December 5, 2008
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House

H.R. 1012, Telework Tax Incentive Act
Sponsor: Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va.
Introduced: March 13, 2001
Committee: House Ways and Means
Description: H.R. 1012 would amend the tax code to provide a $500 tax credit to help cover the cost of "furnishings and electronic equipment" bought to enable telecommuting. To be eligible for the credit, an employee would have to telework at least 75 days a year. The credit would go either to the employee who works from home or at a telework center, or to the employer, depending on which one incurred the cost. Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., introduced a companion bill, S. 521.
H.R. 1035, Small Business Telecommuting Act
Sponsor: Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo.
Introduced: March 14, 2001
Committee: House Small Business
Description: H.R. 1035 seeks to encourage small businesses to move toward telecommuting. The bill would direct the administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to conduct a pilot program to raise awareness about telecommuting. It would authorize up to $5 million over two years for the pilot program, which SBA could institute in up to five of its regions. The agency's role would be to develop educational materials, conduct outreach to small businesses and acquire equipment for demonstration purposes. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., introduced a companion bill, S. 522.
H.R. 1241, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. Chris John, D-La.
Introduced: March 27, 2001
Committee: House Education and the Workforce
Description: H.R. 1241 would mandate that the Labor secretary issue, within two years of enactment of the bill, new rules designed to prevent work-related repetitive motion injuries would. Rep. Chris John, D-La., introduced the measure in the wake of Congress' decision to overturn the so-called ergonomics rules that the Clinton administration unveiled in its last days. Sen. John Breaux, D-La., introduced a similar measure, S. 598. Both measures were introduced within days of the enactment of a resolution, S.J. Res. 6, that overturned the previous administration's ergonomics rules, which businesses had considered too costly.
H.R. 1419, Regional Skills Alliances Act
Sponsor: Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y.
Introduced: April 4, 2001
Committee: House Education and the Workforce
Description: H.R. 1419 would establish regional skills alliances, which are designed to bring businesses, schools and community colleges together to create effective job-training programs for preparing workers to be employed in the new economy. The bill was one of five introduced the same day by a bloc of New York House members who hope the measures will spur job growth in upstate New York. The other measures were H.R. 1415, H.R. 1416, H.R. 1417 and H.R. 1418. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., introduced a companion package of bills: S. 426, S. 428, S. 429, S. 430, S. 431 and S. 432.
H.R. 1562, Immigration Restructuring and Accountability Act
Sponsor: Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee, D-Texas
Introduced: April 24, 2001
Committees: House Judiciary, Government Reform
Description: H.R. 1562 would overhaul the federal immigration system by, among other things, replace the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) with three separate offices: the Office of the Associate Attorney General for Immigration Affairs, the Bureau of Immigration Services and the Bureau of Immigration Enforcement. One section of the legislation deals entirely with ways to streamline the visa process by using Internet-based technologies. That change could help the high-tech industry secure skilled foreign workers. The measure would order a government feasibility study for an online filing system, including the possibility of online fee payment. It also would establish a technology advisory committee to help officials establish a tracking system, conduct the study and establish a system to verify Internet recruitment. H.R. 1562 was one of a block of four immigration-related bills Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee, D-Texas, introduced the same day. The other bills are H.R. 1560, H.R. 1561 and H.R. 1563.
H.R. 1769, Technology Education and Training Act
Sponsor: May 9, 2001
Introduced: House Ways and Means
Committee: Rep. Gerald Weller, R-Ill.
Description: H.R. 1769 would amend the tax code to authorize an income-tax credit to subsidize information technology training. Under the bill, employees would be eligible for a $1,500 tax credit for expenses they incur in technology training, and small businesses and those in "empowerment zones" would be eligible for a $2,000 per-employee credit.
H.R. 1807, Immigrant Labor Policy Review Act
Sponsor: Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz.
