Senator Leahy's Bills in the 109th Congress
(updated
April 19, 2006)
Below is a sampling of bills
Sen.
Leahy has written and introduced, or
co-sponsored, in the 109th
Congress, which began in January 2005 and will end in December 2006.
(Bill summaries provided from the
Library of Congress.) |
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allow restaurants, grocery stores, and other businesses to deduct the full
market value of food donated to a food bank or any other charitable group.
S. 167 -
The
Family Entertainment and Copyright Act -
The FECA bill is a
bipartisan package of intellectual property legislation, similar to a bill
Senator Leahy co-sponsored in the 108th Congress. The FECA bill
includes Senator Leahy’s Film Preservation Act of 2005. Many
priceless film treasures are literally disintegrating faster than they
can be saved. Senator Leahy’s bill would ensure that a Library of
Congress program dedicated to film preservation can continue to protect
culturally significant films, avant-garde works, news reels, and home
movies, all of which shed important light on America’s past. Among
the bill’s other provisions, the bill gives law enforcement new tools in
fighting movie piracy by making it a crime to surreptitiously make
bootleg copies of films using a camcorder in a movie theater.
S. 301 - Upper Connecticut River Partnership Act -
The Upper Connecticut River Partnership Act of
2005 would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to give technical and
financial help for the Upper Connecticut River through the Connecticut
River Joint Commissions. The Joint Commissions consist of New
Hampshire's Connecticut River Valley Resource Commission and Vermont's
Connecticut River Watershed Advisory Commission. Since 1989 the two
advisory panels have been working cooperatively to protect and preserve
the Connecticut River.
S. 311 -
Early Treatment for HIV Act of 2005 - Legislation to Amend the
Social Security Act to permit States the option to provide medicaid
coverage for low-income individuals infected with HIV.
S. 312 - Low Power FM Legislation -
Legislation would increase the number of FM frequencies available to low
power FM radio stations that rarely broadcast farther than three to four
miles and typically provide local and community programming.
S. 329 - Bankruptcy Fairness Act - Legislation to increase the
amount of unsecured claims for salaries and wages given priority in
bankruptcy and to provide for cash payments to retirees to compensate
for lost health insurance benefits resulting from bankruptcy of their
former employer.
S. 322 -
Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership Act of 2005 -
Legislation to establish the Champlain valley National Heritage
Partnership in the States of Vermont and New York.
S. 372 -
The Artist-Museum Partnership Act Of 2005
-
Legislation to
enable our country to keep cherished art works in the United States and to
preserve them in our public institutions, while erasing an inequity in our
tax code that currently serves as a disincentive for artists to donate
their works to museums and libraries.
S. 394 - OPEN Government Act of 2005 - Legislation to promote
accessibility, accountability, and openness in Government by
strengthening the Freedom of Information Act.
S. 425 - Green Mountain National Forest Land Adjustment Act of 2005
- Legislation to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to sell or
exchange specific National Forest System land in the State of Vermont.
S. 472 - Anti-Phishing Act of 2005 - Legislation to criminalize
Internet scams involving fraudulently obtained personal information,
commonly known as phishing.
S. 491 - Christopher Kangas Fallen Firefighter Apprentice Act -
Legislation to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of
1968 to expand the definition of firefighter to include apprentices and
trainees, regardless of age or duty limitations.
S. 589 - Faster FOIA Act of 2005 -
Legislation to establish the Commission on Freedom of Information Act
Processing Delays.
S. 622 -
Restoration
of Freedom of Information Act of 2005 -
Legislation to provide for the protection of voluntarily furnished
confidential information.
S. 654 - Convention Against Torture Implementation Act of 2005 -
Legislation to prohibit the expulsion, return, or extradition of persons
by the United States to countries engaging in torture.
S. 664 -
Green
Mountain National Forest Adjustment Act of 2005
- Legislation
to adjust the boundaries of the Green Mountain National Forest.
S. 730 - Mercury Emission Act of 2005
-
Legislation to amend the Clean Air Act to establish requirements
concerning the operation of fossil fuel-fired electric utility steam
generating units, commercial and industrial boiler units, solid waste
incineration units, medical waste incinerators, hazardous waste
combustors, chlor-alkali plants, and Portland cement plants to reduce
emissions of mercury to the environment.
S. 852 -
The FAIR Act - Legislation to create a fair and efficient system to
resolve claims of victims for bodily injury caused by asbestos exposure.
