House

	H.R. 41 Sponsor: Rep. Nancy Johnson, R-Conn. Introduced: Jan. 3, 2001 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 41 would amend the tax code to permanently extend the research and development tax credit. It also would increase the rates of the alternative incremental credit from 2.65 percent to 3 percent, from 3.2 percent to 4 percent and from 3.75 percent to 5 percent. The alternative incremental credit gives businesses an option of how to account for and apply the R&D credit. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, introduced a companion measure, S. 41.
	H.R. 102, National Science Education Incentive Act Sponsor: Rep. Vernon Ehlers, R-Mich. Introduced: Jan. 3, 2001 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 102 would authorize a $1,000 tax incentive for undergraduate college students who focus on math, science, engineering and technology. It also would authorize a tax credit for contributions in those fields.
	H.R. 267, Broadband Internet Access Act of 2001 Sponsor: Rep. Phil English, R-Pa. Introduced: Jan. 30, 2001 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 267 would provide a tax incentive for businesses deploying broadband services to rural areas. Companies building the infrastructure for current broadband services could claim a 10-percent tax credit for the costs and a 20-percent credit for building out next generation, or faster, broadband services. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., introduced a companion bill, S. 88.
	H.R. 501, United States Textbook and Technology Trust Fund Act Sponsor: Rep. Elliot Engel, D-N.Y. Introduced: Feb. 7, 2001 Committee: House Education and the Workforce, Ways and Means Description: H.R. 501 would create a textbook and technology trust fund. The fund would allow taxpayers to dedicate part of any tax refund each year to the trust fund, which would be used to buy technology textbooks for elementary and secondary schools.
	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. 1030, Untitled Sponsor: Rep. Clay Shaw, R-Fla. Introduced: March 14, 2001 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 1030 would shorten the depreciation rate for improvements to buildings that lease space for offices, shopping and recreation. Under current law, improvements to electrical and communication outlets and computer data ports, among other things, must be depreciated over 39 years. The bill would reduce the depreciation rate for such changes to 10 years. A Senate companion measure, S. 1087, was introduced.
	H.R. 1137, Private Sector Research and Development Investment Act Sponsor: Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M. Introduced: March 20, 2001 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 1137 would make the research and development tax credit permanent, a proposal that President Bush endorsed in his tax-cut package. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M, introduced a Senate companion measure, S. 515. Both H.R. 1137 and S. 515 seek to improve the formula for determining who qualifies for the R&D tax credit rather than merely making it permanent, as would related bills such as H.R. 41 and S. 41.
	H.R. 1149, NET Corps Act Sponsor: Rep. Mike Honda, D-Calif. Introduced: March 21, 2001 Committees: House Education and the Workforce, Ways and Means Description: H.R. 1149 seeks to improve the education system by encouraging technology workers to volunteer in local schools. The bill would give federal tax credits to technology companies that loan workers to help support and train teachers and network administrators in schools. It would create a technology corps as a component of the Volunteers in Service to America program.
	H.R. 1188, 21st Century Teacher Training Act Sponsor: Rep. Ken Lucas, D-Ky. Introduced: March 22, 2001 Committees: House Education and the Workforce, Ways and Means Description: H.R. 1188 would authorize the Education secretary to award grants of $10 million or more to local education agencies so they could provide classroom-related computer training for teachers. The measure also would create a $1,000 tax credit that teachers could claim toward the purchase of computers and other technology equipment that they use to teach, and it also would expand the tax credit for computer donations to charities.
	H.R. 1268, Untitled Sponsor: Rep. Philip Crane, R-Ill. Introduced: March 28, 2001 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 1268 would amend the tax code to change the rules for determining the depreciation rate for wireless telecommunications equipment. Currently, the Internal Revenue Service determines the assets' worth on an ad hoc basis. Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., introduced a companion measure, S. 640.
	H.R. 1329, Untitled Sponsor: Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis. Introduced: March 30, 2001 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 1329 would amend the tax code to make the research and development tax credit permanent, a proposal that President Bush endorsed in his tax-cut package. Related bills include H.R. 41, S. 41, H.R. 1137 and S. 515.
	H.R. 1410, Internet Tax Moratorium and Equity Act Sponsor: Rep. Ernest Istook, R-Okla. Introduced: April 4, 2001 Committee: House Judiciary Description: H.R. 1410 would permit states to agree on a uniform system for taxing both online and offline sales identical but would prohibit duplicative taxes by different states. Once 20 states enter the agreement, those states could enforce their laws on sales-tax collection on merchants who ship goods into their states and who have more than $5 million in annual gross sales. The bill also would continue the prohibition on Internet access taxes, which is set to expire in October, through Dec. 31, 2005.The National Governors' Association, the National League of Cities and a large coalition of national retailers, merchants and e-commerce businesses support Istook's bill. Competing measures include S. 288 and S. 512.
	H.R. 1411, Expensing Technology Reform Act Sponsor: Rep. Gerald Weller, R-Ill. Introduced: April 4, 2001 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 1411 would allow businesses to claim a full tax credit for technology hardware and software when they buy it rather than depreciating the value over five years. Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., introduced a similar bill, S. 752, that would enable businesses to depreciate their computer hardware purchases over three years instead of the current five.
	H.R. 1415, Tech Bond Initiative Sponsor: Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y. Introduced: April 4, 2001 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 1415 would grant bondholders a new type of tax incentive in an effort to expand high-speed Internet access into communities. 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. 1416, H.R. 1417, H.R. 1418 and H.R. 1419. 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. 1443, IRS Refund Accessibility Act Sponsor: Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas Introduced: April 4, 2001 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 1443 would allow the IRS to post on its Web site the names of taxpayers who are entitled to undelivered tax refunds.