Introduced: May 10, 2001
Committees: House Judiciary, Education and the Workforce
Description: H.R. 1807 would establish the High-Level Commission on Immigrant Labor Policy to study immigration policy as it relates to the workforce. One aspect of the panel's work would be to assess the need for more immigration to meet labor shortages in various sectors of the economy, including information technology, agriculture and tourism. The 10-member panel would be appointed by the president and congressional leaders, and it would have to submit an interim report within six months and a final one within a year.
H.R. 1835, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. Gerald Weller, R-Ill.
Introduced: May 15, 2001
Committee: House Ways and Means
Description: H.R. 1835 would exempt from federal taxation computers that employers provide to employees to use in their homes in an effort to help close the "digital divide." Ford Motor, Intel, American Airlines and other companies have begun programs offering free personal computers to their employees for use in their homes. A spokesman for bill sponsor Gerald Weller, R-Ill., said the IRS plans to impose income taxes based on the value of the computers. The bill, at an estimated cost of $1.5 billion over five years, would forestall that plan by excluding the value of employer-provided computers and Internet access from employees' gross income.
H.R. 2613, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. Mike McIntyre, D-N.C.
Introduced: July 24, 2001
Committee: House Ways and Means
Description: H.R. 2613 would authorize an additional 26 weeks of living assistance to workers who enroll in a government-backed retraining program. Congress created the Trade Adjustment Assistance program under the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to help squelch the fear of job losses from the trade deal. Some workers use the aid to train for jobs in the technology sector. The bill would increase the authorization for living assistance under the program to 104 weeks, making it equivalent with the length of their schooling under the program. Related measures, H.R. 2810 and S. 1029, were introduced.
H.R. 2678, Digital Tech Corps Act
Sponsor: Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va.
Introduced: July 31, 2001
Committee: House Government Reform
Description: H.R. 2678 would establish a worker-exchange program between the federal government and the private sector in an effort to develop expertise in information technology management. The bill would establish a "digital tech corps" for exchanging workers for up to two years. It would be expected to involve hundreds of workers, generally in their early 30s. Private-sector workers would not be able to take procurement-related assignments in areas where their companies seek government contracts. A Senate companion measure, S. 1913, was introduced in 2002.
H.R. 2810, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas
Introduced: Aug. 2, 2001
Committee: House Ways and Means
Description: H.R. 2810 would authorize a doubling of the aid to displaced workers who enroll in a government-backed retraining program. Congress created the Trade Adjustment Assistance program under the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to help squelch the fear of job losses from the trade deal. Some of the workers in the program retrain for technology jobs. The bill would reauthorize the program for five more years and reserve up to $60 million per year for it. Related measures, H.R. 2613 and S. 1209, was introduced.
H.R. 2951, Aviation Security Act
Sponsor: Rep. Greg Ganske, R-Iowa
Introduced: Sept. 25, 2001
Committee: House Transportation and Infrastructure
Description: H.R. 2951 seeks to improve airport security by requiring that the workers who screen customers, baggage and cargo be federal employees. The bill also would authorize grants to help small airports buy better metal detectors, scanning equipment and other security devices. A similar Senate measure, S. 1473, was introduced.
H.R. 2965, Criminal Alien Visa Denial Act
Sponsor: Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn.
Introduced: Sept. 25, 2001
Committee: House Judiciary
Description: H.R. 2965 would require the attorney general and FBI director to give the State Department and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) access to criminal history databases. The goal of the bill is to help the State Department and INS identify visa applicants who have criminal histories in an effort to prevent terrorism from abroad. It would require that the information be extracted from the larger crime databases and periodically updated for immigration use. A Senate companion bill, S. 1452, was introduced.
H.R. 3008, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. Nancy Johnson, R-Conn.
Introduced: Oct. 3, 2001
Committee: House Ways and Means
Final Action: Passed by the House
Description: H.R. 3008 would reauthorize the Trade Adjustment Assistance program for two years. Congress created the program under the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to help squelch fears of job losses from the trade deal. Some workers use the aid to train for technology jobs. The program is set to expire this year; the bill would extend it through Sept. 30, 2003.
H.R. 3130, Technology Talent Act
Sponsor: Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, R-N.Y.
