December 5, 2008
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House

H.R. 95, Unsolicited Commercial Electronic Mail Act
Sponsor: Rep. Gene Green, D-Texas
Introduced: Jan. 3, 2001
Committee: House Energy and Commerce
Description: H.R. 95 would make it illegal to send junk e-mail, which is commonly known as "spam." The measure would prohibit people from sending e-mail that does not have a valid return address and to continue sending e-mail after recipients have asked for the transmissions to cease. Violators would face both criminal and civil penalties. Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., introduced a similar bill, H.R. 718, and Green cosponsored it.
H.R. 524, Electronic Commerce Enhancement Act
Sponsor: Rep. James Barcia, D-Mich.
Introduced: Feb. 8, 2001
Committee: House Science
Final Action: Passed by the House
Description: H.R. 524 would require the National Institute of Standards and Technology to help small and medium-sized manufacturers integrate and use e-commerce technologies and business practices. The bill would authorize a pilot program to meet the goal. The House passed the measure on a 409-6 vote Feb. 14.
H.R. 556, Unlawful Internet Gambling Funding Prohibition Act
Sponsor: Rep. Jim Leach, R-Iowa
Introduced: Feb. 12, 2001
Committee: House Financial Services, Judiciary
Final Action: Passed by the House
Description: H.R. 556 would prevent the use of certain bank instruments for unlawful Internet gambling. The measure would not make a judgment about online gambling but instead would prevent online gamblers and cyber casinos from using credit cards, electronic fund transfers, checks or any other banking methods to complete gambling transactions. Similar language was added to a bill, S. 718, that addresses the use of performance-enhancing drugs in college sports and online gambling on such sports.
H.R. 604, Internet Toy Safety Awareness Act
Sponsor: Rep. Karen Thurman, D-Fla.
Introduced: Feb. 13, 2001
Committee: House Energy and Commerce
Description: H.R. 604 would require safety labels on certain Internet-advertised toys and games. The measure seeks to make sure child-safety laws apply to online sales.
H.R. 718, Unsolicited Commercial Electronic Mail Act
Sponsor: Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M.
Introduced: Feb. 14, 2001
Committees: House Energy and Commerce, Judiciary
Description: H.R. 718 seeks to protect individuals, families and Internet service providers from unsolicited and unwanted e-mail, which is known as "spam." Rep. Gene Green, D-Texas, introduced a similar bill, H.R. 95, before cosponsoring H.R. 718.
H.R. 726, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. Patsy Mink, D-Hawaii
Introduced: Feb. 27, 2001
Committee: House Judiciary
Description: H.R. 726 would make it illegal to buy or sell guns over the Internet. Violators could be fined and/or imprisoned up to one year.
H.R. 1017, Anti-Spamming Act
Sponsor: Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va.
Introduced: March 14, 2001
Committee: House Judiciary
Description: H.R. 1017 would make it illegal to send unsolicited commercial e-mail, or "spam." The bill - cosponsored by Congressional Internet Caucus Co-Chairmen Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., and Rick Boucher, D-Va. — would impose penalties of up to $15,000 per violation or $10 per e-mail per violation, whichever is greater. Perpetrators also would have to repay the actual monetary loss suffered by their spamming victims. Other anti-spam bills in the congressional hopper include H.R. 95 and H.R. 718.
H.R. 2421, Jurisdictional Certainty Over Digital Commerce Act
Sponsor: Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla.
Introduced: June 28, 2000
Committee: House Energy and Commerce, Judiciary
Description: H.R. 2421 would exempt digital music, software and other intangible goods sold solely over the Internet from sales taxes. The bill would seek middle ground in the Internet tax debate -- between state officials who want to tap revenue from online sales and e-commerce officials who say their companies could not possibly comply with 7,600 competing state and local tax codes. Bill sponsor Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., said such sales represent only .8 percent of e-commerce.
H.R. 2579, Internet Gambling Payments Prohibition Act
Sponsor: Rep. John LaFalce, D-N.Y.