	H.R. 1477, Untitled Sponsor: Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis. Introduced: April 4, 2001 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 1477 would provide a refundable tax credit to elementary and secondary schoolteachers for teaching-related expenses. The credit could be applied to computer equipment, software and other technology-related expenses, as well as non-tech related supplies used in classrooms. Sen. John Warner, R-Va., introduced a similar bill, S. 225.
	H.R. 1487, Untitled Sponsor: Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif. Introduced: April 4, 2001 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 1487 would provide retroactive relief for thousands of employees, particularly technology workers, who exercised stock options last year and now face large tax bills on long-gone paper profits. Workers who exercise incentive stock options no longer would face Alternative Minimum Tax on their paper profits, but instead would be taxed on actual gains from selling stock. The change would apply retroactively to workers who exercised options in 2000. Bill sponsor Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., represents part of Silicon Valley.
	H.R. 1552, Internet Tax Nondiscrimination Act Sponsor: Rep. Christopher Cox, R-Calif. Introduced: April 24, 2001 Committee: House Judiciary Final Action: Signed into law (PL 107-75) Description: H.R. 1552 would extend the ban on Internet access taxes and multiple and discriminatory Internet taxes by five years. The current bans expire in October 2000. A week after he introduced the bill, Rep. Christopher Cox also filed a bill, H.R. 1675, that would permanently extend the moratoriums. Unlike other measures on Internet taxes, including leading bills like S. 288 and S. 512, Cox's legislation is silent on the issue of simplifying state sales-tax systems as a way of making e-commerce taxation more politically palatable to state officials.
	H.R. 1675, Internet Tax Nondiscrimination Act Sponsor: Rep. Christopher Cox, R-Calif. Introduced: May 2, 2001 Committee: House Judiciary Description: H.R. 1675 would permanently ban Internet access taxes and multiple and discriminatory Internet taxes. The current bans expire in October 2000. Bill sponsor Christopher Cox also filed a similar measure, H.R. 1552, that would extend the moratoriums for five years rather than making them permanent. Unlike other measures on Internet taxes, including leading bills like S. 288 and S. 512, Cox's legislation is silent on the issue of simplifying state sales-tax systems as a way of making e-commerce taxation more politically palatable to state officials.
	H.R. 1681, Voluntary Opportunities for Increasing Contributions to Education Act Sponsor: Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich. Introduced: May 2, 2001 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 1681 would amend the tax code to allow income-tax credits for contributions to qualified school tuition funds and to elementary and secondary schools for upgrading their facilities and technology. Both individual parents and corporations could receive the tax credits. The goals of the bill are to increase the opportunities for low-income parents to choose the schools their children attend and to foster improvements in school buildings and technology. The bill was modeled after a similar tax credit in Arizona.
	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. 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. 1836, Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act Sponsor: Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Calif. Introduced: May 15, 2001 Committee: House Ways and Means Final Action: Signed into law (PL 107-16) Description: H.R. 1836 is the budget-reconciliation bill that encompasses much of President Bush's tax-cut plan. Lobbyists for the technology industry and business community failed in their efforts to use the bill as a vehicle for making the research and development tax credit permanent -- House and Senate negotiators removed such language in conference -- but the final version of the measure Bush signed into law June 7, 2001, does include some tech-related provisions, such as a tax break for parents who buy computers or Internet access for their children. A related Senate bill, S. 896, was introduced but never considered.
	H.R. 1848, Semiconductor Equipment Investment Act Sponsor: Rep. Nancy Johnson, R-Conn. Introduced: May 15, 2001 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 1848 would amend the tax code to shorten the depreciation period for semiconductor manufacturing equipment from five years to three. "A three-year tax life is closer to the true economic life of semiconductor manufacturing equipment than the current five-year life," bill sponsor Nancy Johnson, R-Conn., said in a letter to her colleagues, noting that a new generation of semiconductor chips is introduced about every 18 months.
	H.R. 1923, Startup Success Accounts Act Sponsor: Rep. Jim DeMint, R-S.C. Introduced: May 21, 2001 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 1923 would amend the tax code in an effort to give new small businesses more cash flow. The bill would grant the businesses up to $2 million in deductibles and would allow them to put 20 percent of their taxable income into tax-free "startup success accounts" for each of their first five years in operation. The businesses then could withdraw money from the accounts in down times or use the accounts as collateral for loans rather than "maxing out" credit cards to survive.
	H.R. 1934, Printed Circuit Investment Act Sponsor: Rep. Philip Crane, R-Ill. Introduced: May 22, 2001 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 1934 would amend the tax code to more accurately codify the depreciable life of printed wiring board and printed wiring assembly equipment.
	H.R. 2153, American Breakthrough Research Act Sponsor: Rep. Philip Crane, R-Ill. Introduced: June 13, 2001 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 2153 would create a refundable tax credit for research and development. The bill aims to address what sponsor Philip Crane, R-Ill., calls a "fundamental problem" in existing R&D tax law: that it is of little or no benefit to small and startup businesses that operate at a loss. Under the measure, companies could claim a refundable credit that would be based either on the value of past research credits or of their net operating losses and the corporate tax rate. A similar Senate bill, S. 1049, was introduced.
	H.R. 2259, Community Technology Assistance Act Sponsor: Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga. Introduced: June 20, 2001 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 2259 would amend the tax code to expand the deduction for corporate donations of computer technology. The bill would allow corporations to make such deductions to senior centers and community centers, including those with after-school and job-training programs, in an effort to close the "digital divide." A related measure, H.R. 2281, was introduced.