Introduced: Oct. 16, 2001
Committees: House Science, Education and the Workforce
Description: H.R. 3130 aims to boost the number of scientists, engineers and technologists that graduate from U.S. universities. The "tech talent" bill would establish a competitive grant program at the National Science Foundation to reward universities, colleges and community colleges pledging to increase the number of students who obtain degrees in science, math, engineering and technology fields. It would authorize $25 million for the grant in fiscal 2002 for a three-year pilot program. A Senate companion bill, S. 1549, was introduced.
H.R. 3222, High-Tech Work Fairness and Economic Stimulus Act
Sponsor: Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo.
Introduced: Nov. 1, 2001
Committee: House Judiciary
Description: H.R.3222 would cut the number of available H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign-born workers by two-thirds. The bill would cut the cap on H-1B visas to 65,000, from its current level of 195,000. If the unemployment rate exceeds 6 percent, the cap would be reduced by another 10,000, and by 10,000 more for each quarter-point above 6 percent. In 2002, the tech industry convinced Congress to raise the cap in an effort to address an industry worker shortage.
H.R. 3359, Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers, Farmers, Communities and Firms Act
Sponsor: Rep. Ken Bentsen, D-Texas
Introduced: Nov. 28, 2001
Committee: House Ways and Means
Description: H.R. 3359 would consolidate federal programs that provide aid to workers who lose their jobs as the result of trade deals in an effort to improve the programs. The bill would provide community-based economic development assistance for areas hurt the most by the deals. Among other things, grants provided through the program could be used to help communities improve their Internet and telecommunications services in an effort to attract businesses. Some workers use the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, created under the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), to train for jobs in the technology sector. Bill sponsor Ken Bentsen, D-Texas, introduced an amended version of H.R. 3359 in February 2002. It is numbered H.R. 3670.
H.R. 3670, Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers, Farmers, Fishermen, Communities, and Firms Act
Sponsor: Rep. Ken Bentsen, D-Texas
Introduced: Feb. 4, 2002
Committees: House Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, Education and the Workforce
Description: H.R. 3670 seeks to improve federal programs that provide aid to workers who lose their jobs as the result of trade deals. The bill would provide community-based economic development assistance for areas hurt the most by the deals. Among other things, grants provided through the program could be used to help communities improve their Internet and telecommunications services in an effort to attract businesses. Some workers use the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, created under the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), to train for jobs in the technology sector. Bill sponsor Ken Bentsen, D-Texas, introduced a nearly identical bill, H.R. 3359, in November 2001.
H.R. 3843, Federal Information Technology Workforce and Acquisition Improvement Act
Sponsor: Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind.
Introduced: March 5, 2002
Committee: House Government Reform
Description: H.R. 3843 encompasses three separate proposals involving government contracting and federal employees. First, the bill would extend authority under the 1996 Clinger-Cohen Act that simplified the procedures for government purchases of commercial items. That language is set to expire Jan. 1, 2003, and the bill would change the timeline to Jan. 1, 2008. The bill also would create a program for exchanging information technology between the government and private sector, allowing one-year assignments to the private sector for government IT employees and vice versa. And it would allow employees of federal contractors to telecommute. Three other measures -- H.R. 3921, H.R. 3924 and H.R. 3925 -- would tackle the issues raised in H.R. 3843 separately. The House passed all three of those measures.
H.R. 3924, Freedom to Telecommute Act
Sponsor: Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va.
Introduced: March 12, 2002
Committee: House Government Reform
Description: H.R. 3924 would prohibit contractors from being excluded from bidding on government projects just because their plans include employee telecommuting, except if the necessities of the job, including national security, require otherwise. The House passed the measure on a 421-0 vote on March 20, 2002. Similar language is included in a broader bill, H.R. 3843.
H.R. 3925, Digital Tech Corps Act of 2002
Sponsor: Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va.
Introduced: March 12, 2002
Committee: House Government Reform, Judiciary, Ways and Means
Description: H.R. 3925 would allow the temporary exchange of technology professionals between the public and private sectors to promote the development of technological expertise. Program participants would have to be extraordinary individuals specializing in information technology who would be expected to assume increased responsibility in the future. The worker exchanges would last between six months and one year, with possible three-month extensions adding up to two years. The House passed the measure by voice vote on April 10, 2002. Similar language is included in a broader bill, H.R. 3843.
