December 5, 2008
National Journal MagazineNational Journal MagazineThe HotlineCongress DailyTechnology Daily
National Journal's Technology Daily
Search Technology Daily
  
Advanced Search
Go Wireless
TechnologyDaily Mobile

Recent Editions
Features
Issue of the Week
People Column
International Roundup
State Roundup
Executive Summary

Briefing Room
Background Papers
Bill Status
Capital Contacts
Glossaries
Password Save
Reprints
E-mail Alert
Wireless Edition
Contacts
About TD
Privacy Policy

House

H.R. 2148
Sponsor: Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J.
Introduced: June 13, 2001
Committee: House Science
Description: H.R. 2148 would revive the congressional Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), an office that lawmakers eliminated in 1995 after Republicans gained control of Congress. Created in 1972, OTA analyzed scientific and technological questions for lawmakers on an array of issues, including telecommunications, defense, space travel and transportation. The bill would restore funding for the agency at $20 million a year for five years.
H.R. 3481, Ensuring Congressional Security and Continuity Act
Sponsor: Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I.
Introduced: Dec. 13, 2001
Committees: House Administration, Science
Description: H.R. 3481 would require the National Institute of Standards and Technology to study the possibility of a secure computer system for remote voting by members of Congress.
H.R. 5007, Untitled
Sponsor: John Langevin, D-R.I.
Introduced: June 24, 2002
Committee: House Administration
Description: H.R. 5007 would require a study into the possibility of creating an electronic communications system that would enable Congress to continue its work after a terrorist attack or other emergency. The bill would require the National Academy of Sciences to research the feasibility and cost of such a system and the Librarian of Congress to identify constitutional or procedural obstacles that could arise. A report would have to be submitted within one year.
H. Con. Res. 434
Sponsor: Ronnie Shows, D-Miss.
Introduced: June 27, 2002
Committee: House Financial Services
Description: H. Con. Res. 434 would express Congress' concern about the financial collapse of the WorldCom telecommunications firm, which filed the nation's largest corporate bankruptcy case in 2002. The resolution would request an investigation into any wrongdoings related to the collapse and would call for the strongest punishment for anyone found to have illegally withheld information or engaged in misleading conduct that fostered the firm's collapse.
H. Con Res. 441, Untitled
Sponsor: Robert Andrews, D-N.J.
Introduced: July 15, 2002
Committee: House Judiciary
Description: H. Con Res. 441 would express Congress' view that the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA), which requires public libraries to use software to filter Internet pornography, is constitutional. A federal court ruled the law unconstitutional in May 2002 because filters block too much protected speech while also failing to block all unconstitutional speech.
H. Con. Res. 445, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas
Introduced: July 23, 2002
Committee: House Judiciary, Energy and Commerce
Description: H. Con Res. 445 would express Congress' opinion that federal obscenity laws should be vigorously enforced to protect public safety, quality of life, the social order and family life. The non-binding resolution focuses on the use of computers to transmit objectionable or pornographic material to children, among other things.
H. Con. Res. 471, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Calif.
Introduced: Sept. 18, 2002
Committee: House Armed Services, Science
Description: H. Con. Res. 471 would congratulate the staff and former employees of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on the lab's 50th anniversary. A House companion resolution, S. Con. Res. 141, also was introduced.
H. Con. Res. 500, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo.
Introduced: Oct. 7, 2002
Committee: House Education and the Workforce