	H.R. 2281, Digital Divide Elimination Act Sponsor: Rep. William Jefferson, D-La. Introduced: June 21, 2001 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 2281 would amend the tax code to expand the deduction for charitable contributions of computers. The measure, which to close the "digital divide," would allow businesses to claim the full value of donated computers. Under current law, they can claim just 75 percent of the sales price. The bill also would extend the tax credit to 2004 and expand it to include computer donations to poor families rather than just libraries and training centers. Finally, the legislation would create a new refundable tax credit for computer purchases by poorer Americans who qualify for the earned-income tax credit. A related measure, H.R. 2259, was introduced.
	H.R. 2316 Sponsor: Rep. Kenny Hulshof, R-Mo. Introduced: June 26, 2000 Committee: House Ways and Means Final Action: Passed by the House Description: H.R. 2316 would make the new tax cuts enacted in 2001 permanent rather than phasing them out in future years, as the law requires. Some tech-related provisions, including an educational tax break for parents who buy computers or Internet access for their children, were included in the law, which President Bush signed June 7, 2001. A similar bill, H.R. 2327, was introduced.
	H.R. 2327 Sponsor: Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. Introduced: June 27, 2000 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 2327 would make the new tax cuts enacted in 2001 permanent rather than phasing them out in future years, as the law requires. Some tech-related provisions, including an educational tax break for parents who buy computers or Internet access for their children, were included in the law, which President Bush signed June 7, 2001. A similar bill, H.R. 2316, was introduced.
	H.R. 2401, Rural America Digital Accessibility Act Sponsor: Rep. John McHugh, R-N.Y. Introduced: June 28, 2000 Committee: House Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, Science Description: H.R. 2401 consists of several rural development initiatives, four of which are designed to bridge the "digital divide" by expanding high-speed Internet access to rural America. The bill would: grant bondholders a new type of tax incentive in an effort to expand high-speed Internet access; authorize grants and other incentives to the private sector to promote broadband services; help small and medium-sized businesses receive technological assistance from educational institutions; and authorize more federal research funding to increase broadband's reach. Similar House and Senate bills were introduced: H.R. 1415, H.R. 1416, S. 426, S. 428 and S. 430.
	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. 2485, High Productivity Investment Act Sponsor: Rep. Phil English, R-Pa. Introduced: July 12, 2001 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 2485 would accelerate the ability of businesses to depreciate the value of certain high-technology items. Under the bill, companies could write off the value of "smart" machinery -- computers, software and many items for the biomedical, environmental and telecommunications industries -- during the first year of its life.
	H.R. 2526, Internet Tax Fairness Act Sponsor: Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va. Introduced: July 17, 2001 Committee: House Judiciary Description: H.R. 2526 would make permanent the existing moratorium on Internet access taxes and multiple and discriminatory taxes. The bill also would set standards limiting when a state could levy business activity taxes such as corporate income taxes. A state could not impose such taxes unless a company has a physical presence in a state for at least 30 days. A company would not be deemed to have a physical presence simply by leasing space on a server to host a Web site, by using the state's telecommunications infrastructure, or by the presence of corporate logos, intangible personal property or bank deposits.
	H.R. 2597, Broadband Deployment and Telework Incentive Act Sponsor: Rep. Scott McInnis, R-Colo. Introduced: July 23, 2001 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 2597 would amend the tax code to provide incentives to both providers and potential users of high-speed Internet access in rural and underserved areas. The bill would offer tax credits to companies that deploy broadband services, to employers who allow their employees to telework, and to both employers and employees for telework equipment. The telework incentives are designed to spur demand for high-speed Internet access in the rural and underserved regions.
	H.R. 2695, Untitled Sponsor: Rep. Amo Houghton, R-N.Y. Introduced: Aug. 1, 2001 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 2695 would amend the tax code in an effort to clarify that incentive stock options are not subject to employment tax withholding when the stock is purchased. New York Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton, the sponsor of a related Senate bill, S. 1382, said the legislation is designed to eliminate any uncertainty about Congress' intent for such options when an IRS moratorium on taxing them expires Jan. 1, 2003.
	H.R. 2761, Small Business Tax Fairness Act Sponsor: Rep. Darlene Hooley, D-Ore. Introduced: Aug. 2, 2001 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 2761 would amend the tax code to provide an array of tax benefits to small businesses. Among other things, the bill would give small businesses a tax credit equal to 50 percent of the value of computers and networking equipment they donate to schools, and it would provide a research and development tax credit to businesses that encourage growth.
	H.R. 2794, Untitled Sponsor: Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass. Introduced: Aug. 2, 2001 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 2794 would provide retroactive relief from the "alternative minimum tax" (AMT) to people who exercised incentive stock options in 2000. Under current law, a person who exercises such options must calculate the AMT based on the value of the stock when acquired rather than at its current price. Internet stock options helped fuel the high-tech explosion of the 1990s, but as the sector's fortunes have tumbled many workers have ended up with worthless stocks and insurmountable tax bills based on the inflated price of their stocks during better days. The measure would provide them and other qualified taxpayers retroactive relief this year, with a five-year cost of $1.3 billion. A Senate companion bill, S. 1324, was introduced, as were other related measures: H.R. 1487, S. 1142 and S. 1383.
	H.R. 2970, Securing America Investment Act Sponsor: Rep. Gerald Weller, R-Ill. Introduced: Sept. 25, 2001 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 2970 would amend the tax code to allow business to deduct the full cost of security-related devices from their tax bill the year they buy the devices. Under current law, the value of such equipment --including "computers and software to combat cyber terrorism," surveillance cameras, electronic alarms, wiring and biometric identifiers -- must be depreciated over time.
	H.R. 2981, None Sponsor: Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich. Introduced: Oct. 2, 2001 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 2981 would amend the tax code to overhaul the depreciation schedules for high-tech equipment. Under current law, companies can write the cost of such equipment off their tax bills over five years and the cost of spectrum fees over 15 years. Upton's bill would allow depreciation over two years for all high-tech equipment and seven years for spectrum fees.