Introduced: July 20, 2001
Committees: House Financial Services, Judiciary
Description: H.R. 2579 would restrict the use of electronic payments for Internet gambling. Prompted by the 1999 conclusion of the National Gambling Impact Study Commission that such gambling should be banned, the bill would prohibit sites from accepting any wagers by check, credit card, debit card or other electronic transfer via the Web. It also would make credit-card issuers, banks and money-transfer businesses liable for knowingly participating in such transfers. Bill sponsor John LaFalce, D-N.Y., said his measure would apply to all gambling sites, not just "unlawful" ones, as proposed in similar legislation, H.R. 556.
H.R. 2706, Medicare Telehealth Validation Act
Sponsor: Rep. Doug Ose, R-Calif.
Introduced: Aug. 1, 2001
Committees: House Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means
Description: H.R. 2706 seeks to improve telehealth services offered under Medicare. The bill would authorize $40 million each year for seven years to fund telehealth grants for areas lacking such services. One provision would eliminate the existing emphasis on rural areas. The bill also would call on federal and state officials, healthcare professionals, and patient advocates to work toward multi-state licensure for telehealth services so people who live or practice medicine near state borders have access to the benefits. Other telehealth bills, S. 1273 and S. 1283, also were introduced the same week.
H.R. 2733, Enterprise Integration Act
Sponsor: Rep. Jim Barcia, D-Mich.
Introduced: Aug. 2, 2001
Committee: House Science
Final Action: Signed into law (PL 107-277)
Description: H.R. 2733 seeks to help U.S. manufacturers, including automakers in the home state of bill sponsor Jim Barcia, D-Mich., make the transition to electronic-based supply chains. The bill would authorize the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to help manufacturers develop standards for "enterprise integration," which is the computer linkage of manufacturers, assemblers, suppliers and customers. The measure also would allow NIST to specifically aid small and mid-sized manufacturers that want to participate in such supply chains. It would authorize $10 million toward the effort in fiscal 2002 and $15 million in fiscal 2003.
H.R. 2801, Prescription Drug Affordability Act
Sponsor: Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas
Introduced: Aug. 2, 2001
Committees: House Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means
Description: H.R. 2801 seeks to help America's senior citizens pay for their prescription drugs by eliminating some regulation of pharmaceuticals. One provision of the bill would end federal regulation of Internet pharmacies, which bill sponsor Ron Paul, R-Texas, said have made prescription drugs both more accessible and affordable.
H.R. 3004, Financial Anti-Terrorism Act
Sponsor: Rep. Michael Oxley, R-Ohio
Introduced: Oct. 3, 2001
Committees: House Financial Services, Judiciary, Ways and Means
Final Action: Passed by the House
Description: H.R. 3004 would crack down on money-laundering in an effort to cripple the financial networks of terrorists. The bill had included the language of a separate bill, H.R. 556, that would have cut off the funding mechanisms for illegal Internet gambling. That bill would allow federal and state law enforcement officials to target "any person" suspected of trying to facilitate online gambling. The language also would encourage foreign governments to help the United States identify whether offshore gambling sites are used for money-laundering or other crimes. Lawmakers removed the Internet gambling language during debate on H.R. 3004.
H.R. 3146, Netizens Protection Act
Sponsor: Rep. Christopher Smith, R-N.J.
Introduced: Oct. 16, 2001
Committee: House Energy and Commerce
Description: H.R. 3146 would restrict the transmission of unsolicited commercial e-mail, or "spam." The bill would require that e-mails include the name, physical address and e-mail address of the sender. It also would require senders to let recipients decline further e-mails, and would forbid the inclusion of any "false or misleading" information. Internet service providers (ISPs) would have to state their spam policies and give customers the chance to opt out. ISPs also could not let their "equipment or facilities" be used to send spam if their policy prohibits such activity, and violators could be sued.
H.R. 3215, Combating Illegal Gambling Reform and Modernization Act
Sponsor: Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va.