S. 936 - E-Mail Privacy Act of 2005 - Legislation to ensure
privacy for e-mail communications.
S. 938 - National Guard and Reserves Housing Equity Act of 2005
-
Legislation to require members of the National Guard and Reserves called
or ordered to active duty for a period of more than 30 days to receive a
basic allowance for housing at the same rate as similarly situated
members of the regular components of the uniformed services.
S. 1095 - Protecting American Goods and Services Act of 2005
-
Legislation to clarify the prohibition on the trafficking in goods or
services.
S. 1169 - Federal Agency
Data-Mining Reporting Act of 2005 - Legislation to require reports
to Congress on Federal agency use of data-mining.
S. 1278
- Permanent Partners Immigration Act - Legislation to amend the
Immigration and Nationality Act to provide a mechanism for United States
citizens and lawful permanent residents to sponsor their permanent
partners for residence in the United States.
S. 1322
- ANTI-GANG Act - Legislation to allow for the prosecution of
members of criminal street gangs.
S. 1332
- Personal Data Privacy and Security Act of 2005 - Legislation to
prevent and mitigate identity theft, to ensure privacy, and to enhance
criminal penalties, law enforcement assistance, and other protections
against security breaches, fraudulent access, and misuse of personally
identifiable information.
S. 1525
- Medical Malpractice Insurance Antitrust Act of 2005 - Legislation
to ensure that commercial insurers cannot engage in price fixing, bid
rigging, or market allocations to the detriment of competition and
consumers.
S. 1699 - Stop
Counterfeiting in Manufactured Goods Act - Legislation to amend the
United States Code to provide criminal penalties for trafficking in
counterfeit marks.
S. 1739
- Legislation to amend the material witness statute to strengthen
procedural safeguards.
S. 1785 - Vessel Hull
Design Protection Amendments of 2005 - Legislation to amend the
United States Code to clarify the distinction between a hull and a deck,
to provide factors for the determination of the protectability of a
revised design, and to provide guidance for assessments of substantial
similarity.
S. 1796
- SAFE Act - Legislation to promote the economic security and safety
of victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or
stalking.
S. 1958 - Northern Border
Prosecution Initiative Reimbursement Act - Legislation to authorize
the Attorney General to establish and carry out a program, known as the
Northern Border Prosecution Initiative, to provide funds to northern
border States to reimburse county and municipal governments for costs
associated with certain criminal activities.
S. 2011 - Tire-Derived
Fuel Safety Act of 2005 - Legislation to require the Administrator
of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish performance
standards for fine particles for certain pulp and paper mills.
S. 2059
- Hudson-Fulton-Champlain 400th Commemoration Commission Act of 2005
- Legislation to establish the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain 400th
Commemoration Commission.
S. 2075
- DREAM Act of 2005 - Legislation to amend the Illegal Immigration
Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to permit States to
determine State residency for higher education purposes and to authorize
the cancellation of removal and adjustment of status of certain alien
students who are long-term United States residents and who entered the
United States as children.
S. 2202
- Federal Judiciary Ethics Reform Act of 2006 - Legislation to
provide for ethics reform of the Federal judiciary and to instill
greater public confidence in the Federal courts.
S. 2356
- War Profiteering Prevention Act of 2006 - Legislation to prohibit
profiteering and fraud relating to military action, relief, and
reconstruction efforts.
S. 2447 - Legislation to re-designate the White Rocks National
Recreation Area in the State of Vermont as the "Robert T. Stafford White
Rocks National Recreation Area."
S. 2557 - Oil and Gas
Industry Antitrust Act of 2006 - Legislation to improve competition
in the oil and gas industry, and to strengthen antitrust enforcement
with regard to industry mergers.
S. 2559
- Honest Services Act of 2006 - Legislation to make it illegal for
anyone to defraud and deprive the American people of the right to the
honest services of a Member of Congress and to instill greater public
confidence in the United States Congress.
S. 2565 - Vermont
Wilderness Act of 2006 - Legislation to designate certain National
Forest System land in the State of Vermont for inclusion in the National
Wilderness Preservation system and designate a National Recreation Area.
Sen. Leahy has also co-authored and cosponsored several
pieces of
legislation, several amendments and resolutions.
The Library of Congress
has information on all bills, along with committee reports and the full text of
the Congressional Record For information on legislation from a previous
Congress, follow the links below:
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