Description: H. Con. Res. 500 would express the Senate's view that the International Longshore and Warehouse Union needs to negotiate an end to the dispute over labor at West Coast ports. If negotiations and proposed 24-hour extensions of an expired collective-bargaining agreement fail to result in an agreement, the resolution says the president should intervene. A similar Senate resolution, S. Res. 333, also was introduced. President Bush ultimately intervened in the labor battle, and in late November 2002, the union, shipping firms and port operators reached a six-year deal for incorporating new security technologies at the docks.
H. Res. 48
Sponsor: Rep. Mark Green, R-Wis.
Introduced: Feb. 14, 2001
Committee: House Judiciary
Description: H. Res. 48 would require the House Clerk to post on the official House Web site all publicly disclosed lobbying registrations and reports required under a 1995 law. The clerk would have 60 days after receiving the documents to put them online.
H. Res. 110, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif.
Introduced: April 3, 2001
Committee: House Rules
Description: H. Res. 110 would prohibit the House from considering any legislation to divert fees collected by the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO). Some lawmakers have been critical of the longstanding practice of using PTO-collected money for programs unrelated to patents and trademarks, but they have been unsuccessful in their attempts to halt the practice. The odds may be against them again in fiscal 2002 because President Bush's budget has proposed diverting $207 million of $1.14 billion anticipated PTO revenues.
H. Res. 159, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash.
Introduced: June 7, 2001
Committees: House Energy and Commerce, Administration, Government Reform
Description: H. Res. 159 would encourage House lawmakers to include privacy policies on their Web sites and to incorporate the new Platform for Privacy Preferences technology into those sites to enable users to decide how much personal information to divulge online.
H. Res. 369
Sponsor: Rep. Harold Rogers, R-Ky.
Introduced: March 13, 2002
Committee: House Transportation and Infrastructure
Description: H. Res. 369 seeks to draw attention to the technologies that comprise "intelligent transportation systems" (ITS). The systems rely on technology to try to reduce traffic congestion, improve driver safety, provide information for travelers, facilitate emergency response and evacuation, and ensure the security of critical infrastructure, among other things. The resolution would express the House's support for the work of the recently created Intelligent Transportation Systems Caucus in Congress, which tries to educate lawmakers and their staff on ITS projects, and seeks the expansion of ITS.
H. Res. 430, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va.
Introduced: May 23, 2002
Committee: House Administration
Description: H. Res. 430 would express the sense of the House that lawmakers should label their Web sites to qualify for labels of the Internet Content Rating Association aimed at protecting children who view the sites.
H. Res. 443, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill.
Introduced: June 13, 2002
Committee: House Energy and Commerce
Description: H. Res. 443 would express House support for programs and educational activities to protect senior citizens from fraud. The legislation notes that consumer awareness is the best way to prevent seniors from falling victim to Internet, mail and telephone fraud.
H. Res. 481, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. Jim Ryun, R-Kan.
Introduced: July 11, 2002
Committee: House Rules
Description: H. Res. 481 would express the House's view that the chamber should have a permanent Homeland Security Committee to consolidate oversight of that issue. Currently, 14 committees and 25 subcommittees have jurisdiction over homeland security. The resolution calls for a new committee that would draw from the membership of the Armed Services, Energy and Commerce, Financial Services, Intelligence, Judiciary, Science, and Transportation and Infrastructure committees, as well as from the minority and majority leadership.