Introduced: Nov. 1, 2001
Committee: House Judiciary
Description: H.R.3215 would update federal laws to specifically prohibit illegal online gambling but also enable individual states to regulate and legalize gambling, as long as the activities remain within the state's borders. The bill would permit cooperative agreements among state lotteries, as long as each bet that is placed or ticket that is sold would not cross state borders.
H.R. 3456, Tobacco Free Internet for Kids Act
Sponsor: Rep. Martin Meehan, D-Mass.
Introduced: Dec. 11, 2001
Committee: House Energy and Commerce
Description: H.R.3456 would prevent the Internet sale of tobacco to minors. Rep. Martin Meehan, D-Mass., said in a statement that he filed the bill because the Internet "is becoming a haven for one-stop, tax-free, no-hassle cigarette purchases by minors." The bill would allow federal authorities and state attorneys general to apply and enforce tobacco laws on the Internet. Upon enactment of the bill, the FTC would have 90 days to craft rules to keep the Internet a tobacco-free zone for kids.
H.R. 3572, Medicare Remote Monitoring Services Coverage Act
Sponsor: Rep. Richard Burr, R-N.C.
Introduced: Dec. 20, 2001
Committees: House Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means
Description: H.R.3572 would allow healthcare providers to electronically collect and transmit clinical data on their patients and have those "remote monitoring services" covered under Medicare. Existing Medicare payment systems are based primarily on face-to-face interactions between doctors and patients, so it is difficult for doctors to be reimbursed for the services they offer patients by remote technology. The technology is part of a larger medical trend to use the Internet to monitor the chronically ill while finding ways to reduce healthcare costs.
H.R. 3590, Electronic Marketplace Ownership Disclosure Act
Sponsor: Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y.
Introduced: Dec. 20, 2001
Committee: House Energy and Commerce
Description: H.R.3590 would require operators of Internet sites that match buyers and sellers for products like insurance to disclose financial relationships they have with parties involved in transactions. Bill sponsor Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., cited a 2001 Money magazine report on QuickenInsurance.com, a site owned by Intuit, in explaining the need for the measure.
H.R. 3660, Ari's Law
Sponsor: Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y.
Introduced: Jan. 29, 2002
Committee: House Judiciary
Description: H.R. 3660 would expand the ban on the interstate sale of gun kits by mail. The bill -- named Ari's Law after 16-year-old Ari Halberstam, who was killed in a terrorist-like shooting on New York's Brooklyn Bridge in 1994 -- would cover the sale of parts such as the barrel, stock and firing equipment. The gun used in Halberstam's slaying was assembled from a mail-order kit. Bill sponsor Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said the sale of such kits has increased in part because of purchases over the Internet.
H.R. 3716, Online Criminal Liability Standardization Act
Sponsor: Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va.
Introduced: Feb. 12, 2002
Committee: House Judiciary
Description: H.R. 3716 seeks to protect Internet service providers (ISPs) from legal liability for content that third-party users of the ISPs' services post online. Bill sponsor Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., said the current "varied approaches" to such liability within competing laws leaves ISPs at risk. His bill generally would exempt the Internet companies from the activities of third-party users in order to "focus on those who engage in unlawful activity." Goodlatte argued that the legal protection would be narrow -- applying only to corporations and not individuals, for instance -- so as not to create loopholes for online criminals to exploit.
H.R. 3833, Dot-Kids Implementation and Efficiency Act
Sponsor: Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill.
Introduced: March 4, 2002
Committee: House Energy and Commerce
Description: H.R. 3833 would create a second-level Internet domain-name suffix -- .kids.us -- that would be open only to material aimed at children and families who use the Internet. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration would ask an independent review board to determine the eligibility of material for use under the domain. The House passed the bill by a vote of 406-2 on May 21, 2002.
H.R. 4989, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. W.J. (Billy) Tauzin, R-La.
Introduced: June 21, 2002
Committee: House Energy and Commerce
Description: H.R. 4989 would authorize grants to help healthcare providers implement electronic prescription-drug programs. The grants would be authorized for fiscal 2004, but the bill includes no specific sum for them. A related measure, H.R. 4990, also was introduced, and similar language was included in a broader prescription-drug bill, H.R. 4954. That language was deleted before the House passed the broader measure in June 2002.