	H.R. 3042, Neutral Cost Recovery Act Sponsor: Rep. Nick Smith, R-Mich. Introduced: Oct. 4, 2001 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 3042 would amend the tax code to index the depreciation schedules for machinery and equipment to inflation. Under current law, a business can only deduct 85 percent of the cost of an investment with a seven-year life. If the equipment or facility has a 20-year life, only 60 percent of the cost can be deducted. Under the "neutral cost recovery" proposed in the bill, the value of the depreciation would increase to 100 percent.
	H.R. 3057, Untitled Sponsor: Rep. Wes Watkins, R-Okla. Introduced: Oct. 5, 2001 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 3057 would amend the tax code to change the tax write-off for purchases of high-tech equipment. Under current law, companies that purchase new technology can claim the value of the equipment on their taxes over five years. The bill would allow them to write off the value over three years, and the quicker depreciation would apply to computers, network systems and wireless devices and advanced services. Several related measures, including S. 1553, were introduced later, and accelerated depreciation became a central element in the debate over economic stimulus bills such as H.R. 3501, H.R. 3090, S. 1804 and S. 1791.
	H.R. 3090, Economic Security and Recovery Act Sponsor: Rep. Bill Thomas, D-Calif. Introduced: Oct. 11, 2001 Committee: House Ways and Means Final Action: Signed into law (PL 107-147) Description: H.R. 3090 encompasses the economic stimulus plan crafted by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas, R-Calif. The bill would alter the tax code by, among other things, providing greater tax benefits for the purchase of computer software and other equipment. The new benefits would apply to equipment purchased between Sept. 10, 2001 -- the day before terrorist attacks in the United States -- and Sept. 11, 2003.
	H.R. 3501, Economic Recovery Act Sponsor: Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash. Introduced: Dec. 13, 2001 Committees: House Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, Education and the Workforce Description: H.R. 3501 represents the moderate New Democrats' plan for stimulating the economy. Among other things, the bill would grant companies a 30-percent bonus tax write-off on the value of new assets, including computers and other technology equipment. However, the bill would not extend the period a firm can carry back net operating losses on its books or repeal the corporate alternative minimum tax, two other initiatives backed by the technology community and incorporated in competing stimulus bills, H.R. 3090 and H.R. 3529, that the House passed in 2001. Other competing measures, S. 1791 and S. 1804, also were filed.
	H.R. 3529, Economic Security and Worker Assistance Act Sponsor: Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Calif. Introduced: Dec. 19, 2001 Committees: House Ways and Means, Education and the Workforce, Energy and Commerce, Budget Final Action: Passed by both chambers Description: H.R.3529 represented House Republicans' last-ditch, and ultimately unsuccessful, effort to attract Democratic support for their plan to stimulate the economy. Like the previous House-passed stimulus bill, H.R. 3090, the new measure would grant companies a 30-percent bonus tax write-off on the value of new assets, including technology equipment. It also would expand the carryback provision for companies' net operating losses from two years to five, as well as repeal the corporate alternative minimum tax, two provisions back by the tech industry. The House passed the legislation on a 224-193 vote Dec. 20, 2001.
	H.R. 3639, Homeland Security Fund Act Sponsor: Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J. Introduced: Jan. 29, 2002 Committees: House Ways and Means, Government Reform Description: H.R. 3639 would allow taxpayers to designate $3 of their income-tax liability toward a new Homeland Security Fund. They could make the designation when filing their annual tax returns or at other times approved by the Treasury secretary. The money in the fund could be used to purchase technology to combat terrorism and protect the nation's computer systems and other critical infrastructure, among other things. The bill also would establish a Cabinet-level Office of Homeland Security within the Executive Office of the President, and its director would be subject to Senate confirmation.
	H.R. 4020, Permanent Investment in American Workers and Workplace Act Sponsor: Rep. Gerald Weller, R-Ill. Introduced: March 20, 2002 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 4020 would extend the tax write-off for business purchases of technology and other equipment that became law as part of 2001 tax legislation. The bonus, which allows taxpayers to deduct an additional 30 percent of the value of certain property acquired after Sept. 10, 2002, is set to expire Sept. 11, 2004. The bill would make the tax break permanent.
	H.R. 4087, Small Business Investment in Growth Act Sponsor: Rep. Donald Manzullo, R-Ill. Introduced: April 9, 2002 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 4087 would amend the tax code to change the tax break for companies that purchase technology equipment and other depreciable assets. Under the bill, companies could claim up to $40,000 in such investments each year. A similar Senate bill, S. 2023, was introduced.
	H.R. 4470, Small Business Expensing Improvement Act Sponsor: Rep. Wally Herger, R-Calif. Introduced: April 17, 2002 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 4770 would amend the tax code to change the tax break for companies that purchase technology equipment and other depreciable assets. Under the bill, companies could claim up to $40,000 in such investments each year, and the measure would add certain forms of computer property to the list of items eligible for the tax break. Several other measures, including H.R. 4087 and S. 2023, would accomplish the same goal.
	H.R. 4869, Satellite Radio Freedom Act Sponsor: Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va. Introduced: June 5, 2002 Committee: House Judiciary, Energy and Commerce Description: H.R. 4869 would prohibit local governments from taxing the sale, purchase or use of satellite-based digital audio radio services. The bill would exempt taxes on land-based physical transmitters for the satellite services. States could only tax the radio service if the place where the consumer primarily uses it is located within state boundaries.