H.R. 4108, Immigration and Naturalization Service Reorganization Act
Sponsor: Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz.
Introduced: April 9, 2002
Committee: House Judiciary
Description: H.R. 4108 aims to end mismanagement at the Immigration and Naturalization Service by abolishing the agency and splitting its functions among three departments. The State Department would manage immigration benefits, the Justice Department would control enforcement of immigration laws, and the Labor Department would monitor employment standards for immigrants. A different bill, H.R. 3231, would transfer immigration responsibility to the Justice Department. The House passed that measure April 25.
H.R. 5242, Workplace Employee Stock Option Act
Sponsor: Rep. Amo Houghton, R-NY
Introduced: July 26, 2002
Committee: House Ways and Means
Description: H.R. 5242 would amend the tax code in order to encourage the granting of employee stock options. Under the bill, options would be granted only through payroll deductions in substantially equal amounts over a period of one year and not more than 60 months. The price of the stock acquired could not be less than the fair-market value, and ownership of the stock would be transferred to the individual at the end of the payroll period.
H.J. Res. 35, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. Anne Northup, R-Ky.
Introduced: March 7, 2001
Committee: House Education and the Workforce
Description: H.J. Res. 35 would use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to undo a controversial workplace-safety regulation the Clinton administration unveiled in its waning days. The so-called ergonomics rule, which business groups say would be too costly, requires employers to add steps to prevent their workers' repetitive-stress injuries. H.J. Res. 35 became moot when both the House and Senate approved, and President Bush signed into law, a similar "resolution of disapproval," S.J. Res. 6.
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.

Senate

S. 431, Regional Skills Alliances Act
Sponsor: Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y.
Introduced: March 1, 2001
Description: S. 431 would establish regional skills alliances, which are designed to bring businesses, schools and community colleges together to create effective job-training programs for preparing workers to be employed in the new economy. The bill is one of six high-tech-related measures that sponsor Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., introduced the same day in an effort to fulfill a 2000 campaign pledge to spur job growth in upstate New York. The other bills were S. 426, S. 428, S. 429, S. 430 and S. 432.
S. 521, Telework Tax Incentive Act
Sponsor: Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa.
Introduced: March 13, 2001
Committee: Senate Finance
Description: S. 521 would amend the tax code to provide a $500 tax credit to help cover the cost of "furnishings and electronic equipment" bought to enable telecommuting. To be eligible for the credit, an employee would have to telework at least 75 days a year. The credit would go either to the employee who works from home or at a telework center, or to the employer, depending on which one incurred the cost. Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., introduced a companion bill, H.R. 1012.
S. 522, Small Business Telecommuting Act
Sponsor: Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.
Introduced: March 13, 2001
Committee: Senate Small Business
Description: S. 522 seeks to encourage small businesses to move toward telecommuting. The bill would direct the administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to conduct a pilot program to raise awareness about telecommuting. It would authorize up to $5 million over two years for the pilot program, which SBA could institute in up to five of its regions. The agency's role would be to develop educational materials, conduct outreach to small businesses and acquire equipment for demonstration purposes. Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., introduced a companion bill, H.R. 1035.
S. 598, Untitled
Sponsor: Sen. John Breaux, D-La.
Introduced: March 22, 2001
Committee: Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Description: S. 598 would require the Labor Department to "address work-related musculoskeletal disorders and workplace ergonomics hazards" within two years. Bill sponsor John Breaux, D-La., introduced the measure just two days after President Bush signed into law a resolution, S.J. Res. 6, that overturned the Clinton administration's last-minute ergonomics rules. Breaux and other sponsors of S. 598 voted to repeal that rule but said Congress should move to implement new rules that would balance worker health concerns with business and consumer economic concerns. His bill would require that any new rules clearly define when employers must address ergonomics hazards and what standards would be used to measure their efforts.