Senate

S. 274
Sponsor: Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont.
Introduced: Feb. 7, 2001
Committee: Senate Finance
Description: S. 274 would create a Congressional Trade Office whose mission would be to provide lawmakers with independent, nonpartisan analysis of information about trade policies. Bill sponsor Max Baucus, D-Mont., said the measure is designed in part to curb the transfer of responsibility for trade policy from Congress to the executive branch. The bill would not specify an authorization amount for the office.
S. 1347, Untitled
Sponsor: Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont.
Introduced: Aug. 2, 2001
Committee: Senate Governmental Affairs
Description: S. 1347 would create a Congressional Trade Office whose mission would be to provide lawmakers with independent, nonpartisan analysis of information about trade policies. Bill sponsor Max Baucus, D-Mont., said the measure is designed in part to curb the transfer of responsibility for trade policy from Congress to the executive branch. The bill would not specify an authorization amount for the office. It is similar to an earlier measure, S. 274, that Baucus introduced.
S. Res. 21
Sponsor: Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
Introduced: Feb. 14, 2001
Committee: Senate Rules and Administration
Description: S. Res. 21 would require the online publication of most congressional documents, including Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports on bills before Congress, lobbyist disclosure reports and Senate gift-disclosure reports.
S. Res. 50, Untitled
Sponsor: Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
Introduced: March 8, 2001
Committee: Senate Rules and Administration
Description: S. Res. 50 would authorize Senate committee expenses for the 107th Congress. It would authorize $39.9 million for the remainder of fiscal 2001, nearly $70.8 million in fiscal 2002 and some $30.3 million from the start of fiscal 2002 through Feb. 28, 2003, which will be shortly after the 108th Congress convenes. The Senate adopted a competing resolution, S. Res. 54, that had higher authorization levels, making S. Res. 50 moot.
S. Res. 54, Untitled
Sponsor: Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss.
Introduced: March 8, 2001
Committee: None
Final Action:Passed by the Senate
Description: S. Res. 54 authorizes Senate committee expenses for the 107th Congress. The bill authorizes $44.1 million for the committees for the remainder of fiscal 2001, another $78.3 million for fiscal 2002 and nearly $33.5 million from the start of fiscal 2003 through Feb. 28, 2003, which will be shortly after the 108th Congress convenes. The Senate adopted the resolution by voice vote March 8, 2000. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., introduced a similar resolution, S. Res. 50.
S. Res. 165, Untitled
Sponsor: Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan.
Introduced: Oct. 2, 2001
Committee: Senate Rules and Administration
Description: S. Res. 165 would establish a Senate Homeland Security and Terrorism Committee. The panel's mission would be to help the Senate coordinate efforts to combat terrorism and make recommendations for new anti-terrorism legislation, such as expanded powers for electronic surveillance. Its membership would consist of the Senate's majority and minority leaders, the chairmen and top minority lawmakers on each committee with jurisdiction over homeland security and terrorism, and eight other unspecified lawmakers.
S. Res. 184, Untitled
Sponsor: Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark.
Introduced: Nov. 28, 2001
Committee: Senate Rules and Administration
Description: S. Res. 184 would express the Senate's belief that senators' Web sites should include a content label based on the system used by the Internet Content Rating Association. The resolution would characterize Internet filters as being "in the public interest" because they are "valuable resources for safe use of the Internet by children."
S. Res. 243
Sponsor: Sen. Tim Hutchinson, R-Ark.
Introduced: April 16, 2002
Committee: Senate Judiciary
Final Action:Passed by the Senate
Description: S. Res. 243 names the week of April 21, 2002, through April 28 as "National Biotechnology Week." The Senate adopted the resolution April 18.
S. Res. 264
Sponsor: Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.
Introduced: May 8, 2002
Committee: Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship
Description: S. Res. 264 seeks to encourage the participation of small businesses in homeland security efforts. The resolution expresses the Senate's view that federal, state and local governments should find and purchase innovative technologies created by small businesses to use to combat terrorism. The resolution states that small businesses often have less opportunity to enter contracts with the government. It also asks the government to provide more tech research opportunities for small businesses. The Senate cleared the non-binding resolution by voice vote July 8, 2002.
S. Res. 330, Untitled
Sponsor: Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah
Introduced: Sept. 20, 2002
Committee: No referral
Description: S. Res. 330 designates October 2002 as "Family History Month," noting, among other things, that 54 million people belong to a family where some relative has used the Internet to research the family history. The Senate adopted the resolution by voice vote Sept. 20, 2002.
S Res. 333, Untitled
Sponsor: Sen. Tim Hutchinson, R-Ark.
Introduced: Oct. 4, 2002
Committee: Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Description: S. Res. 333 would express the Senate's view that the International Longshore and Warehouse Union needs to negotiate an end to the dispute over labor at West Coast ports. If negotiations and proposed 24-hour extensions of an expired collective-bargaining agreement fail to result in an agreement, the resolution says the president should intervene. A similar House resolution, H. Con. Res. 500, also was introduced. President Bush ultimately intervened in the labor battle, and in late November 2002, the union, shipping firms and port operators reached a six-year deal for incorporating new security technologies at the docks.
S. Res. 338, Untitled
Sponsor: Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
Introduced: Oct. 10, 2002
Committee: Senate Judiciary
Description: S. Res. 338 would designate the month of October 2002 as "Children's Internet Safety Month." The Senate adopted the measure by voice vote Oct. 17, 2002.
S. Res. 351, Untitled
Sponsor: Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.
Introduced: Oct. 17, 2002
Committee:
Description: S. Res. 351 condemns Internet footage of the terrorist-related murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. The Senate adopted the resolution by voice vote Oct. 17, 2002.
S. Con. Res. 141, Untitled
Sponsor: Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.
Introduced: Sept. 18, 2002
Committee: Senate Judiciary
Description: S. Con. Res. 141 would congratulate the staff and former employees of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on the lab's 50th anniversary. A House companion resolution, H. Con. Res. 471, also was introduced.

 NEW FEATURE
-Advertisement-

-Advertisement-