	H.R. 5085, Teacher Tax Relief Act Sponsor: Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich. Introduced: July 10, 2002 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 5085 aims to help teachers who spend out-of-pocket money for classroom supplies by allowing a $500 tax deduction for those expenses. Currently, teachers can deduct $250. The legislation would make the larger deduction permanent and also allow teachers to use it to cover books or tuition expenses for professional development.
	H.R. 5323, Investor Protection, Market Stabilization, and Tax Fairness Restoration Act of 2002 Sponsor: Rep. Christopher Cox, R-Calif. Introduced: Sept. 4, 2002 Committee: Ways and Means Description: H.R.5323 would give individual company shareholders a credit for federal income tax already paid on dividends that they receive. The aim of the bill is to help people who have been hurt by the stock-market decline and are saving their money for retirement.
	H.R.5551, Untitled Sponsor: Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y. Introduced: Oct. 3, 2002 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H.R. 5551 would allow corporations to deduct from their taxes the time they give to charities to perform computer-related services such as Internet design, multimedia preparation, and computer training, troubleshooting and repair. The bill would cap the deduction for those services at $65 an hour.
	H. Con. Res. 312, Untitled Sponsor: Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala. Introduced: Feb. 5, 2002 Committee: House Ways and Means Final Action: Failed Description: H. Con. Res. 312 would express the House's support for the tax cut enacted in 2001 and its opposition to any efforts to delay implementation of the law, which includes technology-related provisions such as a tax break for parents who buy computers or Internet access for their children. A similar resolution, H. Res. 341, was introduced a few days earlier.
	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.
	H. Res. 341, Save America's Tax Cut Resolution Sponsor: Rep. Gerald Weller, R-Ill. Introduced: Jan. 29, 2002 Committee: House Ways and Means Description: H. Res. 341 would express the House's support for the tax cut enacted in 2001 and its opposition to any efforts to delay implementation of the law, which includes technology-related provisions such as a tax break for parents who buy computers or Internet access for their children. A similar resolution, H. Con. Res. 312, was introduced a few days later.

Senate

	S. 7, Educational Excellence for All Learners Act Sponsor: Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D. Introduced: Jan. 22, 2001 Committee: Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Description: S. 7 is the Senate Democratic Caucus' education bill and one of its top measures for the 107th Congress. The legislation would give more resources to schools while also holding them accountable for improving their performance. It would put 100,000 new teachers in the classroom, expand the Reading Excellence Act, increase funding for Pell grants and extend college-tuition tax credits to help parents and students pay for college. The bill also would authorize money for 21st Century Community Training Centers, which provide community access to the Internet and computer training.
	S. 41 Sponsor: Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah Introduced: Jan. 22, 2001 Committee: Senate Finance Description: S. 41 would amend the tax code to permanently extend the research and development tax credit. It also would increase the rates of the alternative incremental credit from 2.65 percent to 3 percent, from 3.2 percent to 4 percent and from 3.75 percent to 5 percent. The alternative incremental credit gives businesses an option of how to account for and apply the R&D credit. Rep. Nancy Johnson, R-Conn., introduced a companion measure, H.R. 41.
	S. 88, Broadband Internet Access Act Sponsor: Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va. Introduced: Jan. 22, 2001 Committee: Senate Finance Description: S. 88 would provide a tax incentive for businesses deploying broadband services to rural areas. Companies building the infrastructure for current broadband services could claim a 10-percent tax credit for the costs and a 20-percent credit for building out next generation, or faster, broadband services. Rep. Phil English, R-Pa., introduced a House companion bill, H.R. 267, and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., introduced a related bill, S. 150.
	S. 150, Broadband Deployment Act Sponsor: Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. Introduced: Jan. 23, 2001 Committee: Senate Finance Description: S. 150 would provide tax breaks to companies that deploy high-speed Internet services. The bill would authorize a tax credit of 10 percent of the total expenditures a provider incurs to extend broadband services to underserved areas. It also would require the Treasury Department to conduct a study on the impact the tax credit would have on the competitiveness of potential broadband carriers and report the results to Congress.
	S. 225, The Teacher Tax Credit Act Sponsor: Sen. John Warner, R-Va. Introduced: Jan. 31, 2001 Committee: Senate Finance Description: S. 225 would authorize a $1,000 tax credit for teaching expenses — including computer equipment and related software and services — that teachers buy to use in class.
	S. 234, Help Eliminate the Levy on Locution (HELLO) Act Sponsor: Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa Introduced: Feb. 1, 2001 Committee: Senate Finance Description: S. 234 would repeal the federal excise tax on telephone calls and other communications services. The tax, first imposed in 1898, is 3 percent of the monthly phone bill and applies to local and long-distance voice services. Critics characterize the law as an outdated "tax on talking" that sometimes indirectly taxes Internet access. The House passed similar legislation on a 420-2 vote in 2000, and the Senate Finance Committee later approved its own version of a repeal.
	S. 245 Sponsor: Sen. Robert Smith, R-N.H. Introduced: Feb. 6, 2001 Committee: Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Description: S. 245 would permanently extend the moratorium that prohibits the federal government from imposing access taxes on Internet services. It is one of two bills that Smith introduced on the topic. The other bill, S. 246, would extend the moratorium by five years.
	S. 246 Sponsor: Sen. Robert Smith, R-N.H. Introduced: Feb. 6, 2001 Committee: Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Description: S. 246 would extend by five years the moratorium that prohibits the federal government from imposing access taxes on Internet services. It is one of two bills that Smith introduced on the topic. The other bill, S. 245, would extend the moratorium permanently.
	S. 288, Internet Tax Nondiscrimination Act Sponsor: Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. Introduced: Feb. 8, 2001 Committee: Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Description: S. 288 would permanently extend the moratorium that prohibits the federal government from imposing taxes on Internet access. The bill also would encourage states to simplify their sales-tax structures and would extend by five years a ban on multiple and discriminatory taxes on the Internet.