S. 762, Technology Education and Training Act
Sponsor: Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D.
Introduced: April 24, 2001
Committee: Senate Finance
Description: S. 762 seeks to increase the number of information technology specialists in the workforce by allowing tax credits to businesses and individuals who pay for technology training. The bill would authorize a $1,500 per-employee tax credit.
S. 1209, Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers, Farmers, Communities and Firms Act
Sponsor: Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M.
Introduced: July 19, 2001
Committee: Senate Finance
Description: S. 1209 would create a two-tier system for providing aid both to workers and communities hurt by international trade agreements. Congress created the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program under the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement to help squelch the fear of job losses from the trade deal. Some of the workers in the program retrain for technology jobs. The bill would overhaul the TAA by, among other things, authorizing: more benefits for displaced workers, allowances for relocation and job searches, support services such as child care, wage insurance, a tax credit for health insurance premiums. It also would create an Office Of Community Economic Adjustment at the Commerce Department and establish and inter-agency group to coordinated federal aid to communities. Related bills, H.R. 2613 and H.R. 2810, also were introduced.
S. 1332, Untitled
Sponsor: Sen. Robert Torricelli, D-N.J.
Introduced: Aug. 2, 2001
Committee: Senate Finance
Description: S. 1332 would amend the tax code to make the first $5,000 of severance pay for displaced workers tax-free. The benefit would be limited to severance pay that does not exceed $125,000. Bill sponsor Robert Torricelli, D-N.J., said he introduced the measure because of the increasing number of job layoffs. Many of those layoffs have been in the technology industry.
S. 1342, 21st Century Homesteading Act
Sponsor: Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D.
Introduced: Aug. 2, 2001
Committee: Senate Judiciary
Description: S. 1342 seeks to develop high-tech job opportunities in small towns and rural areas by allocating H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers to those places. The bill would require the Agriculture secretary to create up to six H-1B demonstration projects in regions plagued by population loss, high unemployment or poverty, or that have American Indian populations of at least 10 percent. Each of the six regions would be eligible for grants equal to the employer-paid fees for up to 2,000 H-1B visas. The grants could be used to provide education, training, equipment and infrastructure related to employing the H-1B workers.
S. 1473, Untitled
Sponsor: Sen. Timothy Johnson, D-S.D.
Introduced: Sept. 26, 2001
Committee: Not referred to committee
Description: S. 1473 seeks to improve airport security by requiring that the workers who screen customers, baggage and cargo be federal employees. The bill also would authorize grants to help small airports buy better metal detectors, scanning equipment and other security devices. A similar House measure, H.R. 2951, was introduced.
S. 1549, Technology Talent Act
Sponsor: Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn.
Introduced: Oct. 15, 2001
Committee: Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Description: S. 1549 aims to boost the number of scientists, engineers and technologists that graduate from U.S. universities. The "tech talent" bill would establish a competitive grant program at the National Science Foundation to reward universities, colleges and community colleges pledging to increase the number of students who obtain degrees in science, math, engineering and technology fields. It would authorize $25 million for the grant in fiscal 2002 for a three-year pilot program. A House companion bill, H.R. 3130, was introduced.
S. 1800, Homeland Security Federal Workforce Act
Sponsor: Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill.
Introduced: Dec. 11, 2001
Committee: Senate Governmental Affairs
Description: S. 1800 seeks to strengthen homeland security by providing incentives for government service in computer science and other areas that are critical to that security. The bill would authorize national security agencies to repay up to $10,000 a year in the student loans of workers who pledge to serve at least three years. It also would create a fellowship program for graduate students to enter key federal positions after completing their schooling, and it would allow workers in a new National Security Service Corps to rotate among national-security assignments in various federal agencies. A related education measure, S. 1799, was introduced the same day.
S. 1856, Teleworking Advancement Act
Sponsor: Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.