H.R. 4990, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. W.J. (Billy) Tauzin, R-La.
Introduced: June 21, 2002
Committee: June 21, 2002
Description: H.R. 4990 would regulate the sale of prescription drugs via the Internet. Under the bill, firms that sell the drugs over the Internet to out-of-state customers would have to: display their phone numbers and addresses on their home pages; state where they are licensed or authorized as a pharmacy; and provide the phone numbers and street addresses for any firms to whom the seller makes a referral or on whose behalf the seller solicits business. The measure would require the Health and Human Services secretary to educate the public about the dangers of purchasing prescription drugs from unlawful Internet sellers and to recommend to Congress steps to handle sellers operating from abroad. A related measure, H.R. 4989, also was introduced, and similar language was included in a broader prescription-drug bill, H.R. 4954. That language was deleted before the House passed the broader measure in June 2002.
H.R. 5158, Computer Hazardous-Waste Infrastructure Program Act
Sponsor: Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif.
Introduced: July 18, 2002
Committee: House Energy and Commerce
Description: H.R. 5158 would require the establishment of a computer-recycling program under the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Under the bill, a $10 fee added to the retail price of computers would fund the program. In May 2002, the EPA proposed rules aimed at reducing the number of lead-contaminated computer parts in local landfills, but environmental activists favor a mandatory program.
H.R. 5217, Affordable Drugs Access Act
Sponsor: Rep. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio
Introduced: July 25, 2002
Committee: House Energy and Commerce
Description: H.R. 5217 would protect Americans' right to buy prescription drugs from Canada, where prices often are cheaper because of that nation's regulatory system. The bill also would establish disclosure requirements and other rules for firms that sell medicines over the Internet. Bill sponsor Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said the goal is to help online consumers distinguish identify legitimate Internet pharmacies.
H.R. 5414, Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act
Sponsor: Rep. Mike Ferguson, R-N.J.
Introduced: Sept. 19, 2002
Committee: House Financial Services
Description: H.R. 5414 would allow banks to transfer electronic images of personal checks in an effort to reduce the lag time for clearing checks. The bill would not mandate a particular technology. The Federal Reserve Board proposed such a system of "check truncation" in December 2001, and the legislation would implement the idea, with the goal of making the practice more widely available.
H. Con. Res. 132, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Calif.
Introduced: May 10, 2001
Committee: House Ways and Means
Description: H. Con. Res. 132 would express the sense of Congress on the importance of promoting global e-commerce. The measure would call on the Bush administration to make international e-commerce a top priority, and to encourage members of the World Trade Organization to take steps to foster e-commerce and reject barriers that could hurt "digital trade." A Senate companion measure, S. Con. Res. 37, was introduced.
H. Res. 151, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. Gerald Weller, R-Ill.
Introduced: May 24, 2001
Committee: House Ways and Means
Description: H. Res. 151 would express the sense of the House on the importance of promoting fair, efficient, and simple cross-border tax collection regimes that maintain market neutrality and promote free trade on all sales distribution channels within a globally networked economy.

Senate

S. 630, Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act (CAN SPAM)
Sponsor: Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont.
Introduced: March 27, 2001
Committee: Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation
Description: S. 630 would prohibit senders of unsolicited commercial electronic mail, or "spam," from disguising the source of their messages. The bill also would give consumers the right to request that spammers quit sending them e-mail. Under the measure, Internet service providers and state attorneys general could bring legal action against recalcitrant spammers, and the Federal Trade Commission could impose civil fines on such firms.
S. 718, Amateur Sports Integrity Act
Sponsor: Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
Introduced: April 5, 2001
Committee: Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation
Description: S. 718 would create a role for the National Institute of Standards and Technology in providing research and training for detecting the use of performance-enhancing drugs in college athletics. The Senate Commerce Committee approved the measure May 14, 2001, after adding language on Internet gambling. The language of one amendment is similar to that in a House bill, H.R. 556, that would prevent online gamblers and cyber casinos from using credit cards and other banking methods to complete transactions. Other language added to the bill would require colleges: to report annually on the occurrence of illegal gambling, including Internet gambling; and to monitor the use of Internet communications for illegal online gambling.