	S. 292, Community Technology Assistance Act Sponsor: Sen. Max Cleland, R-Ga. Introduced: Feb. 8, 2001 Committee: Senate Finance Description: S. 292 would give corporations a tax credit for donating computer technology to senior and community centers.
	S. 306, Coverdell Education Savings Accounts Act Sponsor: Sen. Robert Torricelli, D-N.J. Introduced: Feb. 13, 2001 Committee: Senate Finance Description: S. 306 would modify Individual Retirement Accounts to allow taxpayers to use money from their accounts to pay education-related expenses, including the purchase of computer equipment and software.
	S. 426, Technology Bond Initiative Sponsor: Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y. Introduced: March 1, 2001 Committee: Senate Finance Description: S. 426 would grant bondholders a new type of tax incentive in an effort to expand high-speed Internet access into communities. 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. 428, S. 429, S. 430, S. 431 and S. 432.
	S. 488, Education Opportunity Tax Credit Act Sponsor: Sen. George Allen, R-Va. Introduced: March 8, 2001 Committee: Senate Finance Description: S. 488 would amend the tax code to provide a $1,000 tax credit to parents to use toward paying education costs, including buying computers, educational software or Internet access, or hiring tutors.
	S. 512, Internet Tax Moratorium and Equity Act Sponsor: Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D. Introduced: March 9, 2001 Committee: Senate Finance Description: S. 512 would extend the current moratorium on Internet access taxes until 2005 and encourages states to simplify their sales-tax systems, saying that they "should take the lead in developing and implementing sales- and use-tax collection systems." The bill, which has the backing of leading state and local governmental organizations involved in the debate over taxing e-commerce transactions, would gives states leeway when setting tax rates and would not mandate one rate. It would require that a simplified sales-tax system include uniform definitions for goods and services, uniform procedures for the treatment of exempt purchasers and uniform rules for attributing sales to tax jurisdictions, as well as uniform audit procedures. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., introduced a competing measure, S. 288.
	S. 515, Private Sector Research and Development Investment Act Sponsor: Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M. Introduced: March 12, 2001 Committee: Senate Finance Description: S. 515 would make the research and development tax credit permanent, a proposal that President Bush endorsed in his tax-cut package. Bill sponsor Pete Domenici, R-N.M., supports a related measure, S. 41, but said his bill would go further than that legislation by seeking to improve the credit rather than merely making it permanent. Another related bill is H.R. 41. Domenici's fellow New Mexico Republican, Heather Wilson, introduced the House companion measure to S. 515. The House bill is numbered H.R. 1137.
	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. 589, Untitled Sponsor: Sen. Bob Smith, R-N.H. Introduced: March 21, 2001 Committee: Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Description: S. 589 would permanently extend the moratorium that prohibits the federal government from imposing access taxes on Internet services. The bill is a revision of an earlier measure, S. 245, that Sen. Bob Smith, R-N.H., introduced. An aide to Smith said it adds language that was inadvertently omitted from S. 245.
	S. 640, Untitled Sponsor: Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn. Introduced: March 28, 2001 Committee: Senate Finance Description: S. 640 would amend the tax code to change the rules for determining the depreciation rate for wireless telecommunications equipment. Currently, the Internal Revenue Service determines the assets' worth on an ad hoc basis. Rep. Philip Crane, R-Ill., introduced a companion measure, H.R. 1268.
	S. 664, New Economy Tax Fairness Act (NET FAIR) Sponsor: Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H. Introduced: March 29, 2001 Committee: Senate Finance Description: S. 664 would exempt businesses from taxing Internet sales when they do not have a physical presence in the state where the goods are purchased. The bill would codify a Supreme Court ruling that says states cannot force out-of-state catalog companies to collect sales tax on goods sold outside the state in which the company operates and apply that ruling to the taxing of online sales. Competing measures, including S. 288 and S. 512, would extend the moratorium on Internet access taxes and at the same time consider giving states the authority to tax online sales if they streamline their sales-tax systems.
	S. 752, Technology Depreciation Reform Act Sponsor: Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont. Introduced: April 6, 2001 Committee: Senate Finance Description: S. 752 would amend the tax code in an effort to update it for the information age. The bill would allow businesses to write off the costs of computer hardware over three years instead of five, as is the case under current law. Many companies update their computers as often as every 14 months, bill sponsor Conrad Burns, R-Mont., said in a statement, so they need to be able to claim those costs in a more timely fashion. Rep. Gerald Weller, R-Ill., introduced a similar measure, H.R. 1411, that would make the tax write-off immediate rather than requiring depreciation.
	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. 777, Internet Tax Nondiscrimination Act Sponsor: Sen. George Allen, R-Va. Introduced: April 25, 2001 Committee: Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Description: S. 777 would make permanent the current moratorium on Internet access taxes. The moratorium expires in October 2000. Unlike other measures on Internet taxes, including leading bills like S. 288 and S. 512, S. 777 is silent on the issue of simplifying state sales-tax systems as a way of making e-commerce taxation more politically palatable to state officials.
	S. 798, Productivity, Opportunity, and Prosperity Act Sponsor: Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn. Introduced: April 30, 2001 Committee: Senate Finance Description: S. 798 would create a package of tax credits and incentives aimed at stimulating and expanding economic growth. It includes a "digital divide" credit for small businesses that invest in information technology and a reduction, from five years to three, in the depreciation period for investments in semiconductor equipment.