Introduced: Dec. 19, 2001
Committee: Senate Finance
Description: S. 1856 would amend the tax code in an effort to promote employer and employee participation in telework arrangements. Under the bill, employers could claim a $500 tax credit for each employee who telecommutes and smaller credits for part-time telecommuters, depending on their hours working from home. Both employers and employees also would be eligible for a maximum $500 tax credit for telework-related expenses, including computers, software, telecommunications equipment and Internet access. And the measure would require the Small Business administration to launch a pilot program for educating employers and employees about the benefits of telework. Bill sponsor John Kerry introduced a related measure, S. 522, earlier in the year, and similar bills, including S. 521, H.R. 1012 and H.R. 1035, also were filed.
S. 1913, Digital Tech Corps Act
Sponsor: Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio
Introduced: Feb. 6, 2002
Committee: Senate Governmental Affairs
Description: S. 1913 would establish a worker-exchange program between the federal government and the private sector in an effort to develop expertise in information technology management. The bill would establish a "digital tech corps" for exchanging workers for up to two years. It would be expected to involve hundreds of workers, generally in their early 30s. Private-sector workers would not be able to take procurement-related assignments in areas where their companies seek government contracts. A House companion measure, H.R. 2678, was introduced in 2001.
S. 2088
Sponsor: Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind.
Introduced: April 10, 2002
Committee: Senate Finance
Description: S. 2088 would expand the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program for workers who lose their jobs because of trade deals. Under the bill, workers would be eligible for aid if they were employed in industries that the International Trade Commission deems as having been harmed by a greater influx of imported goods. It also would require the Labor Department to try to identify workers who might be eligible and create quicker processing times for assistance applications. Congress created TAA under the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement to help squelch fears of job losses from the trade deal. Some workers use the aid to train for technology jobs.
S. 2184, Untitled
Sponsor: Sen John Breaux, D-La.
Introduced: April 17, 2002
Committee: Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Description: S. 2184 would give the Labor Department two years to create a rule outlining standards that employers must follow to prevent repetitive-stress injuries in the workplace. Under the bill, the new rule could not require any expansion of current state compensation plans for such injuries, and related injuries unrelated to the workplace would not be covered. The measure was one of a handful introduced in the wake of Congress' 2001 decision to overturn the so-called ergonomics rules that the Clinton administration unveiled in its last days. The other bills include S. 598, S.J. Res. 6 and H.R. 1241.
S. 2606, Untitled
Sponsor: Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.
Introduced: June 10, 2002
Committee: Senate Finance
Description: S. 2606 would expand the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program to truckers who are displaced from their jobs because of trade deals. Similar language was removed from a broader trade measure, H.R. 3009, before the Senate passed that bill. Congress created the program under the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to help squelch fears of job losses from the trade deal, and some workers use the aid to train for technology jobs.
S. 3051, Untitled
Sponsor: Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah
Introduced: Oct. 3, 2002
Committee: Senate Judiciary
Description: S. 3051 would let foreigners who have H-1B visas for high-skilled jobs extend their U.S. employment while they await processing of their applications. The processing for the visas, which are popular in the tech industry, sometimes takes more than a year. Similar language became law as part of a broader bill to reauthorize the Justice Department, H.R. 2215.
S. 3117, Untitled
Sponsor: Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont.
Introduced: Oct. 16, 2002
Committee: Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Description: S. 3117 would extend the cooling off period in the labor dispute between the Pacific Maritime Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. President Bush intervened in the labor battle, but the bill proved unnecessary because in late November 2002, the union, shipping firms and port operators reached a six-year deal for incorporating new security technologies at the docks, a core issue in the dispute.
S.J. Res. 6, Untitled
Sponsor: Sen. Don Nickles, R-Okla.
Introduced: March 1, 2001
Committee: Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Final Action: Signed into law (PL 107-5)
Description: S.J. Res. 6 would use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to undo a controversial workplace-safety regulation the Clinton administration unveiled in its waning days. The so-called ergonomics rule, which business groups say would be too costly, would require employers to add steps to prevent their workers' repetitive-stress injuries. The Senate adopted S.J. Res. 6 on a 56-44 vote March 6, 2001, and the House adopted it the next day on a 223-206 vote. President Bush signed the measure into law March 20. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, introduced a similar House resolution, H.J. Res. 35.
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.

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