S. 1273, Improving Health Care in Rural America Act
Sponsor: Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa
Introduced: July 31, 2001
Committee: Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Description: S. 1273 would expand on past efforts to make sure that people in rural states have access to quality healthcare. Among other things, the legislation would authorize five grants for "telehomecare" demonstration projects. Under the projects, healthcare professionals would be trained to use telecommunications and other technologies to monitor and manage the home care of patients in distant, rural areas. The goals would be both to improve healthcare quality and reduce costs. Other telehealth bills, S. 1273 and H.R. 2706, also were introduced the same week.
S. 1283, Telehealth Mental Health Services Act
Sponsor: Sen. Timothy Johnson, D-S.D.
Introduced: July 31, 2001
Committee: Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Description: S. 1283 would establish a program for the technology-driven delivery of mental health services. The legislation would provide clinical services and educational and wellness programs to targeted rural areas. Other telehealth bills, S. 1273 and H.R. 2706, also were introduced the same week.
S. 2748, National Emergency Telemedical Communications Act
Sponsor: Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D.
Introduced: July 17, 2002
Committee: Senate Armed Services
Description: S. 2748 would establish state and regional telehealth networks to respond to biological or chemical terrorism, or other health emergencies. The bill also would establish a telehealth taskforce to oversee the creation of a national telehealth network.
S. 2750, Medicare Telehealth Validation Act
Sponsor: Sen. Michael Crapo, R-Idaho
Introduced: July 18, 2002
Committee: Senate Finance
Description: S. 2750 seeks to expand the availability of telehealth services. The bill would authorize grants to develop telehealth networks and to increase Medicare reimbursement for use of the technology in rural areas. It also would pave the way for multi-state medical licenses so healthcare officials could offer telehealth services across state lines.
S. 3006, Comprehensive Internet Gambling Prohibition Act
Sponsor: Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D.
Introduced: Sept. 25, 2002
Committee: Senate Judiciary
Description: S. 3006 would prohibit Internet gambling or the use of a communication facility to transmit bets or wages. The bill would revise the 1961 Wire Act, which prohibits sports betting over wire-based communications systems, to ban the use of wireless technologies for gambling online. While the measure would grant Internet service providers (ISPs) immunity from prosecution, it contains no major enforcement mechanism, unlike its leading House companion bill, H.R. 556, which the House passed Oct. 1.
S. 3034, Check Truncation Act
Sponsor: Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D.
Introduced: Oct. 2, 2002
Committee: Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs
Description: S. 3034 would allow banks to transfer electronic images of personal checks in an effort to reduce the lag time for clearing checks. The Federal Reserve Board proposed such a system of "check truncation" in December 2001, and the legislation would implement the idea, with the goal of making the practice more widely available. Banks, businesses and consumers who request original checks would be given a paper copy of an electronic image of the original check. A similar House bill, H.R. 5414, also was introduced.
S. 3035, Eliminating Profiteering through Illegal Cigarette Sales (EPICS) Act
Sponsor: Sen. Tim Hutchinson, R-Ark.
Introduced: Oct. 2, 2002
Committee: Senate Judiciary
Description: S. 3035 would ban the sale of tobacco products over the Internet or by any other means that would make them readily available to minors. The measure also seeks to ensure that cigarette taxes are adequately collected.
S. Con. Res. 37, Untitled
Sponsor: Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn.
Introduced: May 10, 2001
Committee: Senate Finance
Description: S. Con. Res. 37 would express the sense of Congress on the importance of promoting global e-commerce. The measure would call on the Bush administration to make international e-commerce a top priority, and to encourage members of the World Trade Organization to take steps to foster e-commerce and reject barriers that could hurt "digital trade." A House companion measure, H. Con. Res. 132, was introduced.

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