	S. 896, Restoring Earnings To Lift Individuals and Empower Families (RELIEF) Act Sponsor: Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa Introduced: May 16, 2001 Committee: Senate Finance Description: S. 896 was the Senate's version of the budget-reconciliation bill that encompassed parts of President Bush's tax-cut plan. The Senate never acted on the measure, instead using the House's budget-reconciliation bill, H.R. 1836, as the vehicle for a tax cut. Lobbyists for the technology industry and business community failed in their efforts to use the legislation as a vehicle for making the research and development tax credit permanent -- House and Senate negotiators removed such language in conference -- but the final version of the measure Bush signed into law June 7, 2001, does include some tech-related provisions, such as a tax break for parents who buy computers or Internet access for their children.
	S. 904, Teacher Relief Act Sponsor: Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine Introduced: May 16, 2001 Committee: Senate Finance Description: S. 904 would provide a tax break to teachers and other education officials for the costs of continuing education and a separate tax credit for teachers to cover 50 percent of the cost of classroom supplies they buy with their own money. One of the bill's cosponsors, Virginia Republican John Warner, introduced a related measure, S. 225, that specifically mentions computer and software expenses as those that would be covered under a similar tax credit.
	S. 915, IRS Refund Accessibility Act Sponsor: Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. Introduced: May 21, 2001 Committee: Senate Finance Description: S. 915 would allow the IRS to post on its Web site the names of taxpayers who are entitled to undelivered tax refunds. A House companion bill, H.R. 1443, also was introduced.
	S. 945, Home-Office Deduction Simplification Act Sponsor: Sen. Christopher (Kit) Bond, R-Mo. Introduced: May 24, 2001 Committee: Senate Finance Description: S. 945 would eliminate language in the tax code that requires telecommuters and other taxpayers who claim a home-office deduction to "recapture" those deductions and pay income taxes on them if they later sell their homes. Bill sponsor Christopher (Kit) Bond, R-Mo., said some tax advisers recommend that their clients not claim the home-office deduction because of the record-keeping burden created by the recapturing rule and other complexities of the deduction.
	S. 1049, American Breakthrough Research Act Sponsor: Sen. Robert Torricelli, D-N.J. Introduced: June 14, 2001 Committee: Senate Finance Description: S. 1049 would create a refundable tax credit for research and development. The bill aims to address a gap in existing R&D tax law: that it is of little or no benefit to small and startup businesses that operate at a loss. Under the measure, companies could claim a refundable credit that would be based either on the value of past research credits or of their net operating losses and the corporate tax rate. A similar House bill, H.R. 2153, was introduced.
	S. 1087, Business Property Economic Revitalization Act Sponsor: Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont. Introduced: June 22, 2001 Committee: Senate Finance Description: S. 1087 would shorten the depreciation rate for improvements to buildings that lease space for offices, shopping and recreation. Under current law, improvements to electrical and communication outlets and computer data ports, among other things, must be depreciated over 39 years. The bill would reduce the depreciation rate for such changes to 10 years. A House companion measure, H.R. 1030, was introduced.
	S. 1142, Entrepreneurs Risk Incentive Act Sponsor: Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn. Introduced: June 29, 2000 Committee: Senate Finance Description: S. 1142 would exempt incentive stock options from the "alternative minimum tax" (AMT). The AMT requires employees who exercise their stock options to pay taxes on paper gains even if the gains were not realized upon the eventual sale of the options -- a policy that left many tech workers with huge tax bills when their firms faltered in 2000. Bill sponsor Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., said current law, which applies the AMT to stock options, "is a major disincentive for companies to offer [the options] to their employees." Lieberman initially attached his language to a broader tax-cut bill, S. 798. He also introduced a related bill, S. 1324, that would provide retroactive relief from the AMT to taxpayers affected in 2000. Related Senate and House bills -- S. 1383, H.R. 1487 and H.R. 2794 -- were introduced.
	S. 1279, Untitled Sponsor: Sen. John Breaux, D-La. Introduced: July 31, 2001 Committee: Senate Finance Description: S. 1279 would amend the tax code in an effort to ease the burden on corporations such as AT&T when they divide into two or more separate businesses. Bill sponsor John Breaux, D-La., said current tax law discriminates against such spin-offs by holding companies.
	S. 1324, Untitled Sponsor: Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn. Introduced: Aug. 2, 2001 Committee: Senate Finance Description: S. 1324 would provide retroactive relief from the "alternative minimum tax" (AMT) to people who exercised incentive stock options in 2000. Under current law, a person who exercises such options must calculate the AMT based on the value of the stock when acquired rather than at its current price. Internet stock options helped fuel the high-tech explosion of the 1990s, but as the sector's fortunes have tumbled many workers have ended up with worthless stocks and insurmountable tax bills based on the inflated price of their stocks during better days. The measure would provide them and other qualified taxpayers retroactive relief this year, with a five-year cost of $1.3 billion. A House companion bill, H.R. 2794, was introduced, as were other related measures: H.R. 1487, S. 1142 and S. 1383.
	S. 1383, Untitled Sponsor: Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y. Introduced: Aug. 3, 2001 Committee: Senate Finance Description: S. 1383 would amend the tax code in an effort to clarify that incentive stock options are not subject to employment tax withholding when the stock is purchased. Bill sponsor Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., said the measure is designed to eliminate any uncertainty about Congress' intent for such options when an IRS moratorium on taxing them expires Jan. 1, 2003. A related House bill, H.R. 2695, was introduced.
	S. 1481, Internet Tax Moratorium Extension Act Sponsor: Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. Introduced: Oct. 2, 2001 Committee: Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Description: S. 1481 would extend the Internet moratorium for two years and leave for another time the debate over simplifying state sales-tax systems and potentially allowing states to tax e-commerce sales. The bill was introduced just a few weeks before the Oct. 21 expiration of the ban on Internet access taxes and on multiple and discriminatory Internet taxes. A competing measure, S. 1504, that would extend the moratorium only for eight months was introduced two days later.
