification Act of 2008 - (Sec. 3) Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop and administer policies, procedures, and programs (policies) within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to prevent the over-classification of homeland security, terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, and other information within the scope of the information sharing environment established under the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 that must be disseminated to prevent and collectively respond to acts of terrorism. Requires the Secretary to coordinate with [...]

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Latest Action: 12/13/2007 - Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. (text of measure as introduced: CR S15475)

Bill Text
A resolution congratulating all member states of the International Commission for the International Tracing Service (ITS) on ratifying the May 2006 protocol granting open access to a vast archives on the Holocaust and other World War II materials, located at Bad Arolsen, Germany. 12/13/2007--Introduced. Commends all countries that worked to ratify the amendments to the Bonn Accords to allow for open access to the Holocaust Archives located in Bad Arolsen, Germany. Congratulates the efforts of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Department of State, and the International Committee of the Red Cross to open the archives. Encourages the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the International Committee of the Red Cross to act with urgency to ensure that survivors, their families, and researchers have access to, and assistance in using, the archives. Remembers the murder of six million innocent Jews and of more than five million other innocent [...]

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Latest Action: 03/11/2008 - Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H1459-1462)

Bill Text
Expressing gratitude to all of the member states of the International Commission of the International Tracing Service on ratifying the May 2006 Agreement to amend the 1955 Bonn Accords granting access to vast Holocaust and other World War II related archives located in Bad Arolsen, Germany. 3/11/2008--Passed House amended.    (There is 1 other summary) Expresses the appreciation of the House of Representatives to all countries that worked to ratify the amendments to the Bonn Accords to allow for open access to the Holocaust Archives located in Bad Arolsen, Germany. Congratulates the efforts of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Department of State, and the International Committee of the Red Cross to open the archives. Encourages the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the International Committee of the Red Cross to act with urgency to ensure that survivors, their families, and researchers have access to, and assistance [...]

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Latest Action: 06/11/2008 - Indefinitely postponed by Senate by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S5530)

Bill Text
A bill to authorize certain programs and activities in the Department of the Interior, the Forest Service, and the Department of Energy, and to amend the Compact of Free Association Amendments Act of 2003, and for other purposes. 10/17/2007--Introduced. Natural Resource Projects and Programs Authorization Act of 2007 - Authorizes specified programs and activities in the Department of the Interior, the Forest Service, and the Department of Energy concerning, among other things, national monuments, conservation areas, resource protection, historic sites, national trails, national heritage areas, and the clean coal power initiative. Makes amendments to various public laws, including the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act, the National Trails System Act, the Steel Industry American Heritage Area Act of 1996, the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor [...]

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Latest Action: 09/11/2007 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities.

Bill Text
Recognizing the Winston Churchill Memorial and Library in Fulton, Missouri, as "America's National Churchill Museum", and commending its efforts to recognize the importance of the historic legacy of Sir Winston Churchill and to educate the people of the United States about his legacy of character, leadership, and citizenship. 7/18/2007--Introduced. Recognizes: (1) the Winston Churchill Memorial and Library in Fulton, Missouri, as "America's National Churchill Museum"; (2) the importance of the continuing collection, preservation, and interpretation of the historical materials held by the Winston Churchill Memorial and Library toward enhancing the knowledge and understanding of Sir Winston Churchill's historic legacy; and (3) the immense importance of World War I, World War II, and the Cold War. Commends the "Lessons of Leadership" offered by the Winston Churchill Memorial and Library educational outreach programs about the life and leadership of Sir Winston [...]

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