	S. 1504, Internet Tax Moratorium Extension Act Sponsor: Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D. Introduced: Oct. 4, 2001 Committee: Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Description: S. 1504 would extend the current ban on Internet access taxes until June 30, 2002. The moratorium, which applies to Internet access taxes and multiple and discriminatory Internet taxes, is set to expire Oct. 21, 2001. The bill rejects calls to continue the ban for two, five or more years because Congress has not yet addressed the issue of sales-tax simplification, which could allow states to tax future online sales. A competing measure, S. 1481, that would extend the moratorium for two years was introduced two days earlier.
	S. 1525, Defense of Internet Tax Freedom Act Sponsor: Sen. George Allen, R-Va. Introduced: Oct. 10, 2001 Committee: Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Description: S. 1525 would extend the moratorium on Internet taxes for five years. The current ban, which covers taxes on access to the Internet and on multiple and discriminatory Internet-related taxes, expires Oct. 21, 2001. Bill sponsor George Allen, R-Va., said he favors a permanent extension of the ban but decided to propose a temporary ban after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks forced Congress to turn its attention to more pressing issues. Two competing bills, S. 1481 and S. 1504, would extend the moratorium for either two years or eight months.
	S. 1542, Internet Tax Moratorium and Equity Act Sponsor: Sen. Michael Enzi, R-Wyo. Introduced: Oct. 11, 2001 Committee: Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Description: S. 1542 would make permanent the ban on Internet access taxes and extend until Dec. 31, 2005, the moratorium on multiple and discriminatory taxes. It also would encourage states to enter a compact to simplify their sales-tax systems and would require Congress to approve the final product before states could tax online sales. Bill sponsor Michael Enzi, R-Wyo., also introduced a virtually identical measure, S. 1567.
	S. 1553, Economic Stimulus Through Bonus Depreciation Act Sponsor: Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah Introduced: Oct. 16, 2001 Committee: Senate Finance Description: S. 1553 would amend the tax code to alter the tax write-off for companies that purchase certain equipment, including computers. The bill would allow companies to claim 50 percent of an asset's value as a tax deduction within the year it is purchased and used. The faster depreciation rate would only apply to assets purchased between Sept. 11, 2001, and July 1, 2002, and placed in service before Jan. 1, 2003. Bill sponsor Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said it is designed to compete with the depreciation schedule included in the House's economic stimulus measure, H.R. 3090, which would allow companies to claim only 30 percent more of an asset in the first year but would keep that tax break in place for almost three years. Hatch said the higher tax break and shorter timeframe are more appropriate for a bill designed to spark an economic recovery.
	S. 1567, Internet Tax Moratorium and Equity Act Sponsor: Sen. Michael Enzi, R-Wyo. Introduced: Oct. 18, 2001 Committee: Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Description: S. 1567 would make permanent the ban on Internet access taxes and extend until Dec. 31, 2005, the moratorium on multiple and discriminatory taxes. It also would encourage states to enter a compact to simplify their sales-tax systems and would require Congress to approve the final product before states could tax online sales. Bill sponsor Michael Enzi, R-Wyo., also introduced a virtually identical measure, S. 1542, a week earlier.
	S. 1581, American Security Enhancement Investment Act Sponsor: Sen. Frank Murkowski, R-Alaska Introduced: Oct. 25, 2001 Committee: Senate Finance Description: S. 1581 would give Americans a tax write-off equal to the full value of security-related technology -- including computers and software designed to combat cyber terrorism -- the year they install it.
	S. 1764, Robert Stevens, Thomas Morris Jr., Joseph Curseen, Kathy Nguyen, Ottilie Lundgren, and Lisa J. Raines Biological and Chemical Weapons Research Act Sponsor: Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn. Introduced: Dec. 4, 2001 Committee: Senate Finance Description: S. 1764 would provide tax and legal incentives designed to spur biotechnology firms to increase research and investment in products that could be used to respond to bioterrorism. Under the bill, the White House Office of Homeland Security would set research priorities, and firms that want to conduct related research would apply for tax and legal breaks in advance. The benefits for conducting such research would include extended patents. Bill sponsor Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., said the measure would complement another bioterrorism bill, S. 1765, filed the same day.
	S. 1791, Economic Security and Recovery Act Sponsor: Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M. Introduced: Dec. 10, 2001 Committee: Senate Finance Description: S. 1791 seeks to stimulate the economy by offering an array of tax benefits and other provisions. The bill would grant companies a 20-percent bonus tax write-off on the value of new assets, which is less than the 30-percent bonus included in a competing House measure, H.R. 3090. The Senate bill also would authorize a one-month payroll-tax holiday in January and provide 13 extra weeks of unemployment benefits. The measure represents one of several economic stimulus packages proposed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
	S. 1804, American Family Economic Security and Stimulus Act Sponsor: Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala. Introduced: Dec. 11, 2001 Committee: Senate Finance Description: S. 1804 would provide tax incentives, extend unemployment benefits and take other steps in an effort to stimulate the economy. The bill would grant companies a 10-percent bonus tax write-off on the value of new assets -- less than the 30-percent bonus included in a competing House measure, H.R. 3090, and the 20-percent bonus proposed in another Senate bill, S. 1791. All three measures are among the economic stimulus packages proposed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
	S. 1831, Untitled Sponsor: Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa Introduced: Dec. 14, 2001 Committee: Senate Finance Description: S. 1831 would give employees who exercised stock options in 2000 temporary relief from the alternative minimum tax (AMT). Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said his measure is designed to help "workers who are facing a massive tax bill on the phantom income they have from incentive stock options." Many of those workers have or had technology-related jobs. The bill would allow qualifying employees to calculate the value of their stock options at their worth on April 15, 2001, rather than the date they exercised the options.
	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, inc